You can build a very beautiful hotel almost anywhere. What’s considerably harder to replicate is a volcano outside your window. Or opening your bedroom door straight into the Amazon rainforest. Sometimes, the location is the amenity you really came for, and increasingly, those are the stays we find ourselves wanting to book most.
The hotels on this list don’t simply come with a good view. They put you right in the middle of nature, to the point where it becomes as much a part of the stay as the hotel itself. And you’re certainly not sacrificing much in the way of luxury once you check in. They just happen to have surroundings that even the best interior designer would struggle to compete with. Though, to be fair, some of them come pretty close. So, if you’re looking to spend your next trip a little closer to nature, these are the 17 stays we’d have on our radar.
The Lindis Lodge
The real luxury at The Lindis Lodge might just be how little there is around it. Set in New Zealand’s vast Ahuriri Valley, the lodge sits within an otherwise largely untouched glacial landscape, with its curved timber roof following the contours of the land around it. Inside, there are just eight suites overlooking the valley, with fireplaces and private outdoor spaces that make all that silence feel like part of the luxury. Fly fishing on the Ahuriri River is one of the big reasons people come, while horseback riding and mountain biking give you plenty of other ways to explore. Though with views like these, no one would blame you for spending a little longer than planned sitting outside your suite.
VIK Chile
Who says staying in nature means you have to rough it? VIK Chile sits high above the vineyards of the Millahue Valley, and it looks more like a piece of contemporary art dropped into the Chilean countryside than your typical nature retreat. The architecture is impossible to miss, particularly the sweeping bronze and titanium roof set against the mountains, and no two rooms inside are exactly alike. There are also glass-walled bungalows for an even closer look at the landscape. Naturally, wine is a fairly major part of the experience, extending all the way to grape-based treatments at the spa. But the vineyard isn’t just something to admire with a glass in hand. You can head out across the property on horseback or mountain bike, making this as much about the landscape as the wine it produces.
Gundari
The journey to Gundari is part of what makes arriving there feel so good. Set on Folegandros, a relatively undeveloped Cycladic island, the resort is reached by ferry and sits across 80 cliffside acres overlooking an almost uninterrupted stretch of the Aegean. There are no neighboring buildings crowding the view, which gives the whole place a sense of isolation that’s increasingly difficult to find on the Greek islands. The 27 suites and villas are carved into the landscape, each with its own infinity pool looking toward the water. This is the Greece of dramatic cliffs and endless blue, with very little getting between you and either.
Oasyhotel
A luxury eco-resort hidden inside a 1,000-hectare nature reserve in Tuscany already sounds pretty good. Oasyhotel takes the getting-away-from-it-all part seriously, too. Guests leave their cars at the edge of the Oasi Dynamo Nature Reserve before taking a 25-minute shuttle deeper into the Pistoiese Apennines, where just 17 timber-and-glass lodges sit among the mountains. Once you’re there, an e-bike is waiting at your lodge, which feels like a much better way to get around anyway. Days can be spent kayaking or heading out on horseback, but there’s also something to be said for doing very little on your private veranda. Somehow, all of this is still within relatively easy reach of Florence and Pisa, although once you’re there, they feel considerably farther away.
One&Only Mandarina
One&Only Mandarina gives you the best of both worlds: dense rainforest on one side, the Pacific on the other. Spread across a dramatic stretch of Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit, the resort is so tucked into the jungle that parts of it are barely visible among the trees. Treehouses and villas are scattered throughout the canopy and along the cliffs, with private pools and views that shift between dense greenery and the ocean beyond. The property itself is vast, so simply getting around gives you a sense of just how immersed in the landscape you are. You can spend the day exploring the forest or head down to the water, then be back in your private pool by afternoon. Very much the jungle, just with One&Only involved.
Wilderness Bisate Lodge
It’s difficult to imagine a more spectacular place to wake up than at the foot of a volcano. Wilderness Bisate sits beside Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, with views toward the peaks of Bisoke, Karisimbi, and Mikeno and just six villas tucked into the surrounding landscape. The villas themselves are almost as memorable as the setting: spherical, thatched structures inspired by traditional Rwandan royal palaces, with private decks looking toward the mountains. But the real reason to come is what lies beyond them. This is one of the world’s great destinations for mountain gorilla trekking, with other hikes taking you in search of golden monkeys or deeper into the volcanic landscape. Guests can even take part in the lodge’s reforestation efforts by planting a tree, which feels particularly fitting somewhere where the landscape is so central to the experience.
Manshausen
Getting to Manshausen requires a plane, an express boat, and one final five-minute transfer to a private island. In other words, you’re not exactly going to stumble upon it. Set in Norway’s remote Steigen Archipelago, the hotel was founded by polar explorer Børge Ousland and feels suitably adventurous, with minimalist cabins perched right at the edge of the sea. Floor-to-ceiling glass makes the landscape almost impossible to escape, whether that means watching the midnight sun in summer or, with some luck, catching the Northern Lights. And this isn’t really somewhere you come to sit inside all day. Sea kayaking and climbing make particularly good use of the surroundings, followed by a wood-fired sauna when you’ve had enough Nordic adventure for one afternoon.
Kisawa Sanctuary
If beachside nature is more your thing, Kisawa Sanctuary in Mozambique is a must-visit. Kisawa means unbreakable, and on Benguerra Island the name describes the bond between the hotel and the land it sits on. The property spreads across 300 hectares of forest, beach and sand dunes, with island artisans and patented 3D printing technology behind its buildings. Just offshore, the Bazaruto Archipelago's marine park holds some of the least explored waters in the Indian Ocean. A pesticide-free garden supplies the kitchen, and sunrise yoga, snorkelling and a late lunch overlooking the sea fill the day.
Wild Coast Tented Lodge
One look at Wild Coast Tented Lodge and you can see why it made this list. Tucked between the jungle of Yala National Park and the Indian Ocean, the Sri Lankan safari lodge feels almost engulfed by its surroundings. Even the layout takes its cues from the wildlife: its cocoon-like tents are arranged to resemble a leopard’s paw print, with some clustered around watering holes where animals can wander surprisingly close. The interiors, however, are firmly on the luxury side of camping, with proper bathtubs and beautifully designed spaces behind those canvas walls. Guided game drives take you into Yala National Park, but the clever thing about staying here is that the wildlife experience doesn’t necessarily end when you return to the lodge.
Amangiri
Few hotels have made the middle of nowhere look quite as good as Amangiri. The celebrity-loved property sits across more than 900 acres of desert in southern Utah, surrounded by the enormous mesas and canyons of the Colorado Plateau. Its architecture seems to have borrowed its entire color palette from the rock around it, to the point that parts of the hotel almost disappear into the desert. Even the swimming pool curves around a huge stone escarpment that was there long before the hotel. You can head farther into the landscape on horseback or hike through the surrounding canyons, but Amangiri makes a fairly convincing argument for staying exactly where you are. Watching the light change across the desert from your terrace is an activity in itself.
Wickaninnish Inn
At the Wickaninnish Inn, bad weather might actually be something to look forward to. Perched between the Pacific Ocean and the forest on Vancouver Island, the hotel has become particularly famous for storm watching, when huge waves roll in from the open ocean and crash against the coastline below. And you don’t exactly have to fight for a good view. Every one of its rooms and suites faces the ocean and comes with a private balcony, while The Pointe Restaurant wraps diners in floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the water. Of course, the setting is spectacular when the skies are clear too, but there’s something very appealing about a hotel that gives you a reason to hope the forecast takes a turn.
Forestis Dolomites
You’ve probably seen the view from Forestis somewhere on your For You page by now. Perched 1,800 meters above sea level in the Italian Alps, the hotel faces directly toward the Dolomites, and frankly, there isn’t much competing for your attention. The rooms lean into that fact, with floor-to-ceiling windows that make the mountains feel almost absurdly close. Even the pool has been positioned to look straight toward the peaks, while outside, hiking trails lead directly into the surrounding mountains. There’s plenty more to Forestis, including a very serious spa, but this is one hotel where it would be slightly ridiculous to pretend the view isn’t the main event.
Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape
Buahan takes the idea of being surrounded by nature rather literally. Hidden in Bali’s highlands, the adults-only resort has a “no walls, no doors” approach, meaning each of its 16 villas is almost entirely open to the jungle around it. Instead of simply looking out over the Ayung River Valley, you hear it too, along with the cicadas and the occasional tropical downpour rolling through. It’s certainly a different Bali from the one you’ll find along the coast, and that’s very much the point. Each villa even has an outdoor bathtub, because once you’ve committed to living without walls, you may as well take the bath outside too.
Fogo Island Inn
Fogo Island Inn looks like it has landed at the edge of the world. The enormous timber-and-steel structure stands on stilts above the rocky coastline of Fogo Island, off Newfoundland, deliberately striking against a landscape that otherwise feels wonderfully remote. Inside, its 29 rooms turn back toward that landscape with huge windows facing the North Atlantic, where the view can include passing icebergs and whales depending on the season. But one of the most interesting ways to understand where you are happens beyond the hotel itself. Guests are paired with local community hosts who introduce them to the island and its villages, bringing a place that can initially feel incredibly far removed into much sharper focus.
Southern Ocean Lodge
Look at Southern Ocean Lodge on a map, and its appeal becomes pretty obvious. Perched above the cliffs of Kangaroo Island, the hotel looks straight out over the Southern Ocean, with its 25 suites stretching along the coastline to make the most of the view. Floor-to-ceiling glass means the ocean is rarely out of sight, although there’s plenty happening beyond the hotel too. Kangaroo Island is famously wild, with coastal walks taking you through some of its most spectacular scenery and plenty of opportunities to spot the wildlife that calls it home. Back at the lodge, everything is considerably more polished than the landscape outside. The property was completely rebuilt after the 2020 bushfires, reopening in 2023 in essentially the same extraordinary spot.
Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica
Sleeping in the Peruvian Amazon might sound more adventurous than luxurious. Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica manages to make it both. Set on the Madre de Dios River opposite the Tambopata National Reserve, the eco-lodge has 35 thatched-roof cabanas surrounded by rainforest, each with its own porch and hammock for taking in the fact that you are, indeed, sleeping in the middle of the jungle. Guided excursions take you farther into it, including a canopy walkway suspended high among the trees for anyone comfortable with heights. And for those moments when you’d rather experience the Amazon from somewhere slightly less adventurous, there’s a spa using botanical ingredients from the region.
Amanoi
Aman hardly needs an introduction, so you already know the remote setting isn’t going to require sacrificing much in the way of luxury. Amanoi sits within Vietnam’s Núi Chúa Biosphere Reserve, where rugged mountains fall toward the waters of Vinh Hy Bay and the surrounding landscape remains remarkably untouched. The hotel makes the most of both sides of the setting: you can head out for an early walk in the mountains or kayak beneath the sea cliffs, then retreat to the kind of wellness setup you’d expect from Aman. There’s even a wellness villa set beside a lotus-covered lake, should the cliffside views somehow not be peaceful enough.
Refugia Chiloé
Refugia Chiloé almost looks like it’s hovering above the landscape. Set on the quiet Rilán Peninsula on Chile’s Chiloé Island, the wood-clad lodge stands on stilts above the grass, a contemporary nod to the traditional buildings found around the island. Inside, its 24 rooms and suites keep your attention firmly outside, with huge windows looking over the wetlands and water beyond. You can watch the tide change from somewhere considerably warmer and cozier, or head out into it by kayak or aboard the lodge’s wooden boat, where dolphins might make an appearance. Even the weather feels like part of the appeal here. A storm moving across the bay is arguably much more enjoyable when you’re watching it through floor-to-ceiling glass with a Chilean wine in hand.
