Some hotels stay with you long after you’ve come home, not necessarily because of one particular thing, but because of how they made you feel while you were there.
For this anniversary trip, OZEN Life Maadhoo in the Maldives was very much that hotel. It had everything they had loved before: plenty of privacy, a beautiful beach, wonderful food, time to enjoy the spa and, perhaps most importantly, the feeling of being able to switch off completely and simply enjoy being away together.
That gave us a lovely starting point for the new trip, and from there we began looking at hotels that offered the same sense of escape in slightly different ways. The shortlist eventually grew to nine, across a mix of destinations and price points, with each one bringing something different to the table.
Hammock Cove in Antigua was an easy one to include. It is adults-only and tucked away on the island’s north-east coast, with freestanding villas, private infinity-edge plunge pools and a setting that feels wonderfully secluded. It is the sort of hotel that suits an anniversary particularly well, especially for couples who love their own space and prefer a more private, unhurried stay.
Also in Antigua, Cocobay has a much softer and more relaxed feel. Colourful cottages sit along the hillside above two white-sand beaches, with sea views opening out in every direction and several cottages offering private pools. It feels intimate without being overly formal, and there is something very easy about the whole setting that makes it ideal for a romantic trip.
COMO Parrot Cay in Turks & Caicos offers something quite different again. Set on its own private island, it stretches across a thousand acres with four miles of white sand and the COMO Shambhala Retreat at the heart of its wellness offering. It is one of those places where the pace naturally slows down, with days built around swimming, spa treatments, long lunches and the simple pleasure of not having to be anywhere.
Then there is Dinarobin Beachcomber in Mauritius, sitting at the foot of Le Morne Brabant in one of the island’s most beautiful settings. The combination of mountain, beach and tropical gardens gives it a real sense of place, while the Spa by Clarins and adults-only areas add that extra layer of calm that works so well for a special occasion.
Although the hotels are all very different, they share a similar feeling. Each one offers somewhere beautiful to settle into, somewhere to spend proper time together, and somewhere that gives you enough space to slow down and forget about everything else for a while.
For an anniversary, that feeling can matter just as much as the destination itself.
If there is a hotel you have stayed at before and still talk about, or even just a feeling you would love your next trip to have, come and tell us about it at No.82.
That is often where the nicest journeys begin.
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hello@agentnouveau.com