Advertisement

6 winter resorts off the beaten track, from inland Portugal to wilderness Oregon

Winter resorts away from the crowds that should be on your radar, from a beachside hideaway in the Bahamas to an upscale Red Sea retreat

Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The Viceroy at Ombria Algarve, in rural Portugal, is one of our off-the-beaten-track travel picks for winter, along with a mountain retreat in Morocco and a beachfront luxury resort in the Bahamas. Photo: Viceroy at Ombria Algarve

The most popular winter destinations this year are perennial crowd favourites, according to Google’s latest travel trends report published in September. Think Cancun, Las Vegas, Tokyo, Rome and Barcelona.

Advertisement

Going offbeat, then, has never sounded more enticing, even if it may be too late in the year to book the most affordable flights.

Perhaps a glass cabin in the US state of Oregon is an exciting proposition? Maybe a remote lodge in Madagascar, southern Africa? What about a private beachfront penthouse in the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh?

Whichever you choose, these new or upgraded hotels put a different spin on locations that are not just free of crowds but also offer a more intimate, memorable glimpse of their destinations.

The newly refurbished Potlatch Club, a luxury resort on Eleuthera island in the Bahamas that attracted New York socialites and celebrities in the 1960s and 70s. Photo: Potlatch Club
The newly refurbished Potlatch Club, a luxury resort on Eleuthera island in the Bahamas that attracted New York socialites and celebrities in the 1960s and 70s. Photo: Potlatch Club

1. Eleuthera, Bahamas

In the 1960s and 70s, the original Potlatch Club drew New York socialites and celebrities alike to its private beachfront estate and pineapple plantation on serene Eleuthera island, 50 miles (80km) east of The Bahamas’ capital, Nassau.

Advertisement
Advertisement