Unplugged Luxury: Digital Detox Destinations

October 23, 2024 by Hidden Doorways

There’s a peculiar irony in searching online for places to disconnect from the digital world. Yet as our devices become increasingly inseparable extensions of ourselves, a countermovement is taking root. While the rest of the world races to boost their WiFi speeds, a collection of extraordinary retreats is championing the art of slowing down.

From a tented camp amid India’s timeless landscapes to a secluded Greek isle where simplicity still reigns supreme, these destinations aren’t just offering an escape from screens – they’re inviting travelers to reconnect with something far more profound: the raw, unfiltered experience of being present in remarkable places.

Hide Away in Hampshire at Heckfield Place

Tucked away in the leafy British county of Hampshire lies an 18th-century Georgian manor house and rolling estate comprised of pleasure grounds and lakes, wild heath lands, a walled garden filled with wisteria, lavender and fragrant English roses, ancient woodland, and 400 acres more of green space in which to lose oneself. Being held by nature is part and parcel of any stay at Heckfield Place, but enhance that further by passing time at its game-changing Bothy spa. Guests are encouraged to spend at least half a day here, if not more, to truly realign and re-root themselves through its menu of biodynamic treatments offered by master practitioners – from craniosacral therapy to myofascial release.

Melt into a Menorcan Reserve at Son Vell

Moving to warmer climes, we find a 445-acre estate on the understated island of Menorca known as the simply sublime Son Vell. Here, time stands still whether guests are letting go while looking onto the ocean from the practically private Cala Son Vell cove, wandering through sweet-scented gardens, or riding horseback along the ancient Camí de Cavalls bridleway that wraps around the entire island. This is a place for peace-seekers who want to call home an 18th-century manor restored in a way that’s both rustic and refined. Every room and suite here is tranquil and spacious, with Menorca’s unspoiled beauty providing a backdrop unlike any other — it wasn’t declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1993 for nothing.

Wine Taste Your Way to Winding Down at Mas d’en Bruno

In the heart of Catalonia’s mountainous countryside and the celebrated Priorat wine-making region is yet another centuries-old place of escape – Mas d’en Bruno. The setting is everything soul searchers could wish for, with russet marble and timber-beamed rooms set in the historic masía and main atelier overlooking its show-stopping vines and an infinity pool to leisurely bob about in. Discovering varieties is all part of a stay here but once a favorite is identified, a must-linger-at spot is the Mas d’en Bruno library — a peaceful place with roaring fires and cozy armchairs for a leisurely wine moment to oneself. When guests aren’t sipping their way through another rare vintage in its chic tasting room, they can unwind further still in its all-singing, all-dancing spa. This is a place that has it all.

Discover the Art of Laidback (But Luxurious) Living at L’Albereta

Jetting off to Franciacorta to stay at heaven-sent L’Albereta places you just a few miles away from romantic Lake Iseo as well as the charming cities of Venice and Verona for those wanting to lose themselves in Italy’s true romance. But if digitally detoxing means doing as little as physically possible, then guests can indulge without moving so much as an inch at the enchanting relais that is L’Albereta. Family-run with a philosophy of guaranteeing the absolute pleasure of all five senses, here guests can unwind in Lombardy’s nature-forward haven. Be sure to recommend the resort’s health and wellness oasis, Chenot Espace, where they offer a holistic program combining traditional Chinese and modern western medicine to rejuvenate mind, body and soul.

Switch Off on a Secluded Greek Isle at Gundari

Experience the raw, rugged, untamed and extraordinary side of Greek nature on the lesser-known Folegrandros island by checking into new luxury resort, Gundari. A place designed to invigorate through a careful balance of wellness, gastronomic and sustainable efforts, the 27 serene and chic suites and villas here are boltholes that will leave guests feeling like the very best versions of themselves. A place where intimacy, elegance and Cycladic simplicity combine, to stay here is to nourish from the inside out and the outside in through its Greek ritual spa, energy healing and sound bath workshops, and Michelin-star chef soul food.

Lean Into Warmth in Every Sense at Playa Grande Beach Club

North Coast Dominican Republic: a place of great warmth in terms of climate but warmer still in terms of people and their presence. Even without its mile-long expanse of virgin beach, softly lapping Atlantic ocean shores, lush low mountain forest scenery, scattering of bungalow dwellings and ever-evolving local and organic Caribbean cuisine, Playa Grande Beach Club would restore each and every guest with its good heart and kind soul approach. Created by a group of friends who simply wanted to create and share one of the most beautiful beaches in the whole of the Caribbean, to land here is to feel good and leave feeling even better.

Soak up Sunlight and Starlight in Place of Blue Light with SUJÁN

With a choice of three spectacular tented camps across handpicked and hidden locations across India, the SUJÁN experience puts you back in touch with nature in a very intimate way. Choose SUJÁN Jawai and sleep beside spellbinding billion-year-old granite rock formations with leopards for neighbors; Sher Bagh to get close to the world’s finest destination to observe tigers in the wild in the Ranthambhore wildlife haven; or The Serai to set up camp (quite literally) on a 100-acre private estate of indigenous desert scrub to venture into the mystical environs of Jaisalmer, where the desert sky is punctuated with both stars and ancient melodies of legendary local musicians who play into the night. Transported from daily life? Guaranteed in a nanosecond.

Find Resolve in the Sound of Silence at Herdade da Malhadinha Nova

Small and perfectly formed, Herdade da Malhadinha Nova is extraordinary for many reasons, but most notably for its Alentejo setting — a region with one of the lowest population densities in Europe and one of Portugal’s best-kept secrets. Immaculate and endless landscapes of inestimable beauty will have guests not just switching off their phones but throwing them into the crystal-clear pool waters as they melt into one of the resort’s greatest gifts — resounding silence. Lean into nature further by experiencing soil-rich traditions being kept alive, from olive oil and honey production to homegrown vegetables in Herdade da Malhadinha Nova’s organic gardens and greenhouses. And with 198 acres of estate vineyards and a cattle ranch too, the offline offerings just keep giving.

Breathe in the Beach at Trisara

Sea air — does it get much more invigorating? Answer: yes, when the beach air is from the crisp blue Andaman Sea on a secluded cove in the tropical hills of northwestern Phuket. Who wants to look at a phone screen when centuries-old ficus trees, coconut palms and a sea and sky vista so big, eyes and heart have to work hard to absorb it all? The setting imbues spiritual wellbeing, but so does the five-star Trisara resort — it’s their philosophy to ensure residents of its intimate community of private villas feel bound to nature and deeply grounded to the earth and their inner self. The Jara Spa is one to while away the hours in, where they offer curated wellbeing journeys rooted in Thai healing that can last anything from several hours to multiple days — whatever each person’s mind and body need most.

Disconnect in the Cardamom Rainforest at Shinta Mani Wild

Shinta Mani Wild is located within Southeast Asia’s last untouched wilderness, and each stay here contributes toward the protection of its at-risk ecosystem within the Cardamom Rainforest – it’s that which guests plug into as they almost immediately detach from devices upon arrival. Connect to nature further by booking a crafted three-night adventure stay to really lean into the rainforest experience. Clear water swimming, 1,300-foot zip-line flying, jungle cruises along mangrove-lined waterways and many adventures more await, all designed to put travelers in touch with the idiosyncrasies of the river valley. Phone? Tablet? Television? Laptop? Consider them long forgotten.