The hot spots for 2004

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21 JANUARY 2004
Small is beautiful, Belize
Prince William loved it on his gap year, Cameron Diaz has recently become a fan and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola has built a mountain lodge here. But as yet hardly anyone can pinpoint Belize on the map. The pocket-size English-speaking Central American country, formerly known as British Honduras, has a lot going for it, however.

And it is here that a new hideaway called Salamander is located, featuring beach cabanas with hammocks to relax and unwind in. Belize rainforests nurture 700 species of tree and 250 types of orchids, as well as armadillos, iguanas and prolific birdlife.

And there are haunting Mayan ruins such as Xunantunich to explore. And the largest reef in the western hemisphere protects about 200 dreamy unspoiled Caribbean islands and attracts divers from all over the world.

For Robinson Crusoes, Mozambique
Celebrities who go for the island getaway option when on vacation include Richard Branson, Nicole Kidman and Bjork. Now you, too, can play Desert Island Discs for real on Quilalea, a newly opened private island and marine sanctuary in Mozambique’s Quirimba Archipelago.

Castaways live in style in an island lodge featuring nine rustic cottages made from natural rock and thatch, all en-suite and with king-size beds. Gentle activities on offer include shelling, snorkelling on the reef (there are 375 species of fish to see), and taking a dhow to uninhabited islets to enjoy an away-from-it-all picnic.

Pristine and idyllic, the island slumbers peacefully in the Indian Ocean – even legendary explorer Vasco da Gama missed it on his travels. Quilalea isn’t yet on the tourist map, but it soon will be.