Luxury Travel Hot Spots In The Most Unexpected Places On Earth

PEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with our pals over at Set For Life to guide you through the most epic of travel adventures and experiences. FYI, if you’re looking to tick some stuff off your bucket list, why not give entering our comp with these guys a whirl? You could find yourself with a cool $20k in your pocket. Get entering at the end of this article (after you’ve read it, of course). 

The best Instagram photo possible is surely luxury experience + amazing setting + you with a witty humblebrag caption. It’s the old travel thirst trap, a guarantee of double (hey, we almost wanna say triple) digit likes and envy-filled comments from mates. And there’s no better setting for one than somewhere people least expect. It’s like the holy grail – finding some sort of paradise amidst a breathtaking backdrop, that isn’t your typical Blue Lagoon in Iceland/The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs

Here’s our round-up of the most outrageous stays and experiences in the wildest of locations. Charge your phones up, mates.
Photo: Berkeley River Lodge.

Situated between Kununurra and Darwin on the northeast Kimberley Coast, you can’t even get to this luxury resort without taking a private plane. It’s made up of small villas, with the main building housing a fine dining restaurant and lap pool. It’s so remote the villas have outdoor baths – yeah, you can get naked and not feel like some random is gonna walk past you while you’re belting out “That’s Freedom” in the tub.

Photo: Four Seasons.
Speaking of private bathtubs, how about this beauty? It’s at Four Seasons Tent Camp Golden Triangle, a – you guessed it – luxury glamping experience in Chiang Rai, Thailand. To get there, you have to fly into Chiang Rai International Airport, then take a 75 minute car trip to the river, where you then hop in a boat to sail down to the camp. Obviously, “camp” is a bit misleading here for anyone who associates roughing it with the term. The luxury tents feature a full bed, bathroom and yep – that hot tub. The camp is also situated amidst a rescue elephant sanctuary, so you’ll get amazing views of the creatures constantly.
Photo: Amangiri.

Utah is pretty magnificent – if you haven’t been before, it’s well worth a road trip up from LA. There’s a lot of wide open desert spaces, and one resort-cross-wellness-retreat making the most of that spectacular view is Amangiri. It’s around 3 hours from the nearest city or town, and it’s set on 600 acres of desert landscape. While the accommodation is lush, we’re really here for the spa offering – featuring this amazing pool, as well as a space-agey water pavilion complete with floatation therapy and full treatment menu. 

Photo: Grotta Palazzese.
Ah yes, the restaurant where all your Little Mermaid fantasties, minus the bit where you have a tail and are dining underwater, are realised. Housed in an actual cave in Polignano a Mare, with an edge looking straight out to sea, the Grotta Palazzese restaurant has literally got zero bad tables – you’ll get a superb view wherever you sit. 
Photo: Wildflower Hall.
You wouldn’t think you’d find a fairytale-esque castle in the middle of the Himalayas, but here we are, friends. Wildflower Hall is a historic ex-Lord’s home, naturally – and plays on that with its opulent interiors. Everything is rich-person fanciness in the 8,250 feet above sea level luxury hotel – from the suites that feature four-poster beds and fireplaces, to the infinity pool with so-spectacular-they-seem-fake mountain views. 
Photo: Quasr Al Sarab.

This place is a real, actual oasis. Like, the real-life version of those ones you’re meant to conjure up in your mind when you’re stranded in the desert and parched etc. Seriously, look at that pool, the view, all of it. Quasr Al Sarab is smack bang in the middle of Rub’Al Khali, aka the largest uninterrupted sand desert in the world. The world. It’s two hours from Abu Dhabi, and features a collection of villas for maximum privacy. 
Photo: Pumphouse Point.
See that teeny, nothing-looking little house at the end of that long wharf? That’s actually housing an extremely chic boutique hotel. Sitting in the middle of Lake St Clair and surrounded by Tassie wilderness, Pumphouse Point is actually two historical industrial buildings (one on land, one out on the water) that have been refurbed into luxury accommodation. The rooms feature minimalist architecture and interior design, with views out onto the lake – making for some primo pics.
Photo: Conrad Hotels and Resorts Maldives.
Luxury? In the Maldives? Groundbreaking. Yep, we get it – The Maldives are known for their OTT resorts and restaurants. But we figured Ithaa deserved a mention in this list because it’s under-freaking-water. There’s not a lot of underwater restaurants in the world – and even less that have a fine dining menu. Ithaa has both, plus the bonus of all the amazing aquatic life The Maldives are known for. Sharks swimming by while you chow down on a Wagyu steak – equal parts terrifying and phenom. 
Wish you had some spare cash to jet off to one of these destinations? Why not enter our comp – you could win $20k!
Photo: Quasr Al Arab.

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