Hotel Puerta América, Madrid, Spain.
For creative diversity, the Hotel Puerta América in Madrid is hard to beat. Each floor is the work of a different world-class designer and the one by Kathryn Findlay, who studied in Edinburgh, London and Tokyo, is straight from Star Wars. Everything is bright white and curved, lights pulse along the corridor and in your technical snow-cave of a room, the television comes out of the ceiling at the touch of a button. Ride the lift and compare each floor as you pass.
Check www.hoteles-silken.com for details.
For flights to Madrid click here.
Knight Inlet Lodge, Glendale Cove, British Columbia, Canada.
If you want to see something more dangerous than cows, viewing grizzly bears in the wild at Knight Inlet Lodge in British Columbia is a must-do. One of the options is to do an early morning paddle in sea kayaks with a guide. Get up to the top of the creek and then just drift on the lazy current back down between banks of vivid green sedge grass. Woodpeckers tap, morning mists lifts off the surrounding mountains and then a grizzly wanders out of the woods.
Check www.grizzlytours.com for details.
For flights to Vancouver click here
Poon Hill Circuit, Annapurna Sanctuary, Nepal.
February is one of the so-called ‘secret’ trekking seasons in Nepal. Trails that are normally busy with tourists can be utterly empty, meaning that on the round trip to Poon Hill you can get all those outrageous views of snow-capped peaks and deep valleys pretty much to yourself. Summiting at Poon Hill, the high point at 3,100 metres, you might even be lucky enough to get snow. Sunrise at the viewpoint, looking at the endless white Himalayas while the sun turns the tips of the mountains pink, is unforgettable.
For flights to Kathmandu click here
The Overland Track, Tasmania, Australia.
Hiking the Overland Track in Australia with www.cradlehuts.com.au, make sure your guides know which of the luxurious eco-huts the board game Articulate is in. It’s usually in the Kia Ora Hut. A brilliant game where you have to describe things as fast as possible, it is a great way of bonding with your fellow walkers and reducing everyone to tears (usually the good kind). The scenery isn’t half bad either.
Check www.cradlehuts.com.au for details.
For flights to Launceston click here
Kola Peninsula, Russia.
For sheer ‘out there’ remoteness, extreme snowmobiling in the Kola peninsula of Russia is the best way of travelling beyond your comfort zone. Deep snow, warming vodka and crossing the border from Finland into Russia is something straight out of a Bond film. The snowmobiles are totally addictive as well. I went with www.kolaextreme.com, who are excellent.
Check www.kolaextreme.com for details.
For flights to Rovianiemi click here.