Skip to main content

Check Out the Ocean Views at these Stunning Seaside Retreats

By Jahla Seppanen Aug 6, 2021 7:45 AM

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

From sea to shining sea, we scoured the globe to find the most surreal seaside retreats to book for your next vacation. And, as if you needed another excuse: scientists have proven being near the water makes us happier, calmer, and more content.

Sea you out there …

Recommended Videos

Manshausen Island Resort (Norway)

Manshausen Seacabins 3 min

Sixty-two miles into the Arctic Circle, Steigen, Norway is home to some of the most remote vacation cabins in Europe. At the Manshausen Island Resort in the Steigen Archipelago, visitors lodge in modest yet modern rooms suspended over the Barents Sea, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows opening up to sights of the dramatic Lofoten mountains in the distance. Stinessen Arkitektur paid special attention to the island topography when designing the Resort, with cabins on the stone quays giving the illusion of floating over the calm aqua water. But from any place you stand, sit, relax, and walk, the overwhelming presence of the sea takes charge, some days are clear and calm while others are moody with white fog drifting in. This set of holiday seacabins have been rated nothing shy of 5 stars.

Seascape at Lyford Cay (Bahamas)

1 of 3

best resorts seaside ocean bahamas seascape 46 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean bahamas seascape 00 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean bahamas seascape 39 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Poet Anne Stevenson said, “The sea is as near as we come to another world.” This could not be more true in the case of the Caribbean seascape mansion, accurately named “Seacape.” With seven bedrooms (five of which have seascape views), and nine bathrooms, your stay at Seascape also includes a personal chef, butler, and two housekeepers, which means you can spend all your time on your private oceanfront terrace, swaying in a hammock, and strolling your private beach. Snorkel on a coral reef just a few feet away (also private just for you). But most surreal is the calm and clear Caribbean water stretching from horizon to horizon, giving you all the #feels. The owner designed this luxury rental to have the aura of a Greek temple… and you’ll be paying a good Euro or two for it. But we’d like to believe it’s hard to put a price tag on heaven.

Naman Retreat (Vietnam)

1 of 3

best resorts seaside ocean pool villa 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean pool villa 5 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean image purespa gallery 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Marine Biologist Wallace J. Nichols wrote an entire book about why being near the water makes us happier and healthier. In fact, the book Blue Mind is subtitled: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do. If a seascape alone can evoke these responses, Naman Retreat will triple the affects. This Vietnamese seafront resort is famous for its physical and mental treatments that promote good health, like energy healing spa services, yoga, and beach sports. Enhanced by the architectural harmony of greenery, stone, bamboo, are private bungalow infinity pools that drop off to seaside swells. Rejuvenate yourself with salty breezes and relaxing visions.

Seascape Retreat (New Zealand)

1 of 5

best resorts seaside ocean seascape 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean seascape 3 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean seascape 4 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean seascape 6 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean seascape 7 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Designed for honeymooners (wedding season starts in late May), New Zealand’s outlying Seascape Retreat uses an interlocking geometry design to promote a wide outlook along the face of a private cove with far-off views of “The Comb” rock spire. Steps from the rocky beach, the design was etched with a purpose to be as natural as organic parts and structures coming from the earth. Hence the three-room rental pulls solely from the colors, textures, and quarried rocks of its surrounding, with a roof that extends the hilly grass onto its escarpment. And that deck, ugh! Worthy of an ancient God! Never take your eyes off the sea, even from the comforts of the covers, you lovebirds.

Seascape at Pointe Milou (Saint Barthelemy)

1 of 5

best resorts seaside ocean st barts seascape 01 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean st barts seascape 11 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean st barts seascape 19 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean st barts seascape 22 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

best resorts seaside ocean st barts seascape 28 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

From the pool deck at “Seascape” in St. Barts you’ll see nothing but turquoise pool melting into deep blue sea that seamlessly transitions into an azure of sky. Offering panoramic views of the ocean, this home on the edge of Pointe-Milou is drenched in sunshine and designed with exotic woods, sliding glass panel doors, and enough lounge and sleep space for 12 guests. (Don’t be stingy with your seascape.) Not close enough to the water for you? Follow the private path down to the cove and spend the hour with your toes in the cool tropical waves. While it’s plenty comfortable inside, with modern touches and high-end appliances (even a fitness center), every part of this retreat draws you out to bask in the seascape. Answer the call.

Born and raised off-the-grid in New Mexico, Jahla Seppanen is currently a sports, fitness, spirits, and culture writer in… Read Full Bio

5 Tips If You’re Traveling With Cigars: I Learned No. 2 the Hard Way

Wood, Hardwood, Accessories

Traveling with cigars can be challenging if you’re not prepared. The lack of preparation can lead to your favorite cigars getting smashed from inadequate storage, or they can peel because they weren’t kept at the proper temperature, among other issues. Sometimes you do all the right things, and still come away shaking your head.

I’ve been smoking cigars for two decades now, and it’s not beneath me to admit that I’ve made plenty of cigar travel mistakes in that span, and as recently as two weeks ago. You live, you learn, and hope you don’t waste a stogie on the next trip. My most recent cigar travel mistake is what inspired me to share these tips. Sure, there are plenty of articles out there offering similar advice. But this list comes from a cigar smoker and writer who has visited six countries and about a dozen states in the last year alone. And in that time, mistakes were made, and lessons were learned.

The art of adventure packing: packing light but effective

Clothing, Coat, Jacket

If you are like me, you grew up with stories of adventure. Whether you were fans of fictional adventure like Indiana Jones and Alan Quartermain, or you loved the true-life accounts of Ernest Shackleton and David Livingstone, there is a deep pull to venture into the unknown. The desire to abandon the Mon-Fri 9-5 in search of something deeper. You could spend your time thinking about hopping a boat and sailing the seven seas like the pirates of old. You could look up at the elusive peak of a mountain and believe it begs to be summited. You could stare into the depths of a jungle and wonder what treasures it hides beneath its canopy. No matter what kind of adventurer you are, you need to be prepared for whatever the world throws at you. I have climbed Salkantay Peak and explored the jungles of Peru. I have scanned the plains of Africa in search of a giant cat (the prospect of which was much more comforting than the actual sighting and wondering if I was far enough away). And I have disappeared into the secluded areas of Svalbard. One thing that remained constant was the need for the right pack.

Here is what I learned when packing for my adventures.

Savannah Beyond the Postcard

Architecture, Building, Spire

Savannah is one of those cities that seems almost too easy to like. The live oaks are dramatic. The Spanish moss does exactly what it is supposed to do. The brick sidewalks buckle in all the right places. The houses look like they were designed by people who understood proportion, shade, and the value of a proper front step. Even the light seems to arrive with better manners than it does in most places.

I have a built-in advantage when it comes to Savannah. We have family there, so we have been back several times, not just once for the checklist version of the city. I have also done a photography workshop there, which is a terrific way to learn any city. You get up early, stay out late, and pay attention to alleys, doorways, ironwork, reflections, and the way a city changes when the tourists are still asleep.