Photo Credit: Paws Up Montana
From a treetop hideaway in Montana to an open-air sanctuary overlooking the Caribbean, these six retreats make nature part of the experience of staying in.
In 2018, I sat in a room at Paws Up Montana listening to plans for the Green O, adults-only accommodations where guests could feel immersed in nature without sacrificing the comforts of luxury accommodations. At the time, few luxury resorts in the United States were offering anything quite like it.
Today, more luxury hotels and resorts are finding creative ways to blur the boundaries between indoors and out. Walls of glass frame mountain views, open-air suites invite in the sounds of the forest, and thoughtful architecture makes the surrounding landscape part of the experience.
From Montana to the Caribbean and Norway, these six retreats make the restorative feeling of being outdoors part of the experience, even when you're inside.
Photo Credit: Paws Up Montana
Paws Up Montana | Greenough, Montana
Set within the forests of Paws Up’s 37,000-acre ranch, the green o’s 12 freestanding hauses come in four distinct architectural styles, each designed with expansive glass walls that bring the surrounding landscape indoors.
The two-story Tree Haus rises among towering pines, with floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the forest in every season. Two private decks, one on the second floor and another off the bedroom, offer an even closer connection to the outdoors. Whether the trees are covered in snow or the forest is lush and green, the view is part of the experience.
Photo Credit: Jade Mountain
Jade Mountain | Soufrière, Saint Lucia
Jade Mountain's Sanctuaries have no fourth wall. Perched above Saint Lucia's Caribbean coastline, each Sanctuary opens straight onto the view.
Twenty four of the 29 Sanctuaries have private infinity pools. With in-room spa treatments, butler services and private dining, there’s little reason to leave, except to head to the beach or go for a hike. When I stayed, my favorite moments were the simplest: floating in my own pool, looking out at the Pitons.
Photo Credit: Baros Maldives
Baros Maldives | North Malé Atoll, Maldives
At Baros Maldives, the villas were built around the island rather than the other way around.
Instead of clearing the landscape, the resort tucked its Beach Villas into the existing jungle and shoreline, among mature palms, dense greenery and flowering plants. The result looks less like a resort than an island that happens to have villas on it. The same thinking extends to Serenity Spa, where four private treatment suites have outdoor rainfall showers and bathtubs set within tropical gardens. Here, even a bath becomes an opportunity to spend time outdoors.
Photo Credit: Singita Lebombo
Singita Lebombo | Kruger National Park, South Africa
Singita Lebombo sits on a cliff above the N'wanetsi River in Kruger National Park, and its loft-style suites take their cue from the eagles nests on the cliffs nearby.
Each suite opens onto a private deck where guests can sleep under the stars. Inside, glass walls, natural wood and earthy textures carry the colors of the bush indoors, and even the freestanding bathtub feels like it belongs to the landscape. A 2026 refurbishment introduced interiors inspired by the textures of earth and bark, along with operable windows that let the fresh air and sounds of the wilderness to drift indoors.
Photo Credit: Hotel Belmar
Artista at Hotel Belmar | Monteverde, Costa Rica
In Costa Rica's Monteverde cloud forest, Hotel Belmar's new Artista collection is designed with rest in mind.
The ten villas feature warm, low lighting designed to support natural circadian rhythms. The soundtrack is the forest itself. Select villas have private studios for reading, writing or simply sitting still.
The architecture reinforces that sense of quiet. Contemporary mountain design meets locally sourced materials and Costa Rican craftsmanship, with bedrooms connected by glass-enclosed passageways and private terraces with saltwater plunge pools set into the forest. The collection was built with low-impact construction and ecological restoration in mind.
Photo Credit: The Norrøna Lodge at Andørja
The Norrøna Lodge at Andørja | Andørja, Norway
Opening June 2027
On a remote island along Norway's northern coast, The Norrøna Lodge at Andørja will have just 15 cabins, each with floor-to-ceiling glass, a fireplace and a bathtub, allowing guests to watch the mountains and fjords from the warmth of their rooms.
Designed with Dark Arkitekter, the timber cabins will stand on poles to protect the ground and vegetation beneath them, and there will be no road access on the property.
Two saunas, outdoor hot tubs and cold dips in the fjord will offer a traditional Nordic thermal experience, with the midnight sun will extend the opportunity to enjoy the landscape during the summer.
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