A new trend is sweeping our information-overloaded world as holiday makers take refuge from electronics on private island resorts.
(Beach Villas on Soneva Fushi)
‘That’s where you wanna go to get away from it all,’ sang the Beach Boys in their 1988 hit Kokomo, about a beautiful island free from stress and hassle, where the cares of the outside world fade off into a Technicolor sunset. Of course, those who have taken an island holiday in recent years know that thanks to the wonders of modern electronics and high-speed Internet, there are very few places in the world where you can truly ‘get away from it all.’
Even the most remote of islands will have some type of Internet access – and no matter how tenuous and faint the signal, the lure of checking for important emails will often result in hours of refreshing and rebooting the connection, or sometimes the moving or waving about of one’s notebook computer in the hopes of catching an elusive signal, however briefly. It’s a truism that if there’s a chance of logging in, it’s near impossible to log off (mentally, that is).
Of course, the problem is that visitors have the accoutrements of stress in the first place; cell phones, smart phones, laptops, PDAs, the list could go on. A few resorts have brilliantly caught on to this phenomenon, and have started taking their guests’ toys away before they even have the chance to slip on a swimsuit and start sipping mojitos. It can only be called ‘forced relaxation’ – and with the many known medical effects of stress, it’ll be for your own good.
The Independent UK newspaper has published a fascinating look at these places, which have come to be known as ‘black hole resorts’. Not surprisingly, many of them are located on private islands. Soneva Fushi, an impossibly gorgeous island resort in the Maldives, has the alluring motto of ‘no news, no shoes’ and guests check their cell phones in upon arrival. No televisions or computers can spoil their enjoyment of the resort’s perfect beaches, coral-filled waters and rejuvenating wellness treatments.
(Image Courtesy of Young Island/Caribisles)
A package trip to St. Vincent and the Grenadines takes this ethos even one step further; offering a full ‘digital detox’, the bespoke travel UK company Black Tomato pledges to help news junkies and email obsessives finally learn to relax. All personal electronics must be surrendered on this two-island trip, and there is even the option to add a life coach for personalized ‘tech therapy’. Prices start from about £3,000 per person, including stays on both Young Island and Palm Island: both private island resorts that epitomize laid-back luxury.
In this era of busy lifestyles – not to mention the added stress of stock market crashes and international turmoil – such ‘digital vacations’ may be worth their weight in gold. The health benefits of relaxation are well established. According to the Mayo Clinic, de-stressing can lead to lowered blood pressure, improved mental health, and better immune systems. The wired world might just consider getting a new motto, at least when on vacation – ‘whatever it is, it can wait’.
View the original article here: Independent UK
Visit the island rental page for Soneva Fushi: Vladi Private Islands
Read more about the ‘digital detox’ : Discover SVG
