Travel Guides
Chloe James
A vacation is supposed to be an escape from everyday life, but escaping is pretty tough when we’re carrying our entire lives around in our back pockets. Our phones are a constant reminder of everything we’ve left behind or still need to do back home, and even if we’re sunbathing in Spain or touring Tokyo, the temptation to quickly check our work emails or scroll aimlessly through TikTok can be overwhelming.
It’s thought that the average American checks their phone 352 times per day, and a concerning 56.9% of us are self-proclaimed phone addicts, according to a survey by Reviews.org. Breaking that pattern is tough — which is why it helps when someone pulls the plug for you.
An increasing number of hotels, resorts, and destinations around the world are going phone service- and WiFi-free to give travelers a place to undergo a true digital detox. At some, a phone-free vacation is optional, while other destinations have cut connections completely so guests can unwind in other ways. We’ve trawled through reviews of the best of the best to locate those with the highest ratings — so, whether you’re into skiing, snorkeling, or spa time, you can find the right detox destination for you.
Ghost Ranch, New Mexico
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As the name suggests, this destination is the perfect place to ghost reality and unplug during your next vacation. Located just 1.5 hours north of Santa Fe — and just 1.5 hours away from the Colorado border — Ghost Ranch is run by the Presbyterian Church and promises to “elevate your well-being and spiritual health.”
You won’t find cell service anywhere on its 21,000 acres (which also offer camping and RV parking, as well as Southwest-themed rooms and suites), but there is Wi-Fi in the welcome center, library, and dining hall, and a payphone if you do need to contact home.
Fortunately, there’s plenty to keep you occupied in the meantime. Ghost Ranch has onsite paleontology and anthropology museums packed with Triassic fossils, and offers sound bowl classes, massages, horse-riding excursions, ghost tours, and an array of retreats and workshops. It’s best known for serving as a muse for painter Georgia O’Keeffe, who previously lived on the ranch, and the ranch offers tours focused on O’Keeffe’s art. This impressive activity lineup has helped the ranch earn a 4.5 rating on Tripadvisor, where visitors remain in awe of its natural beauty.
Sheldon Chalet, Alaska
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Located 6,000 feet above Denali National Park overlooking Ruth Glacier, it should be no surprise that there’s no cell service or Wi-Fi at Sheldon Chalet. The Sheldon family has welcomed lodgers to its nearby Mountain House since 1966 but constructed this Alaskan getaway in 2014 to give guests the only year-round luxury destination in the state.
The five-bedroom chalet is reachable only by helicopter (don’t worry, rides to and from Talkeetna or Anchorage are included in your package), and you can look forward to spotting moose, bears, and caribou on your way. With the nearest town over 50 miles away, some have dubbed it the most remote hotel in the world — but you’re not totally alone. Guides are on hand to provide experiences such as skiing, mountaineering, gourmet glacier picnics, avalanche viewing, aurora viewing, and more. Until Sheldon Chalet was built, the sight of Denali’s snowy summit was usually reserved for the world’s bravest climbers, but fortunately, every experience during your stay is tailored to your abilities, plus your guides will put you through “glacier school” before you get out in the snow.
This kind of icy isolation doesn’t come cheap. Stays start at $32,000 a night, and there’s a three-night minimum. For this rate, you’ll also get live-in private chefs who whip up daily feasts using locally sourced ingredients, a cedar sauna, and plush, faux fur interiors — all of which have helped it earn a spot on TIME’s “World’s Greatest Places” list.
Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, Washington
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Technology is a no-no at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. Based in Olympic National Park — which is home to pretty much every type of ecosystem possible — its forest cabins have no cell service, no internet, and no TVs. What they do have, however, is unlimited access to the resort’s hot mineral-spring pools. These springs were previously recognized by local Native American tribes for their therapeutic benefits.
Welcoming thousands of visitors every year, the resort is only open from March to November and offers simple, rustic accommodations geared toward those looking to spend as much time in the great outdoors as possible. On Tripadvisor, the lodge’s five-star reviewers often cited the resort’s leafy surroundings and nearby hiking trails as its highlights. Many also recommended that guests take a dip in the hot springs as early in the day as possible to avoid day visitors hoping to do the same thing.
Vichy Célestins Spa Hotel, France
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Vichy Célestins Spa Hotel will take not only your cell service but your cell phone itself — if you ask them to, that is. Visitors have passed through the city of Vichy, known as the “Queen of spa towns,” to sample its thermal offerings for over 2,000 years. To capitalize on its reputation as a peaceful paradise, the five-star hotel launched a three-day digital detox package (known as the Digital Detox Cure) where they’ll lock all of your devices in a safe on day one, replace your TV with a stereo, and add a clock radio, books, newspapers, board games, a coloring anti-stress mandala book, and a pocket map to your room.
You’ll also get signature Vichy treatments each day of your trip, an expert care treatment (such as behavioral therapy coaching sessions or Abhyangam massage), and a pass to Vichy Célestins Thermal Spa, which is one of the biggest thermal spas in Europe. These incredible facilities have earned it a 4.2 rating on Google Reviews and generated a small army of hotel regulars. However, if that’s still not enough to keep you occupied, Vichy Célestins Spa Hotel has the added perk of neighboring the city itself while still feeling like a tranquil countryside getaway thanks to its location in Vichy’s 346 acres of parks.
Villa Stéphanie, Germany
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Going internet-free is totally up to you at Villa Stéphanie. The luxurious mini-hotel sits on the grounds of Brenners Park Hotel & Spa — which itself is located in the famous German spa town of Baden-Baden — and was previously bestowed the honor of “Best Hotel Spa” by Tatler in 2021. This title starts to make sense when you look at what’s on offer.
The 16,400-square-foot spa boasts a vigorous weekly schedule of exercise classes, in-house personal trainers, physiotherapists, nutritionists, and aesthetic dentists and doctors, as well as a spa menu spanning facials, massages, and beauty treatments. These are accessible for Villa Stéphanie residents via a private staircase, adding to the hotel’s feeling of seclusion from the outside world.
Disconnecting is easy as the 15 rooms and suites across the country manor all feature bedside switches to disconnect your Wi-Fi and cell service. The outside world can be tempting, however, as Germany’s largest opera house, the Festspielhaus, the Frider Burda Museum, and the world-famous Kurhaus Casino are all within walking distance.
Fort Clonque, UK
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Imposingly perched on a rock stack on the island of Alderney, Fort Clonque was originally built in the 19th century to defend the Channel Islands and keep them out of the hands of the French. Today, its purpose is a little less dramatic. The refurbished fort can now host up to 13 people at a time and offers spectacular views of the English Channel and the Celtic Sea. Your accommodation may not be glamorous, but it’s cozy, historic, and — if it’s what you’re looking for — extremely remote. The fort can only be accessed by a causeway and drawbridge.
With a dishwasher, washing machine, microwave, and stove, you’re not totally bereft of technology. However, thanks to its isolated location, there is no cell service or Wi-Fi, allowing plenty of time and space to keep yourself otherwise occupied with local attractions such as birdwatching and exploring the island’s plentiful rock pools. Judging by Fort Clonque’s flawless five-star rating on Tripadvisor, Guests have certainly had no trouble staying entertained in the past.
Haramara Retreat, Mexico
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This yoga retreat resort has been described as the place where “Robinson Crusoe meets Architectural Digest,” equal parts rustic and aesthetically pleasing. Nestled on 12 acres of private jungle, just a five-minute drive from Sayulita, Haramara Retreat does not allow electricity in its palm-thatched, shared dormitories, which are instead lit with oil lamps and candles. That means that while there is limited cell service for some providers, you’ll have trouble keeping your phone charged long enough to use it.
Retreats are led by guest hosts and focus on everything from “soul awakening” to “shamanic immersion.” Your room rate includes an organic breakfast and dinner, as well as transformative sessions in its two jungle-view yoga pavilions and access to a private beach. The experience has been described as “blissful” on Tripadvisor by those looking to totally switch off for a few days. The retreat has also earned an impressive 4.5 stars on the review site.
Bahia Bustamante Lodge, Argentina
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Lorenzo Soriano first founded Bahia Bustamante as a seaweed farm amid one of the most unique landscapes in the world back in the 1950s. His grandchildren still run the land, having renovated the buildings, which formally housed its 400 workers and families, into a remote coastal lodge and sheep farm — one that’s received hundreds of five-star reviews on Tripadvisor since its opening.
The lodge has a jam-packed schedule of activities, with each day tailored to the weather. Depending on the conditions — which can be pretty changeable in Patagonia — this may include excursions to visit local sea lion and Magellan penguin colonies on the beach, trekking to a 60-million-year-old petrified forest, swimming off the peninsula, or spending a day on the resident sheep ranch.
Once the sun sets, guests can also enjoy the lodge’s electricity for a few hours each day. Bahia Bustamante cabins run on a generator that will only give you power from sunset until late at night — and even when there is power, cell service and Wi-Fi are unavailable everywhere except for the restaurant at certain hours.
Alphonse Island, Seychelles
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If you hop on an hour-long flight from the Seychelles capital of Mahé, you can discover Alphonse Island, a private island getaway ideal for anyone looking to go sans-screens for a few days. Guests have their choice of three different kinds of accommodation — Beach Bungalow, Beach Villa, or Beach Retreat — but regardless of lodging, all guests enjoy access to incredible activities such as fly fishing, snorkeling, sunset cruises, and the rest of the natural beauty Alphonse Island has to offer. Meals are included (except for drinks), as are your scheduled charter flights from Mahé and individual bikes to explore the island.
The beautiful private island’s position in the middle of the Indian Ocean comes with the perk of year-round pleasant weather. Temperatures rarely drop below 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and even the wet season only brings very brief rainfall. Its far-flung location also means you won’t catch any cell service on Alphonse Island, and although Wi-Fi is available in the main lobby, there’s no connection in any of the bungalows or villas. With a solid five-star rating on Tripadvisor, however, it seems like temporarily living in paradise makes a digital detox easier than ever.
Three Camel Lodge, Mongolia
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This luxury lodge in the Gobi Desert’s Omnogobi Aimag was designed by its founder, Jalsa Urubshurow, to give visitors to Mongolia an authentic nomadic experience. Each of its 35 guest gers (yurts) has space for up to two adults and one child and comes equipped with rainfall showers, wood stove heaters, and locally produced furniture — but no cell service or internet.
Life at the lodge is simple, with a huge focus on sustainability. Three Camel Lodge prides itself on being the only luxury eco-lodge in the entire Gobi Desert and offers itineraries stuffed with activities that make the most of the area’s natural landscape and heritage, such as stargazing, horseback riding, sunrise walks through the sand dunes, archery, and desert lectures. There’s also an onsite spa, Arshaan Spa, that blends Western treatments with traditional Eastern therapies, such as acupuncture, cupping, and moxibustion. The itineraries can change from visit to visit, but considering the number of five-star reviews it receives on Tripadvisor, the lodge seems to rarely disappoint.
Eremito, Italy
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Eremito means “hermit” in Italian, which is a fitting name for this modern-day monastery. Built in the Umbrian hills using 13,000 individual stones and 14th-century masonry techniques, Eremito is the brainchild of renowned hotelier Marcello Murzilli and mainly caters to solo travelers. A whopping 70% of its residents come alone, looking for an escape from the buzz of everyday life.
Just like its old-timey inspiration, this is a (mostly) technology-free zone. Rooms are known as “celluzze,” just like the small cells used in Middle Age monasteries, and candles are the main source of lighting. Daily entertainment consists of yoga and meditation, as well as healthy, Mediterranean meals served in complete silence in The Refectory or outside if the weather permits. If you really want to detach from digital reality, Eremito’s Relax Area — which is dug out of rock — has a soundtrack of soft Gregorian chants so you can soak in the hot tub and steam bath in peace. On Tripadvisor, many five-star reviewers praise details like this for setting Eremito apart from other destinations, offering a liberating and quiet experience like no other.
Heron Island Resort, Australia
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Nobody needs cell service when they’ve got the Great Barrier Reef on your doorstep. Heron Island Resort sits directly on the world’s largest coral reef and is famous for its vast array of marine life, including turtles, humpback whales, rays, and reef sharks.
This once-in-a-lifetime experience is accessible only by boat or helicopter from Gladstone Airport in Queensland but is worth the journey if its four- and five-star reviews on Tripadvisor are anything to go by. More adventurous guests can take their pick from 20 different dive sites across the resort, while others may prefer sunset cruises, semi-submersible submarine tours, and indulgent treatments at the in-house Aqua Soul Spa. While some of these activities cost extra, there’s also an impressive handful of complimentary offerings, such as stargazing tours and guided nature walks.
None of the rooms — which are split between forest and beach views — come with inclusive Wi-Fi. However, if you’re really desperate, you can purchase a day pass for $25 or use free Wi-Fi in the Pandanus Lounge, Baillie’s Bar, or Shearwater Restaurant.
Methodology
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The world is becoming more and more digitally connected by the day. That can make finding a destination that’s truly cell service and internet-free a challenge — never mind one that actually feels like a vacation. To find destinations that would actually make a digital detox not just bearable but enjoyable and beneficial, we read knowledgeable reviews from experienced travelers for numerous spots across the globe on websites such as TripAdvisor, Hotels.com, and Google Reviews. Combined with the information provided by each destination on their websites, we looked for those with both years of impressive ratings and equally impressive offerings in terms of location, accommodation, and activities.
