(Bloomberg) -- The most popular winter destinations this year, whether for Thanksgiving or the December holiday season, point to perennial crowd favorites, according to Google’s latest travel trends report issued on Sept. 5. Think Cancun, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Rome or Barcelona.
Going offbeat, then, has never sounded more enticing, even if you’re likely too late for booking the most affordable flights.
Perhaps a glass cabin in Oregon is an enticing proposition? Maybe a remote lodge in Madagascar? What about a private beachfront penthouse in Sharm El Sheikh? Whichever you choose, these new or upgraded hotels put a new spin on locations that aren’t just free of crowds but also offer a more intimate, memorable glimpse of their destinations.
Eleuthera, Bahamas
In the 1960s and 1970s, the original Potlach Club drew New York socialites and celebrities alike to its private estate and pineapple plantation on serene Eleuthera Island, 50 miles east of Nassau and set along seven miles of beachfront. Think Greta Garbo and Paul McCartney, who honeymooned here and famously wrote the Beatles hit She Came in Through the Bathroom Window on a Potlach Club notepad.
The refurbished estate, opened in July after seven years of restoration, preserves four of its original buildings, including the original clubhouse, but it ushers in a properly chic aesthetic to Eleuthera. A variety of 11 oceanfront and garden-tucked suites, cottages and villas sit amid 12 acres of palm trees and jasmine and frangipani-dotted gardens. Upscale beach designs by Hans Febles and Nassau-based interior designer Amanda Lindroth include coral stone-finished floors and bathrooms, white and ocean blue-colored textiles and wooden floor decks or balconies flanked by towering palm fronds.
A farm- and sea-to-table restaurant, poolside, features images from the resort’s heyday. Activities include massages on site, water sports or day hops to neighboring, buzzy Harbour Island for more restaurants and shopping. Rooms from $475
Pacific Northwest, Oregon
For a wilderness escape on US soil, the 40-room, scenic Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge, nestled along the Rogue River and minutes from southern Oregon’s rugged coastline, has welcomed guests in search of tranquility since the 1970s. But now a dozen new glass cabins for two are upping the ante, offering 360-degree views of the lodge’s lush surroundings from within the room, reflected through mirrored walls, plus a private patio with an outdoor soaking tub and a fire pit.
You’ll be able to choose the glass cabin view you’d prefer—mountain, creekside or riverfront—in privacy, as rooms are spaced out. Meals will range from hand-crafted pastas to surf and turf at the Oregon-inspired on-site restaurant, while outdoor activities include kayaking alongside canyons and forests, fly fishing for salmon or spotting bald eagles and sea otters on your coastline hike. You could also simply spend the day relaxing at the creekside spa. Glass cabins from $595
Rural Algarve, Portugal
The newest location of Viceroy Hotels & Resorts, opening on Oct. 1, points to the Algarve region of Portugal, already popular for its beaches and cobblestoned coastal towns. But the family-friendly Viceroy at Ombria Algarve resort takes you away from the crowds and into the countryside—it sits perched on a hill for 360-degree views of citrus groves and fig trees, just a 30-minute drive north from the coastline and Faro International Airport.
Designed to resemble a traditional Portuguese village, the resort features a central cobblestone plaza and tower anchoring a variety of red-roofed, white buildings sprawled across nearly 13 acres. Expect rooms with off-white and wooden accents, floor-to-ceiling windows and marble bathrooms. But we recommend the suites with a private jacuzzi on the balcony for a dip with views of the valley, or the one- and two- bedroom residences with private pools.
There’s a smorgasbord of amenities on site, from an indoor-outdoor kids’ club and four swimming pools, three of which are heated, to six on-site restaurants and bars. Portuguese pastries are at the bakery; traditional dishes like a seafood-centric plate of xarem—a cornmeal specialty from the Algarve region—can be sampled at the farm-to-table restaurant. You could skip the beach and hop on horseback in the surrounding Monte da Ribeira, go golfing on site or join a workshop with a local artisan, from breadmaking to pottery, honey production and tasting. A Viceroy spa with treatment rooms will open in March 2025. Rooms from £450 ($588)
Northwest Madagascar
Access to Madagascar was always more difficult than neighboring, touristy Seychelles, but as of Sept. 3, the rugged Indian Ocean island counts four weekly flights from Dubai to Antananarivo, in addition to those connecting through Europe and Africa. Add on a 70-minute flight from Antananarivo to Soalala airstrip, followed by a two-and-a-half-hour drive to reach the remote Namoroka Tsingy Camp in northwestern Madagascar.
Opened in August, it's set on the edges of its namesake Tsingy de Namoroka National Park, an 85-square-mile nature area with scenery straight out of an Indiana Jones movie. Think giant caves, bamboo forests, wetlands, and “tsingy”—jagged limestone rock formations that are also in abundance around the camp. You’ll spent days spotting a variety of lemurs, bats and more than 30 bird species. Meals are served in an outdoor dining and bar area set up within the park.
If you’re lucky, local scientists from partner conservation group Wildlife Madagascar, who periodically conduct research in the area, will join you. Note that seasonal rains will close the camp on Nov. 10, but it will reopen on May 15 with four additional glamping tents. Three-night package from $1,880
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Fewer crowds and a warm but pleasant Red Sea are perfect reasons to visit the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El Sheikh. The seafront Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh, just a 10-minute drive north from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport, underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2022 that doubled its size to 108 acres.
The transformation points to more than 80 additional rooms, including a variety of expansive one- and two-bedroom Premier Island or Imperial suites—the latter are more akin to fully equipped residences—outfitted with private pools and glorious views of the Red Sea. The new 6,000-square-foot, three-bedroom beachfront palace, completed in 2023, is an ultra-luxurious mansion within the grounds; designed in neutral and blue tones, it has its own private pool, a fitness room and a spa treatment room. But there are plenty of new amenities for all guests, from five additional restaurants—Mediterranean-inspired seafood dishes or Lebanese mezzes—and three new outdoor pools to a two-story fitness center and a kids’ club. Rooms from $500
High Atlas Mountains, Morocco
A year has passed since the tragic earthquake that struck Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, causing hundreds of deaths, as well as destroying villages and damaging hotels. After closing its doors temporarily, then opening up partially, Richard Branson’s Kasbah Tamadot, sitting atop a valley with views of Mount Toubkal, will fully reopen on Oct. 15.
A series of six luxurious three-bedroom riads will make their debut, each showcasing traditional Moroccan decor, including soft furnishings handmade by local Berber artisans. Guess can look forward to the riads' private pools and terraces, including in-room bernous (Arabian hooded cloaks) and babouches (leather loafers). The rooftop-tented suites add a modern twist to the Moroccan traditional house design, with a rooftop lounge and hot tub for a warm soak surrounded by sweeping views of the Atlas Mountains. Riads from $1,062
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