Go east to the Maldives & Dubai

It’s the fantasy of every frazzled commuter in the trenches of a UK winter: a Maldivian villa suspended over the marbled blue of the Indian Ocean. Imagining yourself stepping into the warm azure from your private terrace, while sitting at your office desk, is tantamount to torture. The best way to shake the longing daydreams? By jetting off to The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands. From the moment your speedboat docks and the staff, as tradition dictates, blow a Sangu conch to signal your arrival, you feel invigorated. This sensation only grows with flaming sunset ceremonies, stargazing sessions, and visits to a spa suspended over a turquoise lagoon. Having the service of the Aris Meehas, or island butlers, at your disposal, also helps.

For a truly holistic experience, split your time between here and The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, where villas are inspired by the forms of manta rays and Maldivian dhoni. The Iridium Spa, meanwhile, is designed to look like a crustacean, and blissful therapies are administered in treatment rooms housed in the ‘pincers’ of the lobster. You can sink into a sedative state in the Ayurvedic suites, and the whirlpool jets in the hydrotherapy pool have all manner of curative benefits. Spiritual enrichment is delivered through touches like a library, observatory tower and Vommuli House – a discovery centre containing facilities from a culinary school to a yoga studio.