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Month: September 2026

Birthdaymaxxing | 8 luxury birthday trips worth travelling for

Birthdaymaxxing | 8 luxury birthday trips worth travelling for

Forget the birthday dinner. In 2026, birthdays are getting an upgrade.

 

Welcome to birthdaymaxxing: the idea of making far more of your birthday than a table for six and a cake at the end of dinner. Instead, the occasion becomes the reason to finally book that trip, get your favourite people together or do something you will still be talking about several birthdays later.

 

The term comes from the wider ‘maxxing’ trend that has taken over social media this year, with people applying the idea of going all-in to everything from wellness and food to simply having more fun. ‘Birthdaymaxxing’ has become one of its more joyful iterations.

 

And travel lends itself rather well to it.

 

Why celebrate for a few hours when you could cross Europe aboard one of the world’s most iconic trains, take over a safari villa in South Africa or disappear to a private Caribbean island?

 

Whether there is a milestone approaching or you have simply decided this year’s birthday deserves more, these are eight luxury birthday trip ideas worth putting on the list.

The iconic journey - Venice Simplon-Orient-Express

Best for: old-school glamour

 

Some birthdays call for a trip. Others call for making the journey itself the occasion.

 

The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is firmly in the latter camp. Step aboard its restored carriages and the usual rules of travelling from A to B disappear. Days unfold over long lunches, Champagne and changing European landscapes while evenings mean dressing properly for dinner, cocktails and live music.

 

This is travel with theatre built into it.

 

Belmond currently operates journeys between more than 15 European cities with routes including Paris to Venice, Vienna to Paris and Istanbul to Paris.

 

For the birthday where you want everyone to dress up, stay up late and remember the journey just as much as the destination, it is hard to beat.

 

Birthdaymaxxing level: Make the journey the party.

The private island - Ambergris Cay, Turks & Caicos

Best for: disappearing somewhere beautiful

 

If your idea of a birthday present is being temporarily unreachable, Ambergris Cay makes a compelling argument.

 

The private island resort sits in Turks & Caicos surrounded by brilliant blue water and more than 1,100 acres of largely untouched landscape. Its new Waterside Bungalows come with heated plunge pools and direct water access, meaning a kayak or paddleboard can be waiting almost outside your door.

 

Fill the days with swimming, snorkelling and sailing or make absolutely no plans at all.

 

For a bigger birthday group, private villas make it possible to bring everyone with you without losing the feeling of escape.

 

Birthdaymaxxing level: If you’re going to disappear, disappear properly.

The big adventure - Singita Lebombo, South Africa

Best for: the birthday story you’ll tell forever

 

There are birthday weekends and then there is waking up in the South African wilderness.

 

Singita Lebombo sits within Kruger National Park, where the trip becomes as much about what happens beyond the lodge as what happens inside it.

 

Days shaped around wildlife, game drives and the landscape give the celebration an entirely different rhythm, while sundowners provide a rather better birthday drink than your local bar.

 

For a group celebration, Lebombo Villa can accommodate up to eight guests across four bedrooms with its own living spaces, pool and private boma.

 

This is the one for the birthday where you want to come home with stories rather than things.

 

Birthdaymaxxing level: I want a story to tell.

The girls' escape - OKU Ibiza

Best for: birthdays with your favourite people

 

Not every Ibiza birthday needs to begin at a beach club and end at sunrise.

 

OKU Ibiza gives you the best parts of the island without requiring a military-level party itinerary: long pool days, beautiful surroundings, spa treatments, great food and sunset drinks with the option to turn things up when you feel like it.

 

The hotel sits close to Cala Gració on Ibiza’s west coast and has two pools including a 50-metre adults-only pool, alongside its spa, yoga programme and resident DJs.

 

The agenda? Get ready together. Order another round. Have a very long lunch. See where the evening goes.

 

Birthdaymaxxing level: Just the girls, somewhere beautiful.

The main-character birthday - Fouquet's New York

Best for: dressing up and doing absolutely everything

 

Few cities understand the concept of a birthday main character quite like New York.

 

Base yourself at Fouquet’s in Tribeca and the itinerary practically writes itself: shopping, cocktails, galleries, Broadway, dinner reservations you have been planning for months and at least one evening requiring a very good outfit.

 

Then retreat from Manhattan to the hotel’s spa, with its indoor pool, sauna, steam room and treatment spaces.

 

New York already makes an ordinary weekend feel like an occasion. Add a birthday into the equation and leaning into it feels entirely appropriate.

 

Birthdaymaxxing level: This city is my backdrop.

The wine birthday - Six Senses Douro Valley, Portugal

Best for: long lunches and even longer dinners

 

For some birthdays, the itinerary only really needs three things: good wine, good food and good company.

 

Six Senses Douro Valley sits above the vineyards and terraced slopes of one of Portugal’s great wine regions, with the Douro River below.

 

Days can involve winery visits, tastings and exploring the river before returning for dinner, spa time and another glass overlooking the valley. Six Senses itself has an interactive wine library and offers experiences including guided tastings and river trips.

 

The real luxury here is not having to pack too much into the schedule. Bring the people you actually want around the table and give yourselves time to enjoy it.

 

Birthdaymaxxing level: Another bottle? It’s my birthday.

The snow birthday - Experimental Chalet Val d'Isère

Best for: ski, après, repeat

 

A winter birthday gives you an excellent excuse to take the celebration to the mountains.

 

Experimental Chalet Val d’Isère puts skiing, restaurants, cocktails and après within easy reach, with ski-out access from the hotel and more than 300km of pistes across the wider Tignes–Val d’Isère ski area.

 

Ski in the morning, stop somewhere very good for lunch, head to La Folie Douce when the mood takes you then retreat to the hotel’s pool, hammam, sauna and spa before doing it all again the following day.

 

For a group of friends who cannot decide between a ski holiday and a party, there is no real need to choose.

 

Birthdaymaxxing level: Ski hard, après harder.

The ‘I deserve this’ birthday - Clinique La Prairie, Montreux

Best for: making yourself the present

 

Perhaps the most grown-up form of birthdaymaxxing is deciding you do not need a party at all.

 

Set beside Lake Geneva, Clinique La Prairie in Montreux takes the traditional wellness break considerably further with structured programmes built around health, wellbeing and longevity.

 

Its programmes can span several days and combine personalised approaches to nutrition, movement, medical expertise and wellbeing.

 

It is a very different way to mark another year: less Champagne tower, more reset button.

 

And sometimes that is exactly what you want.

 

Birthdaymaxxing level: My gift to myself is a reset.

So, what exactly is birthdaymaxxing?

Birthdaymaxxing does not have to mean spending the most money, travelling the furthest or planning the most elaborate itinerary.

 

The point is simply to make more of the occasion.

 

A milestone birthday becomes a safari. A girls’ birthday becomes Ibiza. A winter birthday becomes Val d’Isère. A birthday demanding a little old-school glamour becomes a journey across Europe by train.

 

It is about choosing the experience you have been saving for ‘one day’ and giving yourself a reason to finally do it.

 

Because the birthday dinner will still be there next year.

 

This year, make the birthday the trip.

Start planning your birthday escape

Ready to plan?

Speak to a Travel Seen specialist and start planning your next escape →

Ready to book?
Send us an enquiry and we will get you matched to the right experience. Call or Whatsapp us on 0333 305 9912.

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As AI becomes increasingly capable of researching, comparing and planning holidays, does the traditional travel agent still have a role? We explore why human judgement, personal knowledge and support could become even more valuable as travel becomes more automated.

Hushpitality | Why silence is becoming travel’s ultimate luxury

Forget adding another treatment, restaurant or experience. Hushpitality is the growing luxury travel trend built around something increasingly difficult to find: genuine peace and quiet.
Get in touch today to start planning your trips

The Human Advantage | Why AI can’t replace the travel agent

The Human Advantage | Why AI can’t replace the travel agent

AI can build you an itinerary in seconds. It can compare hotels, suggest destinations and surface flights almost instantly. But can it actually know you?

 

Artificial intelligence is already changing the way we travel. From inspiration and research to itinerary planning, it has made access to information faster than ever.

 

Ask for a two-week itinerary through Japan and you can have one in seconds. Ask for the best hotels in Ibiza and you’ll get a list. Ask for a comparison of flight routes and it can work through thousands of options far quicker than any person could.

 

So, does that mean the traditional travel agent is becoming obsolete?

 

We think the opposite could be true.

 

As travel becomes increasingly automated, the value of genuine human expertise may become even more important. Across our own specialist brands including Oxford Ski Company, eShores and Luxx Collective, technology can support the process. But the part that makes a trip feel truly personal still comes down to people.

AI can give you options. A travel expert can tell you which one is right.

AI is exceptionally good at processing information.

 

It can analyse reviews, compare hotels, identify flight routes and put together an itinerary based on almost any brief. For straightforward travel research, that can be incredibly useful.

 

But choosing a holiday is rarely just about finding the hotel with the highest rating or the flight with the shortest journey time.

 

Someone might tell us they want a family-friendly hotel but what they really mean is somewhere that welcomes children without feeling like a traditional family resort.

 

A couple might ask for somewhere lively but they are imagining great restaurants, bars and atmosphere rather than a nightclub beneath their bedroom.

 

And someone asking for luxury may not mean chandeliers or white-glove service at all. They may mean privacy, space, brilliant food and somewhere that feels individual rather than corporate.

 

Those distinctions are difficult to capture in a search box.

 

They come from conversation, judgement and getting to know the person travelling.

The best hotel isn’t necessarily the right hotel.

One of the biggest differences between information and expertise is knowing when not to recommend something.

 

Travel trends move quickly. A particular hotel might suddenly be everywhere on Instagram or a destination might become the place everyone is talking about.

 

That doesn’t automatically make it right for every traveller.

 

A good travel expert knows which room category is genuinely worth upgrading to. They know whether the hotel that looks beautiful online actually delivers the experience a client is looking for. They may know what has changed at a property since their last visit or whether another hotel ten minutes away would suit that particular client far better.

 

Sometimes the most useful thing a travel expert can say is:

 

“I don’t think that’s right for you.”

 

That judgement is hard to automate because it isn’t simply based on what is objectively ‘best’. It is about understanding what is best for that person.

Then something goes wrong

The difference between booking a trip and having someone look after a trip often becomes clearest when plans change.

 

Flights get cancelled. Airlines alter schedules. Transfers are delayed. Weather disrupts itineraries. Hotels make mistakes.

 

When everything is running perfectly, technology can make travel feel incredibly straightforward.

 

When something goes wrong, another page of search results is rarely what you want.

 

You want somebody at the end of the phone or WhatsApp who knows your trip, understands what has happened and can work out the best solution.

 

Technology might identify three alternative flights.

 

The human expert knows which of those three their client will actually be happy taking.

 

And sometimes what someone needs most in that moment isn’t more information at all.

 

It is reassurance that somebody is dealing with it.

Travel is more emotional than we sometimes admit

When people talk about travel technology, the conversation often focuses on efficiency.

 

But holidays are not purely functional purchases.

 

They are honeymoons, anniversaries and milestone birthdays. They are the first family holiday with a new baby or perhaps the last big family trip before children leave home.

 

They can be celebrations after difficult years or holidays somebody has spent a long time saving for.

 

That emotional investment matters.

 

A machine can tell you that a suite has a sea view.

 

A travel expert can understand why having that sea view matters to you.

 

For higher-value trips in particular, confidence can become just as important as convenience.

 

People are not only paying for flights and hotel rooms. They are paying to feel confident that someone has thought carefully about what they are booking.

Perhaps AI will make the best travel agents even better

The future of travel probably isn’t going to be AI versus the travel agent.

 

It is far more likely to be travel agent + AI.

 

There are plenty of parts of the travel industry where artificial intelligence can be genuinely useful.

 

Research can become faster. Administrative tasks can become easier. Data can be analysed more efficiently and the first stages of itinerary building can happen in a fraction of the time.

 

Used well, that doesn’t remove the need for human expertise.

 

It gives travel experts more time to use it.

 

Less time spent on repetitive admin means more time to listen to clients, challenge assumptions, research the finer details of a trip and build relationships.

 

The technology does the processing.

 

The person does the understanding.

The real luxury is having someone who knows you

Travellers have never had more information available to them.

 

They can research destinations, compare hotels, read thousands of reviews and increasingly use AI to plan an entire trip themselves.

 

That means the modern travel expert has to offer something more than access to a booking system.

 

The value lies in expertise, curation and confidence.

 

It is the person who remembers that you loved one hotel but found another too formal.

 

The person who knows you would rather have the smaller suite in the better location.

 

The person who understands that when you say you want somewhere quiet, you still want to be able to walk somewhere for dinner.

 

And the person who is still there when the flight is cancelled.

 

AI can tell you what is available.

 

A great travel expert can tell you what you should choose and why.

 

That is the human advantage.

Start planning your Ikos escape

Ready to visit an Ikos Resort?

Speak to a Travel Seen specialist and start planning your next escape →

Ready to book?
Send us an enquiry and we will get you matched to the right experience. Call or Whatsapp us on 0333 305 9912.

More From Our Blogs

SEE ALL

Birthdaymaxxing | 8 luxury birthday trips worth travelling for

Forget dinner and drinks. Birthdaymaxxing is about making the occasion bigger, from private islands and safari adventures to Ibiza escapes and iconic train journeys.

The Human Advantage | Why AI can’t replace the travel agent

As AI becomes increasingly capable of researching, comparing and planning holidays, does the traditional travel agent still have a role? We explore why human judgement, personal knowledge and support could become even more valuable as travel becomes more automated.

Hushpitality | Why silence is becoming travel’s ultimate luxury

Forget adding another treatment, restaurant or experience. Hushpitality is the growing luxury travel trend built around something increasingly difficult to find: genuine peace and quiet.
Get in touch today to start planning your trips

Hushpitality | Why silence is becoming travel’s ultimate luxury

Hushpitality | Why silence is becoming travel’s ultimate luxury

Luxury hotels have spent decades giving us more.

 

More restaurants. More treatments. More pools. More experiences. More things that absolutely must be squeezed into the three days we are staying there.

 

But somewhere between the breakfast reservation, the 10.30 pilates class and the reminder that dinner starts in precisely 15 minutes, holidays started becoming surprisingly busy.

 

Now the pendulum is beginning to swing the other way.

 

There is a new travel buzzword for it: hushpitality.

 

The term has become one of the defining themes of Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report, describing a growing desire for travel that reduces noise, stimulation and demands on our attention.

 

And there is evidence behind it.

 

Hilton surveyed more than 14,000 travellers across seven countries and found that 56% said their number-one motivation for leisure travel in 2026 was to rest and recharge. Spending time in nature mattered to 37%, improving mental wellbeing to 36% and one in five specifically wanted more “me time”.

 

Perhaps that should not be surprising.

 

Our everyday lives are saturated with messages, calls, podcasts, traffic, screens and notifications. Genuine silence has become surprisingly difficult to find.

 

Which means it has acquired something luxury has always relied upon – scarcity.

 

Hushpitality is not really about retreating from the world entirely. Nor does it mean abandoning beautiful restaurants, brilliant spas or interesting experiences.

 

It is about hotels and destinations recognising that sometimes the most valuable thing they can offer is less.

 

Less noise. Less stimulation. Less pressure to maximise every minute.

 

Sometimes the luxury is simply having nowhere you need to be.

Amangiri - where space becomes the luxury

There are few places where the idea makes more immediate sense than Amangiri.

 

The Aman resort occupies more than 900 acres of the Colorado Plateau in southern Utah. Yet within that landscape sit just 34 suites.

 

That ratio tells you rather a lot.

 

The resort’s modernist architecture was deliberately designed to sit within the surrounding rock formations rather than compete with them. Beyond it, the desert stretches seemingly endlessly into dunes, plateaux and ridges.

 

Aman itself describes Amangiri as a place defined by the tranquillity of Canyon Country. Nearby Camp Sarika consists of just ten tented pavilions and is specifically positioned as somewhere guests can spend time off-grid.

 

Of course, there are things to do. This is still one of America’s great luxury resorts.

 

But that almost misses the point.

 

At Amangiri the landscape gives you permission not to do them.

 

You can walk. Swim. Look at the desert. Sit somewhere and realise you have not picked up your phone for an hour.

 

In 2026 that can feel remarkably indulgent.

Eremito - silence, literally

If Amangiri gives you the option of quiet, Eremito goes considerably further.

 

Deep in the Umbrian countryside, the former hermitage sits alone within the UNESCO Monte Peglia Biosphere Reserve, far from towns and busy roads.

 

There is no Wi-Fi. There is no television. There is no mobile signal inside.

 

And every evening guests gather at 7.30pm for a vegetarian dinner eaten in complete silence, accompanied by Gregorian chant.

 

It sounds severe until you begin to consider how unusual that actually is.

 

Guests can talk during the rest of the day, although anyone who wants to spend their entire stay in silence can wear a small badge signalling their preference to staff and other guests.

 

Eremito was doing this long before anyone thought to give the trend a name: its silent dinners date back to the hotel’s opening in 2013.

 

It is also particularly interesting for another reason.

 

Most of its 18 small “Celluzze” rooms are designed for single occupancy.

 

Because hushpitality is developing alongside another major shift in how people travel.

Fogo Island - letting nature fill the silence

On the north-east coast of Newfoundland sits another compelling example.

 

Fogo Island Inn rises dramatically from the rocks above the North Atlantic but its contemporary architecture was designed to remain deeply connected to the place around it.

 

The island is still dominated by rocky coastlines, bogs, coniferous forests and wild sea.

 

Rather than trying to compete with that setting, much of the experience deliberately directs guests back towards it.

 

The Inn describes walking its trails as an opportunity for reflection and quiet solitude. Guests can hike, paddle, cycle, swim or simply spend time watching the ocean.

 

It even produces a dedicated solo-travel itinerary centred on solitude, nature and quiet contemplation.

 

There is plenty happening here.

 

It simply does not demand your attention.

 

And perhaps that distinction is going to become increasingly important.

Soneva Jani - switching off without roughing it

Of course, seeking less stimulation does not necessarily mean seeking less luxury.

 

Soneva Jani makes a particularly persuasive case.

 

Its villas sit across the turquoise waters of the Maldives’ Noonu Atoll and Soneva’s long-standing “No News, No Shoes” philosophy feels almost designed for this particular moment.

 

Guests are explicitly encouraged to leave the heels at home, embrace the island’s relaxed pace and pick up a book instead. Many villas have their own bookshelves and Soneva operates its Barefoot Bookseller concept for guests looking for something new to read.

 

Importantly, this philosophy is not something Soneva invented because quiet travel suddenly became fashionable.

 

It has been fundamental to the brand for years.

 

Perhaps the rest of us are simply catching up.

Bhutan - when an entire destination thinks differently

Then there is Bhutan.

 

Including an entire country alongside four hotels might appear slightly odd until you consider how closely its approach to tourism aligns with the hushpitality idea.

 

Bhutan continues to pursue a deliberately “high-value, low-volume” tourism model designed to protect its natural environment, cultural heritage and infrastructure.

 

Its tourism policy explicitly targets mindful and responsible visitors rather than pursuing visitor numbers at any cost.

 

That philosophy sits within Bhutan’s broader concept of Gross National Happiness.

 

Rather than measuring progress purely through economic output, its framework includes nine areas ranging from psychological wellbeing and time use to environmental protection and community vitality.

 

For a traveller, the result is a destination that almost forces you to change pace.

 

Monasteries, forested valleys, mountain walks and long journeys through the Himalayas are difficult to turn into a frantic city-break checklist.

 

And that is precisely the point.

Perhaps wellness doesn't need another treatment

Hushpitality also raises an interesting question for the wellness industry.

 

For years, luxury wellness has largely expanded through addition.

 

Another treatment. Another therapy. Another diagnostic test. Another three-day programme promising to optimise some previously unconsidered part of ourselves.

 

Some of those things can be brilliant.

 

But there is an irony in travelling somewhere to recover from an overstimulated life only to receive a printed itinerary containing six appointments before dinner.

 

The next evolution of wellness might therefore be remarkably simple.

 

Space.

 

Sleep.

 

Nature.

 

A book.

 

A meal without a phone sitting beside the plate.

 

Time in which nothing is expected of you.

Is silence the next luxury hotel amenity?

Probably.

 

Not because travellers suddenly want monasteries instead of martinis or empty hotels instead of brilliant restaurants.

 

Hushpitality is not really about rejecting everything we enjoy about luxury travel.

 

It is about recognising that silence has become scarce and therefore valuable.

 

The best hotels have always understood that luxury is partly about removing friction. Someone else carries the bag. Someone remembers how you take your coffee. Someone has already thought about the detail before you have to ask.

 

Perhaps the next version of that service is removing something else.

 

The noise.

 

Because amid increasingly connected, scheduled and stimulated lives, having nowhere you need to be might be one of the hardest things to find.

 

And perhaps one of the most valuable things a hotel can offer.

Inspired by the trend? Start planning your next escape

Ready to travel?

Speak to a Travel Seen specialist and let us help you find the right hotel, destination or experience for you. →

 

Ready to book?
Send us an enquiry and we will get you matched to the right experience. Call or Whatsapp us on 0333 305 9912.

More From Our Blogs

SEE ALL

Birthdaymaxxing | 8 luxury birthday trips worth travelling for

Forget dinner and drinks. Birthdaymaxxing is about making the occasion bigger, from private islands and safari adventures to Ibiza escapes and iconic train journeys.

The Human Advantage | Why AI can’t replace the travel agent

As AI becomes increasingly capable of researching, comparing and planning holidays, does the traditional travel agent still have a role? We explore why human judgement, personal knowledge and support could become even more valuable as travel becomes more automated.

Hushpitality | Why silence is becoming travel’s ultimate luxury

Forget adding another treatment, restaurant or experience. Hushpitality is the growing luxury travel trend built around something increasingly difficult to find: genuine peace and quiet.
Get in touch today to start planning your trips

How padel became the new luxury travel status symbol

How padel became the new luxury travel status symbol

Luxury padel court at a high-end resort surrounded by dramatic scenery

There was a time when the hotel tennis court lived somewhere behind the gym.

 

You might notice it on the resort map. You might even book it once. But it was rarely the thing appearing first in the hotel’s photographs.

 

Padel is changing that.

 

Some of the world’s most recognisable luxury hotels are now putting courts in remarkably beautiful places: surrounded by Indonesian jungle, on private Maldivian islands and against the mountains of St. Moritz.

 

And increasingly, the court itself is becoming part of the sell.

 

That is what makes this more interesting than another story about the rise of padel. We already know the sport has exploded.

 

The International Padel Federation’s 2025 World Padel Report puts the number of players at more than 35 million worldwide, up by more than five million in a year. There are now around 77,300 courts across 150 countries, while the number of courts grew by 15.2% in 2025 alone. Britain is among the European markets FIP identifies as still growing rapidly.

 

The more interesting question is what happens once all those players go on holiday.

The court has become part of the picture

Look at NIHI Sumba.

 

Its vivid blue padel court sits among the tropical greenery of the Indonesian island, immediately making the setting part of the game.

NIHI describes it as the first and only padel court in Sumba. It is complimentary for guests and open from morning until evening, with weekly social games and private lessons available through coaching partner Liga Tenis.

 

This is not a court that happens to exist at a hotel. It looks like somewhere you would want to play specifically because of where it is.

 

And that distinction matters.

 

Luxury hotels have always competed on things that photograph well. The infinity pool became an obvious example: somewhere to swim, yes, but also an architectural feature that could communicate a resort’s entire proposition in one image.

 

Padel courts are beginning to perform a surprisingly similar role.

 

They signal activity, sociability and a certain kind of lifestyle — while still producing the sort of imagery luxury hotels want associated with their brand.

Padel is becoming a social space too

At Delano Dubai, the idea goes even further.

 

La Cantine Sports Club has six outdoor padel courts set among landscaped social areas on Bluewaters Island. But the concept also includes a wellness-focused café inspired by Mediterranean dining and spaces deliberately designed to encourage people to stay before and after playing.

 

That says quite a lot about why hotels like padel.

 

A gym is normally something guests use individually.

 

Padel creates an occasion. Four people play. Others watch. Somebody stays for lunch. A morning activity turns into half a day.

 

For hotels trying to create more reasons for guests to spend time within the resort, it makes commercial as well as cultural sense.

It fits the way luxury travel is changing

There is also a broader shift at play.

 

Luxury travel used to be strongly associated with doing very little extremely well.

 

That still has its place, but the modern luxury resort increasingly needs to offer something more active: hiking, wellness programmes, cycling, watersports, tennis and now padel.

 

At Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens, the resort has added a dedicated padel court alongside three tennis courts at its Tennis and Padel Club. Guests can simply reserve a court or book private coaching.

 

Its location on the Athenian Riviera makes the appeal fairly obvious.

 

A game can become one part of the day rather than the purpose of it: padel in the morning, the beach afterwards and lunch overlooking the water.

 

That may be padel’s biggest advantage as a holiday sport.

 

It is sociable enough for a group, accessible enough for relative beginners and competitive enough for people who actually care about winning.

The Alps might be clearest sign yet

Then there is Badrutt’s Palace.

 

The St. Moritz hotel now has what it describes as the highest padel court in Europe, open year-round and surrounded by the Engadin’s mountain landscape. Equipment rental, partner arrangement and coaching are all available.

 

The hotel’s own 2025 coverage described the new court alongside its infinity pool as part of the latest evolution of its leisure offering.

 

And perhaps nowhere makes our argument more neatly.

 

Padel is no longer confined to Spanish resorts or beach clubs.

 

A grand Swiss hotel synonymous with skiing, old-school glamour and Alpine luxury now considers a padel court noteworthy enough to promote as part of the Badrutt’s Palace experience.

 

That is a status shift.

Even the Maldives isn’t exempt

At One&Only Reethi Rah, padel sits within Club One alongside the resort’s wider sports programme.

 

The island has floodlit tennis and padel courts, resident professionals and hitting partners who can arrange personalised games. One&Only even includes tennis or padel lessons within some of its family holiday packages.

 

There is something faintly absurd about flying to a private island in the Maldives and immediately seeking out a racket.

 

But it also perfectly explains the sport’s appeal.

 

Padel does not necessarily feel like the thing you are supposed to do on holiday.

 

For its converts, it is the thing they want to do.

Luxury padel court at a high-end resort surrounded by dramatic scenery

And of course, the Mediterranean gets it

At Ikos Porto Petro in Mallorca, new outdoor padel courts now form part of the complimentary activity programme alongside three tennis courts, paddleboarding, canoeing and fitness.

 

It is an especially natural fit for the Ikos model.

 

Play a match. Have lunch. Swim. Order something cold. Repeat tomorrow.

 

No logistics and, thanks to the all-inclusive format, very little friction.

 

That might ultimately be why padel works so well within the luxury resort world.

 

It gives people something to organise the day around without making the holiday feel organised.

So, is the padel court the new infinity pool?

We are not suggesting hotels start filling in their swimming pools.

 

But there is a similarity.

 

The infinity pool became much more than an amenity. It became visual shorthand for the hotel itself: the image that appeared on Instagram, in travel features and perhaps ultimately made you want to stay there.

 

The best resort padel courts are beginning to occupy some of the same territory.

 

They are placed somewhere beautiful. They photograph brilliantly. They say something about the people who stay there and increasingly, they give travellers who already play at home another reason to choose one hotel over another.

 

That last part is important.

 

With more than 35 million players globally, padel has a sizeable audience of travellers who do not necessarily want to stop playing just because they are away.

 

Hotels are responding by turning the humble resort court into something altogether more aspirational.

 

The question may no longer be whether your hotel has padel.

It might be what the view is like from the court.

Start planning your padel escape

Ready to plan a padel escape?

Speak to a Travel Seen Group specialist and start planning your next escape →

 

Ready to book?
Send us an enquiry and we will get you matched to the right experience. Call or Whatsapp us on 0333 305 9912.

More From Our Blogs

SEE ALL

Birthdaymaxxing | 8 luxury birthday trips worth travelling for

Forget dinner and drinks. Birthdaymaxxing is about making the occasion bigger, from private islands and safari adventures to Ibiza escapes and iconic train journeys.

The Human Advantage | Why AI can’t replace the travel agent

As AI becomes increasingly capable of researching, comparing and planning holidays, does the traditional travel agent still have a role? We explore why human judgement, personal knowledge and support could become even more valuable as travel becomes more automated.

Hushpitality | Why silence is becoming travel’s ultimate luxury

Forget adding another treatment, restaurant or experience. Hushpitality is the growing luxury travel trend built around something increasingly difficult to find: genuine peace and quiet.
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