“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax,” said William S. Burroughs. But sometimes switching off requires a little more than placing your phone in another room for the night: a holiday in the literal sense – no cars, a hammock over untroubled water and coconuts sipped through sustainable straws. 

Stay ...
Six Senses Ninh Van Bay - accessible only by boat, positioned on Vietnam’s purest shores. It’s the kind of blue lagoon where we can let our hair down, pretend there’s no way back from here. The cruise in from nearby Nha Trang is transformative in itself, imparting calm like sunshine that’s unlikely to waiver for the rest of the stay. On the other side, a ‘personal experience maker’ is waiting. This soon-to-be familiar face will plan as many, or few, activities as one desires. Here, nature and architecture are intertwined, as the two-story villas blend into the forest. Company’s okay, solitude is bliss, and we’re spending the formative hours of our stay by the private pool with the jungle sounds to set the mood.

Eat ...
Your only major decision of the next 24 hours will be found at one of the on-site restaurants, where the health-focused options include à la carte menus as well as a regularly rotating buffet (our tip: there are only right choices). The fresh organic produce is grown in the nearby temperate climate of Dalat – and the local seafood is caught daily.

Do ...
We’re making listening to our bodies a priority, too. And when they’re ready to move, the stand up paddleboards are waiting. First time? Consider it an opportunity to expand your mind. And if that needs steadying? Morning yoga classes aren’t such a commitment when the rest of the day is all yours – to enjoy the Six Senses spa, for example, offering everything from wellness assessments to sleep rituals and of course spa treatments.

Next morning, in the interests of gaining perspective, the 360 degree views from the top of Hon Heo mountain are worth the climb. If you’re lucky, as we were, you’ll get acquainted with local langur monkeys along the way. The air is so still and clear up there that you’ll gain extra appreciation for the resort’s sixth sense, a commitment to embedding sustainable practices into everything they do. 

The place we really want to find ourselves, though, is in those calming waters – amid the super natural rock formations of Ninh Van Bay. Borrow a snorkel or take a private boat tour at sunset. There’ll be champagne on hand. You know, to help you unwind.