This autumn saw the launch of brand new accommodation at luxury New Zealand lodge, The Lindis, which only opened last year. Here in the Ahuriri Valley of North Atago on South Island, the focus is on the surrounding wilderness. With this in mind, the lodge is designed to blend into the landscape, making the most of the river and mountain views from its cosy modern interiors. The lodge’s new Lindis Pods take this concept a step further with a mirrored structure that reflects the landscape and sky. Each pod has a king-sized bed, en-suite bathroom, private deck and outdoor heated tub and is finished with one-way glass, dark wood and black marble. Spend each day exploring the surroundings before returning to the lodge for seasonal gastronomy with New Zealand wines.

The views from this lodge in Patagonia are sure to take your breath away. The Relais & Chateaux lodge is positioned in a private reserve overlooking Torres del Paine National Park with forest providing protection from the wind. Just 14 villas accompany the main lodge, with design inspired by old Patagonian shelters, hot tubs, wood burning stoves and cosy living rooms with views of the land. Back at the main lodge, you’ll dine on fine dining plates celebrating local ingredients with Chilean wine and try some of the lodge’s creative cocktails. Each villa here comes with a private guide and 4WD so you have the freedom to tailor each day’s excursions.

Ocean views, a secluded setting and contemporary but cosy accommodation makes Post Ranch Inn ideal for a remote retreat at this time of year. The design-focused hotel sits on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Big Sur, California. The restaurant, Sierra Mar, draws in these views with floor-to-ceiling glass. And it’s here that you’ll dine on gastronomic dishes of ingredients foraged from the coastline and nearby mountains, with pairings from the lodge’s award-winning wine cellar. Much of the focus here is placed on the outdoors but you also have the Post Ranch Spa and heated pool to enjoy.

This 18th-century sheep farm turned grass-roofed luxury retreat lies amid the mountains and pastures of the isolated Troll Peninsula in Iceland. The hotel is now home to a collection of luxury suites, a spa, steam room and sauna, restaurant, yoga studio and indoor-outdoor geothermal heated saltwater pool with swim-up bar. Extraordinary views and a stone fireplace create the ambience in the hotel’s dining room, with farm-to-table menus encompassing the produce of local farmers and fishermen and a bar for nightcaps by the open fire. People come here for the adventurous outdoor activities. Hiking, horse riding, whale watching, snowmobiling and heli-skiing are all on the cards, depending on the time of year. 

A stay on Tasmania’s scenic east coast is made even more special by this luxury lodge overlooking the Freycinet Peninsula. Just like the views, the lodge is spellbinding in its architectural and interior design, with a graceful curved roof, floor-to-ceiling glass and elegant use of natural materials. The lodge provides easy access to Freycinet National Park’s dramatic coastline and beaches such as Wineglass Bay. Naturally, the dining experience here is exceptional. The restaurant, Palate, serves Modern Australian cuisine with a focus on local produce, including a wealth of seafood, and the island’s cool-climate wines. 

An express train can get you from Shinjuku in Tokyo to Kawaguchiko in just 70 minutes, then Hoshino Fuji is a mere 18-minute drive away. Once you’re here though, you’ll feel like you’re far from anywhere, with the surrounding woodland climbing up the red pine slope behind and views over one of the Fuji Five Lakes, Lake Kawaguchi. Lake-facing glass-fronted cabins sit amid the lush forest on the hillside, and this same slope leads up to the Cloud Terrace and cosy cafe. The cuisine takes inspiration from outdoor living — with seasonal vegetables and locally sourced meat — and drinks are served at the Cloud Terrace’s Fireplace Lounge Bar with live music performances and movie screenings.

The Pig Hotels have become known for their bucolic settings, charm-filled cosy but chic style, and focus on serving the heartiest of food. These properties have been opening steadily in recent years, but it all started with this Pig Hotel in the New Forest in 2011. This hotel sits just outside Brockenhurst with seven acres of its own land, a main house dating back to the 1900s, lawns and a terrace. Often referred to as a restaurant with rooms, the hotel takes pride in its conservatory restaurant, which serves dishes created from produce sourced from within a 25-mile radius including ingredients from the hotel’s own greenhouse and kitchen garden. Try dishes like Salisbury veal rump with broccoli, hazelnuts and pickled shallots, then cosy up with a kitchen garden cocktail in the bar.