Remote places to stay
The joy of remoteness PICO IYER, ESSAYIST AND NOVELIST
The joy of travel has always involved getting away from it all, but never has the very notion of escape seemed quite as liberating as it does today. I remember stepping out of my room in a little motel on Easter Island—on the last day of the last millennium—and just walking across its empty lawns to where the sea crashed against black volcanic rocks. I could feel the stillness of the loneliest inhabited place on earth, with our nearest neighbours 1,300 miles away on Pitcairn Island (population 65). I think of the month I once spent in a modest, 11-room Tibetan guest-house in the foothills of the Himalayas, one of whose attractions was that the phones went dead even when the electricity (occasionally) stayed live. Even in modern Iceland, I have sat on a treeless hillside in mid-June, the sun not due to set for 2,400 hours, and heard the wind whistling in my ears as if calling me to an alternative dimension. In an age of acceleration, nothing is so cherished as slowness. In an age of distraction, nothing can make us as happy as a feeling of absorption, of being lost in the scene around us. And in an age of fragmentation, nothing leaves us feeling richer—more ourselves—than lingering over a single point in a single place. I’m not surprised that so many of my friends these days are perpetually on the lookout: not for hip hotels, or seven-star hotels, or boutique hotels in which each room is curated by a different artist, but simply for remote hotels—or guest-houses, or sanctuaries, or monasteries—where you can collect your thoughts and feel and hear the world around and inside you again. I remember the first time I drove up the one-lane coastal road three hours from my home to a Catholic hermitage a friend had recommended. I’m no Catholic—and not always a hermit—but as soon as I stepped into my small, but comfortable room, with its own private walled garden, and long picture windows looking out over the Pacific Ocean 1,200 feet below, surrounded by silence, I felt more restored than when I’ve stayed in some of the world’s plushest establishments. A blue jay landed on my fence, and I was transfixed, all my senses awakened by the stillness. Every few hours, a bell tolled up above me, but I felt as though it was tolling inside me. I took walks after dark, and watched the red blinking lights of planes among more stars than I could begin to count. When I awoke, in the absence of beeping machines, the day seemed to stretch before me for a thousand hours. It’s not hard (or expensive) to go to the New Camaldoli hermitage in Big Sur, California, I tell friends—I’ve been back more than 60 times in the past 22 years, sometimes staying for as long as three weeks. But if circumstances don’t allow you to do so, there will undoubtedly be somewhere offering remoteness very nearby, wherever you happen to be. I’ve stayed in retreat-houses in central Japan and Western Australia and just outside London; I’ve also relished unforgettable nights in a little guest-house next to the lofty rock-churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia, in the peace of a tiny island in Alaska, and even in a crowded Greek holiday spot above a remote taverna. The more space you have around you, the more space you discover within yourself. The less you have in the room, the more you have to bring to others. And the fewer worries you have, the wealthier you feel, in the deepest sense. Years ago, I noticed something interesting. Whenever I took myself to a remote hotel, there were a thousand reasons not to go. I felt guilty about not spending the time with my mother, my bosses were emailing me with reminders of a hundred pressing deadlines, and I would miss my old friend’s birthday party. As soon as I arrived, though, I wondered what I could have been thinking: it was only by taking myself to a place of clarity and seclusion that I could begin to muster anything joyous, generous and refreshed to bring back to my mother, my bosses or my friend. Remoteness offers us the greatest reward of all: reminding us of what we care about, deep down, and showing us how and where to find it.
7
places to stay 01
p.12
02
p.26
03
p.40
04
p.52
SNAEFELLSNES, ICELAND
LYNGEN ALPS, NORWAY
BERNER OBERLAND, SWITZERLAND
SANTO STEFANO DI SESSANIO, ITALY
HOTEL BUDIR
LYNGEN LODGE
HOTEL BELLEVUE DES ALPES
SEXTANTIO ALBERGO DIFFUSO
09
p.106
10
p.124
11
p.136
12
p.154
PAGE, UTAH, USA
NATIONAL PARK WRANGELLST. ELIAS, ALASKA, USA
FOGO ISLAND, NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA
PATAGONIA, CHILE
AMANGIRI
ULTIMA THULE LODGE
FOGO ISLAND INN
ESTANCIA CERRO GUIDO
17
p.230
18
p.248
19
p.262
20
p.272
NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND
COLES BAY, TASMANIA
ESPIRITU SANTO, VANUATU
SAHARA, MOROCCO
CAPE KIDNAPPERS
SAFFIRE FREYCINET
RATUA PRIVATE ISLAND
DAR AZAWAD DUNE CAMP
05
p.62
06
p.72
p.86
07
08
p.94
SOUTH TYROL, ITALY
APULIA, ITALY
MARATHI ISLAND, GREECE
MUHU ISLAND, ESTONIA
PENSION BRIOL
CONVENTO DI SANTA MARIA DI CONSTANTI NOPOLI
PANTELIS MARATHI
PÄDASTE MANOR
13
p.166
14
p.182
p.196
15
16
p.214
TE MIRO OONE, EASTER ISLAND
CENTRAL MONGOLIA
BHUTAN
SHANGRI-LA, CHINA
POSADA DE MIKE RAPU
JALMAN MEADOWS GER CAMP
AMANKORA
SONGTSAM LODGES
21
p.282
22
p.296
KALAHARI DESERT, BOTSWANA
NAMIBRAND NATURE RESERVE, NAMIBIA
JACK’S CAMP
WOLWEDANS
$ $$ $$$ $$$$
AFFORDABLE REMOTENESS REMOTENESS WITH A TOUCH OF CLASS SOPHISTICATED REMOTENESS EXCLUSIVE REMOTENESS
Amangiri
Page Utah USA
106
PAGE — UTAH — USA
AMANGIRI
09 SUPER DE LUXE
W 111°36’40”
ARCHITECT
Marwan Al Sayed Wendell Burnette Rick Joy
107
N 37°0’52”
Amangiri
Page Utah USA
108
20 top
A cosy living room atmosphere, with a view across the rugged landscape of the Snaefellsnes glacier and the Atlantic.
21
top
Inspirational Icelandic cloud formations, above Hotel Budir.
SEXTANTIO ALBERGO DIFFUSO
CLIMATE
AIRPORT
PRICE RANGE
ROOMS
IN JULY AVERAGE BETWEEN 18°C (64°F) AND 28°C (82°F)
ROME 180 KM
$
27 ROOMS AND SUITES
IN JANUARY AVERAGE BETWEEN -5°C (23°F) AND 12°C (53°F)
PESCARA 90 KM
SANTO STEFANO DI SESSANIO ITALY
THE PLACE Nestling in the heart of the quiet Abruzzo region in central Italy there is a characterful sixteenth-century village: Santo Stefano di Sessanio. Its massive, ancient stones speak volumes, and narrow passageways and porticos-withstairs open onto sun drenched piazzettas or a labyrinth of alleyways. However, some of the houses are barely standing. At 1,200 metres above sea level and only a stone’s throw from the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park in the Apennine Mountains, Santo Stefano di Sessanio is a well-kept secret, surrounded by the incredible beauty of the Abruzzese landscape – reminiscent of New Zealand but with mountain peaks as high as the Alps.
56 right
The mediaeval streets of Santo Stefano di Sessanio do not allow normal cars entry, let alone the modern world.
ON THE MENU At the wine bar, Il Cantinone, you can drink an aperitivo followed by a light meal, and in the morning enjoy a full homemade breakfast. At Kihlgren’s own restaurant, De Locanda Sotto gli Archi, his passion for conservation is evident in the menu. The dishes are made with ingredients once widely used, but now largely forgotten, such as certain varieties of herbs and vegetables and, most notably, the Santo Stefano grey lentil, which has fallen out of favour elsewhere. The attention to detail is extraordinary; even the blue edging on the plates is a particular shade that has historical meaning. It was tracked down by Kilgren’s team (with help from the museum) and specially mixed to be put to use again. MUST-DO In season it is worth making the 25 kilometre journey from Santo Stefano to go skiing in ‘Campo Imperatore’, one of the oldest ski resorts in Italy. Or go hiking to the Fortezza Rocca Calascio – at a height of 1,500 metres the views over Campo Imperatore and the Gran Sasso National Park are stunning. Two well-known movies were also filmed here: The Name of the Rose and Ladyhawke with Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer.
www.sextantio.it
THE STORY The unique villages of Abruzzo are all too often abandoned to the hands of fate. Young people move away leaving the older generation behind. Slowly but surely the villages become dominated by uninhabited houses, deserted squares and empty benches. This was the case in Santo Stefano di Sessanio, until 1999 that is, when the Swedish-Italian millionaire Daniele Kihlgren rode into town. He was on a solo motorbike tour, and as an idealist felt compelled to do something about this sad situation. Kihlgren bought one house quickly followed by another ten, acquiring plots of no less than 4,000 square metres from various owners who had allowed their houses to fall into decay. He made a deal with local government officials to preserve Santo Stefano and restore it to its original state: no new houses and a ban on the use of concrete. In exchange, Kihlgren would invest the considerable sum of around 4.5 million Euros to give the village a new lease on life.
ACCOMMODATION In 2004, five years after Kihlgren first wandered the streets of Santo Stefano, the village was ready to begin its new life. Kihlgren enlisted the help of big names such as architect David Chipperfield, who also supports the concept of conservative restoration. Representative of this relatively new concept in the hotel business, Albergo Diffuso consists of hotel rooms distributed over 32 restored village houses. The authentic character of the rooms is cleverly combined with modern elements, such as home automation systems, underfloor heating and open fireplaces. There is no TV, but there is an Internet connection. The Folk Museum of Abruzzo and some of the older residents of Santo Stefano were involved in the restoration project. This becomes obvious in details such as the heavy bedspreads and patterned linen – based on traditional woven designs and specially commissioned for this venture.
Sextantio Albergo Diffuso
Santo Stefano di Sessanio Italy
57
Fogo Island Inn
Fogo Island Newfoundland Canada
136
FOGO ISLAND — NEWFOUNDLAND — CANADA
FOGO ISLAND INN
11 PURE ISLAND ATMOSPHERE
ARCHITECT
Saunders Architecture
137
N 49°43’51” W 54°10’35”
Jack’s Camp
Kalahari Desert Botswana
284
JACK’S CAMP KALAHARI DESERT BOTSWANA
THE PLACE Jack’s Camp is located deep in the Kalahari Desert, on the edge of one of the largest salt pans in the world. Welcome to the Makgadikgadi Pans, a white tache de beauté on the African continent that is made up of almost 12,000 square kilometres of shimmering salt flats. Once one of the biggest lakes in Africa but now a blistering void of salt crystals, the Makgadikgadi landscape is captivating and other-worldly. The thick salt crust is interspersed with fertile green islands, where graceful llala palms grow, all set against the backdrop of the Kalahari. It is also the territory of the local San people, the surviving hunter-gatherers in this unspoilt part of Botswana.
286 right
Jack’s Camp is one of the oldest but also the most beautifully styled safari camps in Africa.
AIRPORT
PRICE RANGE
ROOMS
IN JULY AVERAGE BETWEEN 0°C (32°F) AND 30°C (86°F)
MAUN 230 KM
$$$$
10 TENTS
IN JANUARY AVERAGE BETWEEN 18°C (64°F) AND 45°C (113°F)
ACCOMMODATION The ‘vintage colonial’ furniture was discovered after Jack’s death, in old storage containers that travelled with him from Tanzania in 1959. There were also many exceptional skins, and stuffed animals – some of which are now extinct. And as a conservationist, one of Ralph’s first tasks was to make a record of these. Ralph and his ex-wife Catherine didn’t want to create a luxury hotel, and made the conscious decision not to connect electricity to either the ten tents or the communal lounge area. The staff light paraffin lamps every evening, evoking an atmosphere of nostalgia and romance – except perhaps for those wearing contact lenses! Being in a dark bush tent when a lion roars nearby or a supersonic storm lights up the night sky in shades of green, is quite an experience. ON THE MENU It is hard to believe that such a high standard of food is possible out in the middle of nowhere. The cuisine is light and inventive and the drinks menu features South African wines. At lunchtime there are delicious quiches and fresh salads, and in the evening, springbok or kudu steaks. MUST-DO There are other animals on the agenda besides prowling lions and passing elephants so you don’t come to the Makgadikgadi just to see a parade of the ‘Big Five’. Among them are cheetahs, best seen at sunset when the sky over the Kalahari turns shades of pale blue and pink. This is also one of the few places in the world where you can get up close and personal with meerkats. Go out and about with the San bushmen trackers to learn more about their amazing skills and habits.
www.unchartedafrica.com
THE STORY If you feel in need of silence and wide-open spaces then Jack’s Camp is the place for you. The charismatic Ralph Bousfield owns this camp. It is the love of his life – and one of the few camps on the northern edge of the Makgadikgadi salt flats. Ralph’s father, Jack, was a legend in safari history. He lived here for many years alongside the San, learning their language and customs. In the 1960s, Jack set up a simple camp, taking aristocrats and celebrities of that era out onto the salt flats and deep into the Bechuanaland on four-wheel-drive quad bikes. He was a true man of the wild – and achieved a world record by shooting 53,000 crocodiles! After the death of his father during a plane crash Ralph took over the family empire and worked with South African, Catherine Raphaely, to transform Jack’s Camp from primitive bush camp into an oasis of luxury and comfort.
CLIMATE
Jack’s Camp
Kalahari Desert Botswana
287
COLOPHON
TEXT
Debbie Pappyn PHOTOGR APHY
David De Vleeschauwer BOOK DESIGN
Sven Beirnaert EDITING
Nikki Werner Liz Morrison If you have any questions or remarks, please contact: david@findingremote.com debbie@findingremote.com
Š Lannoo Publishers, Tielt, 2014 ISBN: 978 94 014 0994 0 Registration of copyright: D/2014/45/226 NUR: 450/500 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
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