Tours worth taking
June 9, 2026 - The original grand tours changed how people saw the world. We make it more personal. Start inside the Vatican at dawn. End with butter lamps in Bhutan. Somewhere along the way, cycle to ancient ruins above the Aegean Sea.
Few travel ideas sound more romantic than the grand tour. The reality can sometimes involve more spreadsheets than spontaneity. At Six Senses, the planning happens in the background. Guides know where to go, leaving you free to enjoy the important part: the experience itself. There’s always somewhere comfortable to come back to, for a long dinner, a restorative treatment, and the sort of deep sleep our properties get right.
Rome after hours
The Eternal City feels surprisingly intimate once the crowds disappear. One evening, you’re stepping through the doors of Santa Maria in Cosmedin after hours, descending into crypts normally closed to the public before standing face to face with the Bocca della Verità in near silence. Another morning begins before sunrise inside the Vatican Museums, wandering through Raphael’s Rooms and the Gallery of the Maps before the city fully wakes up.
Inside Six Senses Rome, the city melts away. Our ancient palazzo, just steps from the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, brings the Roman bathing circuit into a modern city ritual through its caldarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium pools. Then head up to the NOTOS rooftop, where herb-scented cocktails and sharing platters arrive as the light fades over the skyline.
Families settle in easily too. Connecting suites, mocktail-making workshops, Earth Lab sessions, and gladiator games keep younger travelers entertained between sightseeing stops, with homemade gelato quickly finding its place in the daily schedule.
Our current family offers make it easier to turn a city break into a longer Roman holiday.
Your royal stroll through Bhutan
Bhutan has a habit of resetting your sense of scale. One morning starts with meditation overlooking the Buddha Dordenma high above Thimphu. Another finds you crossing the country’s longest suspension bridge above rushing river valleys on the way to Punakha Dzong. A few days later, you’re climbing (and climbing) toward Tiger’s Nest monastery with prayer flags fluttering against the mountainside and wondering how this magical Himalayan Kingdom can possibly be real.
At Six Senses Bhutan, the grand tour becomes something closer to a modern pilgrimage with a choice of journeys that move through the five valleys. We handle all the details: knowledgeable guides and skilled drivers, routes between valleys, monastery visits, lunches, and lodge-to-lodge planning across the Kingdom. Every lodge feels entirely different, from the pine forests surrounding Six Senses Thimphu’s Palace in the Sky to the rice fields below Six Senses Punakha’s Flying Farmhouse and the medieval fortress ruins beside Six Senses Paro.
Breakfast with young monks inside a hilltop monastery. Lighting 108 butter lamps during a blessing ceremony. Sipping pomegranate martinis beside the confluence of the Pho Chhu (father) and Mo Chhu (mother) rivers, while Punakha Dzong sits ablaze in the last of the evening sun. Hiking up to Kayche La Pass at 12,140 feet (3,700 meters), sharing the sky-high views with the legendary, black-necked cranes. Somewhere along the way, Bhutan’s philosophy of Gross National Happiness starts making a lot of sense.
Back at each lodge, the rhythm stays reassuringly familiar: warm hospitality, deep sleep, excellent food, and a guide adjusting the journey around your interests as you go. Perhaps a game of archery, Bhutan’s national sport. Maybe a nourishing Swedana steam ritual or traditional dotsho hot stone bath.
Seasonal offers include complimentary nights and experiences across selected journeys, making it easier to spend longer exploring the Kingdom rather than racing through it. We’re on hand to answer questions and help plan your itinerary. Start the conversation by emailing us at reservations-bhutan@sixsenses.com.
The Aegean in motion
Some days at Six Senses Kaplankaya begin on the water. Others start high above it, hiking through the Latmos Mountains past olive groves scattered with giant boulders and 8,000-year-old petroglyphs overlooking Lake Bafa. Pop into a Byzantine-period monastery complete with frescoes and impressive Hellenistic ruins before relaxing by the lake in Kapıkırı over a traditional Turkish brunch. You’ll wonder why more hikes don’t end this way.
The Sacred Way e-bike route brings a different perspective. Starting at the Temple of Apollo in Didyma, the trail follows stretches of coastline, village roads, and bird-filled wetlands before reaching the ancient city of Miletus. There’s enough history here to fill several lifetimes, although most guests are usually happy enough with the picnic lunch. Your legs have earned it.
Back in our spa, the mood shifts from movement to recovery. Turkish hammams, Watsu pools, yoga platforms above the Aegean, and wellness screenings for guests curious about everything from sleep to longevity make a convincing argument for staying another day.
Summer offers currently include seasonal savings on longer stays, making it easier to settle into the rhythm of the coastline properly instead of trying to squeeze everything into a long weekend.
Some journeys are about seeing the world. These ones have a habit of changing the way you move through it.