A Journey in Two Acts: Multi-Centre Holidays

Two Indian Oceans: Sri Lanka & The Maldives

Sri Lanka and the Maldives, taken together, offer something a touch more adventurous than a typical beach holiday.

The journey begins on Sri Lanka’s southern coast: drifting along the Madu Wetlands, where macaques swing in the mangroves, hiking the Kanneliya Rainforest and sailing the southern seas, home to Blue Whales and pods of Bottlenose Dolphins. You’ll stay in the magnificent Fort Bazaar, Teardrop Hotels’ stylish boutique property, sculpted from a 17th-century townhouse with interiors that recall its Moorish roots. It’s located right in the middle of Galle, one of Asia’s best-preserved fortified towns, with colonial remnants contrasting against the natural topography: all church spires, forts and lighthouses mingling with palms and cerulean seaviews.

Afterwards, the journey changes pace on a trio of private islands in the Maldives, oozing serenity and stillness and offering space to reset. You’ll stay amongst the porcelain white beaches of the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, with villas suspended over a gem-blue lagoon, each with large terraces, infinity pools and steps disappearing into the Indian Ocean. Activities are diverse, with days spent on land or in the water, but the resort’s wellness offering is most appealing with rejuvenating treatments and rituals tailored to individual needs.

South Africa: City, Safari, and the Open Road.

Explore South Africa: vibrant cities, vast wilderness and some of the world’s most picturesque coastal drives.

First stop: Cape Town, with Table Mountain rising above a coastline of windswept beaches, vineyards stitched across verdant valleys, and charming villages dotted across the coast. Here, you’ll stay in Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, aka the ‘Pink Lady’ — named for its whimsical pink Wes Anderson-like building, set in nine acres of landscaped gardens against a tableau of rugged mountains. It offers convenient access to the striking streets of Bo-Kaap, hikes in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, and wine tastings in historic Stellenbosch — included in many of our South African wine itineraries.

Next is the vast wilderness of the Kruger National Park and the Londolozi Private Game Reserve, where you’ll stay in a villa suite with an outdoor bath perched beside the Sand River. Game drives follow lions and elephants through captivating natural scenery, while treatments at the Healing House spa and evenings dedicated to delicious cuisine soundtracked by the bush are perfect for winding down after long days on safari.

360’s Travel Designers suggest extending your stay with a road trip through forests, lagoons, and cinematic ocean cliffs along the remarkable Garden Route.

Australia: Sydney, The Rock and the Reef.

Australia is vast, home to dramatically different landscapes, where vibrant harbour cities, remote islands and ancient desert combine to create one remarkable adventure.

This journey begins in Sydney, home to one of the world’s great natural harbours. From the terrace of your hotel, the Park Hyatt Sydney, the sails of the Opera House rise almost within reach, setting a sublime stage for days exploring breathtaking beaches or walking the coastal path between Bondi and Bronte, fuelled by Sydney’s brilliant coffee culture.

From Sydney, we head north to the Great Barrier Reef and the secluded shores of Lizard Island Resort. Set within a national park and surrounded by some of the reef’s most pristine dive sites, Lizard Island Resort feels wonderfully remote, more so when you consider there are 24 private beaches and just 40 chic rooms, suites, and villas. Days are spent snorkelling coral alongside inquisitive turtles, fishing trips to the outer reef, or indulging in a private picnic on a hand-selected beach, romantically set for two.

For one final Australian chapter, we suggest exploring the Red Centre, where vast desert plains and the sacred monolith Uluru reveal a landscape shaped by time and Australia’s fascinating Indigenous cultures.

Nature Meets Culture: Chile & Argentina

This adventure takes you from Chile’s soaring Patagonian mountains to the lively streets of Buenos Aires.

First, we delve deep into the breathtaking wilds of southern Patagonia, where boundless mountain ranges plunge into glittering glacial lakes. You’ll stay at Awasi Patagonia, a sublimely intimate lodge on a private reserve set close to Lake Sarmiento, overlooking the granite skyscrapers of Torres del Paine. Each of Awasi’s 14 villas has a private guide and 4×4, allowing guests to easily mould their own adventures, whether trekking to the renowned Grey glacier, tracking guanacos or condors swooping silently overhead, or indulging in delicious fish plucked fresh from the fjords.

After Chile’s elemental marvels, the journey turns towards Buenos Aires, a city that never feels anything less than thrilling and alive. You’ll stay at the renowned Faena Hotel Buenos Aires, a striking address on the Puerto Madero Este waterfront, converted from a warehouse crafted from Manchester bricks, and designed by Philippe Starck. This chapter marks a vibrant reimmersion into society after the wilderness, taking you along grand boulevards and parks lined with ombu trees to late-night cafés, candlelit bars and the scent of asado in the evening air — stitched together by the unmistakable rhythms of tango.