Close encounters with Rwanda’s mountain gorillas are among the most stirring and unforgettable wildlife experiences that the world has to offer. Until now, however, the available places to stay have been adequate rather than exceptional. This will change with the debut of Bisate Lodge, a 12-room property adjacent to Volcanoes National Park constructed by the estimable South African company Wilderness Safaris. Situated within the natural amphitheater of an extinct volcanic cone, the lodge will also be a conservation and community project, focusing initially on reforestation of the 65-acre site. Wilderness plans to build a second lodge of six cottages in the new Gishwati-Mukura National Park, a 15-minute helicopter flight away. A maximum of 12 guests will have exclusive access to habituated groups of chimpanzees and golden monkeys. Both lodges are scheduled to debut in mid-2016.
Lizard Island has been distinctly unlucky of late. Wild, remote and sublimely beautiful, the unique 2,500-acre hideaway at the edge of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef within a short boat ride of the Pacific swells offers dazzling white-sand beaches, crystalline lagoons and world-class scuba diving. Long a favorite of Harper subscribers, the resort was virtually demolished by Cyclone Ita in April 2014. Repairs were well advanced when Cyclone Nathan arrived in March of this year. Fortunately, the damage was not as extensive as might have been feared, and a full reopening is now scheduled for mid-August. A new restaurant, Salt Water, has been added, and the Essentia Day Spa will now offer treatments in conjunction with the Parisian apothecary La Biosthétique. Personally, I need to get back there — soon.
For more than 15 years, Viking River Cruises has received the enthusiastic endorsement of Andrew Harper subscribers. Its fleet of more than 50 river vessels is now the world’s largest. (In February, the company announced that two new boats based in New Orleans will commence service on the Mississippi in 2017.) May, however, saw the debut of its first oceangoing ship, the 930-passenger Viking Star, which will cruise Scandinavian waters, the Baltic and the Mediterranean. Two further vessels, Viking Sea and Viking Sky, will enter service in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Viking Star offers five stateroom categories (all with private verandas) including 14 Explorer Suites, plus two swimming pools, two restaurants and a Nordic spa. It is hard to believe that a vessel of 47,800 tons can be described as “relatively small,” but given the leviathans now afloat, the description is not altogether misleading.
I have long had a soft spot for the Hotel Ritz in Madrid, partly because it is a European grand hotel of the traditional aristocratic type — of which relatively few remain — and also because of its location next to the Prado, one of my favorite museums. It was therefore with considerable interest that I learned of the property’s recent acquisition by Mandarin Oriental. Apparently, the hotel will undergo a comprehensive $100 million renovation in 2017, which will include the addition of a spa, plus new restaurants and bars. Part of me is a little sad that the Edwardian grandeur of the old Ritz may disappear, but I have little doubt that Mandarin will do a superb job of reinventing the hotel for the 21st century. Besides, the Prado and its Goyas will still be right next door.
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