ONE-OF-A-KIND


Vintage style, vinyl collections and eclectic architecture make these boltholes stand out


Sun Ranch Australia Sun Ranch is a dreamy love letter to the


halcyon days of 1970s California. Except it’s been transplanted to a farm just outside the popular surf town of Byron Bay on New South Wales’s northeast coast. Bordered by fig trees, the retro retreat is the latest project from Julia Ashwood and Jamie Blakey, a hotelier and fashion design duo who have overhauled a 1980s farmhouse. The result combines spacious suites and


self-contained two-bedroom barns, filled with artistic flourishes and trinkets handpicked from across the Americas. But the ranch’s communal spaces are where it shines. There’s a sunken velvet lounge encircling a cosy sculptural fireplace, a saloon where guests can browse an extensive vinyl collection, and a 25m infinity pool cut into the side of a grassy hill that provides the perfect setting for sage-scented yoga classes. An eclectic menu of activities includes


horseback adventures, lemon-picking in the orchard, cacao ceremonies and tarot reading. From A$500 (£255) per night, minimum two-night stay. sunranch.com.au JM


Runners-up IZZA MARRAKECH, MOROCCO Uptown from the ancient treasures of Marrakech’s medina, Izza brings arresting contemporary art and modernised Moroccan detailing to an elegant 14-room riad. Every custom furnishing, every pearly zellige tile and engraved hardwood door has been painstakingly handcrafted to welcome visitors enchanted with Maghreb culture. What really sets it apart, though, is its secondary life as a ‘museum in the medina’, with 300 works of art seasonally curated and shared within the walls. From €160 (£135), B&B. izza.com EH


THE HOTEL AT THE MOORE, US A Zaha Hadid sculpture spanning the atrium is a sign that Miami’s Moore is not your average art deco landmark. A former furniture showroom, this members’ club and boutique hotel never saw furnishings this sensual nor art this brazenly bold. A bone-like framework defines each palm- fringed space, culminating in 13 suites on the upper floors with white-hot views over the Design District. Shrouded in exotic woods and reeded glass, the rooms aren’t restricted to members, and make residents feel part of an exclusive set. From $750 (£565). mooremiami.com EH


180 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL


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