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Disconnect on your vacation



08 October 2007 @ 10:12 am EST

In a world where e-mails follow people on vacation, the need for true chill-out travel has never been higher, sparking a boom in hotels and resorts dedicated to the quiet, and slow, life.

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Luxury travel site globorati.com lists the 10 of the world's top spots to disconnect from the madding crowd:

1. Fairmont Miramar Hotel: Santa Monica

Checking in at the Fairmont Miramar for its Electronic Rehab Weekend, you are instructed to surrender your electronic devices at reception. For 48 hours all laptops, iPods, cell phones, pagers and BlackBerrys are banished while you ease into recovery at the "healing waters sanctuary."

2. Qualia: Australia

A new hideaway off the coast of Queensland that's strictly off limits to under 18s. The resort's 60 hillside pavilions line the northern tip of Hamilton Island amid the tropical Whitsundays, the southern gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

3. Luton Hoo: UK

Fly into London and bed down at a top-notch spa -- without having to battle the bustle. Just opened, 18th-century manor Luton Hoo has been transformed into a genteel five-star retreat with 1,000 acres of parkland, a huge oak-framed pool and a Victorian tennis court. Just eight minutes from Luton airport.

4. The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille: Kenya

The Sanctuary at Ol Lentille, Kenya's newest bush retreat, is in the midst of a private 6,500-acre conservancy. Guests stay in fully-staffed, stylishly-furnished houses commanding stunning views of Mt. Kenya and can go trout-fishing or bird-shooting with their personal sanctuary guide.

5. Old Edwards Inn & Spa: North Carolina

The "nap-reflection room" at Old Edwards Inn & Spa, an Historic Hotel of America in the highlands of the Smoky Mountains, is painted with soothing pastoral murals and piled high with pillows. The chilled-out private space is part of a new 15,000-square-foot annex to the inn's sumptuous spa.

6. Jumby Bay: Antigua

The 300-acre Rosewood Resort on a private island off the coast of Antigua is reachable only by boat and blissfully free of cars. A new must-do? Midnight massages for couples.

7. Malikha Lodge: Myanmar

The country's only upscale wilderness retreat opens this month in the foothills of the Himalayas. The remote, locally-staffed lodge has 10 bungalows spread across 16 acres of gardens that back on to Asia's largest tiger reserve. Activities include elephant-guided jungle treks, while at the ranch you can soak in your 400-gallon handcrafted teak bathtub.

8. La Purificadora: Mexico

Puebla's restored 19th-century ice factory and water purifying center was recently reborn as a hip design hotel. La Purificadora's 30-meter rooftop pool overlooks the town's ancient spires while its intimate patio restaurant is where you can try Puebla's famed mole -- the rich chili-and-chocolate sauce that blankets poultry and takes three days to brew.

9. Azura at Gabriel's: Mozambique

Mozambique's magical new eco lodge, just open, is set in the Bazaruto Archipelago -- known as Africa's own Galapagos. The secluded boutique retreat has 15 thatched-roof villas with private plunge pools. By day, swim with dolphins. At night, lie back on the sand listening to a local storyteller.

10. Green Magic Treehouses: India

Suspended 86 feet over the rainforest (itself 3,750 feet above sea level), Kerala's highest retreat is more like a townhouse: its three floors, connected by a spiral staircase, boast oversized bamboo beds and sweeping views of the spice hills. All you need do is negotiate the indigenous "cane lift" to get there.

Copyright 2008 Reuters. All rights reserved.

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