Travel Trend: Adults-Only Luxury Resort Vacations

THE PANDEMIC BROUGHT many families closer together, but even the tightest clans can squabble over Scrabble matches after one too many game nights. A surfeit of together-time is triggering a rise in demand for kid-free vacations, said Jack Ezon, founder of travel company Embark Beyond. Sixty-one percent of the summer trips that Embark Beyond booked this year were for adults only, compared with 48% in 2019. These grown-up escapes aren’t just for couples. Some are booked by groups of friends who want to travel together after many months of Zoom-only contact or individuals seeking solo sojourns. To help you plan your own immersion in maturity we’ve selected five resorts that offer decidedly grown-up diversions, from wining and dining to flopping down on a beach with a thick page-turner and uninterrupted nap time.

Sun, Sea, Spritz

One of the Amalfi coast’s most iconic hideaways, Il San Pietro (which welcomes ages 10 and up) is perched dramatically on a cliff edge. The rooms, carved into rocky hillsides, almost blend into the landscape, while the décor marries old-world elegance with Mediterranean chic. All 56 rooms open onto balconies with sea views. An elevator whisks guests down the cliff to the only private beach associated with a hotel in Positano. With an Aperol spritz in hand, stare at the sunset from the grand terrace. Its Michelin star Zass restaurant prepares local Mediterranean dishes like scampi tartare, with ingredients from its on-site organic gardens. From about $1150 a night, ilsanpietro.com

Big Sur’s Big Little Skies

The Post Ranch Inn stands 1,200 feet above the Pacific on the cliffs of Big Sur. Like the home at Green O, the inn’s 39 guest rooms bring to mind lavish treehouses, most built for two (no guests under age 18 allowed). The spa offers massages and private yoga and meditation classes. You can also book an astrology or shaman session. Or commune with the celestial spirits yourself by taking in the night sky—far from city lights, the hotel is a sublime place to stargaze. From approx. $1934 a night, postranchinn.com

Greek Squad

Canaves Oia Suites sit on top of a cliff on the Greek island of Santorini. A kid-free enclave (only ages 13 and up allowed) of Canaves Oia Resorts, the suites are housed in a whitewashed building facing the Santorini Caldera and the Aegean Sea. Verandas come with private pools and if you feel like mingling with the wider world, book a sailing tour or wander around the mazelike village of Oia admiring the Cycladic architecture. From about $1126 a night, canaves.com/canaves-oia-suites

A Glass Home on the Range

Dude ranches typically attract fidgety families but Montana’s Green O, a secluded part of the sprawling Paws Up Ranch, is a more grown-up approach to the great outdoors. Guests (ages 21 and up) stay in 12 sleekly modern, glass-walled homes. One of them, the Tree Haus, elevated at least 23 feet above ground, makes a sophisticated perch to spy on wildlife. Guests can indulge in spa treatments or more active pursuits, including fly-fishing and biking. From about $3787 a night, thegreeno.com

Bottle Up in Wine Country

South of France meets California at Napa Valley’s Auberge du Soleil resort, which only accepts guests age 16 and over. Sandstone-coloured buildings are set in groves of heritage olive and oak trees in the Rutherford hills, just off the winery-lined Silverado Trail. Fifty earth-tone rooms and suites offer cozy luxury, with gas fireplaces, soaking tubs and private terraces with valley or hillside views. Linger in the resort’s sculpture garden and dive into scallops and the extensive wine menu at the hotel’s Michelin-star restaurant. From approx $1690 a night, aubergeresorts.com

Well Versed

Need to shed some pandemic pounds or reboot your fitness routine? Sensei Lanai, a Four Seasons resort and wellness retreat on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, offers a range of personalized packages with different goals and tools. Sensei, which only permits guests age 16 and older, was founded by Oracle tech mogul Larry Ellison (owner of 98% of Lanai), with Dr. David Agus, a prominent cancer researcher. At the spa, slow down for meditation, or self-compassion sessions. Get active snorkelling, hiking or biking. At its Sensei by Nobu restaurant, the menu includes dishes created by the celebrity chef in collaboration with its nutritionists, such as desserts using monk fruit instead of sugar. Many ingredients are from an on-island sustainable farm. If your budget is especially vital, revitalize your life with its 30-day sabbatical program. Standard room rates from approx. $882 a night, fourseasons.com/sensei

Klaus Busse would like you to close your eyes and imagine yourself behind the wheel of a Maserati. Picture the GranTurismo, which launched in Australia in 2024. Where do you see yourself? Chances are, Busse suggests, it’s not during the school pick-up or commuting to the office.

“You’re probably on a wonderful road in Tuscany, or Highway 1, or you’re going to a red carpet event,” says Busse, who holds the enviable title of Head of Design at Maserati, the iconic Italian car manufacturer. “Basically, it’s about emotion.”

At the luxury end of the market, the GranTurismo Coupe—priced between $375,000 and $450,000—is designed to transform the driving experience into something extraordinary. For Busse and his team, these “sculptures on wheels” are not just status symbols or exhilarating machines but expressions of pure joy. Their mission is to encapsulate that feeling and translate it into their cars.

“I really feel the responsibility to create emotion,” he says. “We have a wonderful word in Italy: allegria, which is best translated as ‘joyful.’ Our job as a brand is to lift you into this area of joy, perfectly positioned just short of ecstasy. It’s that tingling sensation you feel in your body when you drive the car.”

Even as 60 percent of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, Maserati’s design ethos captures the essence of “everyday exceptional.” Whether navigating city streets or open roads, a Maserati turns heads without being ostentatious or aggressive. “I’ve driven these cars all over the world, and no matter where I go, people smile at me and give a thumbs-up,” says Busse.

Since joining Maserati in 2015, Busse has reimagined and redefined the brand, steering his team through the reinvention of classic models and the transition to electric vehicles. Iconic designs like the Fiat 500, which entered the EV market in 2020, serve as a testament to Maserati’s ability to blend tradition with innovation.

Unlike other luxury car brands, Maserati embraces radical change with new designs every 10 to 15 years. Busse loves connecting with fans who follow the brand closely. He explains that each Maserati model reflects a specific era, from the elegant 35GT of the 1950s to the wedge-shaped designs of the 1970s and the bold aesthetics of the 1980s.

“I often ask fans, ‘What is Maserati for you?’ because their responses tell me so much about how they connect with the brand,” he shares.

Inspired by legendary Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, Busse balances tradition with modernity in his designs. As Giugiaro once told him, “We always do the best in the moment.” This philosophy resonates deeply with Busse, who believes in honouring the past while embracing future possibilities.

Through advances in technology, techniques, and societal trends, Busse ensures Maserati remains at the forefront of automotive design. For him, the creative process is more than just a job—it’s a way to create joy, connection, and timeless elegance.