TIMBER COVE INN – CALIFORNIA, USA
How will I be starstruck? The stars face some stiff competition here, with views out towards the Pacific Ocean fighting for attention. When the sun sets though, the best sight is upwards, either standing in the coastal garden or through the huge skylight in the deluxe bedrooms.
And if bring my gaze back down to earth? Dinner at Timber Cove is likely to be a highlight, whether taken in the wood-and-glass dining room, with its panoramic Pacific Ocean view, or round the firepit on the patio The menu makes the most of local produce, from Sonoma Coast lamb to Tomales Bay oysters. And the wine list, as you might expect from a hotel in North California, is phenomenal.
KAKSLAUTTANEN – SAARISELKCÄ, FINLAND
How will I be starstruck? The glass igloos and new kelo-glass igloos (half traditional log cabin, half futuristic dome) at Kakslauttanen mean guests can lie indoors in comfort on their reindeer-furs and watch the galaxy spin and northern lights dance right above them.
And if I bring my gaze back down to earth? It’s all about easy wilderness adventures here: spend the day husky-sledding, snowboarding or horse-riding then return to the resort for a sauna and a dinner of Lappish cuisine by the fire in the restaurant. If you’ve not quite had enough of the cold, have a drink in the ice-bar or take a plunge in the river through a specially cut hole in the ice.
CHALKLEY’S TREEHOUSE – SABI SAND RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA
How will I be starstruck? This may be the most exciting place in the world to sleep beneath the stars: on your own private wooden deck in the African bush, with lions roaring all around you and elephants passing below as shooting stars pass overhead.
And if bring my gaze back down to earth? This is treehouse living at its most luxurious, with a four-poster bed and en-suite bathroom, and a lantern-lit dinner served on the deck at sunset. The Big Five can all be found in the reserve, and a morning game drive beckons once the million stars decorating your room’s ceiling start to fade in the dawn light.
