The world’s ultimate retreats

Destination

By Sophy Grimshaw

十月 1, 2022

Discover five extraordinary places where you can recharge and reconnect, from Canouan to Sanya.

There are moments when we all feel the need to escape, be it to recharge, restore or reconnect. Whether you're travelling solo or with family and friends, here are five hideaways where you can simply get away from it all.

Wander an unspoiled paradise in Canouan

Escaping the paparazzi, or just the daily grind? You definitely won’t be troubled by either on Canouan. A short flight from Barbados, this tiny island (it’s a mere 7.6 km²) in St Vincent and the Grenadines ticks every box for a quintessential island paradise, with a dose of added character.

Tortoises – which outnumber human residents – patrol the island’s lush interior, and plod past a deeply romantic 17th century chapel that was moved here in the 1800s. Today, the building hosts elegant weddings for guests at Mandarin Oriental, Canouan. It is self-evidently an excellent idea to spend time on the white sands of Godahl Beach, and for guests of MO’s 26 suites and 13 villas, that’s very easy to do: some rooms have direct beach access, as well as private gardens.

Is there a Spa by Mandarin Oriental? Of course there is. If you prefer some gentle exercise, play a round of golf on the Jim Fazio-design, 18-hole championship course – the only course to this standard in the region. There’s plenty to keep families occupied too, from the Pirates of Canouan kids’ club to cruising the estate on e-bikes, or snorkelling with curious sea turtles at Tobago Cays.

Experience China's own tropical island

It’s almost obligatory to mention Hainan Island’s nickname, ‘China’s Hawaii’ – the two places are about as far north of the equator as one another, with similarly inviting climates. While that’s no bad thing, you can’t truthfully compare this place to anywhere else on earth

That’s in part because it’s where you will find the inimitable Mandarin Oriental, Sanya. Set in a 12-hectare dreamscape of lush, tropical gardens, the resort offers guests a choice of ‘wow’-inducing swimming pools and fine dining restaurants, as well as a comprehensively stocked whiskey bar (MO Blues), and elegant tea house. Younger guests can paint T-shirts and shells, or pick up some kung-fu moves, before hitting the poolside Wave bar for made-to-order milkshakes.

It’s not uncommon for luxury hotels to offer rooms with private pools, but it is rare to have an infinity pool on the South China Sea to yourself, as is the case with the Ocean View Pool Villa. A place like this will help meditation come naturally to the most hardened screen-time addict.

Enjoy private beach perks in Bodrum

The Aegean Sea is a famously distinct shade of blue – that little bit darker than the Med. There’s no better place to contemplate the merits of its hue than from the sandy beaches of the Bodrum peninsula: a tendril reaching out from Turkey’s southwest coast.

The aptly named Blue Beach, at Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum located on the even more appropriately named Paradise Bay, is a private beach for the hotel’s guests and permanent residents. Beachgoers enjoy waiter service to the side of their sun lounger, and can walk soft, padded catwalks into the sea, removing even the minute discomfort of stepping on a pebble. Kids will gravitate towards the pâtisserie for cookies and mid-morning ice-creams – the perfect reward after a family yoga session.

Back in your room or villa, the touch of a phone button will summon a buggy to your door and deliver you to any other part of the hillside resort, which includes a vast spa, varied fine dining restaurants and beach bars, and clothing and jewellery boutiques.

Find hidden peace in Marrakech

Is it any wonder that Yves Saint Laurent couldn’t get enough of Marrakech? You can visit the stylish museum dedicated to him if you want to delve deeper into that, but you’d have to have quite literally lost your senses, not to be intoxicated by the tastes, scents and sights of this most sensual of Moroccan cities.

Haggling your way to a bargain in a frenetic souk has an enduring appeal, but to experience a deeper sense of place, you may need to look elsewhere. Set amid 20 hectares of fragrant gardens and olive groves, Mandarin Oriental, Marrakech offers contemporary luxury accommodation that echoes and upgrades the best of the traditional Moroccan riad experience.

Its clutch of villas are built around courtyard pools, where the evenings are torchlit and the morning lie-ins are lengthy. With Atlas Mountains views, you’ll feel wholly removed from the city, and yet you are, conveniently, just moments from it. Dreamy for couples, it’s also enormous fun for kids, who can romp in the kasbah-themed kids’ club, and feast on wood-fired pizzas by the pool.

Get some colour in Jaipur

Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, is India’s scrumptious ’pink city’, repainted in blush during the late 1800s to welcome visiting British royalty. Beyond that, Jaipur offers visitors a spectrum of aesthetic inspiration: from the extraordinary ruins of the Jantar Mantar observatory, to its many palaces, including the eye-popping Hawa Maha.

A city to stimulate the senses and ignite creativity, Jaipur will revive anyone who is seeking a new start or simply finding some lost mojo. Settle in and wait for the muse to visit you at The Oberoi Rajvilas, set in 32 acres of landscaped gardens.

This luxury hotel’s experience packages also offer a chance to up-skill while you’re here, and return home newly confident in wine-tasting, cookery, painting or even astrology. Kids, meanwhile, can enrol for activities of their own, from block-printing and cookie-baking to treasure hunts and puppet shows.

About the Author

Sophy Grimshaw

Sophy writes for titles including The Times, The Guardian, The Independent and Condé Nast Traveller.