Nature takes on a healing role in these spectacular stays inspired by their dramatic wild settings
Pilguse Residency, Saaremaa , Estonia
Island living is given a luxury spin at this retreat off the coast of Estonia –yet there’s asense of balance in the owners’ commitment to responsible design, too.
Set on aformer dairy farm, this residency keeps the palette simple to let the materials (and the landscape) do the talking. Common areas and guest rooms are furnished with Danish rattan pieces and items picked up from the owners’ travels. Two mirrored cabins provide an almost 360-degree view of the surrounding countryside –this is peace like we’ve never experienced before.
Expect fresh, seasonal, often foraged fare, including whole smoked trout, cucumber two ways, and a Chanterelle mushroom dish we were thinking about for days after.
Smoke and wood-burning saunas, fresh water springs and walking trails provide plent y of wholesome ways to experience this special kind of island living.
Six Senses Crans-Montana , Switzerland
The place to be if you’re looking for some last-minute skiing, with cosy, chalet-st yle accommodation looking out to impressive views across the valley.
Designed by Paris-based architecture and interiors studio AW2, the resort boasts Swiss chalet architecture with a thoroughly modern (but just as cosy) interior. The studio designed the suites to feel like ‘entering acabin in the woods’; windows run the full width of the room so you can take in the slopes and the forest beyond.
After a day of high-altitude activities, take your pick from two on-site restaurants – Wild Cabin, an all-day brasserie serving responsibly sourced local produce, and Byakko, the resort’s signature restaurant, with its Japanese-inspired fare.
The crowning glory of AW2’s design might just be the indoor pool, boasting as it does a ceiling of sculpted timber battens, lit in such away that their ref lections gently ripple in the water beneath.
Hvammsvík Hot Springs, Iceland
You couldn’t be more at one with nature than at this geothermal resort, with rustic but high-end lodges and farmhouses that take their design cues from the landscape all around.
The resort was built on an old barrack foundation from the Second World War, and one
