Bavaria’s state capital, Munich is one of Europe’s most cultured cities, offering far more than the world’s most famous beer festival…

Visit Fairytale Palaces
No visit to Munich is complete without a visit to the city’s two impressive palaces. Dating back to the 14th century, La Residenz was once home to Bavaria’s Wittlesbach royal line. Now open to the public, it houses impressive historical collections and architectural spaces – the Renaissance period Antiquarium hall, filled with frescoes and statuary and the Baroque period Ancestral Gallery with its portraits are not to be missed. Meanwhile the Schloss Nymphenburg impresses with its Baroque frontage and 500 acres of stunning Italianate gardens that come alive in the Spring.

Peruse World Class Art Galleries
Not only does the Alte Pinakothek (Old Picture Gallery) house works by masters like Rembrandt, Rubens and da Vinci, its elegant 18th century architecture, modelled after Venice’s Renaissance palaces, is itself a masterpiece.
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Our pick of the twenty odd courses isn’t even on the mainland but on Rottnest Island. Ok, we’re biased – it is the Karma Golf Course after all! That said, Rottnest is one of the jewels of Western Australia, enjoying a Mediterranean style climate, with myriad hidden beaches and bays and gorgeous countryside in the interior.
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After a six month hiatus our homage to Swiss Family Robinson style island escapism is open once again. Karma Reef on the tiny island of Gili Meno brings together pretty one bedroom cabanas styled after traditional lumbung rice barns giving onto soft white sand and coral reefs teeming with tropical fish and turtles.

The peace of Gili Meno was broken last August when an earthquake in Lombok caused widespread damage. Hundreds lost their lives, most of them on the mainland. Karma Reef had to close due to minor structural damage and because water and electricity was cut off. But the biggest impact was on the Karma Reef staff.

“16 members of our staff had their homes destroyed or severely damaged,” says Karma Reef General Manager Manuel De Grauwe. As a result, Manu, as he is generally known within the Karma family, met with Karma Chairman John Spence and together they decided to set up a GoFundMe page to help the 16 members o the team rebuild their homes.
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AGUADA FORT & AGUADA LIGHTHOUSE
This Portuguese fort was built on Sinquerim beach south of Candolim between 1609 and 1612 to control access to the Mandovi River and guard Old Goa, the state capital until the 1800s, from enemy attacks. The fort was also able to supply water to ships that berthed there thanks to a natural spring within the grounds, hence the name Aguada (water in Portuguese). Occupying a huge area, a part of the fort now serves as a prison. The on site lighthouse was built in 1864, replacing what had once been a huge cluster of 79 canons.
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