The World's Most Remote Hotels

To get to the Bloomfield Lodge in Queensland, Australia, you must hop on a chartered plane, drive through the Outback, then cruise down a river. Then you'll find yourself in an oasis of beauty and solitude, in a hotel located in the Daintree Rainforest and right by the Great Barrier Reef. While there, you can hike through rainforests, swim in waterfalls, fish, sail and--at the end of the day--receive a well-earned massage. You'll be lucky to see another soul.

Bloomfield is just one of the places that made our list of the world's most remote hotels. Why a remote hotel? In this super-connected world, vacations often just become mobile work offices. These days, to quote the writer Elbert Hubbard, "No man needs a vacation so much as the man who just had one." But at these remote hotels--especially if you build in time for actually getting there and back--you really can find that restorative solitude. After all, parting of "getting away" is actually "getting away."

Bloomfield Lodge, Cairns Australia

To get to Bloomfield Lodge--located in the Daintree Rainforest and near the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland--one must charter a plane, drive a few hours through the Outback, then cruise down a river. What makes it all worth it: the solitude, the hikes through rainforests, the desolate beaches, the fishing and sailing and the end of the day massages.

Rates (based on double occupancy): starting at $670

Winterlake, Alaska

Winterlake is 200 miles northwest of Anchorage, via the Iditarod trail. Instead of mushing, guests come in my floatplane (in summer) and skiplane (in winter), for some world-class hiking, kayaking, salmon and trout fishing and ... yoga. Frontiers Travel will get you there and back.


Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $2,660 per night.

Kokopelli's Cave, Farmington, New Mexico

What could be more remote than sleeping 70-feet underground, especially near the Four Corners area? Guests traverse a rough dirt road, then descend a path and, finally, a ladder. You'll be roughing it a bit (it's "bring your own food"), but the solitude of cave-dwelling will be worth it.

Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $260 per night.

 

Jules Undersea Lodge, Florida

Guests take the plunge--literally. Scuba dive 21 feet to your room in the former underwater laboratory, and sip a glass of wine and look out the window onto the undersea world.




Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $550 per night.

The Andean Cottage, Peru

The Andean Cottage is all about solitude: Guests have a private beach and dock at a private retreat on a private island in Lake Titicaca. There are no automobiles, electricity or televisions, but there is a 24-hour butler. Better bring some good books (real books, not e-books). A speedboat gets you there in 4.5 hours.

Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $750 per night.The Beach

The Beach House at Manafaru, Maldives

This Indian Ocean joint is owned by the Waldorf Astoria, so it has some pretty high-end amenities, like a spa, infinity pools, an art gallery and a handful of restaurants. But those desolate, powdery-white beaches are the real pull.

Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $800 per night.

Desroches Island Resort, Seychelles

Some 930 miles to the east of mainland Africa are the 115 islands that make up the Seychelles, where it's always island time. Desroches is one of the newer resorts and it's all luxury: satellite TV, spa, bar, lavish rooms. Guests can play tennis, go cycling or surfing, or try their hands at some of the best bonefishing in the world. Book through Frontiers Travel.

Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $720 per night.

Hotel Arctic, Greenland

The Hotel Arctic is the most northerly 4-star hotel in the world. Situated in a fjord, the hotel offers the austere beauty of Greenland right at your fingertips: icebergs, snow and sunny vistas. You can even stay a night in an igloo.

Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $250 per night.

Petit St. Vincent Resort, St. Vincent and Grenadines

Located on a private island in the Caribbean with two miles of private beach. You may not see another human for a week. Guests fly to Babardos, then the Grenadines, then hop on a ferry. When guests are in need of some amenity, they put a note in a mailbox and raise a yellow flag to alert the staff.

Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $675 per night.

The Garvault Hotel, Scotland

The hotel, located between two huge private hunting reserves in the Scottish Highlands, overlooks Lock Rimsdale (Does Nessie have a cousin?). Guests can trek, fish for salmon or trout or go bird-watching, then get warmed up around a traditional peat fire.

Rates (based on double-occupancy): starting at $200 per night.