With Hong Kong’s population density of 7000 people per square km, green space in this glittering harbour city is not just pleasantly pretty but a precious commodity, which is why the city’s grande dame of hotels, The Peninsula has created The Peninsula Picnic – a prized lifestyle experience and part of the brand’s ‘Academy’ offerings that give travelers special access to a cultural aspect of each host city. A gastronomic treat of chef-prepared sandwiches, with brightly coloured fillings, soft bread rolls, speciality charcuterie, dim sum trays and sweet treats under glass domes, becomes even more show stopping with transport as smooth as silk: a Rolls Royce from the hotel’s signature fleet.

The Barossa Valley’s thriving wine and artisanal foodie culture make it a picnicker’s paradise, with local producers, boutique wineries, independent shops and heritage 19th century townships dotted all over the region, making shopping for provisions half the fun. For a real settler experience, nest in your own self-contained stone cottage in a private vineyard at Barossa Shiraz Estate, bringing the picnic home to your own massive patio overlooking the vines, perfect for al fresco dining with a plummy Barossa Grenache or crisp Riesling. An airy open plan flooded by views, wood-burning fireplace, oversized spa bath and private BBQ, with a local decanter of port wine, chocolates and biscuits already in the pantry, invites nesting and nibbling amongst the vines and willows.

Lunch is truly a moveable feast when you captain your own boat on a self-drive cruise along the rural idyll of the Canal Du Nivernais on a Le Boat holiday, passing other boaters and salty sea dogs in picturesque long barges. Exploring the waterways and scenic valleys of Nivernais & Loire in their own vessel, holidaymakers sail under historic bridges, and pass manor houses and castles, rows of sentinel like trees as high as cathedral spires, riverside cottages trailing gaily coloured geraniums and lush forestry in russets and greens, winding through parts of rural France that can only be seen by water.

The romantic Scottish Highlands lures visitors to the UK further north to experience the pure air and wild beauty of forests and meandering valleys, shrouded not only in mist but the region’s storied history of royal battles and clansman. The Cairngorms Mountains are home to Scotland’s newest luxury property, The Fife Arms, a restored Victorian coaching inn reimagined as a hunting lodge fantasy of tartan, antique curios and contemporary art, the ultimate Highland design fling. Situated in the town of Braemar in the valley of Royal Deeside, the ancient woodlands of the Grampian Mountains beckon those who want to picnic – or stalk, hunt and fish – on the neighbouring estates, a traditionally aristocratic pursuit. The Fife Arms guides guests in its Range Rover through the undulating glens, lochs, ancient pines and wildlife of the rolling Aberdeenshire countryside, where they can literally cast their eye on The Queen’s own Balmoral Estate land, and enjoy the same far reaching horizon while they picnic.

Barefoot luxury makes for the perfect city break, just three hours south of Sydney in Mollymook Beach, a laid back, sleepy coastal town in the aquatic paradise of the South Coast. Fresh and bright beach chic rules at the bijou oceanfront resort, with marine themed white and blue linen, and a pool that glories in the beauty of bushland that meets ocean. Guests will need some delicious picnic fixings to take to the soft sands of Mollymook or the fishing trawlers of Ulladulla Harbour; happily, guests have the luxury of a menu designed by a high profile chef who lauds the very freshest seafood. Enjoy scallops in hazelnut butter, ceviche, Lobster Ravioli or poolbar pizza in the briny ionised air of the spectacular southern New South Wales coastline, with all picnic accoutrements supplied by Bannisters, down to the rug!

The fairytale enchantment of an 11th century castle in the rich terroir of France’s south-west is even more picnic friendly when situated in a wonderland of meadows, mills and lakes over a manicured 2,500 acres. Gourmet hotel and spa, Domaine des Etangs marries rarified French culture with rural languor. The Gourmet Picnic experience brings the retreat’s Michelin starred cuisine outside the castle walls, to the pond, surrounding fields or woodland, where the turrets of the chateau frame the skyline, creating a heart stirring, evocative backdrop to life en plein air. The old fashioned charm of a wicker basket with leather bound china and cutlery is echoed by the delight of miniature Kilner jars filled with fruits from the woods and orchards. An impressive 88% of all picnic goodies are sourced from the estate grounds (with the rest from the surrounding region).

The cultural renaissance of Downtown LA has reignited the Los Angeles business precinct faster than a hipster can twirl his ironic moustache. With a fashion and retail boom to match the culinary revolution of the last few years, travelers to the City Of Angels are moving beyond the Sunset Strip to discover a whole new neighbourhood. City Market South, formerly the oldest produce market in the city, has become a repurposed temple of industrial chic – and the perfect lowrise spot for an urban picnic in LA’s coolest upcoming hood.

Warmly hospitable Executive Chef, Noel McMeel marries the homespun authenticity of country cuisine with five star luxury at this golf and spa resort on the Lower Lough Erne. When you combine a stunning Fermanagh Lakelands setting on a 600-acre peninsula with one of Northern Ireland’s most beloved chefs, you have the recipe for a memorable picnic. The resort’s formal dining and all day grazing menus showcase not only McMeel’s modern Irish cuisine but spectacular views over the undulating green velvet of the Faldo course and surrounding wetlands, enjoyed amongst the grandeur of vaulted ceilings and chandeliers. But it is well worth heading outdoors to experience the terrain up close. Lough Erne is dotted with 150 islands, including mystical 6th century monastic site Devenish Island, which resort guests who want to picnic further afield can reach by boat or water taxi.

The geological wonder of Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges – the ‘other Outback’ a 440km drive north of Adelaide – makes this dramatic setting as much a pilgrimage as a picnic. The Pound, a valley floor hugged by an oval rim of mountains and soft rock, was 600 million years in the making, so you’ll want to linger a while. Rawnsley Park Station allows visitors to not only be sheltered in this awe inspiring, challenging terrain, but to stay on in style and eat delicious food.

Some foodies like their culinary experiences with a side order of adrenaline. Skiers who love the vistas and alpine setting of the mighty French Alps all year around can get their jollies in the summertime with Chalet Hibou’s Heli-Hiking and Gourmet Picnic Escape. The chalet dovetails the traditional alpine charm of beams, scrubbed wood, folkloric art and panoramic views, with all the high tech gadgetry that allows contemporary nesters to plug back in after they return from the open spaces. The mulled wine-friendly setting of Le Miroir village in Sainte Foy is a quaint, brilliantly located nest amongst the region’s hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, water rafting and wildflower trails. High voltage picnickers can take an unforgettable helicopter ride up the granite wall of these mighty peaks into wondrous, remote valleys to hike in the wilderness with an expert mountain guide.

South Africa’s Cederberg Mountains are an adventure travelers’ playground. The 7,000 hectare Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Retreat is threaded by hiking and mountain biking trails, rivers teeming with fish for anglers – also perfect to explore by canoe – and swimming holes to cool off in after earning a sweat. The property, three hours from Cape Town, is also a sanctuary where city slickers can unmoor from their daily grind and simply enjoy the restorative power of nature. Naturally, visitors will need to venture into the wild with a sustaining lunch in their backpack. But whether you are carbing up for the calorie burn of a lifetime or stopping to simply seize the day, the Bushmans Kloof picnic is a signature highlight. Organic South African dishes, packed with energy giving ingredients and herbs from the property’s veggie patch and kitchen garden, are bursting with freshness or flavour. The retreat plans picnics that range from on-the-go packages to keep energy levels up or the romance of a riverside gourmet spread amongst the wildflowers to poetic gourmet affairs with full staff, under the billion stars of the Milky Way.

This five star hotel not only towers over our glittering Harbour, giving diners at Altitude dress circle views that pre highrise-era Sydneysiders could only dream about, but sends guests on their way to the park, beach or own boat on the harbour that awaits outside, with deluxe picnic options for two. Like bubbles with brekkie? Oh go on, you’re on a city break! The Sparkling Breakfast stocks up guests with warm, buttery baked pastries, a baguette generously heaped with New York ham, Serrano, salami and ripped mozzarella, Bircher muesli and a vanilla yoghurt pot. There is orange juice to be nice – and NV Chandon Brut or NV Jansz Rose to be naughty. Those who love to see the cityscape melt into molten gold can toast their companion over a Pinot Noir on the Sunset Getaway, with grazing nibbles – Mount Zero olives, pickled vegetables, a superfood salad, peri-peri chicken and smoked salmon.

The mythic, magnificent Mountains of Mourne dominate the skyline at this atmospheric heritage Victorian spa hotel on the magnificent County Down Coastline of Newcastle. The old worlde enclave of oak beams and carved fireplaces is set amongst the world famous Royal County Down Golf Course just 90 miles north of Dublin. Guests can gaze at the magnificent golden strand, dominated by the looming mountain, from the therapeutic bliss of the spa’s vitality pool as views flood in, and enjoy the hotel’s classic cuisine on a beach picnic by the Irish Sea, or in the natural attractions on the doorstep. The hotel’s finger sandwiches are famously dainty: egg and chive brioche, Carnbrooke Irish Chicken and fenugreek on fluffy white bread, Pulled Begny Hill Ham Hock. Sweet treats meet savoury with unapologetic granny decadence.

Life in an idyllic unspoilt paradise with all the bells and whistles of service and luxury makes each guest a five star castaway. The Datai resort is so integrated with the teeming life of the rainforest of Langkawi Island, that any time spent there is automatically one big picnic. A sky high treehouse out of every child’s dreams, onsite naturalists who reveal the rainforest’s secrets through educational tours and jungle fantasy architecture all create a spell for each culinary experience, as the barrier between indoor space and paradise outside melts away. A Beach Club menu picnic on The Datai’s private beach elevates casual dining with fresh seafood cooked right by the lapping waves in an outdoor ‘show kitchen’ grill.

Nothing says Brit derring do quite like a punt down the River Cam, a pleasurable way to enjoy the English countryside that has been associated with the carefree summer pleasures of young undergraduates at Cambridge University since the early 1900s, boater optional. Visitors to the university town and rural county of Cambridgeshire can enjoy the elegant Edwardian ambience of the newly reopened accomodation University Arms, the 192-room hotel that can organise a traditional British picnic – with a twist – in partnership with Parker’s Tavern, a restaurant inspired by the communal dining halls synonymous with Cambridge Colleges.