Retreat yourself: a beguiling new tome explores once in a lifetime destinations

Clara Le Fort's second volume of the Once in a Lifetime series displays an unerring eye for an experience, a fine destination and the very best way to get between them
Clara Le Fort's second volume of the Once in a Lifetime series displays an unerring eye for an experience, a fine destination and the very best way to get between them
(Image credit: press)
By Jonathan Bell
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The conflation of travel and lifestyle is a process that’s been underway for several decades. The apotheosis of the movement is surely achieved by the luxury travel journals created by writer, editor and Wallpaper* contributor Clara Le Fort. Her unerring eye for an experience, a fine destination and the very best way to get between them shapes the second volume of this inspirational series, Once in a Lifetime.

Subtitled ‘Places to go for travel and leisure’, the volume splices hedonism with cultural exploration, seeking out hotels, B&Bs and retreats with an eclectic mix of styles. You won’t find any clean, white-walled Schrager-style international chains here, just the very best in armchair travelling under the direction of a keen-eyed enthusiast. Desk-bound dreamers will lap it up, as will another target market; the new breed of global hoteliers eager to infuse a destination with design, craft and spirit of place. All that’s missing is a map and a checklist.

From the book: The pages exploring the El Fenn hotel in Marrakech highlight the city's wide verandahs, courtyards and retro furniture from flea markets

From the book: The pages exploring the El Fenn hotel in Marrakech highlight the city's wide verandahs, courtyards and retro furniture from flea markets

(Image credit: press)

The Aro Hã wellness retreat in Queenstown, New Zealand.

The Aro Hã wellness retreat in Queenstown, New Zealand.

(Image credit: Aro Hã)

Travelling over to Iceland and the Ion Iceland Hotel under the star-studded sky. The adventure hotel's appeal merges modern architecture and an immersion in Iceland's unique natural landscapes

Travelling over to Iceland and the Ion Iceland Hotel under the star-studded sky. The adventure hotel's appeal merges modern architecture and an immersion in Iceland's unique natural landscapes

(Image credit: press)

Hôtel Vernet in Paris, France

Hôtel Vernet in Paris, France

(Image credit: Bernhard Touillon)

Sandibe Safari Lodge, Botswana. These luxury safari camps are designed to compliment their forest surroundings, built from natural materials and set across enormous tracts of bio-diverse land

Sandibe Safari Lodge, Botswana. These luxury safari camps are designed to compliment their forest surroundings, built from natural materials and set across enormous tracts of bio-diverse land

(Image credit: press)

L'Abbaye Royale in Fontevraud, France.

L'Abbaye Royale in Fontevraud, France.

(Image credit: Nicolas Matheus)

Reviving tropical modernism is the Miami Beach Edition hotel.

Reviving tropical modernism is the Miami Beach Edition hotel. Inspired by Melvin Grossman's original 1950s Seville Hotel, its features include palm trees, white marble and immaculate sofas, blurring the boundary between indoors and out

(Image credit: press)

Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda,

Palazzo Margherita in Bernalda, Italy

(Image credit: Gundolf Pfotenhauer)

Monteverdi hotel, Tuscany, overlooking the verdant Val d'Orcia valley

Monteverdi hotel, Tuscany, overlooking the verdant Val d'Orcia valley. With rustic interiors by Roman designer Ilaria Miani, the Medieval building is constructed from Tuscan flagstone, granite and Carrara marble

(Image credit: press)
Jonathan Bell

Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.

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