Latest news with #Nihi
Scottish Sun
03-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Small exotic island with swimming horses and world's best hotel to be next big holiday hotspot
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WE'VE all heard of Bali, but its neighbour could soon become the next big holiday hotspot. And with swimming horses and one of the best hotels in the world, Sumba Island should be on your bucket list. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Sumba could become the next Bali Credit: Alamy 6 There are 28 unique villas across the resort Credit: Nihi With the success of Bali, it's said that other neighbouring islands are 'prime targets' to be turned into tourist hotspots, according to Robb Report. One of those places is Sumba Island in Indonesia, which receives about 25,000 tourists annually. Meanwhile, the popular island of Bali saw 5.27 million international tourists during 2023. This was a 144.61 per cent increase compared to 2022. With Bali being turned into a holiday hotspot, it's believed that neighbouring islands are being looked at to turn into places of tourist luxury. Maikel Pare, who grew up in one of the local villages before moving to Bali to work for a hotel previously told The Sun: "Sumba offers so many things on one island. You'll see beautiful waterfalls, beautiful hills, beautiful people and beautiful animals at the same time. 'It's still undiscovered and not that many people go there. It's slowly growing, but it's untouched and still so pretty. 'We Sumbanese love tourists, and we celebrate them in our lives. If a foreign visitor talks to a local kid, they will be in awe all day. 'We love to welcome visitors to our beautiful island to show them our homeland, our people, our culture and traditions – we are so proud of them all.' Sumba is known for having horses which are called the Sandalwood ponies. This French hotel has a 'Bali' style water park and petting farm 6 Sumba Island in Indonesia is known for its unique breed of ponies called Sandalwood ponies Credit: Alamy 6 The hotel has won numerous awards and is popular with celebrities Credit: Nihi They are a small breed with ancient Mongolian and Arabian bloodlines and are very important to the culture and economy of the Indonesian island. The island is also home to the exclusive NIHI Sumba eco-resort which has been twice been named the best hotel in the world. The hotel has been recognised by Travel + Leisure as the World's Best Hotel in 2016 and 2017. In 2024, it was ranked number ten in the world by The World's 50 Best Hotels. In 2024, the hotel received a Global Recognition Award for its sustainable luxury approach and community impact. 6 The resort has infinity pools, private spas and beach access Credit: Nihi The hotel has 28 villas with ocean views, plunge pools and infinity pools as well as culinary delights from seafood feasts and open fire cooking. With the hotel you can do a spa safari, which is a trek around the island, horse riding, swimming with horses, surfing, padel as well as wellness activities. The resort features a spa where you can have open-air treatments with ocean views. There's also a chocolate factory and an organic garden that supplies much of the produce for Nihi Sumba's three restaurants. The resort is also renowned for its horse-riding, and it has a herd of horses that are brought to the beach for a swim every morning. The hotel is a popular holiday destination for celebrities too. Heidi Klum, Christian Bale, Cindy Crawford and the Beckhams have all journeyed there for a holiday. And Jennifer Lawrence is said to have splashed out tens of thousands of pounds a night to stay for her honeymoon in 2019. You can reach Sumba Island by air from Bali or Kupang. There are daily flights from Bali to Waingapu, the main town in Sumba Island. You can also take a ferry from Bali or Kupang, but the journey can take up to 24 hours. Read more Bali's plans for a massive £15billion underground train network. And head to Lombok to relax and find instant zen in a tropical paradise.
The Irish Sun
03-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Small exotic island with swimming horses and world's best hotel to be next big holiday hotspot
WE'VE all heard of Bali, but its neighbour could soon become the next big holiday hotspot. And with swimming horses and one of the best hotels in the world, Sumba Island should be on your bucket list. 6 Sumba could become the next Bali Credit: Alamy 6 There are 28 unique villas across the resort Credit: Nihi With the success of One of those places is Sumba Island in Indonesia, which receives about 25,000 tourists annually. Meanwhile, the popular island of This was a 144.61 per cent increase compared to 2022. Read More on Bali Holidays With Bali being turned into a holiday hotspot, it's believed that neighbouring islands are being looked at to turn into places of tourist luxury. Maikel Pare, who grew up in one of the local villages before moving to Bali to work for a hotel previously told 'It's still undiscovered and not that many people go there. It's slowly growing, but it's untouched and still so pretty. 'We Sumbanese love tourists, and we celebrate them in our lives. If a foreign visitor talks to a local kid, they will be in awe all day. Most read in Beach holidays 'We love to welcome visitors to our beautiful island to show them our homeland, our people, our culture and traditions – we are so proud of them all.' Sumba is known for having horses which are called the Sandalwood ponies. This French hotel has a 'Bali' style water park and petting farm 6 Sumba Island in Indonesia is known for its unique breed of ponies called Sandalwood ponies Credit: Alamy 6 The hotel has won numerous awards and is popular with celebrities Credit: Nihi They are a small breed with ancient Mongolian and Arabian bloodlines and are very important to the culture and economy of the Indonesian island. The island is also home to the exclusive The hotel has been recognised by In 2024, the hotel received a Global Recognition Award for its sustainable luxury approach and community impact. 6 The resort has infinity pools, private spas and beach access Credit: Nihi The hotel has 28 villas with ocean views, plunge pools and infinity pools as well as culinary delights from seafood feasts and open fire cooking. With the hotel you can do a spa safari, which is a trek around the island, horse riding, swimming with horses, surfing, padel as well as wellness activities. The resort features a spa where you can have open-air treatments with ocean views. There's also a chocolate factory and an organic garden that supplies much of the produce for Nihi Sumba's three restaurants. The resort is also renowned for its horse-riding, and it has a herd of horses that are brought to the beach for a swim every morning. The hotel is a popular holiday destination for celebrities too. Heidi Klum, And Jennifer Lawrence is said to have splashed out tens of thousands of pounds a night to stay for her honeymoon in 2019. You can reach Sumba Island by air from Bali or Kupang. There are daily flights from Bali to Waingapu, the main town in Sumba Island. You can also take a ferry from Bali or Kupang, but the journey can take up to 24 hours. Read more And head to Lombok to relax and find instant zen in a tropical paradise. 6 Sumba hasn't yet been discovered by tourists like its neighbour, Bali Credit: Alamy
Khaleej Times
25-04-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
How sustainability is redefining luxury travel in 2025
For decades, luxury travel was synonymous with escape, indulgence without questions. But in 2025, the industry's most powerful shift isn't about where travellers are going. It's about what they're giving back. Today's affluent travellers are no longer content with five-star suites and remote seclusion. They want meaning. They ask: What impact does this trip have? Who benefits? And how is luxury evolving to serve the planet as well as the guest? The answers are reshaping the sector, not with slogans, but with systems. Purpose over excess Across continents, a new kind of luxury is emerging. It's quieter, deeper, and built on accountability. High-end operators are rewriting the rules — integrating sustainability into their core, not as decoration, but as direction. Plastic-free operations, solar-powered villas, conservation-linked itineraries, composting and closed-loop water systems are just the start. Community partnerships and regenerative design are becoming essential components of what qualifies as 'luxury". Take Kamalaya in Thailand, which has championed sustainability since 2005 — offering a zero-plastic wellness retreat powered by solar energy, and funding free education programs for Thai youth. Or South Africa's Kapama Private Game Reserve, where an established Anti-Poaching Unit protects rhinos and reinforces the relationship between the reserve and its ecosystem. In Italy, Casa Di Langa, nestled in a Unesco World Heritage site, blends old-world charm with Green Globe certification, sustainable farming, and international sustainability accolades. Meanwhile, Nihi in Indonesia, a B Corp-certified resort, gives guests direct exposure to local impact initiatives, from environmental programs to community empowerment. These aren't outliers. They're blueprints for a new standard in responsible travel. This evolution is especially visible in the Middle East — a region known for scale and spectacle, now steering hard toward sustainability. With Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025 in Dubai set to spotlight responsible tourism, the region is showing it's not just catching up — it's aiming to lead. From Saudi Arabia's giga-projects built on zero-carbon principles to the UAE's commitment to eco-hospitality, momentum is building. But success here will depend on more than ambition — it will require intentional curation. Impact & Indulgence Luxafar is already doing the curating, a UAE-based luxury travel company quietly setting a benchmark for sustainability in high-end travel. 'At Luxafar, sustainability isn't an accessory — it's embedded in every decision we make,' says Ghazal Sajid, co-founder of Luxafar. 'We don't just look at comfort and aesthetics. We look at desalination systems, solar grids, waste composting, and the social impact on surrounding communities.' Luxafar's global network of partners includes eco-resorts that: Run on solar energy, operate on desalinated and recycled water, practice on-site composting and waste separation, ban single-use plastics, and support community-led conservation and education From community-run safaris in Southern and Eastern Africa that directly support wildlife protection, to certified green resorts in Europe and Asia, Luxafar's itineraries are curated with precision and purpose. Destinations they vouch for — including Finland, Slovenia, Bhutan, and Costa Rica — are known for renewable energy leadership, low-impact tourism models, and biodiversity preservation. But their partnerships stretch well beyond, encompassing places like Indonesia, Thailand, Italy, and South Africa — each selected based on a rigorous sustainability lens. 'For me, as both a founder and a frequent traveller, it's clear that luxury doesn't have to cost the Earth,' Sajid adds. 'We invite our clients to be part of a journey where every trip is not just exceptional, but environmentally responsible.' Looking ahead: ATM 2025 and beyond As Luxafar returns to ATM 2025, it's not just there to showcase destinations — it's there to build coalitions. Sajid will be on the ground in Dubai to collaborate with other changemakers across the Middle East and beyond, pushing for higher standards and smarter travel systems. 'Our clients aren't just booking experiences,' she says. 'They're choosing to support ecosystems that last — socially and environmentally.' ATM 2025 is more than a trade event. It's a litmus test for the future of global travel. And the operators who integrate ethics into their business models — not just their brochures — will be the ones to shape its trajectory. As this movement accelerates, Luxafar is proving that sustainability and luxury aren't competing forces. They're two sides of the same vision — one that's not just possible, but necessary.
The Independent
14-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
How this luxury hotel on a remote Indonesian island is using horses for wellness
Louie has decided to do his own thing. The young horse breaks free from the herd and gallops down the beach bucking and kicking. Rather than make chase, staff watch him, laughing at the one-year-old's exuberance and energy, before he happily trots back to his herd. Because that's how horses act here at Nihi Sumba - they're encouraged to follow their natural instincts and act wild and free. It's a striking change from how we usually see domesticated horses. Training or 'breaking' horses tends to involve metal bits in the animals' mouth, necks pulled into uncomfortable-looking 'outlines', and whips and spurs used as aids. A spotlight was recently shone on the way humans interact with horses when British dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin was banned from the 2024 Paris Olympics after a video emerged of her repeatedly whipping a horse's legs during a coaching session. There have also been increasing concerns over horse racing, with the excessive use of whips coming under scrutiny, and concerns raised about the number of animal deaths – three horses died in just one day at Cheltenham last November. It seems that the equestrian world may be facing something of a reckoning. But at Nihi Sumba, horses are viewed differently. The horses are used for beach and trail rides, as well as swimming with guests, but the focus is on encouraging horses to follow their natural instincts rather than being forced through fear or violence. Louie's antics occur during the running of the horses on Nihi Sumba's beach when the herd gallops together from their yard at 'Sandalwood Stables' along the shoreline to graze in the fields overlooking the beach. Situated 'on the edge of wilderness' on the idyllic island of Sumba in Indonesia, a short flight from Bali, Nihi is one of the most admired hotels in the world thanks to its exquisite combination of simplicity and luxury. At the soul of Nihi Sumba is its horses – everything that the hotel stands for is embodied in these animals: a sense of spirituality, rugged beauty and connection with nature. The spectacle of a herd of horses galloping along the white sands has, unsurprisingly, become social media-famous – you'll spot reels and videos all over Instagram and TikTok. But to stand with your feet in the sand and sea spray from the wild surf crashing behind you as the steady thunder of hooves passes by is completely magical. 'Guests are captivated by the horses' freedom and vitality,' equestrian consultant Evelien Akerboom, who runs the horse programmes at Nihi, tells me. 'Allowing the horses to run as a herd reflects their natural instincts, promoting both their physical and mental well-being. Guests love watching them gallop freely along the beach – a daily highlight and a true testament to Nihi's wild spirit.' She adds: 'Many describe their interactions – beach rides, ocean swims, and pony play for children – as transformative. One of the simplest pleasures is sitting quietly with the horses as they graze naturally on the lush land surrounding Nihi – an experience that guests find incredibly calming and grounding.' Recognising the impact that the horses have on their guests, the team at Nihi are increasingly using horses in their wellness programmes, and have recently started running Equine Intuitive Awareness Retreats that harness the calming and healing power of horses. The retreats include energy awareness sessions, meditation with horses, reiki healing, and equine yoga, as well as swimming with horses and beach rides. They also feature a half-day spa safari, which involves riding through jungle and across fields to Nihi's spa, which is situated several miles across the island on what must be one of the most beautiful sections of coastline in Indonesia. When the horses retire from Sandalwood Stables they are brought to graze here, joining a smaller herd that roams around the spa grounds. Guests can have a massage at one of the open-air treatment rooms that overlook the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean below, or even in the manège while the horses wander around. Key to the equine retreats is the philosophy that when a horse is in their natural environment and treated with respect, care and understanding, they can be beneficial to humans. Evelien says: 'Horses embody mindfulness and connection, making them a natural complement to wellness practices. Their calming presence and innate ability to sense human emotions enhance experiences such as equine therapy, yoga, and meditation, – promoting relaxation, emotional healing, and a deep sense of harmony with nature.' The retreats are run by Carol Sharpe, who started working with the horses at Nihi Sumba when the hotel was redeveloped over a decade ago to become the resort in its current iteration. She tells me how in the early days when she struggled with the horses being feisty or hard to manage, she would sit and meditate with them and found that this calmer approach was far more effective. She currently lives in Lombok, near Bali, but chose to come back to Nihi to run the retreats as she recognised the transformative power that horses can have and wanted to explore this further. 'You can't lie to a horse,' she says. You've got to be authentic. When you see a horse soften and come to you, it's empowering.' The relationship between human and horse goes back millennia – etchings of horses dating from the Ice Age have been discovered inside caves suggesting a close relationship with man roughly 25,000 years ago. Horses are thought to have been domesticated for some 6,000 years, used for hunting, warfare, transport, farming, sport and companionship. Increasingly, the therapeutic power of horses has also been recognised, with these animals being used in physical therapy, as well as to help war veterans struggling with PTSD and children with learning or behavioural difficulties. In the mainstream, there have also been some moves away from fear-based training towards a more gentle approach based on responding to a horse's natural instinct. At the end of last year, a film for MasterClass called The Cowboy and the Queen was released showing the friendship between the late Queen and an American cowboy named Monty Roberts who turned away from the traditional 'breaking' of a horse to train through communication, kindness and establishing a bond of trust. The friendship that started after they met at Windsor in 1989 lasted until the late monarch's death, during which time Monty trained dozens of royal horses using his humane methods. At Nihi, riders don't use whips or spurs and the horses aren't controlled using metal bits in their mouths. If a horse doesn't seem comfortable working, they will simply be given the day off. Evelien explains: 'We prioritise natural care and communication with our horses. Riding bitless reflects our philosophy of respectful and gentle treatment, ensuring their comfort and fostering a deeper, more authentic bond between horse and rider.' The horses at Nihi are small but strong – and very high spirited thanks to the combination of their genetics and lifestyle. Originally brought to Sumba for trading in exchange for sandalwood and spices by traders as early as the 8th century, they're a distinctive combination of Arab and Mongolian breeds. They have the delicate Arab beauty with slightly dished faces, along with the hardiness and agility of both the Arab and Mongolian bloodlines. These traits mean they have been invaluable for the people of Sumba for centuries, with the animals firmly embedded in their culture. Evelien says: 'The harsh climate – dense jungles during the rainy season and vast savannas in the dry season – posed significant challenges. However, with horses helping to carry water and food, they became invaluable companions. They are not just animals; they are part of the household, and life without them is unimaginable.' She adds: 'The Sandalwood horse is a cherished symbol of Sumbanese culture, deeply woven into traditions such as dowries, ceremonies, and the annual Pasola festival – a vibrant event where brave local horsemen showcase their skills in traditional spear-throwing competitions.' All of the staff who work with Evelien at Sandalwood Stables are from local communities across Sumba. Sergius Jowa, known as Eggy, comes from a village called Praimarou on the island, and following a sunrise ride across the beach he tells me that he's been working with the horses at Nihi for several years and enjoys seeing how guests respond to the horses – and how happy the horses are. As well as supporting the Sumba Foundation that runs education, health and employment programmes on the island, Nihi also plays an integral role in the Sumba Horse Charity that was co-founded by Evelien and works to support local committees with their animals. Evelien explains: 'At Nihi, we integrate this mission into our daily operations – every horse-related activity contributes $5 to the charity. While it may seem like a small amount, it is enough to provide deworming and anti-parasite treatment for two horses, significantly improving their health and quality of life. 'Our dedicated local veterinarian, Dr Osta, generously donates his time to travel across villages, educating communities and providing essential care for horses and other animals. His work is embraced wholeheartedly by village leaders, and witnessing the positive impact firsthand is incredibly rewarding.' Evelien adds: 'It's the small changes, made day by day, that create lasting progress. Seeing healthier horses, more knowledgeable owners, and a growing culture of compassionate animal care fills me with hope for the future.'
