Postcard from the Stars: Your Guide to Sky-Watching Sanctuaries
Dear guests and friends of Secret Retreats
When daylight fades and the sky unfurls its glittering tapestry, the world often softens. Light dims, noise settles, and above you — the stars emerge. Allow me to take you on a journey to six of our retreats where the night sky does more than decorate—it transforms.
Dolkhar Ladakh, India
Perched in the lofty heights of Leh, Dolkhar Ladakh offers a stargazing experience that reaches far beyond the ordinary. Travel to Hanle, standing at 4,500 meters above sea level — India’s pioneering Dark Sky Reserve and one of the planet’s highest vantage points for celestial viewing. In the serene, windless embrace of Ladakh’s night, shooting stars race across the heavens, planets shimmer like beacons, and the Milky Way spills across the sky in luminous detail. Beneath this endless darkness, the cosmos doesn’t just reveal itself — it surrounds you.
Discover Dolkhar now
Madulkelle Tea & Eco Lodge, Sri Lanka
Perched at about 1,000 m in the Knuckles Mountain Range, Madulkelle Tea & Eco Lodge offers a sweet fusion of elevation, lush greenery, and distant horizon edges. The tented lodges have open views of valley skies. On moon-washed nights, fireflies above tea fields flicker; clouds drift low, parting to reveal stars. A drink on the terrace here feels like sitting inside the cosmos.
Discover Madulkelle now
Aloita Resort, Indonesia
On Simakakang Island in the Mentawai Archipelago, Aloita Resort is beautifully beachfront, remote, and serenely unspoiled. With only 10 villas and minimal light pollution, evenings merge with deep darkness over the sea. After a sunset surf or a dinner under palms, the open skies here hold moonlight reflections on water, and stars undisturbed by urban glow.
Discover Aloita now
Topas Ecolodge, Vietnam
Situated in the rugged heights of Hoang Lien National Park above Sapa, Topas Ecolodge offers panoramic night skies seen from rustic stone bungalows. With little ambient light and the valley below falling away into darkness, the view from your private balcony becomes a nightly display: soft insect chorus, a cool breeze, and constellations so sharp it feels possible to touch them.
Discover Topas now
Utsav Camp Sariska, India
Utsav Camp Sariska, set on the edge of Sariska National Park amid the Aravalli hills, gives you an immersive night sky experience. The “Starlight Camp Dinner” under a canopy of stars, bonfires, and the soothing silence of the wild make this a place to unwind—not just under trees, but under constellations. Lights are kept low, and the full sky opens wide above your roof-terrace lounges and stargazing beds.
Discover Utsav Camp Sariska now
Wa Ale Resort, Myanmar
Hidden in the Lampi Marine National Park in southern Myanmar, Wa Ale Resort is surrounded by mangroves, evergreen forests, and coral seas. The resort is remote enough that after sunset, the sky gleams: stars reflected in the quiet water, moonlight on sea, distant waves humming. An open-air bar, dining by night under the stars, and the sense that this sea-sky junction belongs to you alone.
Discover Wa Ale now
Cauayan Island Resort, El Nido, Philippines
On a secluded island retreat in Bacuit Bay, Cauayan Island Resort elevates island luxury into an experience of starlit wonder. From hilltop villas to water-facing terraces, you’ll find secluded spots to quietly watch constellations emerge above the bays and islands. Let the sky’s brilliance be your evening’s finale — no city glare, just the sea, the stars, and your own exhale of awe.
Discover Cauayan now
As always,
Secret Retreats
May you one day lie back in one of these sanctuaries, breath drawn in at the expansiveness above you, heart quiet, wonder immaculate. In these nights, may you remember not just what you saw—but how infinite the sky can make you feel. 🌠
