Escape from your email and mobile phone

published 22 August 2008

Gone are the days when a holiday was a haven of peace. Today, the ceaseless beeping of BlackBerries and mobile phones is as irritatingly commonplace poolside as speedos. According to a recent survey, of the 25% of us who even get around to taking our full holiday entitlement, a third check emails, phone in to offices and, worst of all, keep mobiles on at all times.

It all adds up to a good reason to head to the Terelj Hotel in Mongolia the nearest BlackBerry coverage is 1,200km away in Beijing. The five-star hotel is surrounded by "the vast, sweeping vistas" of the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, says Cond Nast Traveller, and doesn't skimp on luxury, having a spa and numerous suites. And if you really want to get away from it all as if being in Mongolia isn't enough you can also stay overnight in one of the hotel's wilderness yurts.

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If you'd like your peace closer to home, try the Fabriken Furillen hotel on the Swedish island of Gotland. The hotel is a BlackBerry-friendly zone, but also offers "hermits' cabins" a brief cycle ride from the hotel, to which guests are encouraged not to take mobiles. Each cabin is "essentially a shed in woodland next to the Baltic Sea", says Oliver Bennett in The Daily Telegraph. They have no electricity or running water, but "inside, it was rather lovely, with tea lights, artfully placed pebbles and grey sheepskin rugs".

Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge in Uganda offers a chance to escape the office while also getting up close and personal with some of the world's most endangered animals. BlackBerry coverage "comes and goes" in the area around the hotel. So turn the machines off and enjoy a stay in one of the hotel's "classy but cosy" cottages, says Cond Nast Traveller. There is plenty to keep you occupied here, from volcano-walking to exploring the neighbouring Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

Ruth Jackson-Kirby is a freelance personal finance journalist with 17 years’ experience, writing about everything from savings accounts and credit cards to pensions, property and pet insurance.

Ruth started her career at MoneyWeek after graduating with an MA from the University of St Andrews, and she continues to contribute regular articles to our personal finance section. After leaving MoneyWeek she went on to become deputy editor of Moneywise before becoming a freelance journalist.

Ruth writes regularly for national publications including The Sunday Times, The Times, The Mail on Sunday and Good Housekeeping, among many other titles both online and offline.