El Salvador

I've only been in ES for one night as a transit from Belize to the US... but even my bro has heard wonderful things about it, mainly the surf.... but according to my all time fav magazine Wanderlust, this is what else you can do....

~Southwest Coast: coast around La Libertad has some of the best waves, dive in volcano lakes or hike in the primary forest of El Imposible National Park
~ volcanoes and views : peaks around Santa Ana
~ Suchitoto: most popular town after the capital
~ Ruta de las flores: hills near Apaneca, string of cobbled, colonial villages overlooked by spine of dramatic volcanoes
~ eat: Pupasas

Tasmania

fly to Hobart (closer from Melbourne vs. Sydney), 3 hours drive, check out
www.saffire-freycinet.com.au

or go to kangaroo island

Lesotho

Lesotho, an unsung hero. A tiny kingdom with torrents of wild flowers and snow-capped peaks and the only place in Southern Africa you can ski. To get here you can either fly in, or drive up and up and up into the sky. The surrounding South Africa feels like a different world; everyone here travels round on horseback covered in blankets held together with big nappy pins. Now there is somewhere to stay, beautiful and smart. The bedrooms are like teapots with thatched lids and log fires and the main building has a deck with wondrous views. A place to explore, riding on hardy ponies, days peppered with picnics and cold beers. It’s a gorgeous, lost world – and for now it’s empty.

Franschhoek south africa

La Residence
You can try to be cynical about this hotel, but it won’t happen. It turns the hardest of hearts into Gollum-like disciples of preciousness. People helicopter in, then disappear into their rooms for days, poring over every floorboard, doorknob and tap. It’s the most over-the-top hotel in the world, but somehow over-the-top spectacular, not over-the-top brash. If it didn’t follow through, the show would be a flop. And it’s not. Recently, a Milky Way of British Michelin-starred chefs came here and claimed they had eaten the best food in South Africa. Richard Gere loves it. There are roughly eight staff per guest (no exaggeration). The spa still isn’t open, nor the family villa, but trip out on the opulence – it will make you giddy.

Pakistan hindu kush

It’s exhilarating. Get out here and get stuck in. A short walk from the border with Afghanistan and clinging to a hilltop overlooking the valley is this hotel, owned by the charming descendants of the once princely state (Ghazala ul-Mulk is particularly amusing, so seek her out). No one in their right mind would want to come in winter, but in summer there’s hiking with expert trackers past glacial lakes, trips to the highest, dustiest polo match in the world, picnic lunches with local chieftains, trout fishing and a kind of extreme paragliding which is like flying but you’re attached to a kite (eek!). The Aga Khan has stayed here, so has Robert De Niro, in the peaceful, idiosyncratic rooms with their simple wooden furniture. Eat hearty lamb feasts, then snuggle up in blankets on the terrace and drink in the view – bumping into former president Musharraf enjoying his favourite tipple in the tea bar on the way.

Uganda

**Clouds mtn gorilla lodge**
The glimpse of jet black through the trees, the sound of shoots breaking, a deep chesty sigh, eyes peering through the undergrowth. This experience is a 60-minute shot for the soul. At last count, there were just 700 mountain gorillas left; this new property on the edge of the Impenetrable Forest has access to half that number – so there’s as good a chance here as any to track down a troop. Facing Rwanda’s volcanic cones and Congo’s green valleys are eight stone cottages, more mountain chalet than rugged refuge. Your butler stokes the fire. The maid slips a hot-water bottle between the sheets. But, best of all, guests can stroll from their rooms to the start of the gorilla trek. Until now, the nearest hotel was several hours by four-wheel drive. Cross the continent for this, cross five.

Mollymook 3.5 hr from Sydney south

stay either Paperbark camp or Bower at Broulee, www.thebower.com.au

eat
berry doughnut van @ Queen st, Berry
Berry Sourdough bakery & cafe 23 Prince Alfred St, Berry
the gunyah at paperbarkcamp
cupitt's winery vineyard rd, ulladulla cupittwines.com.au
the river moruya www.therivermoruya.com.au in Moruya
pilgrims wholefoods, the settlement, princes hwy, milton

see/do
the husky pub www.thehuskypub.com.au
jim wild's oysters 2/170 green's road, greenwell
kingstudio 328 Princes Hwy, Milton www.kingstudio.com.au
revival antiques & 20th century design, shops 2a & 5a, the settlement, milton
kiama fisheries, Kiama harbour, Kiama