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13 hotels where you can learn a new skill
Start 2019 with a holiday that broadens your skill set, be it cooking, surfing, yoga or climbing
For many of us, January is not only a time for new year resolutions, but also where we feel most inclined to book a holiday to distant locales. Why not combine both by staying in a hotel that offers a chance to learn a new skill? Whether Tuscan cooking or surfing, we present our guide to the hotels that will not only provide respite in the grey winter months, but will allow you to expand your skill set.
Shoe-making
Italy has long been known for its beautifully-made, high quality leather shoes, and now you can learn how to create your own withRome Cavalieri, a five-star hotel which hosts workshops at an authentic, family-run shoe maker. The sandal-making experience also includes a small welcome buffet and a 10 per cent discount on any made-to-measure shoes ordered on the day.
Wildlife photography
Where better to learn how to master wildlife photography than Africa? Wilderness Safaris and Olympus have joined forces to use their high-end services and combined passion for wildlife photography to conduct guided training workshops for aspiring photographers across Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Writing
Whether you're an aspiring writer or established and in need of inspiration, then a week-long stay at Moniack Mhor, situated high on a hill near the Loch Ness, is a beautiful and fruitful place to visit. Known as Scotland’s Creative Writing Centre, the cosy 11-bedroom property runs residential courses and workshops led by experienced tutors. You'll be able to explore the local landscape with the help of a guide, hone your work in front of a roaring fire and prepare dinner with fellow writers. For a blissful, yet inspiring writer's retreat, look no further.
Italian cooking
Everyone thinks they know how to cook good Italian food, but few truly can. Borgo Santo Pietro in Tuscany offers day-long cooking classes with chefs from its Michelin-starred restaurant, who will teach guests how to cook delicious truffles, breads, pasta and pizza. Students are expected to source produce from the grounds, its organic farmland, vineyards, olive groves and vegetable gardens, to create a meal before sitting down to dine.
Horse-riding
A lot of country hotels offer horse-riding classes, but few know their stuff quite like Texan cowboys. Do it in luxury at Dos Brisas ranch, an expansive 313-acre resort positioned in the foothills of Texan Hill Country. It boasts the second biggest privately owned indoor horseriding arena in the state, and guests are invited, regardless of skill level, to jump on a horse for either a trail ride through the picturesque meadows. Cowboy hats aren't obligatory, but when in Rome...
Yoga
The paradise-like Gecko hotel on the beaches of Formentera offers daily 90-minute yoga classes, free for guests, and held on the lawns overlooking the ocean. Serious yogis should consider the hotel's spiritual yoga retreats led by highly qualified local instructors, throughout April, May and June, to bring a deeper understanding of yoga philosophy. Guests will be taken through breathing techniques, meditation and gentle yoga exercises - expect to go home refreshed and revived.
Deep sea fishing
When Ernest Hemingway first visited Kenya in 1933, he tried his hand at deep sea fishing - a hobby that he tried to maintain throughout his life. Guests at Voyager Beach Resort in Mombasa and Kipungani Explorer on Lamu island are able to do the same, exploring the reefs to catch a variety of fish dorado, kingfish, giant trevally and on rare occasions shark.
Climbing
Long Beach Mauritius offers a host of classes and activities, including bicycle tours, archery and painting, but, perhaps more uniquely, is its climbing wall - the only one on the island. At 7.1-metres high, it's suitable for all abilities and guests are invited to use the wall solo or to join classes which are free of charge and take place daily with an experienced instructor. The climb will be all more worthwhile once you see the views at the top.
Greek cooking
Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, Costa Navarino is an idyllic place to master Greek cuisine. The luxury eco resort, based in the relatively undiscovered Peloponnese, offers cooking lessons with local Greeks, where guests will learn ancient techniques and family recipes they can then re-create for family and friends. If cooking doesn't get juices flowing, the hotel also runs traditional Messinian embroidery 90-minute classes, with views of the rolling hills and out across the beautiful blue ionic sea - a perfect souvenir if ever there was one.
Surfing
If you've ever wanted to take up surfing, Soul and Surf's three destinations in India, Sri Lanka and Portugal (the latter of which opens in 2019), are picturesque destinations to do so. Surfing and yoga are its USP and visitors can do a bit of both, or focus on one or the other. Daily surf lessons are available for those of all abilities, or visitors can book a week-long course. This is true bohemian bliss at its most authentic.
Northern Lights photography
From 4 – 9 February 2019, Eleven Experience will host an exclusiv, one-of-a-kind six-day photography retreat at its remote lodge, Deplar Farm, on the Troll Peninsula, Northern Iceland. Here, guests will explore remote, beautiful spots to photograph Northern Iceland in soft winter light, from Guided by Eleven’s Creative Director, Alex Fenlon, activities include a boat tour on the Eyjafjordur fjord to take shots of local sea and wildlife, snowmobiling in the Fljóta valley to photograph the Northern Lights, riding in Eleven’s fleet of super Jeeps to the iconic Hvitserkur rock formation, and a scenic flight from Siglofjordur to Myvatn for dramatic views of the landscape below.
Wood-carving
Wood-carving is a Balinese tradition, and guests at the luxurious Katamama - part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts - can learn how it's done at the workshop of Pak Made Ada, Bali’s original Garuda carver. The open-air woodcarving masterclass overlooks the rice paddies and is led by Pak Made Ada’s sons, Yande and Nyoman, visitors will learn to sculpt a Balinese flower relief with a chisel and mallet.
Jamaican cuisine
Jakes, a bohemian sanctuary in an untouched part of Jamaica, offers guests the chance to master any Jamaican dish on its restaurant menu, from jerk chicken and jerk fish to escoveitched red snapper. Although the agenda changes daily based on the catch of local fishermen and the crops of local farmers, learn the art of jerk seasoning and spices and how to prepare traditional Jamaican recipes such as 'Run Down'. There is no better way of bringing Caribbean pleasures back to the grey UK.
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