Cambodia is unfamiliar and enchanting - a country offering untold riches when it comes to art, architecture and culture.
Luxury travel is changing very quickly and it’s the kind of travel that we want to do ourselves. Experiential travel is replacing luxury travel. I am always searching for the most unique experiences and finding unique places that will push me out of my comfort zone and to get me to do things I never would have done before. Shinta Mani Wild’s grand entrance via a zipline is just one example of this. It carries guests 380m across the jungle canopy and a cascading river to the resort’s bar. Or you can travel the more conventional way and have your private driver take you by road to your luxurious tent.
For a lover’s destination that breaks all the rules, there really is no better place than Shinta Mani Wild. It has all the DNA of a perfect romantic getaway. Set in the first private wildlife and nature reserve in Cambodia, located three hours from Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville. Tucked into the wildlife corridor which runs between Bokor and Kirirom National Parks. Famed hotel designer and architect, Bill Bensley, has teamed-up with the local government and conservation organisations to protect this area from poaching and logging, whilst also providing a superb site for one of Cambodia’s hottest properties. The 15 luxurious tents are perched either at the edge or directly over the roaring rapids. The spacious rooms are designed in classic safari style, recalling the age of exploration with their whimsical décor and authentic Khmer objects d’art. Each tent is luxuriously designed in true Bensley style with tasteful local colours and fabrics, fascinating curios to recall the age of explorers and la belle époque. Bensley collected, hundreds of pieces of mismatched antique silver cutlery from all over Europe – just so guests are able to stay for a few nights and not see the same table setting. It’s all in the small details. This resort is a very good one, has a genuine purpose and is making luxury travel ethical.
You can choose from a wild tent, a waterfall tent or an expansive two-bedroom tent and indulge in luxurious extras such as an outdoor freestanding bathtub. Enjoy the full services of a Bensley Butler as you unwind between excursions. Evoking a ‘Jacky O meets Cambodian jungle safari “feel.
Shinta Mani Wild will captivate your mind and fill you with a longing to return. (Valentina Mould-Morelli CREATIVE DIRECTOR ACTIVE ASIA)
ACTIVE ASIA, 206 Jervois Road, T: 09 360 7669, www.activeasia.co.nz