Top 6 Off-the-Grid Hotels For All Seasons

Nestled in the heart of a primary forest or overlooking a bay rocked by sparkling waves, the hotels we are going to introduce you to are sanctuaries, secluded jewels in the middle of nature, a guarantee to recharge your batteries, far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

The Fife Arms, Scotland

The history of this hotel in the Scottish Highlands, located in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, is associated with the great. In 1856, The Fife Arms built by the royal architect Alexander Marshall MacKenzie, opened its doors to welcome the influx of tourists generated by the purchase of Balmoral Castle by Queen Victoria, only 15 kilometers away.

When art dealers Hauser and Wirth – founders of the renowned contemporary art gallery Hauser & Wirth – bought the hotel at the end of 2014, they made it their mission to revitalize the now-institutional establishment and undertook major renovations. Once the renovation is over, he invests 14,000 works in the building, from his collection (paintings, objects, furniture, taxidermy) or from commissions. Works by great masters such as Picasso, Man Ray, Lucian Freud, Archibald Thorburn and Martin Creed are housed in the hotel. Internationally renowned contemporary artists such as Zhang Enli, Guillermo Kuitca, Subodh Gupta, Richard Jackson and Barthi Kher have participated in the project…

The hotel’s 46 rooms are Victorian and Scottish in style, and are imbued with the history of the place, with a number of antiques and paintings, wallpapers and floral carpets, shades of green, red and brown.

The Clunie Dining Room has been decorated with a large mural by artist Guillermo Kuitca. Still in the Scottish spirit with its tweeds and tartans, the Flying Stag bar is like a cabinet of curiosities with its finds from the natural world that coexist with antiques. It’s also a friendly place for Braemar locals.

The Fife Arms offers architectural tours of Braemar and its surrounding castles and distilleries, as well as walking, cycling and horse riding, fishing, clay pigeon shooting and even hunting. Creative workshops allow you to paint on the spot, take landscape photographs or even create your own tartan.

The Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, United Arab Emirates

Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara was built right next to Abu Dhabi’s legendary Empty Quarter, a stretch of desert. It has been designed in the purest of traditions, emerging like a sultan’s fortress amidst the dunes.

The hotel was designed by Dubai-based architectural firm Dubarch in collaboration with HBA/Hirsh Bedner Associates and South African firm Northpoint for the interior. Throughout its 205 rooms, the resort combines traditional Arabian aesthetics with contemporary design. The resort also has five restaurants and bars, including the open-air Al Falaj, in the Bedouin tradition, with its couches, carpets and typical lanterns. The Suhail grill is also worth a visit. Located on the rooftop of the hotel, it offers a breathtaking view of the sunset in the dunes.

The resort offers camel rides, desert walks, dune bashing and a Bedouin dinner under the stars on its 7,500 hectares of land.

Amanzoe, Greece

In the heart of the Peloponnese in Greece, the Amanzoe stands in front of the sea, like a temple dedicated to the gods of antiquity.
With its colonnaded architecture lined with pools, cypress and lavender avenues dotted with olive trees, the Amanzoe is an immersion in a bygone era, that of antiquity.

Its cabins, pavilions and villas, made of pale stone and marble, are open to the outside and have a refined decoration that invites contemplation and idleness. The covered terraces and pergolas allow you to enjoy the freshness of the air, the song of the cicadas and the sound of the water flowing in the pools. This hotel is an invitation to relax, especially with its spa of 2850m2 whose treatments were inspired by those provided by Hippocrates.

The hotel offers visits to its farm, its beehives, and the nearby ruins (the amphitheater of Epidaurus and the sanctuary of Asklepios, the most famous health center in antiquity). The hotel also has a delicious Japanese restaurant, Nama.

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

Datai Langkawi is located on the northwestern island of Pulau Langkawi – the largest island in an archipelago of over 99 islands – nestled between Malaysia to the east and the Andaman Sea to the west, and declared a UNESCO geo park. The island offers picturesque landscapes between primitive jungle, mountains and rice fields, emerald waters and white sand beaches. And it is in this 10 million year old forest that Datai Langkawi is located. The hotel is spread over a 19-hectare site that includes Data Bay beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Malaysia.

Designed and built by visionary architect Kerry Hill, Datai Langkawi was inaugurated in 1993. In 2017, the hotel is undergoing a major $46 million renovation, led by architect Didier Lefort, an architect and interior designer who had helped Kerry Hill with the original plans for the hotel. Among the renovations is a nature center, a testament to the hotel’s interest and commitment to its environment.

In the hotel’s 121 rooms and suites, the décor pays homage to the country’s Malay, Chinese and Indian heritages. Each of the hotel’s accommodations has a “bungalow chic” style, with wood, mood lighting, period furniture and huge terraces that open onto the lush vegetation of this wildlife-filled jungle.

To discover and contemplate the breathtaking nature around, the hotel offers the services of its naturalist guide. Built along a stream, the spa is rocked by the water, with its architecture entirely open to nature.

The Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Thailand

The Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle is located in the far north of Thailand, along the Mekong River, where Thailand borders Myanmar and Laos.

To reach the hotel, guests are invited to board a small typical boat for a trip on the river through the dense bamboo jungle. As if perched in the trees, with its stilted facilities, the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle resembles an adventurer’s home with its all-wooden buildings that blend into the surrounding forest and whose suspended decks offer an unparalleled view of nature.

The hotel organizes birding and berry picking expeditions, a hike to Camp Peak, and, as a highlight, days spent with the elephants and their caretakers called “mahouts”.

With a 19th century safari theme, the rooms (or tents) and common areas, open to the greenery, are decorated in beige and brown tones with leather or wicker chairs, typical objects and sculptures, travel trunks, lanterns and storm lamps.

One&Only Gorilla’s Nest, Rwanda

In the heart of central Africa, in the north of Rwanda – in an area bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda – the rare country on the continent where the mountain gorilla lives, the One&Only Gorilla’s Nest has been set up in the heart of the humid and dense forest of the Volcanoes National Park. The location is ideal for spotting some of the 300 gorillas that reign over this land of coniferous forest, bamboo, grassland, moorland and swamp.

Designed by the architects of Dionaea vrtovi, the resort consists of 21 villas and is designed to blend seamlessly into the natural landscape. The open and spacious log villas, with their huge windows and large terraces, guarantee a total immersion in the surrounding nature.

The hotel also allows you to discover Rwanda and its culture through meetings with the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. The highlight of the stay is the face-to-face encounter with the gorillas, animals as legendary as they are discreet, during expeditions in the mountains with experienced trackers and experts.

Looking For an Immersive Luxury Stay?

With our hand-picked selection of luxury hotels, we have the perfect break for you if you’re wanting something a little more of an immersion. See our our hotel collection or contact our team if you have any questions or need help with booking!