Somewhere between careers, kids, moving, and the never-ending adult responsibilities, friendships start to take a back seat. Not dramatically, but more of a slow drift that you only notice in retrospect, when you realize it's been eight months since you've
seen that friend that you love.
And research backs this up. Studies show that adult friendships, especially among women, require intentional effort to sustain, and that social connection is one of the strongest predictors of both mental and physical health.
Travel has always been one of the most effective ways to bridge that gap in friendship. But a new concept of travel is growing that goes beyond the typical girls' trip. It's the friendship retreat, and it's more of a dedicated, often wellness-focused
experience designed to deepen connection, not just to spend time in the same place.
Properties across the globe are building specific programming around this idea, and the demand is real.
Here are seven of the best places doing it well.
Raa Atoll, Maldives
JOALI BEING
For the group that wants to go all-in, JOALI
BEING sets the bar. Located on the private island of Bodufushi (a 45-minute seaplane journey north of Malé), the area's first dedicated wellbeing island is rooted in four pillars: mind, skin, microbiome, and energy. It's home to 68 villas and a full
team of specialists, including nutritionists, wellness practitioners, and personal Jadugar butlers who tailor the experience to each guest.
The resort's Wellbeing Together package is available in five-, seven-, or ten-night formats. It was specifically designed for groups, featuring a curated combination of personalized health assessments, creative workshops such as herbology and candle-making,
culinary classes, Turkish hammams, Watsu aquatic therapy, sound baths, and Pilates.
Dining across FLOW — the resort's open-plan space featuring three different kitchens — prioritizes earth-to-table, nutritionist-curated menus that support the wellness work happening throughout the day.
Wi-Fi is available throughout the resort, with one exception: the Areka Wellbeing Zone, where screens are not allowed.
Who’s it for? Few properties in the world offer this level of intentionality around group wellness, and even fewer do it on a private island in the Indian Ocean.
Kemetale. (Photo Credit: Kemetale Media)
Luxor to Aswan, Egypt
Kemetale
This is the most distinctive property on this list, and potentially the most memorable Kemetale is an Egyptian-owned and operated boutique dahabeya — a traditional wooden sailing vessel. It accommodates just eight
cabins as it moves between Luxor and Aswan along the Nile River.
The experience is fundamentally communal. Guests gather around a shared table for family-style meals, disembark together for excursions to temples and local farms, join Sufi celebrations, and spend long, unhurried hours on the boat's deck watching one
of the world's great rivers pass by.
There is no itinerary to optimize, no activity list to work through. The boat's slow pace sets the rhythm for the trip, and its intimate size carries the same sense of peace and connection.
Who’s it for? For a group of friends looking for cultural depth, genuine shared experience, and unhurried time that we rarely experience nowadays, the Nile by dahabeya is undoubtedly worth it.
Ambergris Caye, Belize
Alaia Belize
Stretching across 20 acres on the shore of Ambergris Caye, Alaia
Belize has created a dedicated Bach in Belize/Girls Trip package that works equally well for any close-knit group of friends, not just bachelorette parties.
The offering pairs three-bedroom oceanfront villas with private plunge pools, chef-driven dinners, spa treatments at K’in Spa (whose Mayan-inspired treatments focus on renewal and grounding, and are bookable as a group experience), beach cabanas, and
reef excursions along the UNESCO-designated Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest coral reef system in the world.
The villa design was created with connection in mind. You'll enjoy spacious shared living areas and Caribbean views, creating the ideal conditions for long, uninterrupted conversations that adult friendships rarely get enough of.
Six dining venues and four bars across the property mean evenings can go in any direction the group chooses.
Who’s it for? For friends who want equal parts wellness, adventure, and genuine downtime in a tropical setting, Alaia delivers.
Vermejo, a Ted Turner Reserve. (Photo Credit: Ben Clark)
Colfax, New Mexico
Vermejo, a Ted Turner Reserve
Few properties in America can match Vermejo for sheer scale and screen-free immersion.
Spanning shortgrass prairies to 13,000-foot alpine peaks across a private reserve twice the size of Grand Teton National Park, Vermejo,
a Ted Turner Reserve offers over 45 guided activities that read like a nostalgic summer camp for adults: fly fishing for Rio Grande cutthroat trout, trail riding with horses matched to each guest’s skill level, clay shooting, gravel biking across
nearly 2,000 miles of private roads, and high-country UTV tours to glacial lakes only accessible by the reserve’s backroads.
A Survivor Challenge — complete with a canoe race, archery, flint-and-steel fire-starting, and shelter-building — is exactly the kind of shared physical experience that bonds a group in ways a spa day cannot.
Lodging ranges from intimate historic cottages to a grand turn-of-the-century mansion, and Reserve Ambassadors help co-curate custom itineraries for each group.
Who’s it for? For friends who bond through doing rather than relaxing, Vermejo is one of the most exciting options in the American West.
Carefree, Arizona
CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa
CIVANA's Summer Camp for the Soul may be the most on-point program in this roundup: a three-night women's retreat, intentionally capped at 20-30 participants, running July 23-26 and August 27-30, 2026.
The resort, located in the Sonoran Desert just outside Scottsdale, operates on a philosophy of "happiness first, healthiness always," and the camp program reflects that.
Each day opens with Group Meditation and Intention Setting, moves through a choice of morning classes — Soul Flow, Strike and Sweat, or Pickleball — and afternoon sessions including Aerial Yoga, Conscious Breathwork, Mala Making, or Journaling for Manifestation,
and closes with a chef-prepared communal dinner followed by a Gratitude Circle and Rest Well Tea.
Accommodations, all meals (including a $100 resort credit for breakfast), a 60-minute spa service, and full access to CIVANA’s pools, labyrinth, and cactus garden are included.
Who’s it for? Many women arrive solo and leave with friendships they didn’t anticipate. Those who come with an existing friend group tend to leave knowing each other more deeply. And isn’t that the whole point?
Three Little Bears Retreat. (Photo Credit: Three Little Bears Retreat Media)
Bryson City, North Carolina
Three Little Bears Retreat
Newly opened on over 65 private acres adjoining Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Three
Little Bears Retreat is a safari-style, all-inclusive mountain experience rooted in conservation and Cherokee Nuwati culture.
The accommodations — private one- to four-bedroom cabins filled with explorer artifacts, local artwork, and custom furniture — sleep up to 14 guests, making the property a natural fit for full friend-group buyouts.
Guided daily activities include wildlife safaris in vintage Land Rovers, waterfall hikes, kayaking, e-bike adventures, and archery, alongside quieter offerings at the Nuwati Spa: massage, gentle yoga, and time spent in the mountain air.
Camp Cookery, the retreat's open-flame culinary experience, is based on the recipes of National Park founder Horace Kephart and local Cherokee food culture. It brings groups around a fire in a way that feels grounding rather than performative.
Every stay here contributes to wildlife habitat conservation across the property.
Who’s it for? For friends who want to feel like they’ve actually been somewhere wild, the Smokies don’t disappoint.
Morristown, Arizona
Castle Hot Springs
Nestled in the Hieroglyphic Mountains about 50 miles north of Phoenix, Castle Hot Springs has been welcoming guests since 1896. This Relais & Châteaux property spans 1,100 acres. It operates on a fully all-inclusive model: daily farm-to-table meals, guided
activities, in-room amenities, and 24-hour access to three natural mineral-rich hot spring pools are included with every stay.
The geothermal water (rich in lithium, magnesium, and bicarbonates) feeds pools of varying temperatures that guests can access at any hour, including under a full moon.
Group programming this summer leans into connection: sound baths, guided full moon hikes, apothecary workshops, communal campfire evenings, and outdoor movie nights.
For larger groups, the Top of the Lodge accommodates up to eight guests with expansive gathering spaces and sweeping views of the Bradshaw Mountains.
Who’s it for? With only 34 guest rooms and a strict overnight-guests-only policy, the atmosphere here stays private and unhurried, which is exactly what a friendship retreat needs.
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