Mud hut, outside loo, nice view:why basic is the new luxury

OnpageTravel

When Prince Wil-liam slipped hismother’s ring onKate Middleton’smanicured fin-ger, he gave theroyal seal of

approval to the latest travel trend: thesearch for authenticity. You can’t keepit much more real than the Rutundu logcabin in Kenya, where he popped thequestion. Fifteen kilometres from thenearest road, ithasnoelectricityandoffers

hyenas, leopards and glorious isolationrather thanpaparazzi.It is high-profile proof that luxury no

longer means six-star bling, butlers and24-hour room service. Now it’s all aboutgetting back to basics. We want a remotecabin, a desert tent—admittedlywe like itwith bells and whistles — or a wildernesslodge with elegy-inducing views. Foodshould include local ingredients, localflavouranda local chef.Forget fusion.Perhaps it’sareactiontoourmanic, sani-

tised, over-branded age. For a true escapewe desire walls of stone, wood or canvas tobe warmed by flames rather than centralheating, with fresh air on tap and a nightsky drenched with stars. It need not costtheearth,but itmustbehighonnatureandlowon fellowguests.Take the ArkHotel in Swedish Lapland.

You can’t get farther from the maddingcrowdthanthe fivewoodhutshuddled likenervous reindeer in the middle of thefrozen Lake Torneträsk. Hotels are rarelymore elemental. When I was there thein-roomentertainment consistedof lifting

a trap door, drilling a hole in the ice anddroppingabaitedhook into the icydepths.Supperwasmoose sausage and reindeer

washeddownwithvats of schnapps—andwhen the aurora borealis writhed acrossthe sky, we left the sauna to sprint nakedacross the ice. If I hadn’t been howling likeawerewolf, I’dhaveproposed.Toanyone.

I experienced the same release, albeitfully clothed, at Tyrconnell in Australia, a19th-century gold mine enveloped byQueensland’s rolling bush. It was a doubleact: nature delivered silence and solitude,Tyrconnell supplied period cottages withparaffin lamps and claw baths. Shortlybefore I arrived, Kylie Minogue and herSpanish lover had stayed there, undis-turbedby the internationalpress.Nowhere, no matter how remote, is

immune to this royal-endorsed traveltrend.Whilecrossing fromChile toArgen-tina, I stopped at a goat herder’s hut,11,500ft up in the Andes. The adventureexperts Explora had pimped it with cactusroof beams, slate floors and alpaca-hairblankets. It was ridiculously cosy, yet still alonely goat herder’s hut, a tiny pinprick inthe vast South American wilderness. Andat that moment, as a cruel wind whippeddown the valley, I wouldn’t havewanted tostay anywhere else. It was simply perfect.For 15more small but perfectly formed

hideaways with that vital streak ofauthenticity, read on . . .

Remote and wild —real luxury is aboutthe simple life, saysIan Belcher. Justask Wills and Kate

‘Each round house hasits own small flock ofedible guinea pigs’Peru’s other ancient Andean city30

The Mud Hut (9) in Sri

Lanka, main picture, offers

tropical simplicity, but

for glorious isolation

The Secret Ranchito (5) in

Chile is hard to beat

THE TIMES Saturday November 27 2010

24 Travel

1LittleTom’sCottage,North Island,NewZealandThis tinyhideawayscoresmajorpoints forits locationandstyle,witha fabulousalfrescobaththrownin.Overlooking theTukitukiRivernearHawke’sBay, thecoolly renovatedoldcottagehas squashysofas in thepetite livingroom,andabedroomwith frenchdoorsopeningontothevalley.WaimaramaBeach is close, as isfoodandvinoatCraggyRangewinery.Details£58pppernightwithTurquoiseHolidays (01494678400,turquoiseholidays.co.uk)

2OoraminnaHomestead,NorthernTerritory,AustraliaOoraminna is theOutbackwith the roughedgesknockedoff. SittingonDeepWellStation—amere500,000acresnearAliceSprings—thebushcabinshavefour-posterbedshewnfromdesertoak.Therearecattle-hiderugsandprivateverandaswhereyoucankipbeneath thestars.Either join in the station’sworkingdayorkickbackandwatch the redOutbackcrags ignite in the settingsun.Details£155pppernighthalf-board (006189530170,ooraminnahomestead.com.au)

3OldSchool,Lundy IslandItmighthave the richblue façadeofaMexicancourtyardbut the super-snugOldSchool iswashedbyBristolChannelgusts rather thanSouthAmericansun.Thetwo-personcorrugated-ironbolthole,dubbed“thebluebung”,hasperiodfurnitureandwall charts. Itmakes theperfect base forclifftophikes.DetailsFrom£224 for threenightsthroughtheLandmarkTrust(01628825925, landmarktrust.org.uk)

4DuntonHotSprings,ColoradoIfRalphLaurenwere let loose in theRockieshewouldcomeupwithsomethingclose to this.Thegloriously restoredghosttownnearTelluridecontains severalrevampedminers’ cottages inadreamyvalleyoverlookingmeadowsandmountains.Two-personEchoCabin,withitsartfullybattered furniture, tastefulweavesandphotogenicoutsideshower,shouldcarryagovernment snugglewarning.There’sacclaimedfood,heli-skiingandhorse riding toenjoy.Details£507anight full-boardwithBonVoyage(08003160194,bon-voyage.co.uk)

5TheSecretRanchito,Patagonia,ChileTheclue’s in thename.Nestlingbeneathsnow-lickedpeaks, it sitson theroad lesstravelledandcanbereachedonlybyfoot,horseorhelicopter.Your luggagearrivesbyoxcartandchefshike inwithyourmeals.Decor,naturally, iswood-heavywithcowhidechairs, rugsand local throwsover thebed.Therearewidescreenviewsof theTresMonjaspeaks.The loo isoutside, the shower’s ina tree trunk,andisolation is rarelysoglorious.Details£289anightall inclusivewithi-escape (i-escape.com)

6TheRoundhouse,Dordogne, FranceSeriouslyquirkyandromantic, theRoundhouse is tucked intoahillsideoutside thevillageofVilletoureix.Handmade fromearth (greenturf coversawonderfully curlingbeamedroof),logs,glassbottlesandreclaimeddouble-glazing, it looksacrossagentlevalleywithoutaneighbour insight. Itsoutsidekitchenandshowermight testyourmettle inwinter, but this is anescapefor romantics, dreamersorkeengreenies.DetailsFrom£34anightwithOneOffPlaces (oneoffplaces.co.uk)

7KuanguKuangu,NamibDesert,NamibiaAnother sliceofAfricanwilderness thatwouldhavesuitedaroyalproposal,KuanguKuanguoverlooksamulti-huedvalley.Seamlesslyblendingwith thelandscape, theone-roomhideawaywithalfrescokitchenandbathroomfuses logs,canvasandstonewithearthycoloursandvastwindows—aformula for solitude,sittingandstaring.Thenamecomes fromtheOvambopeople’sword for theMilkyWay, anodto theastonishingnight sky.Details£93anight(kuangukuangu.com)

8Blencathra,CumbriaThis shepherd’shutgazingacrossCumbria’s fells is so ludicrouslycute—alltinywindows, curvedroofandsmokingchimney—that it couldbemadeofgingerbread.Withaseparatekitchenandbathroomnearby, it resists theNorthWest’s inclementweatherwithawood-burningstove, sheepskinrugsandheavy-dutybedding. Insummer thehut,for twoto fourpeople,openson toagorgeous landscape.DetailsFrom£65anightwithCanopyandStars (01275395447,canopyandstars.co.uk)

9TheMudHut,TheMudhouse, Sri LankaTropical simplicity is thewatchwordofthisgaggleofwattle-and-daub thatchedhuts laced through60acresof forest innorthwestSriLanka’s ancientwetlands.What the two-personMudHut lacks inelectricityandboilingwater itmakesupfor inatmosphere,withopensidesletting the forest in (itsbirdlife isincredible).Nightsare illuminatedbyoillampsand fires,whileyour foodcomesfromtheMudhouse’sorganic farm.Details£117anight full boardandexcursionswith i-escape (i-escape.com)

10Ghillie’sRest,Alladale, ScotlandItmightbenewbut this sturdycottagewith its reclaimedor locally sourcedwood,stoneand fabrics, slipseffortlessly intoAlladale’smuscularHighland landscape.Offeringstyleaswell aswildernessviews,ithasadeer-antler chandelierandwood-burningstove.There isoff-roaddriving,hiking, stalkingandshooting.DetailsFrom£87pppernight full board(01863755338, alladale.com)

‘‘The Sahara

delivers

romance like

few other

locations

’’

Sleep outside in a Kiboko

star bed at Loisaba

Wilderness (15), top; home

comforts at Aman-i-Khás

(14), above; and a bespoke

camp in the Sahara at Erg

Chebbi Dunes (11), below

Sometimes it costs theearth togobacktobasics . . .

11ErgChebbiDunes,Sahara,MoroccoAskanyfilmdirector: theSaharadeliversromance like fewother locations.AmongthedormantvolcanoesandendlessdunesofErgChebbi, achicbespokecampwithwall-to-wall rugs and handcraftedfurniture can be erected on demand,givingyouthesensationof firstfootsteps in thesand.Youcanvisit the1,200ftwalls ofTodraGorgebeforereturning for top-notch food.Details£2,000pp for twonights’ full boardand excursions, withAbercrombie &Kent(08456182200,abercrombiekent.co.uk)

12ShaktiVillageHouses,Ladakh, IndiaThetasteful renovationof threevillagehousesalongthe IndusValleyhasbought

high-level comfort to thehigh-altitudedesertdramaofLadakh.Expecthandmade furniture, toasty stovesandorganic toiletries—androoftoppagodasoverlooking themountainsandmonasteries.A team, includingguideandchef, followyoubetweenthehouses,allowingyoutohike, raftandexplore.DetailsEightnights from£3,687,including flights,withCazenove&Loyd(020-73842332, cazloyd.com)

13RedoubtBayLodge,AlaskaRedoubtBay,50photogenicmilessouthwestofAnchorageby floatplane,has space.Oodlesof it.As theonlyaccommodationwithin 171,000acresofa“criticalhabitatarea”—millionsofbirdsmigrateandnesthere—it’sa recipe forcontemplation,notclaustrophobia.Overlookingachainof lakesbackedbysnow-coveredpeaks, thecomfortablestove-heatedcabinsofferexcellentbearviewing, fishingandtheacclaimedAlaskancuisineofownerKirstenDixon.Details£800pppernightwithBonVoyage(08003160194,bon-voyage.co.uk)

14Aman-i-KhásRajasthan, IndiaAman’s coolelegance isn’t exactlyback-to-basics, but there’snodoubt thatthetenvast tentsofAman-i-Khásofferserenityandsensuous style.PitchedeachOctober toAprilon theedgeofRanthamboreNationalPark, atiger-viewinghot spot, theyofferair-conditioned rooms, surroundedby tallgrass, scrubandtrees.Details£712pernightplus$125ppboardchargewithAman(amanresorts.com)

15LoisabaHouse,LoisabaWilderness,KenyaLocation, location, location.Thefour-personhouseontheedgeof theKenyanescarpmenthasunforgettableviewsacross theLaikipiaplains toMountKenya—is thataprinceI canseekneeling?Thereal place topopthequestion, though, iswhenyouare lyingunder the stars inaKibokostarbed.DetailsFrom£2,530 for twopeopleandtwonights’ full boardwithAbercrombie&Kent (08456182200,abercrombiekent.co.uk)

15

The price ofsimplicity

Clockwise from top left:

KuanguKuangu (7) in

Namibia; Little Tom’s

Cottage (1), New Zealand;

Blencathra shepherd’s hut

(8), Cumbria; and the

Roundhouse (6), France

places forawild time