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A 35-minute ferry ride from Auckland, Waiheke Island has an artsy/foodie/boho atmosphere. It's a little bit Berkeley (barefoot women in flowing skirts), a little bit Napa (boutique vineyards), and a little bit La Jolla (doubtful galleries). Waiheke is just 12 miles long, yet in this small, pleasingly hilly space it combines subtropical forest and macadamia farms with olive orchards and 2,000 acres of parkland.
Certain travelers demand places where the crowd is fashionable and, except for them, from not far away: they want to be insiders. If you're Norwegian and want to be made to feel insignificant by ferociously chic Romans, you go to Porto Ercole. If you're American and want to see how smart Aucklanders holiday, you go to Waiheke.
The island has one of the most exciting new hotels in New Zealand, the Glass House (33 Okoka Rd., Rocky Bay; 64-9/372-3173; www.theglasshouse.co.nz; doubles from $390). Now, if it would only stay in business. It's symptomatic of the country's breezy approach to hotelkeeping that the owners can't decide whether to sell or to reopen in November. For updates, log on to www.travelandleisure.com.
The appeal of the Glass House, with just three guest rooms, is easily explained: location, location, location. Set 480 feet above sea level, it straddles one of Waiheke's highest peaks. Finding it impossible to sleep in the Pool Room—a shoebox with not a thread covering the 80 feet of exterior glass walls—I went home exhausted. People are said to love getting their groove on in the Pool Room, but is anybody that brave? I can't imagine it. Biting the heels of the Glass House is rival Delamore Lodge (83 Delamore Dr., Waiheke Island; 64-9/372-7372; www.delamorelodge.com; doubles from $662). For those who require a little less exposure, it might be a better choice.
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