Thanks to Patrick, an expert glamper who gave us the lowdown on what is glamping! Turns out it’s a cool mix of camping and glamour, no buddy boots here!
Glamping … it’s a funny new word. It’s actually two words mixed together which I’ve always found quirky in itself, but what makes this one really stand out is the fact that it’s actually two concepts rolled into one as well. And those two concepts – I imagined – were entirely contradictory. I couldn’t be more wrong! And the word isn’t funny really; it’s the concept that just makes you want to smile all day long.
One of the most beautiful and unique beaches in the world is found where else but on the warm shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The Sicily Turkish Steps are on the coast of the beautiful Italian Island and offer a one-off experience on great Sicily holidays. The rocky cliff face is famous for its unusual colouring, the bright white, which derives from sedimentary rocks and sits between two beautiful, sandy beaches. Visitors and locals are impressed alike when standing at this gorgeous piece of Sicilian coast.
We are talking about the stunning Scala dei Turchi, the English translation of which is Turkish steps. This superb geological formation is one of the most popular places to visit in Sicily. The first thing you’ll see when reaching the area is high rocks of white colour in the shape of steps and crowds of people lying and soaking up the sun, while others are swimming in the turquoise waters underneath. The beach is mainly famous for its natural sun loungers made of limestone and overlooking the sea and Africa, as well as the stunning natural landscape of Sicily.
The Lencois Maranhenses National Park is in northeastern Brazil. The thing that makes it special is that, although it’s 1500 square kilometres of desert, the white sands are broken up by small lakes.
Lencois Maranhenses (The bedsheets of Maranhão) is considered to be absolutely unique among any other deserts on the planet, due to its high level of rainfall, which is 300 times higher than the rainfalls in Sahara desert. The strange thing is, that the rain water is stored between the huge dunes, keeping lakes of crystal clear waters that attract tourists from all over the world every year. It’s hard to get anymore off the beaten track than here!
An absolutely unique town, Sentenil de las Bodegas is built on top of, within and underneath might rock structures, creating multi-level streets, and tiny winding alleyways. the 3,000 inhabitants of Setenil de las Bodegas in Cadiz, Spain seem to enjoy living in a gorge cut out of a mountain.
Even if you think it’s a bit weird, there’s no arguing with history, the town has had residents for thousands of years, from when they first started to carve their homes out of the sides of the mountain. Most are built under the cliff or into the hillside, creating spacious homes that always stay at the right temperature.
Cano Cristales is an impressive river in Serrania de la Macarena in Colombia. It is often called the “River of Five Colours”, “The Liquid Rainbow” or even “The most beautiful River in the World”, thanks to its amazing colours, such as yellow, green, blue, black and the cheerful red of the plant Macarenia clavigera, which is found on the riverbed and makes the river so unique and wonderful.
Set on the rocky west coast of Majorca, Deia Village is a peaceful little place which has attracted many artists and literary figures over the years. The big draw to the village apart from great weather was the village cafe and swimming at Cala Deia and the chance to collaborate with other artists.
Poet and author Robert Graves led the pack, settling there after World War 1 and setting his historic novel Hercules My Shipmate there. Anais Nin visited in the 1920s, while various authors, activists, actors and artists made it their homes. The area hasn’t lost any of its charm in recent years, entrepreneur Richard Branson has a luxury escape there, while musicians like Mick Jagger, Mark Knopfler, Mike Oldfield and more recently Caroline Corr and Fionn Regan settled there for various time over the last 100 years.
Get there via twisty ‘don’t look down’ mountain roads, but don’t expect the clubs and chip shops found in other parts of the Balearics, Deia is continuing its heyday lifestyle of relaxed strolls through olive and orange groves, a range of beaches, tasty little traditional restaurants or gardens and ruins that date back to the 15h century. Take your pick of cultural inspiration on a holiday in Deia.
This is a true off-the-beaten-track favourite. A small cove, Avdimou is still fairly unknown to the general public, it’ll take your breath away! The whole cove, located on Cyprus’ South Coast, is surrounded by vineyards that reach down to a long, soft stretch of golden sand.
Walking to the beach is a delight thanks to the aroma that fills the air, if you get a little peckish, you can always grab a couple of grapes from the plants that surround the area. Hopeless romantics will love Avdimou with its seafront walks, the sunset here is absolutely to die for.
Find out more about cheap holidays in Cyprus today and visiting Avdimou Cove from the experts at PurpleTravel.co.uk. Call 0207 993 9228 for more.
A beach that offers 11 miles of sand, an ancient Lycian city nearby and the promise of nesting sea turtles, makes Patara Beach in Turkey an amazing one to visit.
Head along the miles and miles of golden sand to find your own secluded little slice of paradise. The beach regularly features in those ‘best beaches in the world’ lists and offers and excellent chance to get away from it all. It backs onto endless dunes with the impressive Taurus Mountains in the distance, and actually, the area is packed with stunning natural beauty.
The most amazing part of a visit to this beach though has to be its pristine condition. There are strict conservation laws in place to protect the loggerhead turtles (carerra-caretta) that come to nest and lay their eggs there.
Find out about more amazing places in the world from our Off the beaten track series.
One of Italy’s best hidden secrets is the Strada Napoleonica (Napoleon’s street) in Trieste. Named, obviously enough because it was built by Napoleon’s troops. The road is over 5km long and is beloved by locals for walks particularly in Spring and Autumn. It’s worth it for the views alone, as the path winds up a mountainside offering breathtaking views of Prosecco and Opicina. If you’re feeling a little lazy, there’s always a tram and in summer, you couldn’t really ask for a better beach than Barcola, right underneath the strada.
Looking for paradise on earth? We might just have found it. Tucked away between the islands of Malta and Gozo, the natural beauty of Comino is the ideal place for anyone who wants to get-away-from-it-all or a delicious retreat for snorkellers, divers, windsurfers and hikers.
Practically uninhabited, there’s only one hotel on the island, you’ll barely hear a hint of a car and maybe go days without seeing anyone. An ideal secluded getaway if you’re looking for a cheap honeymoon. The highlight without a doubt is the stunning Blue Lagoon shore, which in summer offers breathtaking shimmering aquamarine water and perfect white sand. Indulge in some peace and quiet on the beautiful island of Comino.