In a season that often prizes busyness and back-to-back travel plans, a quieter current is beginning to flow through luxury tourism. The trend is no longer about how far or how much, but rather how deeply one can experience a place—and themselves. This is The Art of Doing Less, a movement that favours presence over performance and welcomes a kind of travel that soothes the senses and stirs the soul.
This summer, that shift is being embodied in a curated collection of experiences that trade speed for stillness. They invite travellers to reconnect—with nature, with creativity, with the universe, and with their inner rhythm. Whether it’s the sacred hush of desert stargazing or the quiet magic of blending your own botanical perfume in an olive grove, these escapes remind us that sometimes, the most transformative journeys happen when we stop rushing and simply begin to feel.
In the sun-dappled south of Italy, the rhythm of summer slows at Masseria Torre Maizza, a Rocco Forte Hotel in Puglia. Here, the landscape is fragrant with wild herbs and warmed by Adriatic breezes. Guests are invited to forage for botanicals with a master perfumer, crafting a personal scent story rooted in place and memory. In the resort’s secluded grotto, the ancient sound of the sea is echoed in a live marine sound bath—an experience designed not to entertain but to soften, calm, and reconnect. With the opening of the new “Borgo degli Ulivi” in July 2025, offering suites with private pools and garden courtyards, this part of Italy continues to define what restorative hospitality should feel like: intimate, sensory, and beautifully slow.
Further south, under the southern sky of Cape Town, a more cosmic kind of restoration takes place. At One&Only Cape Town, the reimagined One&Only Spa has become a lunar sanctuary of its own, inspired by the Southern Cross constellation. On full moon nights, the spa comes alive with rituals that align guests to lunar energy: sound bowl ceremonies, chakra realignments, and moonstone-infused treatments gently guide visitors inward. Every celestial detail, from the constellation lighting to the private treatment suites set on an island, reminds guests that healing isn’t always loud—it can be quiet, mystical, and written in the stars.
In the Eternal City, a different kind of stillness is found in the newly reopened Secret Garden Spa at Hotel de Russie. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the spa channels Roman refinement and contemporary calm. Guests enter a serene green space hidden in the heart of Rome, where a saltwater hydromassage pool and express beauty rituals from brands like Irene Forte and Swiss Perfection elevate the everyday into something ceremonial. With couples’ suites, curated treatments, and a signature Forte Vita bar, this is a place where slowing down is not only encouraged—it’s designed into every touchpoint.
Crossing over to London, culture and contemplation blend seamlessly in a rare new experience offered by The Peninsula Academy. The Peninsula London now offers private, after-hours access to the National Gallery, where a specialist curator leads guests through sold-out exhibitions in silence, interspersed with mindfulness exercises, breathwork, and visualisation. It’s a gallery visit reimagined as a moving meditation—where art is no longer a thing to be seen, but something to be felt. The journey ends with a Subtle Energies massage at The Peninsula Spa, rounding out the evening with emotional clarity and physical release.
And in Saudi Arabia’s ancient AlUla, stillness takes on an even more profound dimension. At The Chedi Hegra, located near the kingdom’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, summer retreats are designed to help guests reconnect with silence and stars. Through a trio of thoughtfully crafted experiences—Desert Dreaming, Summer Sanctuary, and the Wellness Retreat—visitors are guided through yoga under vast skies, ancient Nabataean storytelling, guided walks through heritage landscapes, and dinners beneath constellations. In a land shaped by time, these experiences offer the chance to feel unhurried, grounded, and gently changed.
Together, these soulful escapes rewrite what summer travel can be. Less about ticking boxes and more about taking pause, they invite us to experience the world in a more meaningful, tender way. The art of doing less isn’t about absence—it’s about presence. And sometimes, the greatest luxury is simply allowing ourselves to feel it.
