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Luxury Getaways
North Island Location The 600-acre island in the Indian Ocean is 20 minutes by helicopter from the international airport on Mahé Island. There’s no jetty, so if you arrive by boat, you’ll have to wade in from the shallows. Cuisine Enjoy dinner at the Piazza restaurant, in your private villa or on the beach. Insider tip Cycle through the rainforest to the Sunset Bar for a glass of chilled South African wine. Thing to do Climb a rocky hill and spot one of the huge 100-year-old tortoises. Rooms 11 east-facing, beach-set villas, each with a study, a deck and a three-metre-wide circular pool. GM Justin Arenhold. 248-293-100, north-island.com
The Byron at Byron Resort and Spa Location After a 20-minute drive from Ballina Airport, a short walk along a boardwalk through protected wetlands to Tallow Beach takes you to the resort. Thing to do Explore the surrounding woods, wetlands and beaches, then relax around the 25-metre outdoor infinity pool against a backdrop of green forest. Next move effortlessly to the adjacent open-sided bar and casual restaurant. Insider tip The Byron Bay peninsula offers some of Australia’s best surfing. Favourites include Main Beach and Watego’s and Little Watego’s beaches, and you can rent your Jim Banks surfboard on-site. Spa Try the Lithos hot stone massage, and indulge in Environ cosmeceuticals and Pevonia Botanica products. Rooms 92, all 700 square feet, with two balconies. GMs John and Lyn Parche. 61-2-6639-2000, thebyronatbyron.com.au
Hilton London Heathrow Airport Location You can walk from your airplane to this hotel in under 10 minutes. Thing to do Use this site as your base when meeting or shopping in central London, which is only 20 minutes away by the Heathrow Express train service. Insider tip With its gym and indoor pool, this is a good place to relax before or after a flight. Room to book Ask for the 260-square-foot executive room with access to the fifth-floor lounge. Choose from bedrooms looking out over the airport or facing the central atrium. Rooms 400. GM Dagmar Mühle. 44-208-759-7755, hilton.co.uk/heathrow
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Mary Gostelow is the editor-in-chief of Wow Travel, the online magazine of