Laucala Island, Fiji

Fancy an island all to yourself? This resort is the personal retreat dreamed up by Red Bull co-founder Baron Dietrich Mateschitz. Initially intended for privacy-seeking celebrities, the island was literally off the grid, available for those in the know only. While it is now more accessible to the public, the exclusivity has not diminished. You even have the option of arriving in your own private aircraft. 

The island is only 12 square kilometres in size, but it is an intense landscape that covers most biospheres: rainforest, mangroves, beaches, mountains and coral reefs. Much of the environment is untouched, as there are only 25 villas. The resort aims for self-sufficiency, harvesting organic fruit and vegetables for the restaurant and coconuts for the spa. There’s a farm for meat and crop production – delicious highlights include vanilla, wagyu beef and coconut crabs.

There are six types of villas. Plantation villas are on the beach; Plateau villas are at the top of Nawi Mountain; Seagrass villas line another beach; the Peninsula villa is on the edge of a cliff; the overwater villa sits atop the lagoon while the Hilltop estate is located at the island’s highest altitude.  

Butlers aren’t quite butlers on Laucala Island – they are called your personal Tao – which translates as “my friend”. Yet another touch that makes a stay here as personal as it is elite.

Wolgan Valley Resort, Australia

It’s rare to have a picnic where no vestige of civilisation encroaches on a 360 degree view. Wolgan Valley is an all-inclusive property, but for $50 per couple you can drive, walk or cycle to a far-flung picnic coordinate where a tartan red wool blanket lies on a cliff, deck or plateau. It begins over a degustation dinner the previous night when the activities expert pores over a map with you to pick out the best picnic sites. You decide the picnic menu, but it will invariably include gourmet sandwiches, cheese and crackers, salads and dessert – as well as your drinks of choice.

Wolgan Valley is a reserve between two World Heritage listed national parks in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. There are 40 suites that each have their own indoor swimming pool, verandah complete with rocking chair and double-sided fireplace. The cottages are evocative of miniature Australian homesteads and represent 2% of the 4000 acre conservancy, keeping impact minimal. Each cottage has its own rainwater tank and uses solar panels, while the property at large harnesses windmills for energy. There will never be more than 90 guests on the property at the one time, ensuring quality service and seclusion.

The bespoke timber furniture is striking as well as sustainable. Regional artisans were commissioned to design from local timbers, much of it recycled. You will appreciate this when you lie back in the elevated wooden four-poster bed, one of the best I’ve ever slept in. Beyond the wooden interiors, be sure to snuggle up with the angora blanket provided in your room – it feels like cuddling a cloud.

Shakti 360 Leti, India

It doesn’t get much more remote than being 3300 metres high in the snow of the Himalayas. Shakti 360 Leti is one of the most unique property propositions in the world, open from October to April with only four guest rooms. This guarantees your stay will be as sequestered and reflective as you need it to be. You will wonder quite how they managed to pull off a building in such a secluded spot where wildlife outnumbers humans by a significant margin. 

The building itself calls on traditional Indian design merged with modern necessities, while the snowfall makes the fireplaces and pashmina blankets at this resort all the more welcome. You can choose your pace: hiking and fishing can fill your days as can meditation, yoga and picnics.

Hikes through oak forests and whimsical streams can take in sights such as a Lord Shiva shrine and the Heeramani glacier. On your way to Shakti 360 Leti local villagers will pass, carrying supplies and living a lifestyle untouched by Western sensibilities. The highest mountain in India, the Nanda Devi stands at more than 7000 metres and it oversees your movements at Shakti 360 Leti. 

You must stay for at least three nights – which is fair enough, given how far the property is from civilisation.  You can fly in by private plane and you will still have to drive for three and a half hours and walk for an extra hour to reach it. But the reward for the arduous journey is splendid isolation like you’ve never experienced before.