Four sensational getaways to the sea

a sicilian secret

Thanks to the white lotus, Sicily is well on the international radar for the summer of 2023. You can expect to find the biggest crowds in Taormina, where the second season of the series was filmed at the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace. But in Cefalù, on the island’s north coast, known for its impressive Norman cathedral and charming but not-too-polished promenade, things will probably be quieter. The place to stay here is Le Calette. It’s not exactly new (53 years and counting), nor is it on any kind of tastemaker circuit (yet).

The diversity of what’s on offer is what makes it so appealing: three restaurants, two bars, and three different beaches, including a proper serviced one (sunbeds, umbrellas, drinks, and all) that’s a short bus ride from the hotel. ; but there is also the caletta selvaggia, a cove that is accessed by a simple path. It’s located just below Le Calette Bay, the older four-star part of the hotel, which, if you’re a traditionalist, is where you’ll want to request a room – stars in Italy are an arcane and sometimes pointless business, and these accommodations have a lot of atmosphere. lecalette.itfrom €343

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Your own private Philippines

If you’re craving the ultimate tropical Asian getaway (and plenty of disposable income to support the desire), Nay Palad Hideaway has recently made its Philippine debut. A new debut, actually: Originally called the Dedon Island Resort, built in 2012 as a private, ultra-luxury all-inclusive resort by Bobby Dekeyser, the owner of the Dedon furniture company, the nine-villa retreat on Siargao Island was destroyed by typhoon Odette in 2021.

After a total reconstruction, it has just reopened with 10 villas, with capacity for between six and nine people. Private pools and multiple decks, check. A lounge floating among mangroves in a lagoon and a lounge in the trees, ticking. Gym, yoga studio, outdoor cinema, water sports kit for days, tick. Sailing, surfing, scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, great food fresh from the sea and/or from the garden that day—everything you’d hope to find on a fantasy island resume is on offer. naypaladhideaway.comfrom $990 per person sharing

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Surf in the south of Morocco

Dakhla is the deepest Morocco, where the desert flows directly into the Atlantic. It’s unbelievably cool, its water a panoply of blues, its huge windy bay a beacon for kitesurfers from around the world. For a few years, La Tour d’Eole, a super-stylish little eco-lodge on the water’s edge, has been the preferred address. Now there’s also Caravan Dakhla, the Habitas group’s second Moroccan retreat (the first is far to the north, in the Agafay desert).

Whether glass-fronted lofts or low-rise villas that hug the lagoon’s edge, the 24 rooms have platform beds, tadelakt walls, and a palette that reflects the hues of the desert and beach outside. They have partnered with Naish, the global kitesurfing group, to open a school that will operate off-resort, along with a wellness clinic offering fitness and treatments tailored to the specific needs of kitesurfers. latourdeole.comfrom around £270; ourhabitas.comfrom around £130

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Escape to Greece

Sailing in Greece: three words that spark lust in the hearts of summer travelers, and a new outfit, launching in September, has presented an intriguing take on the Hellenic sailing fantasy. ZenBoat is a small collection of refurbished gulets that will sail the Ionian and Aegean, from Corfu and the Peloponnese to the smaller Saronic islands of Poros and Agistri.

Each has a chef who specializes in fresh Mediterranean cuisine and a “health coach” who will organize daily activities, from snorkeling and calisthenics on the beach, to aquafit in the sea, yoga on board and Pilates. Each cruise lasts one week, with a different mooring each night; and the size of the boats means they can access hidden coves and less-traveled stretches of the coast. There will be three maiden sailings in September, to the Ionian and Aegean islands. zen-boat.comfrom €2,400 for seven nights, including transfers

@mariahollenbarger