There’s a lot to love about hiking holidays. The fresh air; the exercise-induced endorphins; the jaw-dropping views. But there are downsides too, chief among them the standard of accommodation. If you opt to camp, you’ll get up close and personal with Mother Nature for sure, but maybe too close, what with the bad back from sleeping on the ground and eyebags from the early morning sun-streaming-into-your-tent wake-up calls. Mountain refuges aren’t much better either (at least the basic kind). Shared dorms with uncomfortable beds and snoring companions are no way to end a hike, so may we suggest an alternative: Bootiquing holidays. In recent years, a swathe of new and refurbished boutique hotels and state of the art cabins has cropped up beside walking trails and our portfolio of Bootiquing itineraries features the best of them. Read on to find out more...
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s legendary landscapes provide an unbeatable backdrop for an 11-night Bootiquing break. Lace up your hiking boots and follow the 40-mile Hunas Trail (created by some of the same team behind the Pekoe Trail) through lush tea plantations and biologically diverse forests adjacent to the Knuckles Forest Reserve, north of Kandy. Begin your adventure with two nights at the Ashburnham Estate, a boutique guesthouse set in a beautiful 100-acre working tea estate. Flex your walking muscles with a day trek to the picturesque waterfall in the grounds, before hitting the trail. You’ll be covering about 14 miles a day, with packed lunches and luggage porterage included, and resting up in luxurious lodgings along the way including Madulkelle Tea & Eco Lodge, where you’ll find just 19 rooms and suites and one of the country’s best spas; Santani, a serene wellness resort with another fantastic spa; and Rangala House, a converted tea-planter’s bungalow.
Italy
When you think of the Dolomites, you probably think more of majestic mountains and spectacular scenery than art galleries, Michelin-starred restaurants and spas – but on a Bootiquing trip, you can have both. On a five-day hike, begin in the oh-so-pretty Val di Fassa (Fassa Velley), where you’ll stay in the part hotel, part art gallery: Locanda degli Artisti. After an indulgent night’s stay, set off with your guide along one of the most spectacular footpaths in the Dolomites, the ‘Viel del Pan’ (Way of the Bread), which delivers incomparable views of the majestic Marmolada mountain, a prominent peak nicknamed the ‘Queen of the Dolomites’. It’s a seven-mile walk to your second stop and the only refugio of the trip, albeit a refugio with a difference (it has a wine cellar, housing more than 700 wines, many local). From here, you’ll hike further along the trail before being transferred by car to Hotel Gardena, a Relais & Chateaux property complete with a pampering spa and Michelin-star restaurant. The final leg of your trek is a ten-mile hike to Alta Badia to stay at Ciasa Salares, a luxury gourmet hotel in the heart of the Dolomites, with its own cheese and chocolate rooms (you’ll have more than earned both!).
Peru
The seven-day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu takes you on a less trodden trail to the iconic site, and breaks the journey at four mountain lodges, each boasting contemporary design, gourmet food and outdoor hot tubs – no tents in sight. Ease in with a gentle three-hour trek via the Quillarumiyoc archaeological site (built by the Incans to worship the moon goddess Quilla) to your first lodge, built on the flatlands of the Rio Blanco river valley with an unobstructed view of the snow topped Salkantay mountain peak. From here, it's a challenging seven-hour trek through the Salkantay River Valley to your next stop off: Wayra Lodge, a remote mountain refuge complete with a reading room and cosy restaurant serving hearty Peruvian-fusion fare. Day four takes you on a four-hour descent into the Cloud Forest to Colpa Lodge, situated on a promontory at the confluence of three rivers, before a six-hour hike the following day along the Santa Teresa River. Your last lodge before you reach the ancient civilisation of Machu Picchu and actual civilisation of Aguas Calientes, is the charming Lucma Lodge. A contemporary treehouse set in a lush avocado orchard at the edge of the Amazon rainforest, it’s a special place to rest your legs ready for the final five-hour stretch to the Llactapata Pass for a seldom-seen view of the world’s most famous Inca site.
Header image © Jérôme Galland
Written by: Ella Mawson