Recently, a friend of mine was telling me about a paid sabbatical he has coming up.
It’s his company’s policy that each employee takes one month off after five years. It’s paid, you’re not allowed to answer a single email and you’re encouraged to go somewhere cool. (Nice gig, huh?) I replied, “That’s impossible to screw up.” Then he told me one of his coworkers opted to spend most of his month in … Connecticut.
Well, here’s introducing a place that is definitely not Connecticut, and possibly the best dang sabbatical fodder we’ve ever seen: The Lindis Lodge on New Zealand’s South Island.
The Lindis sits in the Ahuiri Valley between the Mount Aspiring and Aoraki National Parks (national parks are as ubiquitous in New Zealand as Starbucks are in Midtown NYC) and serves as a pretty gorgeous doormat to more than 6,000 acres of mountains, creeks and grasslands. It’s clear the intention of the weaving, wooden-paneled lodge was to leave the views unobstructed (it’s like a Four Seasons in the Shire), but it’s tough to tear one’s eyes away from those suites. Each room comes with a super king-sized bed, a double-sided gas fireplace and a bathtub that’d capably fit President Taft and The Rock.
You’ll spend much of your day outside, though. Fly fishing, biking, horseback riding, 4WD buggies .. you name it, they’ve got it. Obviously, all those amenities don’t come cheap. Expect to pay $1,383 a night. But be it a sabbatical or just a quick vacation to to the other corner of the world, you might as well make it one to remember.
For more information on booking a stay at The Lindis, head here.
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