To coincide with the release of Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s new cookbook, SLH has identified some of the best culinary experiences at its member hotels including out-of-this-world dining locations, memorable sensory experiences, creative menus and rare ingredients.

 

Mood Dining Menus at Milhaidoo Island Maldives - Baa Atoll, Maldives

This resort offers five curated mood dining menus paired with wellness treatments including special baths, meditation and spa treatments to transport guests into a state of Zen.

• Deep Sleep
• Getting into the Milaidhoo Mood
• Sunrise Awakening
• Curious Adventures
• Sunset Chill

Each menu is offered at a specific location on the island. The most popular option is the ‘Deep Sleep’ mood, which addresses physical and mental hurdles that prevent good sleep. It begins with a peaceful spa treatment followed by a light dinner designed to encourage sleep.

After the dinner, Milaidhoo’s resident yogi leads the guests in a private moonlight meditation session on the deck of their villa to calm and slow the mind. The evening ends with a scented candlelit bath as the drop in body temperature after a bath triggers the body’s need to sleep.

 

 

Full Moon Themed Dinners at Columbia Beach Resort - Limassol, Cyprus

This Resort hosts a series of themed Full Moon dinners on the beach every summer. From Vintage Moon, Pink Moon, Harvest Moon to Sturgeon Moon, the resort’s chef, Ioannis Giakoumidis creates a delectable multi-course menu reflective of the one-night-only theme with matching décor and music.

 

 

Plant-based Dining at Ovolo Woolloomooloo, Sydney, Australia

Opened in March 2018 by vegan chef Matthew Kenney, Alibi at Ovolo this is Sydney´s first plant-based restaurant featuring dishes such as kimchi dumplings with sesame and ginger, heirloom tomato and zucchini lasagna with pistachio pesto and hibiscus strawberry cheesecake.

The cocktail menu includes an Enchanted Forest cocktail that took the Alibi bar team eight months to create involving an infusion of fresh Portobello mushrooms and absinthe foam made from green apples.

 

 

To see more unique dining experience in the Morocco, Greece, and more, check out the next page!

Dinner in the Sahara Desert at Dar Ahlam, Ouarzazate, Morocco

There is a selection of distinct, private settings. One of the settings available to guests is an intimate candlelit dinner for two in the Sahara Desert where guests can watch the beautiful scenery and the canopy of stars surrounding them from atop a sand dune.

Meals are curated from 450 gourmet recipes created by the likes of Frédérick Grasser-Hermé, Philippe Conticini, Frédéric Eyrier, Cédric Nieuvarts and Thierry Alix, with desserts by the incomparable Pierre Hermé.

 

 

A Taste of Ancient Greece at Archipelagos, Mykonos, Greece

Guests at the Archipelagos can experience a taste of mythological Greece with the restaurant´s Gastrosophy degustation menu (six to nine courses) created by Chef Dimitris Papadimitriou where ancient ingredients such as Vrasto cheese, Centaurea (form of artichoke), Crithmum (sea fennel) and Crocus Sativus (an ancient spice valued for its aphrodisiac properties) are blended into modern recipes.

 

 

Dinner in an Archaeological Site at Relais San Lorenzo, Bergamo, Italy

The hotel’s Hostaria restaurant is located within an archaeological site of Roman and Medieval origins dating from 300BC, including walls and wells from the Middle Ages. Chef Antonio Cuomo’s modern cuisine is well-rooted in the traditional flavours of the Bergamo tradition and includes specialty dishes such as homemade ravioli prepared with melted butter, salvia and crispy bacon.

 

 

To see more unique dining experience in the UK, New Zealand, and more, check out the next page!

 Lobster Potting and Mackerel Fishing at The Nare, Cornwall, United Kingdom

Guests can catch their own dinner by going lobster potting on The Nare Hotel´s 38-ft classic motor launch the Alice Rose, or mackerel fishing on the Maggie O’Nare. They can spend the rest of the day exploring the Fal and Helford Rivers as well as the unspoilt waterways of the Roseland Peninsula while enjoying a delicious seafood picnic onboard.

 

 

Luxury Cruise with Private Chef at Hulbert House, Queenstown, New Zealand

The ‘Milford Sound Luxury Day Cruise’ brings travellers into the heart of Fiordland by helicopter before they board a luxurious cruise with on-deck hot-tubs where they can enjoy a delightful seafood lunch prepared by a private chef with crayfish, blue cod, bluff oysters.

After lunch, guests can use the ROV to view the unique underwater creatures of the fiord or enjoy some kayaking to get up close to the many waterfalls pouring off the towering sea cliffs.

 

 

Vegetal Lunch at Les Sources de Caudalie, Bordeaux, France

Guests at Les Sources de Caudalie can enjoy a guided walk through the forest with arborist José Le Piez and musician Patricia Chatelain who use meditation techniques such as Shinrin –Yoku (Japanese style therapy known as tree hugging) to help visitors connect with nature.

The immersive experience is followed by a vegetal lunch at the hotel’s ROUGE restaurant featuring dishes made of local flowers and plants including nettle soup with wild daisy and strawberry gazpacho with Immortelle flower ice cream.

 

 

Japanese Sweets at The Tokyo Station Hotel, Tokyo, Japan

Guests can purchase Wagashi (artistic Japanese confections made of azuki bean paste) with hotel original designed package from the shop or indulge in a full menu of Japanese desserts in the cafe including the Earl Grey Manju, a steamed bun containing Earl Grey tea or the Pear Caramel Yokan, a thick and jellied dessert made of red azuki beans, homemade caramel and brandy-accented pear compote.

 

 

For more information on Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties, please visit slh.com