The Sanctuary

A sanctuary trip is the inverse of every other trip type. There is no itinerary. The decision about whether to do anything is made each morning, and the right answer is often no. The work isn't in filling the days. It's in choosing the right place, because the place is the trip.

The property has to be capable of carrying the duration. Two weeks at the wrong resort is a long two weeks. Two weeks at Aman Tokyo, Como Shambhala Estate in Bali, Vana in the Himalayas, Six Senses Douro in Portugal, the Brando in French Polynesia, or one of three specific villas in the Côte d'Azur I know by heart: that's a different trip entirely. The room you're given matters disproportionately on sanctuary trips. So does the spa programme, if there is one, and the chef's willingness to deviate from the menu by the second week.

These trips usually run two to three weeks. Sometimes longer, in the case of medical-grade wellness programmes that require it.

The strongest properties for this trip type are the ones I know by direct experience, not the ones with the best photographs.

How the design starts

With what you want to come home without. Tiredness, a particular ache, a habit, the sense of never being off. Sometimes it is simpler: you want to sleep, swim and read, and you want nobody to ask you anything. I ask how you rest at home, what has worked before and what has not, and how much structure you want in a day. Some people want a programme from seven in the morning; others want to be left entirely alone.

Then the place. The setting has to be one you are glad to wake up in on the 10th morning as much as on the first. That rules out more properties than it rules in. It also means the season matters: the same place can be still and green in one month, and busy, hot or wet in another.

What the design holds

The right room, asked for by name. On a long stay in one place, the room is the trip: its light, its noise, how far it is from the pool and the restaurant. I ask for the specific room or villa where it matters, and confirm in writing what the property has agreed. I also ask whether any building or renovation work is planned nearby for your dates.

A programme that fits. Where there is a spa or wellness programme, I find out what it includes, how much of it is fixed and how much you can choose, and how it changes over a longer stay. Your preferences, and any allergies or dietary needs you choose to share, reach the property before you do.

Food for the second week. The menu that delights on the first night can feel narrow by the 10th. I ask the kitchen in advance how it handles longer stays, and tell you what it says.

Health information, handled carefully. If a programme asks about medical conditions, that information is shared only with your consent and only with the property that needs it. If anyone travelling has a condition that may affect what they can do, it is better said at the start, so the property can confirm it is suitable.

Journeys to begin from

These are on the site in full. Most sanctuary trips start from a single place rather than a route, but each of these can be slowed right down.

• Kathmandu and Dhulikhel, seven nights
• Arizona's Sonoran Desert, eight nights
• Los Cabos by Sea and Desert, six nights
• Delta to the Indian Ocean, 12 nights

The stays pages also list wellness retreats, villas and houses taken for a fortnight.

Questions

When to start

Three to six months ahead suits most sanctuary trips. For a particular villa, or a programme with limited places, earlier is better.

The other five