Though his words are more than a century old, there’s a decidedly 2017 ring to John Muir’s proclamation that “going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity … useful not only as fountains of timber but as fountains of life.”
Indeed, back-to-nature adventures are a big highlight of this year’s Luxe Report, an annual trend forecast from the travel specialists at Virtuoso, whose clients ranked hiking first among all active pursuits. Also noticing the pattern is Travis Katz, co-founder and chief executive officer of Trip.com, a travel-planning platform that lets users join “tribes” to find personalized travel recommendations.
“Our data is clear—travelers want to unplug and explore nature,” Katz said. “Our Outdoor Enthusiasts and Adventure tribes have each grown by nearly 35 percent since the beginning of 2016.”
What’s driving everyone into the woods?
Ever-accelerating news cycles and push alerts, to be sure. But beyond the collective need to unplug and detox, something else is going on: “All the recent reporting on how dangerous our sedentary lives are has really started to take hold among travelers,” says Betty Jo Currie, a Virtuoso adviser and founder of Currie & Co. Travels Unlimited. “I’ve actually had clients cite specific articles on the importance of moving more to start the conversation about active vacation possibilities. The topic comes up constantly now.”
Whether you’re motivated by health, screen time saturation, or plain old spring fever, you’re in luck: Some of the world’s best hikes happen to surround some of the world’s best hotels. And while these five-star stunners offer a full array of trekking to suit any fitness level, we’ve picked their most iconic routes to establish a ranking order: novice-friendly, intermediate terrain, and brag-worthy challenges.
Easy Does It
Monastero Santa Rosa, Conca dei Marini, Italy
Its setting alone—a solitary cliff that soars over the Amalfi Coast—would suggest that this 17th-century monastery turned boutique hotel offers some seriously stunning walking trails. The four-level garden does nothing to dispel that notion, and roam you should.
But the real local trekking begins at Amalfi’s central square, where the town’s famed Duomo serves as one of the world’s most beautiful trail heads. Follow the gradually ascending Valle delle Ferriere for a two- to three-hour hike that passes through lemon groves, ancient foundry ruins, and farm houses—one of which you can stop into for lunch. Your post-hike reward? A dip in the hotel’s infinity pool, where you’ll have the supremely trippy illusion of floating above the Gulf of Salerno. From $430 per night.
Blackberry Farm, Eastern Tennessee