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Digital Detox Resorts

Grand Velas Riviera Maya

If you really want to get away from it all, there are resorts that will not only help you do that, they’ll make you do that! It’s the latest in digital detoxification for your next vacation.

The Ayana Resort and Spa in Bali, Indonesia has joined a number of hotels that are encouraging an “in the moment” experience, meaning no smartphones and electronic devices at one of its resort’s 12 pools. Here’s the new rule: guests are not permitted to bring in their smartphones and electronic devices from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week. There is a locker for those who accidentally have these devices on them. And in case you’re wondering, electronic devices also includes digital cameras.

Ayana Resort and Spa’s River Pool

 

But the Ayana Resort and Spa isn’t the only hotel providing a digital detox experience that doesn’t allow your mobile phone.

 

At the Chiva-Som International Health Resort in Thailand, there’s a strict no mobile phone policy outside of the guest rooms. And it’s all in an effort to gain a “balanced sense of self.” In order to focus on yourself, the resort also offers a complimentary health and wellness consultation upon arrival.

Chiva-Som International Health Resort

 

And then there’s a hotel with a digital detox in mind for the whole family. In Mexico, at the Grand Velas Riviera Maya, families can take part in a four-day digital-detox program and make some useful trades for their electronic devices. In fact, they can earn complimentary activities like snorkeling, kayaking and bike tours as part of the electronics exchange. There’s even a rule that guests have to go the entire four days before getting their electronic devices returned to them.

Grand Velas Riviera Maya

 

These rules aren’t just about a sense of quiet. Indirectly, they may also bring back the need for in-person conversations. And it’s made possible by….powering off.

 

By Rosalyn Oshmyansky for PeterGreenberg.com