By Jamie Edwards, award-winning travel writer who’s visited 70+ countries on all 7 continents
I click the link for the Juvet Landscape Hotel, located on the far west coast of Norway. Four words appear across my screen: ‘Leave the world behind.’ I gasp. Juvet, you’ve read my mind; that’s exactly what I want to do. Even for just a week, I’d love to leave the world behind.
And just like that, I’m imagining a destination where nature envelops me like a warm blanket, where the rooms, setting, architecture, and even the menu are dictated by Mother Nature herself. Somewhere that humans conform to the environment, rather than the other way around.
I bookmark Juvet and add it to the top of my travel wishlist. Then I wonder how many other hotels are flipping the switch on nature-driven luxury? I’m in the mood to find out.
Desperately Seeking Nature
There’s a difference between a hotel set in a beautiful natural setting and one actually shaped by it. Hotels where nature defines every aspect of the property and where the landscape itself determines the architecture. Hotels where a single ancient olive tree is the inspiration for a dining room, or a rocky, gurgling waterfall becomes the focal point of a spa.
These are the places where innovative architects and hoteliers not only accept, but relish, nature as a non-negotiable design element. Why is nature becoming, more than ever, the most luxurious vacation amenity? Many factors are in play, no doubt. Like, overtourism due to social media, the political climate, and the need for a digital detox in an increasingly overdigitized world. The ultimate antidote for our nature-starved worlds.
How far do we have to go to put nature, and more specifically, remote, barely touched, far-flung nature, into our sights? Not as far as you might think. Here are nine exceptional places to develop a personal, and maybe long-overdue, connection with trees, leaves, moss, water, and rocks. Which destinations will make you gasp?
Which hotels will encourage you to leave the world behind?
Juvet Landscape Hotel, Western Norway
Situated along a narrow valley of the Valldøla River in western Norway, Juvet Landscape Hotel feels like an architectural experiment in how gently humans can inhabit the wilderness. Designed by Norwegian architects Jensen & Skodvin, the glass-walled cabins seem to float among birch trees and moss-covered boulders, each angled deliberately so that no room looks into another. The result? A feeling of absolute solitude, even when the property is fully occupied.
Nature dictates everything at Juvet. The minimalist structures are clad in dark timber and glass so they recede into the forest, while interiors remain intentionally spare. Light wood, wool, and stone elements ensure the surrounding landscape remains the focus. Even the dining room is housed in a restored 19th-century barn, where seasonal Nordic menus lean on ingredients sourced from nearby fjords, rivers, and farms.
Speaking of fjords, one must-do activity in the area is to explore the dramatic geological formations and alpine scenery along the nearby Trollstigen route. It’s one of Norway’s most spectacular drives. Back on the property, guests can descend into the hotel’s small riverside spa, where saunas and plunge pools sit steps from the rushing Valldøla River. Immersion is the most treasured amenity at Juvet, and the landscape, as the hotel name suggests, is its reason for being.
The Lindis Lodge: Ahuriri Valley, New Zealand
In New Zealand’s Ahuriri Valley, where tawny grasslands stretch toward the Southern Alps, The Lindis blends directly into the landscape. From a distance, its curving roofline resembles a low hill or a wind-carved ridge rising from the valley floor—an intentional, thoughtfully crafted design feature.
The building itself is an architectural marvel: a sweeping timber-and-glass structure designed to echo the contours of the terrain. Materials are nearly exclusively natural: timber beams, stone fireplaces, and earth-toned textiles. Thus creating interiors that feel warm and grounded, despite the vast alpine scenery beyond enormous windows.
Dining at The Lindis follows the same philosophy. The kitchen focuses on seasonal South Island ingredients, venison, salmon, wild herbs—all presented with a simplicity that lets the land speak for itself.
Beyond the property, fly fishing in the Ahuriri River is a revered pastime, attracting anglers from around the world. The Lindis offers a particularly memorable experience right on-site: staying in one of its mirrored “pods,” futuristic-looking glass hideaways discreetly set into the hillsides. Here, guests can stargaze through panoramic windows in near-total silence. Silence, that other luxurious amenity often missing from many modern hotels.
Gora Kadan: Hakone, Japan
In the mountain town of Hakone, a short journey from Tokyo yet worlds away in atmosphere, Gora Kadan represents a different interpretation of nature-driven luxury, one rooted in centuries-old Japanese aesthetics.
Originally a retreat for members of the Imperial family, Gora Kadan is a traditional ryokan (Japanese inn) that balances architecture and landscape in a quintessentially Japanese way. Sliding screen doors of tatami-floored rooms open to private gardens. Stone pathways wind through moss and bamboo. And hot-spring waters drawn from the volcanic earth feed the property’s renowned onsen baths, many of which are private and just steps from the rooms’ doors.
Nature also shapes the culinary experience at Gora Kadan. Multi-course kaiseki dinners follow the seasons’ rhythms, presenting delicately prepared seafood, mountain vegetables, and regional specialties. Each meal is artfully presented and labored over, with a chef often using tweezers to place a mini fern ‘just so’ over a fresh piece of hamachi.
Hakone itself offers extraordinary natural beauty, and a ride on the Hakone Ropeway provides sweeping views of volcanic landscapes and, on clear days, Mount Fuji. On the property, the most essential experience is soaking in a steaming outdoor onsen bath (no matter the weather) as mountain mist drifts through the trees. A nature-inspired experience worth traveling around the world for.
El Silencio Lodge & Spa: Cloud Forest, Costa Rica
Deep within Costa Rica’s cloud forest, El Silencio Lodge & Spa lives up to its name. The lodge sits within a private reserve of lush rainforest with gushing waterfalls and mountain paths humming with birdsong.
The architecture at El Silencio embraces its surroundings through open-air wooden villas with wide terraces that blur the line between indoor and outdoor living. Buildings are constructed primarily from locally sourced timber and stone, allowing them to blend naturally into the forest canopy.
Nature also drives the culinary program. Much of the produce served at the lodge’s restaurant comes from its organic farm, while ingredients like cacao, herbs, and tropical fruits feature in seasonal menus.
Just beyond El Silencio lies one of Costa Rica’s most striking natural wonders: the Río Celeste waterfall, known for its unreal turquoise waters. Back at the lodge, guests can take part in guided forest walks to learn more about Costa Rica’s animals, flora, and fauna.
The Nest by Nara: Dubai
Set deep within the golden dunes of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, The Nest offers a strikingly different interpretation of nature-driven luxury. Instead of glass towers and polished marble, the focus here is on the quiet drama of the Arabian desert. Wind-shaped dunes, vast horizons, and skies here stretch uninterrupted in every direction.
The property consists of fourteen private desert nests, which are sculptural tented structures designed to blend invisibly into the landscape. Built with natural-toned canvas, wood, and stone, each villa sits directly on the sand, with curved architecture echoing the contours of the surrounding dunes. Floor-to-ceiling openings frame the desert, while private pools and shaded terraces mean guests can linger outside long after the sun sets. It’s desert immersion at its most refined.
Evenings at The Nest begin with sunset drinks atop the dunes, then move to a candlelit dinner highlighting Middle Eastern flavors and ingredients sourced from regional farms. The setting, with tables arranged beneath a canopy of stars, feels as elemental as the landscape itself.
A must-do experience in the surrounding reserve is a guided wildlife drive, where Arabian oryx and desert gazelles roam freely across protected desert habitat. But perhaps the most memorable on-site activity is a nighttime astronomy session. Dark Sky tourism is on the rise, and with almost no light pollution, the sky over Dubai’s desert reveals constellations, planets, and the Milky Way in astonishing clarity. A vivid reminder that nature’s most spectacular moments sometimes appear after the sun sets.
The Green O: Blackfoot Valley, Montana
The Green O reimagines the wilderness lodge for a modern audience. This adults-only enclave tucked away in Montana’s Blackfoot Valley consists of just 12 architecturally striking hauses nestled almost imperceptively among towering ponderosa pines.
Each structure is deliberately minimalist with elements like steel, glass, and timber designed to disappear into the forest while maximizing views of the surrounding landscape. Interiors feel contemporary yet grounded, with fireplaces and expansive windows that invite nature inside. Often, guests will spot wildlife from the warmth of their deep-soaking tubs.
Dining is a major highlight at the Green O, with a chef-driven tasting menu emphasizing regional ingredients and open-fire cooking. Each night, the multi-course menu changes, and it’s said that a guest will never have the same course twice during their stay.
The surrounding region offers classic Montana adventures, including horseback riding and fly fishing along the nearby Blackfoot River. However, guests who gravitate toward quieter pursuits, like forest bathing walks, spa treatments, or on-property hikes, will be equally content.
Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort: Punta Mita, Mexico
Perched on a forested hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Punta Mita, Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, is designed to feel like a luxury nature retreat rather than a traditional hotel.
Naviva consists of fifteen tented bungalows, each built with natural materials such as wood, stone, and canvas. The structures sit ever-so-lightly on the landscape, connected by winding jungle paths and suspended walkways that weave through the forest canopy.
Dining centers around open-fire cooking and locally sourced ingredients, with chefs often preparing meals in front of guests using traditional Mexican techniques.
Beyond the property, boat excursions showcase the dramatic coastline. On site, however, the standout experience is the temazcal ceremony, a traditional Mexican steam ritual held inside a domed stone structure designed for deep relaxation and renewal.
Chablé Yucatán: Mérida, Mexico
Set within a restored 19th-century hacienda just outside Mérida, Chablé Yucatán combines Mayan heritage with modern design, all of which is shaped by the surrounding jungle landscape.
The property’s villas are cleverly hidden among dense greenery, each with a private pool and terraces designed to immerse guests in the sounds and scents of the Yucatán forest. Limestone, wood, and natural fibers dominate the architecture, creating spaces that are deeply connected to the land.
Food plays a central role here as well. The hotel’s acclaimed restaurant highlights traditional Yucatecan flavors, achiote, citrus, and fresh seafood, while sourcing many ingredients from nearby farms.
One must-do activity while in the Yucatan is visiting the region’s ancient cenotes. These limestone sinkholes are filled with crystal-clear water that once held sacred meaning for the Mayans. Chablé Yucatán’s spa is built around a natural cenote. Their treatments draw inspiration from traditional Mayan healing practices.
Leave the World Behind
I close my laptop, content with my round-up of nature-inspired hotels, all much-needed additions to my travel wishlist. For the next few minutes, I organize and tier them in my mind, imagining where I’d go first and why. It’s a fun distraction from my daily routine, and I briefly get lost in the jungles of Costa Rica, the warm desert sand of Dubai, and the grasslands of New Zealand.
These hotels do something rare. They make the landscape the most important part of the stay. In the end, the true luxury at these properties isn’t privacy or design, it’s perspective. The chance to step briefly outside the noise of modern life and remember how extraordinary the natural world can be.
I’m ready to leave the world behind, however briefly. Mother Nature, here I come.
Jamie Edwards is an avid traveler, travel writer, and photographer. After 25 years of living and traveling around the globe, she launched I am Lost and Found, her adventure/luxury travel website. Jamie’s goal is simple: to inspire travel.
CIRE Travel is a full-service travel agency headquartered in New York, NY with offices in Kennebunkport, ME, Washington, DC, Boston, MA, Atlanta, GA, Los Angeles, CA, and Philadelphia, PA. Our expert corporate travel planners, honeymoon travel agents, and luxury travel planners support clients across the country and around the world.
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