These Destinations Offer Unplugged Experiences As Part Of The Digital Detox Trend

After years of constantly checking our social media accounts and being beckoned to our phones by pings and notifications, it stands to reason that people have grown weary of round-the-clock digital connectedness. Problem is, being plugged in is virtually a requirement to function in our modern society. From work requirements to the way we stay in touch with family and friends, we are practically beholden to screens and technology to keep up with our daily lives. Digital detoxes provide the perfect solution. For a limited time, unplugging and connecting with ourselves and others in a digitally-free environment resets our minds and helps us focus on what really matters. Perhaps this is the reason why escapes to destinations promising digital detoxes are growing increasingly popular.

With the growing demand for these rejuvenating escapes, the options for digital detox experiences around the U.S. are wide and varied. Some travelers may prefer remote destinations like a futuristic, off-grid resort surrounded by Utah's desert or an even more remote resort set atop one of Alaska's glaciers and reachable only by helicopter. Maybe you're looking further afield and would prefer a picturesque Swedish island offering a secluded retreat far from the crowds.

We went about finding the best destinations in the U.S. and around the world for stressed travelers looking to unplug and truly detox from today's digital web. We turned to travelers for recommendations so that our list came from the best sources. We've also ensured that while detoxing, each destination offers amazing programs and activities that will help bring rejuvenation and healing.

This famed Mexican resort has been promoting farm-to-table eating and disconnection from urban life since as far back as the 1940s — before the age of digital detoxes. Today, guests continue to visit the resort to escape the plugged-in life. Cell phones are not allowed in public spaces. Instead, Rancho La Puerta offers an extensive list of holistic treatments, healthy lacto-ovo vegetarian meals, pretty gardens and hiking trails as replacements.

If you're seeking a true digital detox, Rancho La Puerta is ideal — the resort requires even the patios attached to its casitas to be phone-free so you can be sure you can relax on your patio without the temptation of others using technology. Around the resort, a range of interesting experiences promotes wellness while you're unplugged. Crafting workshops, cooking classes, and themed weeks stimulate creativity. Sports, yoga, and more than 40 daily fitness classes get your body moving. And their award-winning spa offers the usual facials and body treatments, along with other holistic therapies.

Nature is where Rancho La Puerta really shines. Mount Kuchumaa towers over the resort, where the surrounding 4,000 acres are littered with green meadows where wildlife roam, a river, and families of grand oak trees. The resort makes the best use of this supreme location. It offers a menu of 11 specialty climbs ranging from the advanced-level Mount Kuchumaa Extreme Mountain Hike, with its elevated views of the U.S-Mexican border, to an easy, 1-mile meditation hike. On Reddit, previous guests loved the resort's unplugged policies: "Rancho La Puerta ... There's [Wi-Fi] in the admin building for emergencies, but the rest of the property is peaceful. They don't serve alcohol, though, which is a draw for some and a deterrent for others."

Calling Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona a world leader in wellness escapes would be no understatement. The resort boasts three Michelin Keys and the lofty achievement of being the only American resort awarded a place on Michelin's 2025 list of the Best Wellness Hotels in the World. It has also been named one of America's best spa resorts for relaxation. In addition to its usual experiences, the resort hosts a dedicated digital detox retreat. Mindful Reset, a retreat scheduled for April 2026, is ideal for those needing to calm an overstimulated nervous system and strengthen emotional health.

Guests who join the retreat are required to remain largely unplugged throughout. Phones and other devices may be used in rooms, patios, and a few designated places. Otherwise, they must remain silent while your system relaxes. To help you achieve equilibrium, meditations, healing experiences incorporating nature, and holistic sessions are scheduled into the experience. As is the norm, the retreat comes with all the amenities that are expected in Canyon Ranch's stays. These include all pools and a WATSU hydrotherapy center, cold plunges, the spa, airport pick up and drop off, all meals in the two onsite eateries, and 35 daily activities.

The included activities appeal to a range of interests as well. A Chakral Hip Opening experience, cooking classes, hiking, yoga, line dancing, and beauty rituals are among the most interesting. If you're in the mood for splurging, Canyon Ranch also offers additional paid experiences like bike rides through Tucson's arts districts, pickleball clinics, night sky walks, sound baths, and a cacao ceremony.

Highly recommended among the visitors in our research, Azalai Desert Camp is the place to exchange constant notification pings for dark skies, soothing desert landscapes, and luxury tents. Visitors, like one previous guest on Reddit, appreciated the resort's quiet location and lack of digital connection: "Azalai Desert Camp in the Moroccan Sahara. One of the most magical places we've ever stayed. Nothing to do but read and talk during the day, walk the dunes in the evening, look at the stars during the night. The desert is so quieting."

Azalai is set in the Erg Chigaga section of the Sahara Desert, an off-the-beaten-track area tourists don't frequent. This accounts for the zero light pollution, extreme silence, and rugged sand dune views as far as the eye can see. It also means there is no Wi-Fi (or electricity), making it ideal for those yearning for a total digital detox. This is not to suggest that staring at sand and dark skies is all you'll do. You could very well allow the peaceful views to help you connect with your inner self, but you can easily carry tactile entertainment like books and games to enjoy with friends or family if traveling as part of a group.

When you want a bit of action, Azalai also offers unplugged experiences. Camel rides offer a new vantage point of the desert and a personal experience with the majestic creatures. There's even a three-hole golf course where you can get a few rounds in. And surrounded by the stark desert, yoga takes on a spiritual quality. There's also an opportunity to immerse into local culture with experiences that go into nearby local villages.

With a river bringing the peace of flowing water and a surrounding wilderness area ripe for exploration, Minam River Lodge in Oregon is perfect for retreating from a hectic life into the arms of nature. Guests also raved about the lodge's lack of cell phone reception and a Wi-Fi policy that forces guests to unplug from the world. "Minam River Lodge in eastern Oregon. Highly recommended for a few days: no cell coverage, no Wi-Fi (except for emergencies)," said one previous guest on Reddit.

Completely surrounded by the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Minam River Lodge is so remote that there is no way to drive there. Instead, a four to six hour hike, chartered flight, or horseback ride (via an independent outfitter in the area) are the only ways to reach the resort. A side effect of this remoteness is a lack of connectivity that makes staying at Minam a built-in unplugged experience — the only means of connection is a landline that guests may only use in emergencies. With your devices turned off, the biggest lure will be the untamed nature right outside your doorstep. A stroll from the resort takes you to the Minam River, which is so wild it's considered almost pristine. Here you can fish for whitefish and a variety of trout under the resort's catch-and-release program.

The surrounding wilderness itself offers 534 miles of trails for exploring the four rivers, over 100 lakes, forest trees, and canyons. Hikes may also bring you close to black bears, bighorn sheep, and mountain lions. The unplugged experience at Minam River Lodge also includes yoga in a barn with the sides left open, so your view while downward dogging is of the surrounding green forests. Outdoor massages are also offered.

The Miraval chain of wellness resorts in the U.S. (and one in Saudi Arabia) is famous for a focus on curated wellness experiences that include a diverse offering of treatments, activities, and therapies. To enhance the benefits of its programs, every Miraval resort has a "digital mindfulness" policy requiring guests to go phone-free in all its public areas. In a nutshell, the resort requires unplugging everywhere except inside personal accommodations and only a few designated places. If you're seeking a complete detox, you can go even further and unplug while inside your accommodations.

Guests enjoy a curated experience based on personal needs. Whether you choose to get pampered among the rolling New England hills at the Miraval Berkshires, the Miraval in Austin, Texas, the one in Arizona, or the Miraval along the Red Sea, you'll get to choose your ultimate goal — this is what your curated experience will be centered around. The resort suggests guest set an intention for their say, which can include self-connection, getting over loss and grief, relaxation, mental well-being, or a host of other issues. 

If prescribed goals don't quite fit, you can specify a custom goal and get an itinerary based on that. Your itinerary can include themed meditations, yoga, equine experiences, crafting, drumming, sports, and many other activities outside, in the soothing natural settings around Miraval's resorts. There is also a spa to aid with the tranquility. "I've been to Austin & Tucson and enjoyed both. I arrived depleted and burnt out, and left feeling weightless," said one user on Reddit.

With a list of awards almost as extensive as its menu of specialized retreats, Escape Haven is one of the best wellness resorts for visitors looking to escape to Bali. One guest who recently returned from a wellness retreat recommended it on Reddit: "I just finished my one week stay at Escape Haven and absolutely loved my time there. It's one of the best things I ever did for myself. I also did the yoga package and really enjoyed staying at the retreat center, meeting other women there, and being pampered for a week." The resort encourages unplugging and suggests the Nyepi Retreat, as the perfect way for newbies to dip their toes into the unplugged life.

One day a year, the resort dedicates a full day to silence and quiet enjoyment. This day, Nyepi, is part of a wider cultural celebration around the island. Usually in March, the Balinese celebrate their New Year with silent contemplation and rituals. Escape Haven turns this day into a retreat filled with quieter fun and a serious recommendation that guests unplug to preserve the quiet nature of Nyepi. The retreat begins the day before Nyepi with the colorful Ogoh Ogoh Parade, where people dressed as monsters march through the streets to scare away evil spirits.

On the following day, the Balinese stay inside in silence, to trick the spirits that Bali is an uninhabited island that they need not stop at. Guests at the resort are asked to unplug and enjoy quieter activities like flower mandala making workshops, yoga, a meditation by candlelight, and journaling. The resort does allow guests to choose to use their phones if unplugging proves too much.

Rooted in a spiritual appreciation of human potential, the historic Esalen is more healing camp than luxury resort. When it opened in 1962, it was instrumental in the Human Potential Movement which helped popularize meditation, yoga, and many other wellness activities we take for granted today. Esalen still has the same aim to use cutting-edge methods to bring people healing, unlock their creativity, and reveal hidden potential. Guests visiting today identify with the ideals of the movement, or know of Esalen's reputation to inspire realignment with its many therapies. Healing comes through self-guided retreats allowing guests to patch together the experiences they find most helpful to their needs.

Popular retreats ranging from the relationship-fixing "Wheel of Consent" workshop to "Rekindling The Heart," an experience developed to heal the mind and emotions through physical movements like Tibetan yoga and breath work, can also be booked. According to this guest on Google, Esalen's outstanding grounds are just as healing as its programs. "I did Esalen's self-guided experience ... I visited the hot springs, pool, had several massages, alternative therapies, attended a few workshops, etc. The massages were exceptional, set next to the hot springs, cliff-side where all you hear is the crash of waves. The beauty of Esalen is breath-taking, every day."

This healing happens around a wooden lodge with an art hut, a pool, hot springs, a meditation room, and more. The facilities sit in a remote, ocean-side setting next to Big Sur, California, where no cellphone service and limited wifi access naturally lead to unplugged escapes. If you must, one area, the main lodge, has Wi-Fi guests can use.

Golden Door is one of the most luxurious ways to get a digital detox on this list, so expect high end prices. It's so expensive one guest called it an "investment" on Reddit, saying, "Golden Door is an upmarket health and wellness retreat. You get an in room massage everyday."

If you have deeper pockets, you'll find the California resort a top-tier destination to unplug from the world. Unlike resorts that completely restrict Wi-Fi and phone usage, Golden Door allows limited use of phones in public areas. To maintain a peaceful ambiance for all guests, only quiet typing and reading actions are allowed in public areas (sending emails, reading messages, and so on).

These limitations naturally lead to a digital detox, putting you in the perfect emotional space to take advantage of Golden Door's transformative experiences. From Tai Chi to a walking meditation called "Labyrinth," these programs are designed to ground you in the present so you can intentionally forge a path into the future. Golden Door also has a spa with rejuvenating treatments.

When the uber-popular "White Lotus" series further amplified the already growing digital detox vacation trend, it did so while primarily filming at the Four Seasons Resort in Koh Samui, Thailand. Guests can definitely plan their own digital detox at that resort if they wish, but you can take the experience even further at another location.

But the popular chain also offers a luxury camp experience where the focus is on an off-grid escape. The Four Seasons Tent Camp, also located near Chiang Rai, Thailand, sets guests in the stunning Golden Triangle area, a gorgeous setting as breathtaking as it is historic. With all these charms, the area is perfect for the off-grid escape promised by Four Seasons.

While Wi-Fi is provided, the resort invites guests to unplug and immerse into off-grid experiences. Animal lovers will enjoy elephant experiences that happen deep inside the elephants' habitat. Bicycle tours around the countryside get the body active. And expeditions deep into the wilderness make for a perfect picnic in the middle of nowhere. From green coffee massages to milk baths scented with flowers, the tented camp also soothes the body with a menu of spa treatments accentuated by nature.

We scoured Reddit and travel boards to find traveler recommendations of the best resorts to enjoy a digital detox. While we were mainly looking for destinations where you could unplug from today's connected world, they also had to offer experiences that would aid healing, self-connection, and rejuvenation. To ensure our final list met the latter, travel blogs and the resorts' websites were consulted for program and retreat details.