Although it may seem that truly getting away from it all is nearly impossible these days with all of our high-tech gadgets keeping us plugged into our hectic lives, there are quite a few resorts across the globe that can take you away from all that – and, you’re practically guaranteed not to miss the “real world” in the least.
Kauri Cliffs - Matauri Bay, New Zealand
Kauri Cliffs, sitting at the edge of New Zealand’s Totara Forest, is one of the most luxurious resorts in New Zealand. It features magnificent 180-degree ocean views from its luxury guest rooms, each including a private porch and open fireplace. There are very few remote resorts on the entire globe where you’ll find wilderness and luxury melted in such a harmonic manner. If luxury is what you’re after, you can book the 4,200-square-foot Owner’s Cottage, which comes with a private infinity pool and kitchen. Enjoy soaking in the sun on pink sand beaches, golfing on one of the world’s best courses, doing a little deep-sea fishing, or even boar hunting. Pink Beach BBQ is a must, with a Kauri chef cooking up a delectable feast of fresh seafood and local produce right at surfside.
To get there, you can take an hour-long helicopter ride from Auckland right to the resort, or hop on the 45-minute flight from Auckland to Kerikeri Bay via Air New Zealand and then drive.
Hana-Maui Resort - Hana, Maui
The peaceful town of Hana sits along Maui’s rugged eastern coastline, known as one of the last unspoiled Hawaiian frontiers, at the end of a three-hour coastal drive considered to be one of the most scenic routes on the planet. Hana is “old school,” where you’ll find authentic luaus and few locals wearing shoes. Hana-Maui Resort is one of Hawaii’s most romantic hotels and the first resort on the island to greet the rising sun. It was also voted the No. 1 resort in all of Hawaii by Conde Nast Traveler’s Reader Choice Awards. Enjoy private, expansive lanais with Pacific Ocean views as well as a refreshing swimming pool, but you won’t find TVs, telephones, or any other distracting electronics.
Las Alamandas Hotel - Costalegre, Mexico
This secluded boutique resort sits on 1,500 acres of a blissfully underdeveloped swath of Mexico’s Pacific coastline in Costalegre, often referred to as “The Virgin Coast.” The ultimate beach hideaway, it offers a truly unforgettable vacation with its serene eco-destination filled with unspoiled white-sand beaches, warm turquoise waters and lush tropical gardens. The resort is also popular with Hollywood stars, who occasionally book the entire property for their holiday due to its gorgeous cliffside views, relative isolation and lack of cell phone reception, offering a true escape from the chaos of the modern world.
To get there, you can fly into Puerto Vallarta or Manzanillo – either airport is approximately a two-hour drive away. Chartering a small plane is also an option as the resort has its own landing strip.
Blancaneaux Lodge - Cayo District, Belize
Famed Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola owns this 20-villa tropical resort that’s tucked away in the northwest corner of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve in the Cayo District of western Belize, where waterfalls cascade into turquoise pools above the jungle canopy. It can only be accessed via puddle jumper or private jet, with its remote setting making it ideal for relaxation and rejuvenation. Here, riverfront cabanas and organic gardens are surrounded by a lush rainforest filled with natural and archaeological wonders. Guests can join jungle tours, explore the ancient civilization of the Maya, or indulge in the waterfall spa.
Explora Rapa Nui - Easter Island, Chile
This top-rated Chile resort sits in the middle of the South Pacific on Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui or Isla de Pascua, the most remote inhabited island on earth. The closest inhabited land is Pitcairn Island, nearly 1,300 miles away. To get here, you’ll need to take an uninterrupted five-hour flight from Papeete, Tahiti or Santiago, Chile, but the journey is definitely worth the effort. In addition to viewing the haunting monolithic stone figures known as moai whose mysterious origins have made the island famous, the eco-friendly resort offers pristine ocean views, open-air Jacuzzis, a bar and a pool. Its menu is packed with amazingly fresh seafood and Chilean wines, and guests can take customized excursions such as cycling to a tuna-fishing village using traditional menus, or traveling the moai route which passes toppled moai as well as the quarry from which the stone was extracted to craft these ancient sculptures.
Mombo Camp - Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Mombo Camp, set in a very remote area of Africa within the Moremi Game Reserve of Botswana, is a big-game camp that is accessed only by a small, local airstrip. Of course, it’s worth the long trek as you’ll be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience viewing rhinos, elephants, hyenas, and leopards that frequently stroll by the camp’s luxurious tents. The camp’s main living, bar and dining areas are under thatch, and you’ll enjoy tasty dinners right under the stars as well as the opportunity to soak your cares away in the plunge pools.
Four Seasons Golden Triangle - Chiang Rai, Thailand
Sitting along the borders of Burma, Laos and Thailand, this “glamping” resort offers accommodations in luxury 581 square feet tents appointed with paddle fans, leather-and-hardwood bush chairs, a full bath, and a custom-made private wooden hot tub on an outdoor deck. Accommodations are all part of an all-inclusive package that includes elephant trekking, a spa treatment, meals, and even house wines and spirits. To get there, you’ll have to take a 75-minute flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai followed by a four-hour scenic drive passing dozens of hill-tribe villages as well as a brief long-tail boat ride down the Ruak River.
Hotel Isla Suasi, Peru
Isla Suasi is all about solitude. Here you’ll have access to a private beach and dock on the only private island in Lake Titicaca. There are no automobiles, electricity or TV, but you will have a 24-hour butler at your disposal. Enjoy kayak and canoe rides as well as hikes to the top of the island where you can take in gorgeous sunset views or admire the star-filled night’s sky. To get there requires a three-hour road trip from Puno followed by a 15-minute zodiac ride from Cambria to Isla Suasi.
Amangiri - Canyon Point, Utah
This luxury resort is set upon 600 acres and tucked into a rocky valley in the southern desert of Utah. It has frequently hosted celebrity guests, including Katy Perry, Brad Pitt, and Angelina Jolie. Here, you’ll feel as if you’re in an almost other-worldly place, with the resort blending perfectly into the dramatic 400-year-old limestone formations and deep canyons. Surrounded by the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, the Grand Staircase, Bryce and Zion national parks, endless scenic beauty awaits in every direction. Explore the desert by taking a hike with your own personal guide, gallop on horseback through fiery-red rock canyons, enjoy a refreshing dip in your chic modern suite with its own plunge pool, and indulge in luxurious spa treatments. To get there, you’ll fly into St. George Municipal Airport, followed by a 2.5- hour road trip to the resort.
Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island, Seychelles
Located over 900 miles off the east coast of Africa, northeast of Madagascar, the Seychelles are made up of 115 islands, mostly uninhabited. The only international gateway to the Seychelles is at Seychelles International Airport near Victoria, one of the smallest capital cities in the world and the only major port in the nation. From there, private charters, as well as regularly scheduled flights to Desroches, are available to bring you to this private island resort with miles of unspoiled beaches as well as a wide range of luxurious amenities including a spa and extravagant rooms with a private plunge pool, deck and living area. Guests can go surfing or cycling, play tennis, or even try their luck at some of the best bonefishing on the planet.
Hotel Sisimiut - Sisimiut, Greenland
Hotel Sisimiut, located some 25 miles north of the Arctic Circle, is so remote that it requires a three-hour snowmobile ride from the airport just to get there. High temperatures in the summer reach just 18 degrees Fahrenheit. So why go? Here at the top of the world, there is little chance of running into your grumpy boss or complaining in-laws, and, it’s the hub of adventure travel in the region. Fly fish for Arctic char in pristine rivers, hike through breathtaking mountains, or join a dog sled excursion and glide through the endless fresh powder. Although Hotel Sisimiut is not a luxury resort, you will find everything you need for a pleasant stay.
Petit St. Vincent Resort, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Petit St. Vincent Resort is set on its own private Caribbean island in the Grenadines, with a two-mile stretch of beautiful beach. You may think you’ve landed on a deserted island, with hardly a sign of other humans present, no vehicles, and only a vast jungle giving way to pristine Atlantic and Caribbean beaches. The only sounds here are the gentle lapping of the waves against the sand and birds singing in the trees. To get there, you’ll fly to Barbados, then the Grenadines, followed by a short ferry ride. When you’re in need of anything at all, you’ll just place a note in your mailbox and raise a yellow flag to alert staff.
Tutka Bay Lodge, Alaska
Tutka Bay Lodge is located in a remote seven-mile fjord at the southern end of Kachemak Bay near the town of Homer, Alaska, on the beautiful Kenai Peninsula. The region is filled with rugged coastlines, deep fjords, breathtaking mountains, old-growth Sitka spruce forests, peaceful beaches and amazing tidal fluctuations. Guests can stay in the main lodge or one of the private guest accommodations and enjoy the use of a sauna, hot tub, and boathouse. Adventures include sea kayaking, hiking, and fishing for halibut and salmon.
Islas Secas - Chiriqui, Panama
If there was ever a spot to truly hide from civilization, Islas Secas would be it. To get there, you’ll have to fly into Panama International Airport and then transfer to a regional flight, take a one hour drive down the coast, then board a boat for a 60-minute ferry ride out to the island. Of course, the long trek is well worth the effort as your reward is an all-inclusive private resort set upon 14 pristine, jungle-clad volcanic islands with just a few upscale casitas awaiting visitors, meaning there is never more than 18 guests at any one time. In the calm, surrounding waters, guests can explore hidden coves, reefs, beaches and mangrove forests on kayaking safaris, visit natural phenomena like a blowhole on Isla Cavada, take guided treks to thermal springs, and much more.
Amanoi - Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam
Aman Resorts is world-renowned for its remote properties, though this one in Vinh Hy Bay, Vietnam is definitely a standout. Amanoi is a tranquil beachside resort that sits on a beautiful white-sand beach overlooking the bay in Nui Cha National Park, protecting 29,000+ hectares of pristine coastal and marine habitats. Nestled in the park that’s packed with jaw-dropping views, the collection of luxury hillside pavilions come complete with outdoor decks as well as floor-to-ceiling windows. Guests also have the luxury of swimming in private pools and indulging in a variety of treatments at the 20,000 square-foot spa set at the foot of a sprawling, lotus-filled lake. To get there, you’ll need to take an hour and 45-minute flight from Hanoi followed by a scenic 90-minute drive to Vinh Hy Bay.
Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort - British Columbia, Canada
Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort is set at the foot of Mount Stevens in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia, accessible only by air or sea. To get here, most guests take the 20-minute helicopter flight from Port Hardy, on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island. Getting to Port Hardy requires a one-hour flight or an eight-hour boat cruise from the city of Vancouver. The resort offers deluxe cabins that come complete with breathtaking views, homemade cookies, wine, and more. In the main lodge, you’ll find a variety of musical instruments, including guitars, a full-service bar with an outstanding selection of speciality spirits and cigars as well as fabulous cuisine featuring fresh, local, coastal, homemade fare. Guests can visit 10,000-year-old glaciers, white-sand beaches and natural hot springs, or go on wildlife tours for the chance to spot bears, whales and other marine life.
andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve - KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve is an amazing, remote resort that sits on nearly 57,000 acres of wilderness on the east coast of South Africa with lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhino roaming the property, along with more than 400 bird species. Guests embark on two drives a day in open safari vehicles that allow the animals to be observed in their natural habitats. Walks in the African bush, accompanied by an armed ranger, as well as canoe trips down the Mzinene River are also available. Suites feature expansive views of the wilderness, an eternity pool, private ranger, butler, chef, and your own four-wheel drive safari vehicle.
Jules Undersea Lodge - Key Largo, Florida
At this very unique resort, guests literally have to “take the plunge,” by scuba diving 21 feet through a tropical mangrove habitat to their room in a former underwater laboratory, now the world’s only underwater hotel. Once here, you can sip wine while gazing out the window into the spectacular world under the sea and enjoy the comforts of any land-based hotel and more, including hot showers, a stocked kitchen, books, music and movies.
Kokopelli’s Cave - Farmington, New Mexico
It’s hard to get more remote than a stay that’s 70 feet underneath the ground. Kokopelli Cave is located in the Four Corners area, made up of the southwest corner of Colorado, northwest corner of New Mexico, northeast corner of Arizona, and southeast corner of Utah. Guests are required to travel across a rough dirt road, walk down a sloping path, and finally climb a ladder, to reach the cave house that’s built into the vertical cliffs of Tertiary Ojo Alamo sandstone overlooking the La Plata River 300 feet below. Not only can you enjoy the tranquility and solitude of cliff-dwelling, but you’ll also have unparalleled views of stunning southwest sunsets overlooking all four states that make up the Four Corners.
NIHI Sumba
The remote Sumba Island is about an hour’s flight from Bali and to reach NIHI Sumba, you’ll be met at the airport by your driver for the 90-minute ride in an open-air safari-style jeep. But it’s well worth the effort, as you’ll know as soon as you’re greeted with the staff’s friendly smiles. The resort was named the world’s best hotel for two consecutive years by Travel + Leisure, yet it’s a sustainable, environmentally friendly property. All-inclusive rates include mouthwatering meals and drinks and accommodation in one- to five-bedroom villas with private pools that overlook a beautiful beach and the endless blue of the sea. They even come with your own private butler. You’ll have a choice of a wide range of activities like world-class surfing, snorkeling, horseback riding, and unique cultural experiences like visits to local villages and an artisan market.
