By Lorraine Sanders
For many of today's frequent travelers, the no-tech vacation is something of a conundrum (Wait, no television? Then how am I supposed to watch The Inferno III?). In fact, the last time most of us were anywhere near being "off the grid" involved an unsolicited power outage followed by disbelief, then sheer panic. Don't try to deny it.
But as much as we love (and we mean love love, not like love) technology, destinations without plasma televisions, resort-wide wireless Internet access, in-room telephones and the latest gaming consoles give us something that's often impossible to pin down on the grid: ourselves.
Don't worry. We're not talking about destinations where you'll end up twisted into a yoga pretzel drinking green tea before a mandatory colonic treatment in the "spa." We're talking about 10 places you can visit where the sound of the surf is louder than the television in the next room, where news of Anna Nicole's paternity test doesn't cause a mad rush to the business center's Internet kiosks and, finally, where wake-up calls are more likely to come from birds outside than bedside phones.
South Africa: At King's Camp (where this leopard photo was taken by yours truly), one of the game lodges in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve bordering Kruger National Park, low-tech does not mean less luxury. After twice-daily game drives in eight-person all-terrain vehicles built especially for tracking and viewing the Big Five (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard), guests in the property's 10 suites return to sumptuous meals served in a breezy open-air dining room overlooking a popular watering hole for local wildlife. Yes, you could easily be dining a hundred yards from an elephant. In the evenings, warm bubble baths strewn with flower petals await guests in suites outfitted with four-poster beds, porches and plush sofas. A private spa pavilion overlooking the African bush provides an exotic location for massages and skin care treatments.
California : While the 30 guestrooms at the Post Ranch Inn do offer digital music systems with 45 channels, televisions and alarm clocks are notably absent. Instead of curling up in front of the tube, guests at this Big Sur hideout along the Central Coast explore the property's 98-acres of trails, take cooking classes and spend evenings gazing at the star-littered sky. For those who really want to escape reality, a weekly Shamanic Journey held on Saturdays guides guests in pursuit of their own inner power.
Oregon : Perched on a bluff 45 feet above the Pacific, the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Nye Beach prides itself on being a quiet family-run place free from televisions, radios and telephones (though there are two public phones available on the property). A third-floor guest library is brimming with reading material, and individually decorated rooms baring the names of famous authors continue the inn's literary theme. The most expensive rooms, called the Classics, feature fireplaces, private decks and views of the nearby Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Known as novels, the cheapest accommodations are cozy affairs without ocean views. Each night guests emerge from guestrooms with names like Oscar Wilde, Alice Walker and Dr. Seuss and head to the oceanfront restaurant's communal dinner table.
Turks and Caicos Islands : With eight rooms and a location on an island with only 60 permanent residents, the Windmills Plantation at Salt Cay is the kind of place where those en route to the hotel are more likely to see donkeys and cows ambling down the dirt roads than cars. Owners Jim and Sharon Shafer are known to take guests on shell-collecting walks along the quiet beach and mingle during the evening cocktail hours. Many come here for the excellent snorkeling and scuba diving courtesy of the offshore reefs. Some rooms have their own private gardens, while others offer ocean views, screened porches and private courtyards with plunge pools. The no-children policy and lack of in-room phones or televisions are key parts of the back-to-basics brand of island luxury found here.
Mexico : In a part of the world better known for all-inclusive resorts, the eight-room Casa Kau-Kan boutique hotel set on Playa Larga near Ixtapa-Zihuatenejo offers an experience quite different from the busy, crowded atmosphere many associate with Mexico's Pacific coast. Guests here won't find nightclubs, swim-up bars, activity schedules, televisions or buffet restaurants. Instead, home-cooked meals made with seafood and ingredients from local markets, a quiet pool, horseback riding on the sand and over nine miles of beach are the main attractions. Unlike many secluded vacation destinations, this one is just a few miles from the airport.
New York : From the Algonquin room with its fireplace and bookshelves to the Boathouse with swinging daybeds on its outdoor deck, The Point Resort on Saranac Lake manages to be as luxurious as you'd expect the former home of William Avery Rockefeller to be while maintaining the rugged character of its Adirondack surroundings. Directions to the property are only given to those with confirmed reservations. Family-style meals take place in the wood-paneled dining room, though many guests opt to take breakfast in their rooms or enjoy picnic lunches on daytime hikes. During winter, cross country skiing and ice skating on the frozen lake keep visitors busy, while summer means water skiing, fishing, swimming, hiking and boating in one of the resort's many vessels.
Fiji : On a private island so remote guests must limit their luggage to 15 kilograms (about 33 lbs.) or less, the 18-room Yasawa Island Resort and Spa feeds travelers' cravings for simplicity with thatched roof accommodations, hammocks strung up between the trees and 11 often-deserted beaches to explore. That said, luxury-seekers won't be disappointed. A beachfront spa offering body and skin treatments and a PADI diving center are among the top-notch amenities. Rooms are TV-free, but do offer telephones (for all those calls you need to make from Fiji) and radios.
Arizona : While many of the aforementioned off the grid travel destinations combine luxury with remote locations, the The Forest Houses Resort is the kind of hideout favored by avid hikers and naturalists. Owned by the same family since it was purchased in the 1930s for $60 per acre, the property flanks the Oak Creek and features abundant trails and hiking opportunities. Though pets are welcome, strict policies against groups and noisy guests mean quiet abounds at this Oak Creek Canyon destination, located about 10 miles from Sedona. The 15 houses on the property range from two-story cabins for up to eight guests to a one-bedroom cottage with a whirlpool tub.
Hawaii : A resort that counts many regular guests who return year after year, the Kona Village Resort bills itself as a destination for barefoot luxury. Flanked by Kahuwai Bay, this Big Island resort generates its own electricity and pumps its own water from a well on the property. The all-inclusive rate plan makes the Village an attractive choice for families with active children, who can take advantage of the myriad water sports and kids' activities while parents enjoy quiet afternoons in two-person hammocks. With only 125 thatch-roofed hales (cottages), the resort is smaller than most all-inclusive destinations. And of course, there are no televisions, telephones, high-speed Internet connections or buzzing air-conditioning units in the rooms.