Botswana, Maui or Merano: Plan a great escape to these uber-private getaways

In search of an uber private, extravagant holiday? Book your next trip to one of these three heavenly places:

BOTSWANA
There are few pleasures that match up to catching a big cat in the wild, fly-fishing while hippos lazily watch you or soaking in centuries-old rock paintings at the Tsodilo Hills.

Botswana and its many luxury safaris throw up these incomparable experiences. Longchamp artistic director Sophie Delafontaine is a fan, ever since the Bostwana holiday she took eight years ago with her family. “A little plane dropped us in the middle of nowhere. It was an amazing feeling — there was no wi-fi so we were truly cut off from the rest of the world. We were back to real things, true things,” says Delafontaine.

Botswana’s allure has called out to other celebrities, like Prince Harry, and Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Extend yourself; try quad biking in the Makgadikgadi Pans or a photography tour on a boat cruise.

MAUI

Craving to catch the sunrise atop a volcano or scuba dive in a crater off an island? Check into Maui if you’re a surfer, diver or just decadent beach bum. The second largest of the Hawaiian islands, Maui is also a key whale-watching centre, as humpback whales migrate here every autumn for mating season. Designer and philanthropist Kathy Hilton counts it as her famous family’s favourite place to vacation.

“I am incredibly happy when I get off the plane in Maui,” she told pursuitist.in, “When we are in Maui and the kids are out doing their thing, it’s my time to book a massage at the Four Season’s spa. It’s the small things that I squeeze in to get a moment for myself.”

MERANO

If you’re looking for instant rejuvenation and city detox, head to the idyllic spa town of Merano. This Alpine destination in Italy boasts of thermal baths and grape therapy, but also hiking, biking and skiing through its gorgeous trails. Or just stroll through the gardens of the Trauttmansdorff Castle.

Among Merano’s famous residents were once Franz Kafka and Ezra Pound, but these days, celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gisele Bundchen often plan sojourns there. A key draw is the ultra-elite Palace Merano spa hotel, where telecom honcho Sunil Mittal reportedly checked in with his wife Nyna for a break last year.