Discover the world’s best moonlit adventures, from clandestine drag shows to blue-light snorkelling trips
An inventive approach to the freedom hours between work and bed has spawned nocturnal ideas that go beyond the classic ‘one for the road’. From immersive outdoor nature experiences to a reimagined take on the nightcap, don’t be in the dark about the fun that goes down with the sun.
The rainforest night hike
Where: The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia
@thedatailangkawi 
The Datai, a luxurious-but-authentic hideaway on Malaysia’s Langkawi island, is a paradise so far removed from your laptop that you’ll question everything. Mountains pose protectively, the beach is pristine, and densely woven rainforest – thought to be 10 million years old – is your neighbour. Here, nature lures in guests as much as the top-end accommodation, and the night shift is when it awakens. Under the watchful torch of an in-house naturalist, the Rainforest After Dark experience offers a 90-minute wander into the depths and the rare opportunity to spot Langkawi’s mainly nocturnal ‘flying five’ – the air-gliding flying lemur, flying lizard, flying fox, flying squirrel and, terrifyingly, flying snake.
The clandestine drag show
Where: Sister Midnight, Paris
@sistermidnightparis
Sister Midnight is the place where Paris, a city famous for being tightly strung, unwinds. The late-bar’s vibe is a chaotic extravaganza of leopard-print booths, kitsch floral lampshades, black and white photos of legends such as Debbie Harry, and glitter in all possible areas – including in the cocktails. Drink & Drag nights are the cherry-on-the-top of an events line-up that gives a big, warm bearhug to inclusivity and, above all, joie de vivre.
The dessert tasting menu
Where: Coda, Berlin
@codaberlin.jpg)
(Image: Claudia Goedke)
If anywhere is going to subvert the structure of dining, it’s Berlin. At Coda, dessert techniques such as patisserie move from final thought to main character. And they’re applied to savoury ingredients, too. The palate-bending concept is what creator René Frank, The World’s Best Pastry Chef 2022, calls Dessert Dining. Over a four-hour, 15-course medley, each dish is paired with an equally surprising pour – quince brandy, minimal intervention champagne or sake. As for the food, expect dishes such as peach with pea meringue and pepper sorbet; aubergine with pecan, apple balsamic and liquorice; and the signature popsicle made of artichoke, vanilla ice cream and… caviar.
The architectural night tour
Where: The Siam, Bangkok
@thesiambangkok
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Cooler temperatures, dissipated crowds and dialled-down traffic are the boons to exploring Bangkok at night-owl hour. An architectural gem in its own right, The Siam – the Art Deco-inspired icon at No.26 on The World’s Best Hotels 2024 list – offers two experiences. Its signature sunset sail enlists a traditional rice barge, where canapés and fizz flow as plentifully as glimpses of the illuminated Grand Palace, Wat Arun temple and Chinatown. Back down to earth, an alternative four-hour night tour will immerse you in 200 years of architecture, from walking along European-style boulevards to a tuk-tuk journey ticking off the vernacular architecture of the Giant Swing as well as Brahmin and Hindu Shrines.
The blue-light snorkelling trip
Where: Gili Lankanfushi, Maldives
@gili.lankanfushi
The Maldives screams daytime destination – those shades of blue! – but it all depends what’s strapped to your head. At Gili Lankanfushi (whose conservation squad includes two marine biologists and a science lab), there’s much more to dark-water snorkelling than meets the eye. As the evening’s first stars appear, don a wetsuit, a snorkel mask with a yellow filter, a light, and hop in. Switch the torch light to blue and it triggers the coral to glow psychedelic shades of neon (admired most vividly behind that mask filter). Called coral fluorescence – fluorescence meaning to absorb light of one colour and emit a different colour – it’s thought to influence photosynthesis. Glowing reviews all round then.
The Dark Sky star gaze
Where: The Fife Arms, Scotland
@thefifearms
The best part about hunkering down in deepest, darkest Scotland is exactly that – it’s seriously low-light. The Fife Arms may boast more than 14,000 artworks inside its tartan-chintzy walls (a perk of having Hauser & Wirth’s co-founders as your owners), but the wonders outside – and upwards – are equally dazzling. Bordered by the Cairngorms National Park, an International Dark Sky Park, the most enlightening way to explore is with a certified astronomer. During the wonderfully dramatic-sounding Hunt for the Dark Sky experience, they’ll be your galaxy guide for two hours – demystifying everything in front of your eyes, and far beyond them.
The green-fairy nightcap
Where: Maison Artemisia, Mexico City
@maisonartemisiamx
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Maison Artemisia has a vampirish approach to daylight. It opens at 6pm, closes at 2am, and ensconces you in a sultry candlelit den where the sink-into velvet sofas make time feel like a pointless concept. Founded in 2012 by French and Mexican friends, its approach to drinking honours both. The legendary nightcap is absinthe – aromatic and wickedly strong – including an in-house blend, as well as a mighty list of Mexican mezcals and France’s anise-flavoured tipple, pastis. Signature cocktails are ranked by punchiness; the most rebellious being the Negroski – a mix of Nocheluna Sotol (a Mexican spirit made from the desert-dwelling sotol plant), Cynar (a bitter Italian aperitif), Aperol and Fernet.
The revamped tequila chaser
Where: Hacha, London
@hachabar 
It’s been a while since tequila shed its association with sticky-floored nightclubs, and Hacha is proof of the transition. Now with branches in Dalston and Brixton, it combines café aesthetics with a cocktail menu that rhapsodises about Mexico’s distilled heritage. There’s an edit of 25 agaves, served singularly or as a flight, and even a low-alcohol sparkling that feels like an X-rated elderflower cordial. The hero, however, is the Mirror Margarita. Served to look as innocuous as a glass of water, this clear-and-colourless marg packs in tequila, sour mix, cane syrup and mixed grapefruit essences. Trickery at its tastiest.
The Taj Mahal at full moon
Where: The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India
@oberoihotels
The only building in the greenbelt surrounding the Taj Mahal, The Oberoi Amarvilas – No.45 on The World’s Best Hotels 2023 list – has a golf buggy waiting to drop you 600 metres outside the palace’s door. Aristocratic service, indeed. While all rooms boast Taj Mahal views, the most hypnotic time to visit is during the five days a month (just before, during and after full moon) when it opens between 8.30pm and 12.30am. Only 50 visitors are allowed in at once, and you may observe a phenomenon called chamki – when the angle of the giant moon hitting the marble creates the illusion of flickering lights. Tickets are available on the Taj Mahal’s website.
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