Reviews · Recommendations

Experiences

The specific ones: the nights and the swims I would go back for tomorrow.

  • Wadi Arbeieen Resort, a terrace of low seating under the bare canyon walls of Wadi Al Arbeieen Oman
    Stay · Wadi

    Sleep in a Wadi

    Wadi Al Arbeieen, Oman

    Simple white houses by the water, deep inside the mountains. We woke before sunrise to watch the first light reach the canyon walls.

    Read it in my Oman route →
  • A desert camp lit up at dusk among the dunes of Wahiba Sands, footprints in the sand in front Oman
    Stay · Desert camp

    Sleep in the Desert

    Wahiba Sands, Oman

    Two nights far from any road, one of them the last night of the year. Before sunrise I climbed the nearest dune alone and watched the first light spill across the sand.

    Read it in my Oman route →
  • Harat Al Misfah Inn, a restored stone house on a lane of the old village of Misfat Al Abriyeen Oman
    Stay · Guesthouse

    Sleep in a Mountain Village

    Misfat Al Abriyeen, Oman

    Harat Al Misfah Inn is a restored stone house in the heart of the village. You sleep among the lanes and the falaj, not in a resort built next to it.

    Read it in my Oman route →
  • A sea turtle swimming over the sandy seabed in clear turquoise water off the Daymaniyat Islands Oman
    Swim · Snorkel

    Snorkel with Turtles

    Daymaniyat Islands, Oman

    My first time snorkelling, and I had never seen so many turtles so close. The sand is white and the water so clear it feels like the Maldives.

    Read it in my Oman route →
  • Sunset over the Jebel Shams canyon, seen through the open door of a stone room at Sama Al Khutaim Heritage Home Oman
    Stay · Heritage home

    Sleep on the Edge of a Canyon

    Jebel Shams, Oman

    Sama Al Khutaim has three rooms on the rim of Wadi Ghul. Mohsen cooks dinner himself, and the Balcony Walk starts right outside your door.

    Read it in my Oman route →
  • The carved and painted doors of Palais Faraj, a palace hotel above the medina of Fes Morocco
    Stay · Palace

    Sleep in a Princess Castle

    Fes, Morocco

    Palais Faraj sits above the old medina: courtyard after courtyard, and a rooftop with all of Fes below. Dinner up there was one of my favourite evenings.

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  • Looking down into the round Cenote Ik Kil, hanging vines above swimmers on the dark water Mexico
    Swim · Cenote

    Swim in a Cenote

    Cenote Ik Kil, Mexico

    Very touristy, I'll say that first. But despite that? Absolutely stunning, with vines hanging all the way down the walls to the water.

    Read it in my Mexico route →
  • A wooden treehouse cabin on tall stilts among the trees at Munduk Heaven Luxury Villas Bali
    Stay · Treehouse

    Sleep in a Treehouse in the Mountains

    Munduk, Bali

    Cabins built like treehouses in the forest, with a little funicular down to the lower part. Some afternoons we had a rainbow over the infinity pool.

    Read it in my Bali route →
  • A cooking-class station laid out with bowls of noodles, chopped vegetables and sauces beside a wok Bali
    Food · Cooking class

    Learn to Cook Balinese

    Seminyak, Bali

    It starts at a local market among the spices, then banana leaves, nasi goreng and mie goreng. I took those flavours home to Switzerland. Best souvenir of the trip.

    Read it in my Bali route →
  • The Kelingking headland on Nusa Penida, shaped like a T-Rex, above a curve of white sand and turquoise sea Bali
    Hike · Viewpoint

    Hike Down the T-Rex Cliff

    Kelingking, Nusa Penida

    We went at sunrise and climbed all the way down the spine of the headland: 45 to 60 minutes of steep steps and roots each way. Wear real shoes.

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  • Looking up into the dense, moss-covered canopy of the cloud forest at Monteverde Costa Rica
    Adventure · Zipline

    Zipline Through a Cloud Forest

    Selvatura Park, Monteverde

    Thirteen cables, one of them a full kilometre long, straight into the cloud forest. It felt like flying, and it was my favourite experience in Costa Rica.

    Read it in my Costa Rica route →
  • Rows of vines on the steep Lavaux terraces running down towards Lake Geneva and the Alps Switzerland
    Walk · Vineyards

    Walk a UNESCO Vineyard (No Wine Needed)

    Lavaux, Switzerland

    I don't drink, and I still loved the guided walk through the terraces above Lake Geneva. At the tasting they poured me non-alcoholic drinks instead.

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