Rest Assured

From the Western Cape to the South Pacific, we’d like to offer you a divine dozen of the world’s most relaxing resort hotels

Amangiri, Utah, USA (above)

Blending into the desert and overlooking the stark beauty of flat-topped rocks, Amangiri (“peaceful mountain”) opened in Utah’s Grand Circle in 2009. It’s flanked by five national parks and the largest Native American reservation in the US, but Aman’s 600-acre site is a remarkable attraction itself, with just 34 suites – most with pools – and a 2,322 sq m spa specialising in Navajo healing techniques.

Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Nayarit, Mexico

This slice of Mexican indulgence, 45 minutes from Puerto Vallarta and overlooked by the peaks of the Sierra Madre, ticks all the Four Seasons boxes: two golf courses, a yacht, a tranquil spa, golden beaches and lavish casita-style villas. There’s a cool shack bar on Las Cuevas beach and the one-of-a-kind tequila tour involves a trip in a private helicopter – well, when in Mexico…

Ponta dos Ganchos, Santa Catarina, Brazil

On a secluded peninsula near Florianopolis, southern Brazil, offering views of the Emerald Coast and a ridge of Atlantic rainforest, you’ll find a clutch of oyster farms and this hidden resort with 25 cabanas and 24-hour breakfasts. Paddle out to a tiny island bar for an ice-cold Caipirinha, sail around the bay to sample fresh shellfish, or simply kick back and enjoy some jungle opulence.

Parrot Cay by Como, Turks and Caicos

Set on a serene private island 575 miles southeast of Miami – think cacti, scrubland and softly shelving white beaches – this West Indies resort is made up of 74 rooms and villas, decorated in contemporary colonial style and a selection of privately owned “estate” villas. Alternatively, you can choose The Sanctuary, a beach front cluster of villas and tropical gardens owned by designer Donna Karan.

Verdura Resort, Sicily, Italy

If you’re keen to see the Greek temples of Agrigento and Selinunte, the 570-acre Verdura is perfectly placed to visit them. It’s set in a valley of olive groves, west of Sciacca: a rare find on Sicily’s quieter south coast. The beach here is a rocky one, which makes the world-class spa and 60-metre infinity pool even more appealing, and you can still take in the views of the azure Mediterranean from one of its three golf courses – or, better still, your own private terrace.

Château Saint-Martin & Spa, Cote d’Azur, France

A smart Thirties hilltop resort, Château Saint-Martin sits in a magnificent 35-acre landscaped park with a handy helipad and panoramic views over the Mediterranean coastline. Choose between a junior suite or – for a true taste of French luxury – one of six private villas. And be sure to sample some of Les Canthares wine club’s reserve of 1,001 vintage wines.

Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Wellness Retreat, Cederberg Mountains, South Africa

Not many hotels can promise zebras, aardvarks, wildcats and baboons, but Bushmans Kloof isn’t like many hotels. Surrounded by thousands of acres of wind-sculpted landscape and sandstone rock formations in South Africa’s Western Cape, this award-winning lodge is also a Natural Heritage site, and offers 16 luxurious rooms and suites, a private villa and opportunities for game drives and stargazing.

Pumpkin Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Once privately owned, this tiny fragment of the southern Great Barrier Reef has been renamed and, since April 2016, reopened as a village of cottages and beach bungalows that can be hired by groups of up to 34 to create their own exclusive island paradise. While there, you can spot turtles, snorkel, scuba dive or simply hire a private chef and make like you’re Richard Branson himself.

The Nam Hai, Vietnam

Ha My is a 1km stretch of white beach in the Dien Ban district that’s light on touts and tourists, but heavy on the breathtaking natural beauty of central Vietnam. The Nam Hai nudges these sandy shores and 40 of its 100 state-of- the-art villas have private pools, on-call butlers and views across the East Sea. There’s also an organic farm providing herbs and vegetables to the resort’s restaurants.

The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra, India

At the end of a sweeping driveway, lit by flaming torches, the Oberoi Amarvilas is a luxurious celebration of Moorish and Mughal architecture with cascading foundations, gold-leaf frescoes, wood carvings and a white-marble spa. Its trump card? This is the only hotel with unfettered views of the Taj Mahal from every room – it’s a mere 600 metres away, after all, and they can whisk you there by golf buggy.

Cheval Blanc Randheli, Maldives

Often rated the Maldives’ most stylish hotel (it is an LVMH “Maison”, after all), the Cheval Blanc Randheli welcomes guests by – what else? – private seaplane. Once you’ve landed, the air of exclusivity continues: the 45 villas were designed for barefoot living by the maestro of hotel decadence Jean-Michel Gathy; there’s the option of a private, four-bed hideaway on a separate island; and the Guerlain spa has another island all to itself as well.

The Brando, Tahiti, French Polynesia

Marlon Brando first bought Tetiaroa, his peaceful Polynesian hideaway, after spotting it while scouting locations for 1962’s Mutiny On The Bounty. Since 2014, it’s traded as a luxurious eco-resort, with 35 beach- edge villas powered – literally – by sunshine and coconut oil.