Heuglin’s Lodge

The large open-plan lounge and kitchen features classic hand-picked pieces from the owners' travels. It's a warm, inviting space, with comfy sofas, colourful rugs and an impressive library of books. The gardens are perfect if you require a bit more solitude, and if you have to work, wi-fi extends throughout (homely it may be, but no amenity has been overlooked). There's a spectacular swimming pool (not heated) with loungers, and an honesty bar stocked with all the essentials. G&T anyone?

The lodge has nine spacious rooms with tiled floors, high ceilings, and large double beds that sit beneath an umbrella of roll-up mosquito netting. Rooms lead on to patios just off the inner garden – especially tranquil to sip a morning coffee. En-suite bathrooms provide high-pressure showers with piping hot water if you wish (don't underestimate this feature). Standing fans, wi-fi, and writing desks are standard throughout.

Malawi is a feast for the adventurous traveller, with myriad unexplored roads and diverse geography. For starters, this little comma of a country boasts one of the world's largest freshwater lakes. Tropical Lake Malawi brims with freshwater species worth going under for (especially colourful cichlids). Diving/snorkelling are best in the south. The more temperate highlands offer coffee plantation tours; and, in the south, Liwonde National Park is home to leopard, elephant, hippo, and birds including Pel’s fishing-owl and Lilian’s lovebird.