Enjoy stunning landscapes or architectural wonders at these hotels in or near UNESCO World Heritage Sites
These destinations are often on travel bucket lists. But more than just a photo op, many travellers now wish to immerse themselves into the setting or community. Horseback riding on mountain ranges, picnicking amid wandering wildebeest or private art tours – here are some of the experiences that can be arranged by these hotels in or near UNESCO World Heritage sites.
FOR THE HISTORY BUFF: SANCTUARY LODGE, A BELMOND HOTEL, MACHU PICCHU, PERU
As the only hotel at the entrance of the famous Incan citadel, guests at the Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel, Machu Picchu can be ahead of the queue that typically starts forming at 6am during the peak season. But why queue when the hotel can secure entrance tickets for you, as well as arrange for a before-hours tour of the ancient Guard House and Sun Gate, and explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site lit by the rising sun sans crowd?
This is one of the perks offered by the hotel, which is located inside a former research building for studying the Peruvian ruins after explorer Hiram Bingham discovered it in 1911. Other hotel experiences, such as coca leaf reading and tasting Peruvian-inspired dishes like Patarashca (fish covered with bijao leaves and roasted) served with palm heart and mishkina at Tampu Restaurant ensure a holistic cultural journey.
With its picturesque rolling hills, castles and medieval villages, Val d'Orcia (or Valdorcia) in southern Tuscany has beckoned many filmmakers to this part of the world; movies like The English Patient, Stealing Beauty and Ridley Scott's Gladiator were filmed here. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is not only for nature lovers but also oenophiles, and the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco is the perfect accommodation, set within a 5,000-acre, 900-year-old Italian estate founded by Massimo and Chiara Ferragamo from the family of famous fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo.
The on-site winery is one of the producers of the famous Brunello di Montalcino wine. Guests can explore the winemaking process from grape to barrel with a special tour, or choose a wine-and-gourmet cuisine that includes a helicopter ride for a unique vantage of the landscapes developed in the Renaissance. Other activities to choose from include taking a scenery painting class or touring famous film locations in the vicinity.
Luang Prabang was the ancient capital of Laos until 1975. Nestled in a valley at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, it is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges and is home to many historic Buddhist temples, traditional Laotian buildings and French colonial villas. One of them is luxury hotel La Residence Phou Vao, which is perched on a hill with amazing views.
A former royal guesthouse, its white walls, chocolate-coloured tiled roofs and shuttered verandahs evoke a sense of the past. In May 2025, the hotel introduced a new Unlocking the Secrets of Luang Prabang experience that includes a morning market tour with a local chef, a night cap at an artisanal tea shop in the historic town and a private sunset cruise aboard the hotel's own luxury river boat, La Residence.
A roughly three-hour flight takes one from Singapore to the Komodo National Park in Indonesia. This UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises three large islands – Komodo, Padar and Rinca, accessible from Labuan Bajo port. The area's diverse marine life means divers and snorkelling enthusiasts will have plenty of chances to spot sea turtles, reef sharks, kingfishers as well as colourful coral reefs.
Fanning out into the glistening Flores Sea, TA'AKTANA, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa is a perfect base. Part of Marriott International's portfolio, it has 70 guestrooms, overwater sea villas, family villas as well as expansive three-bedroom mansions. A full-day excursion lets guests learn about the cultural heritage of the West Manggarai Regency through the hotel's design and handicrafts, explore the nearby famous pink beach and spot Komodo dragons in their natural habitat.
With 18 peaks rising up to 3,000 metres, the Dolomites in the northern Italian Alps offer spectacular mountain scenery, unique landscapes and geological wonders. No wonder it has been protected as a Natural World Heritage Site. One of the most beautiful hotels in these ranges is COMO Alpina Dolomites, located on South Tyrol's Alpe di Siusi.
A One Michelin Key hotel (2024), each room offers spectacular views of the Dolomites. Outdoor experiences are aplenty, such as horseback rides or mountain biking in the wider Val Gardena, ice climbing and paragliding, and of course, snowboarding in winter with ski-in, ski-out access directly from the hotel.
Staying at Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain in Chengdu lets guests be close to not one, but two UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Mount Qingcheng, considered as one of the birthplaces of Taoism, and the nearby 3rd century BC Dujiangyan irrigation system. One of the oldest irrigation works in the world, the latter was constructed to control water distribution of the Minjiang River to the Chengdu plains.
The hotel references traditional Sichuan village architecture, with clay roof tiles, plaster walls, and bamboo and timber furnishings. On experiences, guests can trace Marco Polo's footsteps to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System via a night tour, play panda keeper for the day at the Wolong National Nature Reserve or visit the ancient village of the Da Qin minority in the mountains of the Tibetan Plateau where one can enjoy lunch with breathtakingly views of snow-capped mountains.
FOR THE WELLNESS ENTHUSIAST: HOTEL INDIGO JABAL AKHDAR RESORT AND SPA, OMAN
Opened on Sep 1, 2024, Hotel Indigo Jabal Akhdar Resort and Spa is a two-hour drive from Oman's capital, Muscat. The first property of IHG Hotels & Resorts in the Middle East sits 2,000 metres above sea level, and boasts an extensive wellness centre – the largest in the Middle East – that includes Himalayan salt rooms, thermal zone, and indoor and outdoor pools.
Oman has five spots on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the hotel is located in one of them – the 80km-long Jabal Akhdar Mountains (meaning Green Mountain). The mostly limestone mountains are famous for its winding river valleys and Mediterranean produce that include pomegranates and some of the world's purest rose water. Hike through the mountains along terraced fields or stone houses, or tour a 400-year-old 'lost village'.
The Sado Island Gold Mines was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024 for its 400-year-old mining heritage. Located on Sado Island off the coast of Niigata Prefecture, surface deposits of native gold were found there since the Heian period. During the Edo period, gold from the island became a key revenue source for the Tokugawa shogunate.
Accommodation on the island consists mainly small guesthouses and local brands. A new addition in 2024 is Nipponia Sado Aikawa Mining Town with only four guestrooms. It belongs to independently owned Nipponia Hotels that restores older buildings in less touristy areas. The hotel's owners can help arrange local activities like tub boat rides to explore bioluminescent coves, sake brewery tastings at Hokusetsu, founded by celebrity chef Matsuhisa 'Nobu' Nobuyuki and Robert De Niro (the island is also famed for sake brewing) and of course, a tour to the mines.
Amsterdam is a haven for art and design lovers, having produced famous creatives such as Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, Iris van Herpen, Rem Koolhaas and Gerrit Rietveld. The 17th century canal ring inside the Dutch city was a model of large-scale town planning at that time and the Rosewood Amsterdam is located in the former Palace of Justice along the Dutch city's UNESCO World Heritage-listed canals.
Designed by renowned Amsterdam-based Studio Piet Boon, its premium accommodations include special canal view suites and exclusive, butler-serviced houses that are perfect for larger groups. Enjoy curated experiences such as a canal tour in the Piet Boon-designed Salon Boat, an art walk around the city, a visit to a fishing village to take in countryside views sketched by Rembrandt or a private tour of the hotel's excellent art collection that is concluded with a glass of champagne.
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A post shared by Meliá Serengeti Lodge (@meliaserengetilodge)
The Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania was established in 1940 and stretches over 1.5 million hectares of virgin savannah in northern Tanzania in East Africa. It is famous for the largest annual grazing migration in the world, with over 1.5 million blue wildebeest alone crossing the lands to chase the rains. Not surprisingly, it is on the bucket list of travellers around the globe who come here to spot and photograph the wild animals in their natural habitat.
The Melia Serengeti Lodge is located within the park. Rooms with Maasai tradition-inspired decor frame the Serengeti plains. Guests can arrange for activities such as a picnic in the plains surrounded by grazing zebras and wildebeest, explore traditional house building, crafts and dances at a Maasai village, spot animals from a balloon safari as well as seek out the 'Big Five' – the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhinoceros
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CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Enjoy stunning landscapes or architectural wonders at these hotels in or near UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The UNESCO World Heritage List helps preserve vital cultural and natural heritage for future generations. There are now more than a thousand sites across 170 nations on the list. Ranging from historic buildings and archaeological sites to vast natural landscapes and cultural places, they are powerful reminders of nature's ingenuity and storytellers of mankind's quest for both survival, as well as spiritual, intellectual and artistic excellence. These destinations are often on travel bucket lists. But more than just a photo op, many travellers now wish to immerse themselves into the setting or community. Horseback riding on mountain ranges, picnicking amid wandering wildebeest or private art tours – here are some of the experiences that can be arranged by these hotels in or near UNESCO World Heritage sites. FOR THE HISTORY BUFF: SANCTUARY LODGE, A BELMOND HOTEL, MACHU PICCHU, PERU As the only hotel at the entrance of the famous Incan citadel, guests at the Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel, Machu Picchu can be ahead of the queue that typically starts forming at 6am during the peak season. But why queue when the hotel can secure entrance tickets for you, as well as arrange for a before-hours tour of the ancient Guard House and Sun Gate, and explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site lit by the rising sun sans crowd? This is one of the perks offered by the hotel, which is located inside a former research building for studying the Peruvian ruins after explorer Hiram Bingham discovered it in 1911. Other hotel experiences, such as coca leaf reading and tasting Peruvian-inspired dishes like Patarashca (fish covered with bijao leaves and roasted) served with palm heart and mishkina at Tampu Restaurant ensure a holistic cultural journey. With its picturesque rolling hills, castles and medieval villages, Val d'Orcia (or Valdorcia) in southern Tuscany has beckoned many filmmakers to this part of the world; movies like The English Patient, Stealing Beauty and Ridley Scott's Gladiator were filmed here. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is not only for nature lovers but also oenophiles, and the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco is the perfect accommodation, set within a 5,000-acre, 900-year-old Italian estate founded by Massimo and Chiara Ferragamo from the family of famous fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo. The on-site winery is one of the producers of the famous Brunello di Montalcino wine. Guests can explore the winemaking process from grape to barrel with a special tour, or choose a wine-and-gourmet cuisine that includes a helicopter ride for a unique vantage of the landscapes developed in the Renaissance. Other activities to choose from include taking a scenery painting class or touring famous film locations in the vicinity. Luang Prabang was the ancient capital of Laos until 1975. Nestled in a valley at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, it is surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges and is home to many historic Buddhist temples, traditional Laotian buildings and French colonial villas. One of them is luxury hotel La Residence Phou Vao, which is perched on a hill with amazing views. A former royal guesthouse, its white walls, chocolate-coloured tiled roofs and shuttered verandahs evoke a sense of the past. In May 2025, the hotel introduced a new Unlocking the Secrets of Luang Prabang experience that includes a morning market tour with a local chef, a night cap at an artisanal tea shop in the historic town and a private sunset cruise aboard the hotel's own luxury river boat, La Residence. A roughly three-hour flight takes one from Singapore to the Komodo National Park in Indonesia. This UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises three large islands – Komodo, Padar and Rinca, accessible from Labuan Bajo port. The area's diverse marine life means divers and snorkelling enthusiasts will have plenty of chances to spot sea turtles, reef sharks, kingfishers as well as colourful coral reefs. Fanning out into the glistening Flores Sea, TA'AKTANA, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa is a perfect base. Part of Marriott International's portfolio, it has 70 guestrooms, overwater sea villas, family villas as well as expansive three-bedroom mansions. A full-day excursion lets guests learn about the cultural heritage of the West Manggarai Regency through the hotel's design and handicrafts, explore the nearby famous pink beach and spot Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. With 18 peaks rising up to 3,000 metres, the Dolomites in the northern Italian Alps offer spectacular mountain scenery, unique landscapes and geological wonders. No wonder it has been protected as a Natural World Heritage Site. One of the most beautiful hotels in these ranges is COMO Alpina Dolomites, located on South Tyrol's Alpe di Siusi. A One Michelin Key hotel (2024), each room offers spectacular views of the Dolomites. Outdoor experiences are aplenty, such as horseback rides or mountain biking in the wider Val Gardena, ice climbing and paragliding, and of course, snowboarding in winter with ski-in, ski-out access directly from the hotel. Staying at Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain in Chengdu lets guests be close to not one, but two UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Mount Qingcheng, considered as one of the birthplaces of Taoism, and the nearby 3rd century BC Dujiangyan irrigation system. One of the oldest irrigation works in the world, the latter was constructed to control water distribution of the Minjiang River to the Chengdu plains. The hotel references traditional Sichuan village architecture, with clay roof tiles, plaster walls, and bamboo and timber furnishings. On experiences, guests can trace Marco Polo's footsteps to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System via a night tour, play panda keeper for the day at the Wolong National Nature Reserve or visit the ancient village of the Da Qin minority in the mountains of the Tibetan Plateau where one can enjoy lunch with breathtakingly views of snow-capped mountains. FOR THE WELLNESS ENTHUSIAST: HOTEL INDIGO JABAL AKHDAR RESORT AND SPA, OMAN Opened on Sep 1, 2024, Hotel Indigo Jabal Akhdar Resort and Spa is a two-hour drive from Oman's capital, Muscat. The first property of IHG Hotels & Resorts in the Middle East sits 2,000 metres above sea level, and boasts an extensive wellness centre – the largest in the Middle East – that includes Himalayan salt rooms, thermal zone, and indoor and outdoor pools. Oman has five spots on the UNESCO World Heritage List and the hotel is located in one of them – the 80km-long Jabal Akhdar Mountains (meaning Green Mountain). The mostly limestone mountains are famous for its winding river valleys and Mediterranean produce that include pomegranates and some of the world's purest rose water. Hike through the mountains along terraced fields or stone houses, or tour a 400-year-old 'lost village'. The Sado Island Gold Mines was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024 for its 400-year-old mining heritage. Located on Sado Island off the coast of Niigata Prefecture, surface deposits of native gold were found there since the Heian period. During the Edo period, gold from the island became a key revenue source for the Tokugawa shogunate. Accommodation on the island consists mainly small guesthouses and local brands. A new addition in 2024 is Nipponia Sado Aikawa Mining Town with only four guestrooms. It belongs to independently owned Nipponia Hotels that restores older buildings in less touristy areas. The hotel's owners can help arrange local activities like tub boat rides to explore bioluminescent coves, sake brewery tastings at Hokusetsu, founded by celebrity chef Matsuhisa 'Nobu' Nobuyuki and Robert De Niro (the island is also famed for sake brewing) and of course, a tour to the mines. Amsterdam is a haven for art and design lovers, having produced famous creatives such as Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, Iris van Herpen, Rem Koolhaas and Gerrit Rietveld. The 17th century canal ring inside the Dutch city was a model of large-scale town planning at that time and the Rosewood Amsterdam is located in the former Palace of Justice along the Dutch city's UNESCO World Heritage-listed canals. Designed by renowned Amsterdam-based Studio Piet Boon, its premium accommodations include special canal view suites and exclusive, butler-serviced houses that are perfect for larger groups. Enjoy curated experiences such as a canal tour in the Piet Boon-designed Salon Boat, an art walk around the city, a visit to a fishing village to take in countryside views sketched by Rembrandt or a private tour of the hotel's excellent art collection that is concluded with a glass of champagne. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meliá Serengeti Lodge (@meliaserengetilodge) The Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania was established in 1940 and stretches over 1.5 million hectares of virgin savannah in northern Tanzania in East Africa. It is famous for the largest annual grazing migration in the world, with over 1.5 million blue wildebeest alone crossing the lands to chase the rains. Not surprisingly, it is on the bucket list of travellers around the globe who come here to spot and photograph the wild animals in their natural habitat. The Melia Serengeti Lodge is located within the park. Rooms with Maasai tradition-inspired decor frame the Serengeti plains. Guests can arrange for activities such as a picnic in the plains surrounded by grazing zebras and wildebeest, explore traditional house building, crafts and dances at a Maasai village, spot animals from a balloon safari as well as seek out the 'Big Five' – the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhinoceros
CNA
5 days ago
- CNA
Most world heritage sites at risk of drought or flooding: UN
PARIS: Almost three-quarters of the globe's cultural and natural heritage sites are threatened by too little or too much water, the UN's cultural agency said on Tuesday (Jul 1). As a result of rising temperatures, extreme weather events including hurricanes, droughts, floods and heatwaves have become more frequent and intense, scientists warn. Seventy-three per cent of all 1,172 non-marine sites on the UNESCO Heritage List are exposed to at least one severe water risk - including water stress, drought, river flooding or coastal flooding, UNESCO said. "Water stress is projected to intensify, most notably in regions like the Middle East and North Africa, parts of South Asia and northern China - posing long-term risks to ecosystems, cultural heritage, and the communities and tourism economies that depend on them," it added. Cultural sites were most commonly threatened by water scarcity, while more than half of natural sites faced the risk of flooding from a nearby river, the UNESCO study showed. In India, the Taj Mahal monument in Agra, for example, "faces water scarcity that is increasing pollution and depleting groundwater, both of which are damaging the mausoleum", the study said. In the United States, "in 2022, a massive flood closed down all of Yellowstone National Park and cost over US$20 million in infrastructure repairs to reopen". The report gave four more examples. Iraq's southern marshes - the reputed home of the biblical Garden of Eden - "face extremely high water stress, where over 80 per cent of the renewable supply is withdrawn to meet human demand", it added. And competition for water is expected to increase in the marshes, where migratory birds live and inhabitants raise buffalo, as the region grows hotter in coming years. On the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, the Victoria Falls - originally called Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders) before it was renamed by Scottish explorer David Livingstone - has faced recurring drought and is sometimes reduced to a trickle. In Peru, the pre-Colombian city of Chan Chan and its delicate 1,000-year-old adobe walls face an extremely high risk of river flooding, UNESCO said. In China, rising sea levels driven in large part by climate change are leading to coastal flooding, which destroys mudlands where migratory waterbirds find food, it added.
Straits Times
23-06-2025
- Straits Times
Restoration rejuvenates iconic Gaudi house Casa Batllo in Barcelona
The facade of the Casa Batllo by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, Spain. PHOTO: EPA-EFE BARCELONA – Barcelona's Unesco-listed Casa Batllo, a modernist architectural masterpiece by Sagrada Familia designer Antoni Gaudi, unveiled a multi-million-euro restoration on June 19 that brings its rear facade and courtyard back to life. Previous refurbishments, ownership changes and the turbulent period marked by Spain's civil war of 1936 to 1939 had taken their toll on the unique building completed in 1906. A team of architects, historians and artisans spent more than a year repairing the bright mosaics and restoring the original cream-coloured hue to the blackened curvy balcony bars. The result is 'the most similar to 1906 that we have been able to achieve with today's technology', chief architect Xavier Villanueva, who is a lso an official in charge of the works, told AFP. Tourists visit the Casa Batllo by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, Spain. PHOTO: EPA-EFE In the courtyard, the pergola replicates a parabola shape, and more than 85,000 pieces make up the paving, 'hand made one by one, as it was originally', he said. The painstaking task meant the team 'carried out a lot of analyses in several university laboratories, many prospections – we have lots of documentary information', he added. The restoration cost 3.5 million euros (S$5.2 million), according to Casa Batllo, which is in a fashionable neighbourhood of Barcelona that was frequented by the city's bourgeoisie and wealthy industrialists in the early 20th century. A Unesco-listed site since 2005, Casa Batllo welcomed 1.9 million visitors in 2024, making it one of the most popular attractions in a city known as a global tourism magnet. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
