If you’re primed for a recharge, you’re not alone. A healthy body and focused mind are essential for handling everything life throws at us. That’s why planning a trip that allows you to completely disconnect and reset qualifies as a critical necessity, not an indulgence.
Be prepared to skip any (or all) of the following: packed schedules, checking work email, even your flight home. Ready, reset, go!
As always, check for travel guidelines and restrictions before planning your trip.
Unlock a Desert Oasis in Dubai
Nestled in the heart of the desert against the backdrop of the Al Hajar Mountains, an unparalleled wellness and adventure experience awaits. Picture it: a resort dotted with private villas (each with its own pool), plus an award-winning hydrotherapy spa and traditional Bedouin experiences on-site, such as archery and falconry.
Such is the scene at The Ritz-Carlton Ras Al Khaimah, Al Wadi Desert. This remote getaway just 45 minutes from Dubai offers an oasis of serenity and tranquility within the region’s only Rainforest circuit, featuring 16 hydrotherapy stations that combine European hydrothermal culture with Middle Eastern bathing rituals.
Recharge with a private dinner of the best of local and international cuisine on the dunes under the starry skies or perched on a private watchtower.
Book a Spa Retreat Along Northern California’s Coast
In a state that boasts a bounty of world-class luxury experiences, The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara is exceptional. Nestled along the Pacific Ocean and perched atop a bluff overlooking the scenic California landscape, this ode to wellness, tranquility and rejuvenation offers the ultimate in luxury pampering.
Your reset begins the moment you enter the resort’s sprawling 78 acres and step into the 42,000-square-foot spa to indulge in the vast amenities and natural pampering treatments. Then wind down in the redwood sauna or eucalyptus steam room.
Against the backdrop of the Santa Ynez Mountains, enjoy horseback riding, biking and other adventures, and visit some of California’s most exciting wineries and vineyards.
Unwind on an Utterly Idyllic Vietnamese Island
Arguably, Vietnam’s Phu Quoc island is another name for paradise. Surrounded by several of Vietnam’s most stunning beaches, more than half the island is part of Phu Quoc National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that features dense tropical jungle ideal for birding and spotting rare wildlife such as long-tailed macaques and silver langurs.
Reality as you know it will recede at the JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa, a luxury haven at the edge of pristine Khem Beach. Recharge your senses at this former 19th-century French university now transformed into a beachfront playground replete with luxury suites and villas with private balconies.
Follow your locally inspired massage and luxury wellness therapies at the Spa by JW with a dip in the resort’s seashell-shaped plunge pool. Choose from a range of global gourmet cuisine from five restaurants and bars before and after you soak up the sun by the pool or on the immaculate white shorelines.
Join the Sunset Seekers on Santorini
Everything you imagined about recharging among the otherworldly panorama of Greece’s island of Santorini is true. Whitewashed villages perched atop red and black cliffs that rise from a sea-drowned crater lead to multicolored beaches that plunge into the Aegean Sea.
Unwind on black-sand beaches like Vlychada, the most dramatic of them all; take a boat tour around the islands of Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni, with their bubbling hot springs; or head to Santorini’s renowned red beach and deserted bays for a day of swimming, snorkeling or even a barbecue.
Sip local athiri or vinstanto wines and meander, sandals in hand, through cobbled streets where Greek life lolls on as it has for centuries.
Finally, head to the Faros lighthouse for the real showstopper: uninterrupted views of the setting sun bathing the crescent cliffs in pink, peach and mauve.
Find a Dreamscape in Mauritius
A sojourn across the globe should be rewarded with nothing less than a dreamscape par excellence. And indeed, Mauritius — a glittering gem in the midst of the Indian Ocean — delivers.
The island’s numerous offerings include unspoiled beaches and turquoise lagoons, as well as heavenly rainforests and waterfalls. Plus, adventurers will find a wonderland of hiking trails that stretch into Black River Gorges National Park.
Lollygag along the beautiful white sandy beaches of Belle Mare, Péreybère and Mont Choisy and gaze at a kaleidoscope of coastal landscapes that change by the region, season and time of day. Nature lovers can hike Le Piton de la Petite Riviere Noire (the Black River Peak), the island’s highest mountain and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Before you leave, be sure to catch a boat to nearby Ile aux Cerfs, a tiny islet off Mauritius’s east coast. Here, you can eavesdrop on Mauritian Creole, which, much like the delicious cuisine, is a rich mélange of French, English, African and Asian languages. Spend the day kitesurfing, deep-sea fishing or better yet, just laying about.
Eat and Adventure Your Way Through “Canada’s Food Island”
Fact is more wondrous than fiction. Find out for yourself when you step onto idyllic Prince Edward Island, which inspired the beloved “Anne of Green Gables” storybooks. But don’t be hoodwinked by its petite size.
What PEI lacks in miles it overdelivers in a surfeit of nature at its most resplendent: a pageantry of pastoral rolling hills that gives way to spectacular coastlines and hiking and cycling trails.
Wander quaint, art-filled coastal towns like Souris and North Rustico, or bask in the calm of PEI’s pristine beaches and towering sand dunes. Spend a morning teeing off at one of the island’s golf courses or deep-sea fishing. Then spend the afternoon exploring PEI’s national park, where the only noises you’ll notice are bird calls reverberating through the wooded hills and cliffs.
Food lovers should join the immersive Bannock and Clams experience on Lennox Island, home to the Mi’kmaq First Nation. Attendees learn to bake traditional bread under the sand and enjoy freshly harvested Malpeque Bay oysters cooked over an open fire.
Alternatively, drive along North Cape Coastal Drive and Canada’s Oyster Coast, where sunsets are just as memorable as the seafood. Feast on a lobster supper or famed PEI mussels and freshly shucked oysters at Fisherman’s Wharf during the annual Fall Flavours Festival or the ever-popular PEI International Shellfish Festival, lauded as the “biggest kitchen party in Atlantic Canada.”
Related Articles
