Luxury travel is entering a new phase, moving away from the dash through well-trodden tourist traps, major cities, or big name hotels to one that can deliver a more meaningful and authentic journey.

Travel is now all about the experience, as the travel and hospitality industries rush to create—and market—trips and destinations that are a unique blend of the very best in architecture, food, design, comfort, fitness, and adventure. 5-star, exclusive retreats built as private enclaves for only a handful of guests are springing up around the world, removing their clientele from the hustle and bustle of the capital cities that are just over the horizon.

Helping to fuel the rise of the luxurious resort is the massive growth in “Bleisure,” as we increasingly desire to add on a week’s pampered holiday to a business trip. Here are some of the most glorious experiences you can have in the world today.

1 — Amangiri, in the very remote, dramatic desert of southern Utah, is an enclave of absolute luxury and style. The concrete and sand hotel and pool seem to grow out of a massive sandstone escarpment, while the 34 spacious, modernist rooms and suites all have private views of the ever-changing desert landscape and pristine night skies.

2 — Tokyo’s great, but for another side of Japan you should take the 4-hour train trip to Amanemu in the Ise-Shima National Park. Situated on Ago Bay, Amanemu is a serene retreat featuring 24 elegantly designed rooms and four villas with their own onsens (hot mineral springs), an Aman Spa, lap pool, and a restaurant serving the area’s famous wagyu beef and seafood.

3 — Puglia is better known as the heel of Italy, but its ancient towns and dramatic beaches are international destinations. Less known, though, is the tiny town of Lecce where you can stay at Masseria Trapanà, a restored 16th-century farmhouse set in 150 acres of olive groves with nine suites, gorgeous pool, gourmet cooking, and a tiny chapel decorated with sixth-century frescoes.

4 — At the tip of Africa, the picturesque Franschhoek Valley is just an hour’s drive from Cape Town’s gorgeous beaches. The newly-opened Leeu Estates is a 170-acre wine farm and 5-star hotel built around a 19th-century Cape Dutch house featuring 17 beautifully-designed rooms, suites, and cottages.

5 — Hacienda de San Antonio in Colima, Mexico sits at the foot of an active volcano in tropical gardens two hours’ drive from the coastal city of Manzanillo. Or use the hotel’s private landing strip if you prefer. This 19th-century coffee plantation, ranch, organic farm, and hotel is set in a 5000-acre nature reserve offering only 25 suites, each with its own private courtyard.

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