Jumby Bay, Antigua

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In a world where more and more of us check our email and take calls on vacation, the need for true chillout travel has never been more pressing. Thus the growing boom in hotels and resorts dedicated to the quiet, and slow, life. We’ve assembled the top spots to disconnect from the madding crowd.

Qualia
PACIFIC | AUSTRALIA | QUEENSLAND
You’ll find absolute serenity at Qualia — a new hideaway off the coast of Queensland that’s strictly off-limits to under-18s. The resort’s 60 hillside pavilions line the private northern tip of Hamilton Island amid the tropical Whitsundays, which form the southern gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Qualia can customize 40 experiences for your pleasure — from sea kayaking to twilight sailing to yoga-meditation at the water’s edge.

Perfect Earth Tours Retreat & Spa
US & CANADA | CANADA | YUKON
Wedged between Alaska and the Northwest Territories, the Yukon has twice as many moose as people, and outside of the capital, Whitehorse, there’s not much more to see than pristine subarctic vistas and the vast northern sky. That is until now. This seasonal eco wilderness hideaway is centered around “the world’s first organic canvas teepees” — decked out in high-glamping style with queen-sized beds and private bathrooms.

Malikha Lodge
ASIA | MYANMAR
Amid political convulsions, Myanmar’s first taste of rustic luxe is, by some small measure, giving back to the community. The country’s only upscale wilderness retreat is found in the foothills of the Himalayas. The ultra-remote, locally-staffed lodge consists of 10 bungalows spread across 16 acres of landscaped gardens that back onto Asia’s largest tiger reserve. Activities include elephant-guided jungle treks, while back at the ranch you can soak in your 400-gallon handcrafted teak bathtub.

Jumby Bay
CARIBBEAN | ANTIGUA
Until recently, this private island off the coast of Antigua indulged its guests with the simple pleasures of beauty and isolation — a few morning laps in the cabana-lined pool; an afternoon game of tennis or croquet; a sunset dip in the Caribbean Sea. But now the 300-acre Rosewood Resort, reachable only by boat and blissfully free of cars, has added a new must-do to the R&R schedule: midnight massages for couples.

Fairmont Miramar Hotel US & CANADA | US | CALIFORNIA | SANTA MONICA
When checking in at the Fairmont Miramar for its Electronic Rehab Weekend, you are instructed to surrender your electronic devices at the reception desk. For 48 hours, all laptops, iPods, cell phones, pagers and BlackBerrys are banished while you ease into recovery at the “healing waters sanctuary” at Fairmont’s Exhale spa. To keep withdrawal symptoms at bay, you’ll be treated to a yoga or core fusion class and lashings of herbal tea.

The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille
AFRICA & MIDEAST | KENYA
Dropping off the map doesn’t mean forgoing luxury at The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille, Kenya’s newest bush retreat. In the midst of a private 6,500-acre conservancy, guests stay in fully-staffed, stylishly-furnished houses commanding stunning views of Mt. Kenya. Admire Africa’s second tallest mountain from the lounges at the infinity-edge “horizon pool.” Or get a closer look while trout-fishing or bird-shooting with your personal sanctuary guide.

Green Magic Treehouses
ASIA | INDIA | KERALA
Kerala is famed for Ayurvedic pampering and idling along the jungle backwaters. But now, India’s southern tropics are sprouting luxury treehouses. Suspended 86 feet over the rainforest (itself 3,750 feet above sea level), Kerala’s highest retreat is more like a townhouse: its three floors, connected by a spiral staircase, boast oversized bamboo beds and sweeping views of the spice hills. All you need do is negotiate the indigenous “cane lift” to get there.

Luton Hoo EUROPE | UK | LONDON
Finally you can fly into London and bed down at a top-notch spa — without having to battle the bustle. The 18th-century manor Luton Hoo has been painstakingly transformed into a genteel five-star retreat (think 1,000 acres of parkland, a huge oak-framed pool and a Victorian tennis court). And it’s just an eight-minute drive from London’s alternate airport, Luton.

Marley Resort & Spa CARIBBEAN | BAHAMAS
The former governor’s mansion in Nassau, Bahamas, has been transformed into the Marley Resort & Spa. The reggae star’s summer home for many years is set on a secluded stretch of Cable Beach with 16 master suites, each named after one of Marley’s songs (which means some guests will be retiring to either the Easy Skankin’ or the Kinky Reggae suite). The spa features bath rituals concocted by the musician’s widow, Rita, while a resident “love expert” is on hand to attend to wedding, honeymoon and vow-renewal packages.

Old Edwards Inn & Spa US & CANADA | US | NORTH CAROLINA
Shut out the world by slipping into the “nap-reflection room” at Old Edwards Inn & Spa, an Historic Hotel of America in the highlands of the Smoky Mountains. Painted with soothing pastoral murals and piled high with pillows, the chilled-out private space is part of a new 15,000-square-foot annex to the inn’s sumptuous spa. For maximum reposing, you can also hit the first rainforest rejuvenation room in the U.S.