Introducing DepART... Architecture & Structure

To travel is to depart — from the familiar, from the daily routine, from the expected. But in this curated collection of art-inspired escapes, DepART becomes something more: a celebration of where the worlds of travel and creativity meet. 

With an extraordinary array of beautiful hotels in our repertoire, it was high time we explored the world through an aesthetic lens. From buildings that blur the line between sculpture and structure to resorts engineered with impossible elegance, journeys that follow in the footsteps of masters and those that immerse you in the creative process itself – this is the kind of travel that awakens our senses, sparks a little curiosity, and celebrates the spectacular interplay between place and perspective. This is travel for those who see the world differently. 

Each journey in DepART is shaped by design, led by emotion, and elevated by aesthetic. Whether you’re captivated by architecture, moved by a masterwork, or inspired by hands-on encounters with local artisans, we hope these experiences speak to the soul as much as they please the eye.

Architectural Allure

Some places make you pause before you’ve even stepped inside. They rise from cliffs and deserts, curve into coastlines, or gleam like a sculpture against the sky: bold silhouettes, quiet marvels, feats of imagination. Whether ancient or avant-garde, each one invites you to see the world differently – and maybe even feel it differently too.

Our Habitas AlUla 

AlUla, Saudi Arabia

Encircled by the ochre-hued canyons and palm-dotted oases of Saudi Arabia’s Ashar Valley, Our Habitas AlUla feels less like a resort and more like a living museum – a visionary desert retreat shaped by sustainability and soul. Opened in 2021, it marked the brand’s debut in the Middle East, setting the tone for what followed with Caravan AlUla and Ras Abrouq in Qatar. But it’s this original outpost, with its simple design and proximity to Saudi Arabia’s extraordinary natural wonders, that holds a special place in our hearts.

At Our Habitas, minimalism is a  mindset. Communal spaces are sculpted to feel both grounding and inspiring: open-air lounges that breathe with the desert breeze, cosy Majlis-style seating areas tucked into sandstone folds, and wellness sanctuaries that encourage connection beneath the stars. And there’s no desire to outshine the surroundings – instead, as co-founder Kfir Levy puts it, the goal was to “build with the least amount of impact on the land as possible.”

Each villa looks out over the canyons, blending privacy with perspective. Some come equipped with telescopes to make the most of AlUla’s star-splashed skies, while others gaze across thought-provoking Desert X installations like Falling Stones.

 ASK US ABOUT... Twinning a trip to AlUla with a stay on Dubai’s iconic Palm Island from £4,689 per person. Our 6-night Dubai & AlUla Tailor-Made Holiday includes full day tours of Hegra, the Old Town, Dadan and Harra. 

Atlantis The Royal 

Palm Island, Dubai

We all know Atlantis The Royal. Since its Grand Reveal Weekend back in January 2023 - an event that saw the return of Beyonce after a 5-year hiatus - the hotel has made history as perhaps the most coveted resort on Dubai’s Palm Island. Designed to look like a deconstructed skyscraper, the soaring heights of Atlantis The Royal do more than show off the architectural prowess of New York’s Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates  – they house some of the most lavish and quintessentially Dubai spaces we’ve ever seen. 

Restaurants helmed by the likes of Heston Blumenthal, Nobu Matsuhisa, and Gastón Acurio set the precedent for dining in Dubai, and will plummet Atlantis The Royal to the top of must-visit lists of outlets in the city for foodies. Sky Pool Villas and Signature Penthouses offer a kind of luxury rarely seen elsewhere in the world, while the Royal Club Lounge adds a touch more decadence to any stay. The crowning jewel? Cloud 22, a rooftop pool sat 22 storeys high. With the signature bold blues of Italian designer brand Dolce&Gabbana adorning loungers and beds floating in the infinity pool, you’d be hard pressed to find a more famous setting to admire the Palm.

It’s not all style over substance, either. If you looked at the hotel from a bird’s eye view, you’d see a remarkable ‘S’ shape. It’s designed to maximise airflow through the structure and grant a little breeze – even in the depths of the Dubai summer. Michelin-starred dining spaces are important, plush rooms that bring the nautical tones of the landscape inside are paramount, but in the world of 5-star hospitality, comfort is key. And if there’s any luxury hotel brand that doesn’t do things by halves, it has to be Atlantis.

“Everyone has seen the rooftop pool at Cloud 22 all over Instagram by now, but nothing compares to being there in real life. It’s like a green screen being up so high in the water and seeing so many iconic landmarks of Dubai stretch out over the horizon.” 

Amelia Wilkins – Atlantis Ambassador at Destinology

Aman Kyoto 

Kyoto, Japan

The structure of Aman Kyoto isn’t the brilliant all-glass, all-shiny, soaring 50 storeys high structure you may see elsewhere in the first few pages of this brochure, but for us, it’s equally as remarkable. You’ll find its dark wooden walls in the heart of a secluded forest, not far from Kyoto’s golden Kinkakuji Temple and - incredibly - 16 other UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Despite this proximity to famous landmarks, the resort still feels world apart. Within its enticingly mysterious walls - which do incredibly well at camouflaging the hotel when day turns to dusk - you’ll find light-filled suites and pavilions of a minimalistic ryokan aesthetic. Each one frames the spectacular secret forest that encircles the resort, while the steaming private onsen awaits elsewhere on the property.

Painting at The Temple 

Nothing reveals the inherent serenity of Japan than an ink painting lesson in a private zen temple. Known as sumi-e in Japanese, it’s been in practice since the Tang dynasty, so you’ll feel at one with centuries of Kyoto history as the temple priest teaches you to express ‘five colours’. A feat that may seem impossible given the simplistic method uses just black ink and water, but through shading and blurring, you’ll learn how to portray textures and still the mind in the process.

TIPS FROM SOMEONE WHO’S BEEN... Visit in cherry blossom season – usually late March to early May. At this time of year, I believe the sakuras surrounding this property positively explode in clouds of flowers. 

Heidi Forrester | Sales Executive, Tailor-Made Holidays

Six Senses Zil Pasyon 

Félicité, Seychelles

The name’s Bond, James Bond. The residences of this Six Senses property wouldn’t look out of place in a spy movie movie of old – the headquarters of a flamboyant villain plotting against the good of the world, hidden away on the hills of a remote Seychellois island. 

A gadget-laden Aston Martin would be of little use in this archipelago, so Bond would either need to bring along his Lotus Esprit-cum-submarine to navigate the waves, touch down on the neighbouring island of La Digue and captain a speedboat to Félicité, or, with the franchises ever-growing budgets, he might choose a glamorous helicopter trip from Mahé. Once there, Bond would find Grand Anse - a famously beautiful beach - and just one third of the island occupied by the Six Senses resort. The rest is covered with rich, lush vegetation. Whether arriving by sea or air, he’d then need to navigate upwards to one of the three or four bedroom residences - the various categories of Pool Villas across the island are spectacular, but these two types are built into the granite boulders that typically adorn islands in the region. 

We don’t anticipate that the Secret Service Agent would stroll casually across the decked walkway to the residence’s front doors - scaling the side of the infinity pool seems a more appropriate way for a spy to make a grand entrance - but who knows what he’d find waiting for him. Perhaps a furious mastermind enlisting the help of the resort’s Guest Experience Makers to do their evil bidding (they really are on hand to help with anything), or perhaps just a Destinology family preparing for a day of snorkelling with turtles, Creole cooking classes, and sunbathing by the pool. Either is likely. 

 ASK US ABOUT... Our Six Senses Serenity Tailor-Made Holiday. 3 nights at Six Senses Zighy Bay in Oman then 7 nights at Six Senses Zil Pasyon. Flights, private transfers, and Bed & Breakfast stays in Pool Villas included – from £7,295 per person 

Structurally Spectacular

Some spaces shape a moment. Suspended over oceans, carved into cliff faces, or hidden in the canopy, the globe is home to incredible hideaways where architecture becomes experience. Light and shadow play with intention, materials hold their own histories, and every angle is composed to move you. Not just structurally spectacular, but soul-stirring by design.

Jade Mountain

Mamin, St. Lucia

What better way to make the best of St. Lucia’s pitons than an open-sided hotel? Architect Nick Troubetzkoy has made every suite at Jade Mountain a total sanctuary, spaces sculpted with care and foresight. With no access for traditional machinery because of the remote rainforest location, the entire building was impressively handpoured using small cement mixers and wheelbarrows. This bold approach brought together forward-thinking designers and a dedicated local workforce, all driven by the belief that the impossible was indeed worth pursuing. 

The result? Curves that dominate over angles, sky bridges in place of corridors, and 24 suites with infinity-edge pools that seem to hover like floating carpets – spaces that draw you outward to the view, and inward to a sense of calm only pure air, natural materials, and an open concept can inspire.

Jodie Kidd travelled to Jade Mountain last December with Destinology, and loved how the lack of clocks, telephones and televisions helped her to switch off and be present. Read the full interview here.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives

In 2018, Conrad Maldives Rangali Island broke through the realms of what was possible when they opened their firstof-a-kind Muraka for stays – a two level villa that sits both above and below the ocean, and perhaps one of the most extravagant residences the region has ever seen. 

Step into the villa and you’ll find two-ocean view bedrooms upstairs, chic living spaces, plus an infinity pool and yoga pavilion. But descend 5 metres down the spiral staircase or in the elevator and your eyes will find a completely submerged master suite. With an en suite, a walk-in wardrobe, and a curved side lounge plotted at the far end of the suite, you’ll enjoy all the comforts you’d expect of Conrad, plus a dedicated space for admiring the aquatic life of the Dhaalu Atoll. 

In the day you leave a piece of you at the Muraka by planting your own coral frame on the adjoining reef, but as the resort sits in an atoll known for its diverse marine life, at night is the best time to get your private butler to deliver a bottle of chilled champagne, sit in the viewing theatre, and watch creatures like lobsters and octopus glide past the acrylic dome. 

To match your underwater living space, you’ll also find Ithaa Undersea Restaurant. Seating – the world’s first of its kind. Seating just 14 guests per service and with a similar 180-degree view dome 5 metres below the ocean as The Muraka, you can dine on crab and caviar, poached Maldivian lobster, and wagyu tenderloin as stingrays, reef sharks and schools of angelfish drift by. Unhurried and impossibly serene, it’s an experience suspended between sea and silence.

“I’ve never seen anything like the Muraka. There are other islands in the Maldives that have underwater areas (Subsix restaurant at Niyama Private Islands, the spa at Huvafen Fushi), but to have the opportunity to actually sleep below the ocean is really special.”

Bruce Desmond | Sales Manager

One&Only Mandarina

Nayari, Mexico

This eco-conscious retreat is a remarkable tribute to the Riviera Nayarit, rising from a landscape sculpted by a longsleeping volcano. Surrounded by ancient trees, dense vegetation, and centuries of pre-Hispanic history, the terrain demanded respect. And that’s exactly what the architectural team at Studio Rick Joy delivered – a property created in harmony with its setting, executed with incredible care.

Treehouse suites sit on steep inclines, their terraces emerging from the jungle canopy like natural extensions of the cliffside. Paths and walkways wind gently around sacred spots, preserving rather than imposing. And the adults-only infinity pool at Carao extends boldly from the hillside, suspended in a way that feels both daring and entirely at peace with the topography. Every line, every material choice, every spatial decision reflects the land. 

This philosophy continues indoors, too. The interiors are shaped by a collaboration of artists and designers, individuals who united regional craftsmanship and the contemporary finesse that defines One&Only. The first impression begins in the lobby, where a custom bronze gong - cast by the Grez family, master bellmakers for over six decades - takes pride of place. A gold-leaf installation by Mexico City’s Fervor glows nearby, its influence echoed throughout the resort in artisan woven textiles, hand-blown glass pieces, and finely crafted kimonos.

Five years on from its debut in 2020, the property continues to honour its origins. Each evening, a fire is lit at the end of the pier — a ritual that pays homage to the volcano that gave this land its shape, and now, its soul.

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

North Malé Atoll, Maldives

The Maldives is famed for its serenity, its seclusion, and its beautiful, otherworldly, insanely luxurious villas. But this is a Ritz-Carlton property. That means designs must be innovative, the boundaries of architecture must be pushed, and a gold standard must be set… 

Enter spherical villas, where you’ll find no harsh lines or right angles, only curved spaces that flow like the tides that surround the Fari Islands and completely open sides. The residences make the very best of the lagoons, white sands, and remote island settings we all flock to the Maldives for. Bringing intrigue and a fresh perspective to a destination that could never be boring, but is perhaps becoming increasingly familiar to lovers of all things luxury.

 ASK US ABOUT... Staying at The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal or The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai on your way to or home from the Maldives. One famous hotel brand, one incredible trip 

Keemala 

Phuket, Thailand

For anyone who’s seen the 2005 adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the following reference might strike a chord: Keemala’s vine-laden walkways and podlike villas remind me of Tim Burton’s take on Loompaland. Surreal, whimsical retreats sat high within a fantastical jungle canopy, the resort feels like it’s sprung straight from the filmmaker’s imagination, a real-life manifestation of the world Dahl once envisioned. 

Even better? The cinematic surrealism of Keemala goes beyond its physical form. The architecture, interior design, and philosophy are all rooted in the legend of four ancient clans who settled in the Phuket region after a shipwreck. The Pa-Ta-Pea Clan, grounded and connected to nature, inspired the rustic Clay Pool Cottages. The nomadic KhonJorn Clan is reflected in the safari-style Tent Pool Villas. The We-ha Clan, star-gazers and dreamers, shaped the treehouse-like Tree Pool Houses. And the intellectual and creative Rung-Nok Clan inspired the elevated Bird’s Nest Pool Villas, designed to resemble woven treetop nests. 

Each villa type brings the clans’ imagined legacies to life, blending storytelling with immersive design, fantasy with reality, and nature with luxury.

ASK US ABOUT... Switching out any Phuket hotel in our Thailand Tailor-Made Holidays for Keemala. Click here to view all our Phuket itineraries.

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Our brand new DepART brochure is now live, and ready to inspire your next beautiful escape.

Click through to explore the full collection of art-inspired journeys, where creativity and travel come together in the most extraordinary ways. From architecturally striking hotels to immersive cultural experiences, this is a celebration of aesthetics, emotion, and the joy of seeing the world differently.

Discover the full brochure now — and let your imagination lead the way.

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