MIAMI, USA
Miami is the biggest city without a professional 'soccer' team
in a country where no one really watches 'soccer' anyway. As
such, you can safely presume not to hear a peep about the
tournament at The Villa by Barton G: a new luxury hotel set in
a bling-tastic villa that formerly belonged to Gianni Versace.
Suites from £470 per night; thevillabybartong.com
BHUTAN, HIMALAYAS
Bhutan has the dubious distinction of fielding the world's
lowest-ranked international football team, but when it comes
to scenery, it certainly ranks somewhere near the top. See it for
yourself with a visit to Amankora: a set of lodges sprawled over
the kingdom's misty mountains and forested slopes.
Suites from £450 per night; amanresorts.com
NOONU ATOLL, MALDIVES
You couldn't get much more geographically distant from Rio
than the Maldives, but unplug the huge flatscreen TV in your
palm-thatched villa at the Cheval Blanc Randheli just in case.
The recently opened resort is reached by a seaplane that
swoops over the reefs and atolls of the archipelago.
Villas from £770; chevalblanc.com
LAST OF THE
SUMMER FESTIVALS
Missed out on Glastonbury and its A-list
cousins? You can still bag a ticket to a fine
crop of boutique festivals this summer. Cult
favourite Festival Number 6 takes place in the
Welsh town of Portmeirion, with music from the Pet
Shop Boys and Beck (from £175; festivalnumber6.com;
5-7 Sept). As well as music from Metronomy and London
Grammar, Oxfordshire's Wilderness features foodie
royalty, with Simon Rogan and Angela Hartnett
in attendance (from £151; wildernessfestival.
com; 7-10 Aug). The first and much-hyped
Unknown Festival will be staged outside
the Croatian town of Rovinj (from £129;
unknowncroatia.com; 8-12 Sept).
Best new safari lodges for 2014
The name may look like a typo, but the location is no mistake:
this month sees the ”Beyond Kichwa Tembo reopening on
a leafy escarpment overlooking the Maasai Mara. Don't be
alarmed if you hear monkeys frolicking on the roof of your tent.
From £225pp per night; andbeyond.com
Less busy than the Serengeti and the Mara, Ruaha National
Park is the place to go for elephant fans. The tiny Kigelia Ruaha
camp has re-opened beside an elephant migration highway.
From £3,069pp for a seven-night itinerary; nomad-tanzania.com
For an excellent chance of sighting cheetahs head to Namiri
Plains, a camp opening this month on part of the Serengeti
until recently designated as a cheetah reserve. Learn more
about speedy cats from the on-site cheetah researcher.
From £395pp per night; asiliaafrica.com
WHERE TO AVOID
THE END OF THE
WORLD CUP
Too much football already? Believe it or not, there are still places
where the names of Messi, Rooney and Ronaldo are unlikely to pass
anyone's lips. Check out the following World Cup-free zones…
See Beck (below)
at Festival
Number 6
Cheval Blanc Randheli and,
left, The Villa by Barton G
Kigelia Ruaha
Wilderness