DESTINATIONS CALMCATIONS | WELLNESS
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Kava beach ceremony, Fiji; Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula attracts the right kind of visitor; enjoying the Norwegian fjords; Elsanranta
Villas at Sahanlahti Resort, Finland PICTURES: Tourism Fiji/Fraser Clements; Ruben Soltvedt
a former sawmill turned luxury hotel that’s now home to stand-up paddleboarding, swimming and other watersports, along with five types of sauna.
Sue McAlinden, general manager at Best Served Scandinavia, says: “From lunch cooked on a campfire to boat trips on Lake Saimaa, every moment invites clients to slow down and reconnect with their surroundings. This is Finnish summer at its best.” Book it: Best Served Scandinavia’s seven-night Culinary Delights of Lake Saimaa itinerary costs from £2,655 per person, based on two sharing. Includes breakfast, excursions, some meals, car hire and flights from Heathrow in July.
best-served.co.uk Or try: Norway’s antidote to anxiety is friluftsliv. Odd Tore Skildheim, Hurtigruten’s head of product development and operations, says: “Friluftsliv, which literally means ‘open-air living’, reflects Norway’s deep-rooted tradition of connecting with
travelweekly.co.uk
Costa Rica’s
motto, pura vida, or the pure life, encapsulates the importance of staying positive and living simply
nature through active outdoor experiences. At Hurtigruten, we aim to give our guests an authentic taste of friluftsliv through guided hikes and nature-based excursions such as kayaking.” Hurtigruten’s first fjords-only sailing, Inner Fjords Explorer, sets sail next April and gives clients plenty of time to get outdoors in these breathtaking, steep-sided sea valleys, with frequent opportunities for hiking, cycling and kayaking. The seven-night cruise costs from £2,186 per person, all-inclusive, based on two sharing. Includes
Wi-Fi, transfers and flights departing September 27, 2027.
hurtigruten.com
TROPICAL CHILL Costa Rica’s national motto, pura vida (pure life), encapsulates the importance of staying positive, living simply and expressing gratitude. It’s woven into Costa Rica’s fabric – clients will even see the phrase writ large from the moment they step off the plane. A four-hour drive from San Jose’s
airport is the Nicoya Peninsula, known for its wildlife refuges and chilled surf towns. On Rainbow Tours’ tailor-made 14-night Costa Rica in Style trip, clients will spend three nights relaxing on the Nicoya Peninsula’s turtle-nesting beaches. Jack Brooker, product and
travel specialist for Latin America at Rainbow Tours, says: “For our guests, the remoteness of the Nicoya Peninsula is what makes it so special. When I was there, I came across a sign that said: ‘Bad roads bring good people’, which
reflects how it tends to attract purposeful and responsible visitors.” Clients will also experience the meaning of pura vida across the rest of the Central American country. Activities include horse riding, spotting a rainbow of birds ranging from macaws to hummingbirds in their cloud forest habitat, and paddleboarding on Lake Arenal with the famous and perfectly symmetrical cone of the volcano as a backdrop. When clients want some personal pampering, suggest a spa treatment in one of the luxury lodges featured on the itinerary. Book it: Costa Rica in Style costs from £6,895 per person, which is based on two sharing. Includes all flights, transfers, breakfast and select excursions.
rainbowtours.co.uk Or try: Clients can experience Fiji’s famously familial culture, relaxed pace and outdoorsy spirit by staying in a thatched bure (bungalow) on private Outrigger Castaway Island. A Fijian cultural day, held every Wednesday, sees guests
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