40 years of curiosity

Exclusive hideaways to simply disappear

Everyone needs time to take a break from the stresses of everyday life and indulge in escapism, to free your mind and lose yourself. There’s no better place to do this than on your own private island. Hit pause on your busy life and find out how exclusive remoteness can deliver a level of relaxation and pleasure that you didn’t know was possible.

A small islet can offer unbound safety, privacy and freedom – where remoteness and reconnection is yours for the taking. You might wake up blinking at the sun and think you’re in a dream, but no, you’re kicking back on Thanda Island, a speck of private land off the coast of Tanzania. It takes only 10 minutes to walk around the entire circumference of silvery sand and realise everything you lay your eyes on is yours. This piece of paradise will fill you with warmth not only from the sunshine, but also from the heartfelt efforts to conserve the surrounding Shungimbili coral reef. Be part of something important when you dive off a traditional Arab dhow and snorkel in the sea. The area is part of the largest marine protected area in the Indian Ocean, home to five species of turtles and 400 species of enchanting reef fish.

For such a remote location, you’ll never get bored. Join the park rangers and paddle alongside the very animals that the resort is trying to protect, including endangered whale sharks. Have a big get together in the party pavilion, make use of the helipad or float around the island on the super yacht at your disposal. When you return back to your sublime villa, be mesmerised by the indoor aquarium or watch turtles nesting on the shore from a brass bathtub that’s been set up on the beach for you. It’s the simplicity that really embraces you here and the sense of adventure that fills the air.

A private island can become a playground for everything your heart desires, matching unimaginable adventures with the pinnacle of luxury – so it’s no wonder they’re highly sought-after. Ithaafushi The Private Island by Waldorf Astoria is the largest private island in the Maldives – 32,000 square metres of sanctuary is off limits to everyone but you. Those seeking the spectacular and sumptuous, the exclusive and secretive, will find it here. Being on this island is about setting a new time that you are in control of. Fall asleep at will as you gaze at the exotic fish through the glass floor during a deep relaxing massage, dine on drawnout dinners delivered by your team of world-class chefs and, with the largest fleet of yachts in the Maldives, take an off-island adventure when you’re feeling intrepid. Energetic days come with a personal trainer, while calmer days are attended to by your wellness concierge. It is Ithaafushi’s otherworldly location that sets it apart; the right mix of bone-white sand, tropical greenery and utter seclusion.

On the subject of seclusion, private islands are often sought for milestone celebrations and private parties, and there’s one place that excels at out-of-this-world special occasions. Sir Richard Branson’s private hideaway Necker Island in the BVIs needs little introduction. Access isn’t granted to just anyone – organising a special occasion here for 54 guests is no mean feat, but we’ve pulled off a few in our 40 years. When something is worth celebrating, everything here can be planned and personalised around you, your friends and family – from the food (which is definitely a highlight) through to the music and activities. There are five infinity pools, two tennis courts and all of the water sports you could imagine, but there are also endless cosy corners to curl up in and just soak up the views. Evenings are a time to come together and are often spent down on the beach partying the night away under the stars.

There's benefit in a buyout

Having a whole hotel for you, your friends and family is about going big and going together. We’ve spent the past few years with too much time spent apart. Relish the outdoors and spend quality time offline in a much-needed setting that helps to cement bonds – and a setting that’s exclusively yours. Amanwana is a wondrous wilderness hideaway, where you can stay with your nearest and dearest in 12 tents under shady tamarind trees on the island of Moyo with every comfort imaginable.

The lush jungle is right outside for guided hikes to cascading waterfalls, limestone pools and hidden caves, where you’ll discover an array of wildlife, from deer, wild boar and macaque monkeys to majestic sea eagles and osprey. Meanwhile, the Flores Sea provides snorkelling and scuba enthusiasts with underwater exploration unmatched anywhere else in Indonesia.

When you take a place exclusively, you can get close to nature in a way you wouldn’t normally. No busy crowds, nobody to disrupt the quiet – just you and the serene surrounds. At Cheetah Plains, taking over the exquisite sustainable safari lodges means you can embark on a pioneering new type of family safari. With unobtrusive electric jeeps, you’ll have your very own zero-emission game vehicle at your disposal. Virtually noiseless, your personal field guide and tracker can take you closer to the animals to see them behaving in a natural way, totally undisturbed. Witness humans and animals coexist in each other’s company in a completely immersive way. Explore new frontiers of community and peace that bring you closer not only to soul-stirring natural beauty, but to each other.

At the isolated Camp Sarika by Amangiri in Utah, be surrounded by an unearthly 600-acre landscape of towering mesas, slot canyons and rust-coloured sands. With just friends and family, you can truly be apart from the rest of the world in a place where the sense of connection to nature is much stronger than the ties to modern city life. No phones, no laptops, just 10 canvas-topped pavilions as an enclave of sedative seclusion for the people you love in one of the most geographically dramatic places on Earth. Guided desert hikes and canyon expeditions bring out parts of the landscape that only the experts know how to find. Afterwards you can share stories together around a campfire that blazes beneath the vast star-shimmering sky, toast s’mores on the flames, and look up at the never-ending universe through your personal telescope.

Private bountiful space in the great outdoors allows you to find your own rhythm. At Sir Richard Branson’s The Lodge in Verbier, chase the thrill of a steep off-piste run and take time to teach your children the techniques of skiing with access to the freshest snow and away from the heavy throngs of people. This is stress-free skiing at its finest. In the morning, bypass busy ski-shop queues so you have more time on the slopes with a private boot fitting at the chalet. Then embark on a guided heli-skiing trip to chase some untouched powder.

In the evening, rest your weary legs with a massage from the resident therapist while the executive chef cooks up a delectable feast for all the family. Then prepare for a wild night of après ski, shooting some pool in the games room or dancing together underneath a twinkling disco ball. It’s a truly minimum fuss way of being together and enjoying every moment of action and relaxation.

Cultural connectors as your guides

We pride ourselves on knowing the best people to pull back the curtain on the most delightful scenes, sights and sounds of our beloved destinations. Understand the hidden meanings behind ancient cultures, discover the best spot to witness a rare species of animal, or learn new skills that have been passed down through tribal generations. Not only does meeting people unleash new experiences, it also stretches your empathy beyond your own community and country, opening your heart and mind to people from different backgrounds and helping to change you for the better.

Uncle Nun and Aunt Yai are a husband-and-wife team of chefs in Phuket. They first met when Nun was working at a restaurant in Yai’s hometown of Trang and she was so enamoured with a particular seafood fried rice dish that she asked him for the recipe – and they’ve never looked back since. Now married, they have honed their culinary skills together for more than 30 years, and serve up homemade specialities at Rosewood Phuket’s Thai seafood restaurant Ta Khai. Go beyond sampling aromatic flavours, and learn how their sharing dishes bring people together through the sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy senses that come from their local ingredients and family recipes.

From food to forests, we know plenty of people on the ground to show you a different side to life in Asia. Toby Sinclair has dedicated decades to nature out here, from setting up tented camps in Kathmandu to managing a travel company in Delhi, he has an encyclopaedic understanding of the plants, people and creatures that make this place a home. Learn from his expert knowhow on a tour of Wilpattu and Yala National Park where he’ll tell you all about sloth bears, Asian elephants and birds of Sri Lanka, as well as the endangered wild leopard. He knows the best places to spot the wildlife you want to see, where you can get the clearest views without disturbing any of the animals.

If you want to explore wildlife at its most extreme, you can embark on a TV-worthy adventure with Jack Randall, known for his wildlife shows on Disney+ and National Geographic. From the luxury lodge Matetsi Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, you’ll be whisked off in a helicopter for a unique angle of the majestic Victoria Falls and the roaring water below. After that, taste another rush of nature with some river fishing along the private nine-mile stretch of Zambezi River; a boat cruise where you’ll spot hippos, crocodiles and birds; as well as a private picnic by watering holes frequented by giraffe, zebra, elephant, waterbuck and buffalo – these are the kind of voyages you only read about in books.

 Whatever your passions are we can match them with the experts who give you undiluted attention and knowledge. Explore the vast backcountry of the Whistler mountains or flip a half-pipe with a gold medal-winning skier or snowboarder. Whether you’re a newbie or a pro, follow their tracks, learn their techniques and hear stories about their adrenaline-fuelled careers. Or perhaps you’re an aspiring artist? Legendary brothers Roberto and Rodolfo Guarnieri are contemporary fresco painters keeping alive centuries of Florentine tradition. After spotting their works in the Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, you can learn to paint a fresco in their buzzing studio and listen to their bohemian stories.

 A holiday, a destination, an experience; it means so much more when you meet extraordinary people and you find new-found friends in foreign lands. Forget hours of researching – simply turn up to lesser-known destinations and take them in like a true insider.

Privileged access to new places

As well as finding the people to share a country’s secrets with you, we also have the key to unlock secret doorways and hidden pathways, taking your experience to new levels in unique ways. How you choose to see the world, creates the world you see and when you see it through a different perspective, you’ll see wonders that others have yet to behold.

Understanding the work, the passion and the level of detail that goes into fashion houses like Louis Vuitton or Chanel, can be difficult to grasp in one day. But with the right expert you can unlock their secret histories. Sip on a coffee at Les Jalles getting to know the rich pasts of the brands, before being one of the first to try on new collections and vintage pieces that belong to iconic moments in history.

At Hotel de Russie in Rome you don’t even need to leave your suite – indulge in film-star fantasies with a private Valentino shopping appointment. During the fitting, a specialist Valentino seamstress will be at your disposal to hand you the ready-to-wear collections and accessories that suit you best – you’ll be walking in the footsteps of the most extravagant stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Jackie Kennedy Onassis among them.

Unearthing these secrets around the world is magical – because a secret is yours alone until you want to share it. And we have the best-kept secret in Manhattan. Quietly tucked away on the sixth floor of Rockefeller Center, this unique venue features extraordinary views of Fifth Avenue and St. Patrick’s Cathedral from a manicured historic garden complete with a sparkling reflective pool. This rare private space is yours to share with your special someone. Together, indulge in a seated picnic with champagne, exquisite nibbles and platters of finery tailored to your tastes. It is an unforgettable spot for a big gesture: an engagement, an anniversary, or simply being together.

 While the quiet slow lane is for some, for others the need for speed knows no bounds. Feel the exhilarating pleasure of navigating your own America’s Cup highspeed racing yacht through San Francisco Bay with the help of an experienced captain and crew. Compete against the clock or divide friends and family to race against each other to see who will come out the strongest. Seeing the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island with the wind in your hair and the sound of choppy waters in your ear is an opportunity for the road. For budding racers and F1 enthusiasts, there’s nothing like the thrill of being close to the action, whether that’s walking along the pit lanes or mingling with F1 drivers. We’ll get you prime viewing above the pit lane in Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Monaco and access to the most exclusive parties afterwards.

 It’s through niche passions and interests that you can really delve deeper beneath the skin of a place – and sometimes quite literally. Joe Cummings is one of Bangkok’s most prominent residents and hosts – an author, historian and Thai culture expert, he has called Thailand home for more than 25 years and shown the likes of Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler the streets through his eyes. While Joe’s interests span temples, art and textiles, he is also an expert on the magic and mastery of Thai sacred tattoos, Sak Yant. This thick black line work is an ancient tribal art that conveys the deepest of meanings, offering the wearer protection and welcoming energy. But the lines are hard to decipher. One slight change in the pattern and the design can be rendered meaningless or even have negative connotations. When Joe introduces you to the Sak Yant artists, you’ll understand the protocol for visiting these masters and how to decipher this intricate art.

Powerful ways to meet locals authentically

Journeying to a place is so much more than trying a new dish and seeing new sites – it’s about embracing a new way of life. Often travellers find it difficult to truly immerse themselves in local culture, but we can connect you deeply with communities in heart-warming ways that are not only meaningful to you, but also to them.

Northern Rwanda, is Handspun Hope, a working farm that produces delightful, handmade woollen garments and felted sculptures. While staying at One&Only Gorilla’s Nest in Rwanda you can meet the women, decked head to toe in bright African fabrics, who make these local crafts with passion and warmth. The project was set up to assist vulnerable women within the community, including genocide widows and victims of abuse, and the results have been remarkable.

This is a lively community of love and laughter set up to establish a new way of life, a local economy and embolden empowerment. Step into this welcoming hub, and watch first-hand the meticulous craft that goes into each item. Swap life’s tales with the women, and walk away with a keepsake to remind you of what was shared.

Sharing enriches our travel experiences. It is this exchange of culture, our personal histories and a healthy dose of humour that brings us closer together as people, at a time when the world needs it most. At Six Senses Yao Noi there is a close and long-standing relationship with the local Koh Yao Elementary School.

Venture into this tight-knit community with your own family, engaging in curious chat and creative play with local children. Swap stories, enjoy games and teach them the activities you knew as a child, whether that’s crafts or a fast-paced game of football. Their enthusiasm and thirst to learn is infectious, it stays with you long after you leave.

Visiting a resort that’s deeply connected to the communities around them provides an adventure that has a great deal more heart. The Lewa family of the Lewa Wilderness lodge in Kenya knows that the wildlife in the area will not be respected and understood unless the education and knowledge from the resort goes beyond its borders. From water projects to education programmes in local schools, there are multiple ways that these foundations have been laid. This includes an onsite woodwork and carpet factory run by locals, which not only produces furniture and carpets to decorate the lodges but also items for people who have stayed and admired their handywork. Lewa is a home-away-fromhome where you’ll feel like part of the family as soon as you arrive and you’ll be surrounded by some of the most impressive game viewing opportunities – it’s hard to find another place like this.

Now is your chance to welcome adventure, excitement and relaxation. Travel is not just about going somewhere; it’s about awakening new feelings. It’s about those secret moments of seclusion and that shared joy of meeting someone who ignites inspiration. Travel is about sparking your curiosity and traversing new frontiers.