Peace and luxe experiences draw travelers to adults-only hotels
On my 40th birthday, I sipped a boozy concoction out of a pineapple and declared Jenga victory over my husband, Steve, before jumping in the pool and commandeering a diamond-ringshaped raft.
The milestone birthday in early 2021 took place at Maui’s Hotel Wailea, Hawaii’s sole adults-only property until a few years ago. Among other things, this meant an absence of poolside meltdowns, tantrums and preoccupied parents. Steve and I had experienced a version of this carefree, how-about-anotherround beach resort existence at properties with designated adults-only pools, but the magic of those lazy afternoons broke by dinnertime as rambunctious children and their too-tired-tocare parents reminded us of the hotel’s family-friendly vibe.
Hotel Wailea’s founder, Jonathan McManus, said the impetus for opening the property 10 years ago was the desire to reach a couple of important luxury markets that were being left behind: “One being adults who love their children, but not other people’s children, and the LGBTQ+ market, who generally seek smaller, intimate hotels,” he wrote in an email.
Joshua Bush, CEO of Avenue Two Travel, sees interest in adults-only properties increasing as people delay marriage and kids or choose another path altogether. “People are putting more emphasis on self-care and finding time for relaxation after some stressful years,” Bush said, noting that these types of properties typically offer high-end experiences, which means a higher price tag and “catering to an audience with more disposable income.” (Though, of course, there are plenty of super luxe, family-friendly properties around the world.)
As a child-free couple by choice, Steve and I appreciate smaller, intimate hotels with stellar food and beverage pro
grams, and we don’t mind paying for quality. Adultcentric activities, such as cocktail-making classes or in-room couples’ massages (amenities often found at adults-only properties), are attractive.
Phil Dengler and Robin England, a New Jerseybased couple in their 30s (no children yet, but maybe one day, Dengler said) stumbled upon their first adults-only hotel by accident. It was a game changer, according to Dengler, an entrepreneur whose latest digital venture, the Vacationer, is a travel resource. Dengler described Estate Lindholm, a 17-room bed-and-breakfast on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as one of the “most quiet, most peaceful hotels I’ve ever stayed at.” During their stay on St. Thomas, Dengler and England’s alarm clock was a crying baby staying in the room next to theirs. “I love kids, but at [a] point, I just want to sleep,” Dengler said.
Atlanta-based attorney Lizz Patrick, a regular at the adults-only Triple
Creek Ranch in Montana, frequently travels solo and finds it easy to make friends with other likeminded travelers when no kids are around. “I love children. They are wonderful human beings, and they’re wonderful to be around. But there’s a certain element when parents take their children on vacation – they’re obviously focused on their children and their children having fun and being safe,” said Patrick, 58.
When children are absent, so, too, are the accompanying distractions and the inevitable “family pods.” When all the guests are adults, it can “open up the potential to make other