Who knew a tennis lesson could be a metaphor for life? Forty-five minutes into a session with the tennis pro at Amanyara, a secluded, exclusive beachfront Aman resort in Turks and Caicos, I’ve learned I need to loosen up, slow down, and use less power. Tell me about it, I mumble to myself, sweat dripping down my back. I’m on my second of four activities today—the first was snorkeling around the world’s third-largest barrier reef, with a bike ride and a sunset swim to come later—still trying to shake off the N.Y.C. pace I inadvertently packed on this trip. 

Thankfully, wellness-driven Aman resorts are designed as places to let go of the worries of the world: to rest, reset, and not make many decisions beyond what time to have dinner. Serenity can come at a high price: standalone one-bedroom pavilions start at $1,700++ a night, heavy on the “plus.” Newly refurbished three- to six-bedroom villas, set above reflective ponds and black infinity pools, have personal hosts and private chefs. The top-end Artist Villa, no. 33, claims its own private stretch of white-sand beach, though it’s easy to be distracted by the 108-foot infinity swimming pool overlooking the ocean, state-of-the-art gym with Peloton bikes and a Pilates Reformer machine, steam room and cold plunge pool, and a recording studio (for the artists); during high season, this five-bedroom villa costs anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 a night. Here, on the northwestern coast of Providenciales, deep within an 18,000-acre nature preserve, sky-high hedges shelter guests like this is Bel-Air on the beach; stillness is a vibe.  

“You don’t get people here saying I wish I did more,” says Mili Jovovic, destination sales manager for Amanyara. “They actually cancel more—[they] want to spend a day at the beach with kids.” Though if Amanyara didn’t want us to do more, why tempt us with more physical activities than an Equinox? At the Clubhouse, I can choose from any of the following: tennis, boxing classes, yoga, pilates, pickleball, basketball, soccer, beach volleyball, bocce, ping pong, billiards, shuffleboard, or padel tennis on one of three new outdoor lit courts. The coup de grace, though, is the “Legends” program, dare-to-dream clinics with sports icons that became a hallmark of Amanyara the minute they started in 2021. 

Each year, a rarified set of guests (upwards of 12) has the ability to book a retreat with, say, Grand Slam legends Novak Djokovic or Maria Sharapova; U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez and semifinalist Frances Tiafoe. Basketball geeks have trained with five-time NBA All-Star Kevin Love, and NFL fans got to pretend they were at preseason with Seattle Seahawk defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. The pros help you hone technical skills, but they may also assist with the mental game: Djokovic recently hosted a three-day Mobility and Recovery retreat, and has been known to bring in his personal cardio coach. This June, freediving champion Alexey Molchanov (a 41-time world record holder) will lead a four-day “Depth of Breathing Discovery Retreat” designed for just about anyone: athletes, executives, or more general wellness practitioners. 

Enticing visitors with the promise of quality time with celebrities or professional athletes isn’t new, but going on vacation with them? Dissecting your serve with one of the world’s greatest players at cocktail hour? That’s special. Wellness resorts with built-in loyalty, like Aman with its “Amanjunkies” and Canyon Ranch devotees, offer the best opportunities to die-hards in the know. In January, Broadway darling Sutton Foster personally invited fans to join her—to “dance, move, and reconnect with yourself”—at a weekend-long Berkshires retreat at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts. She shared the video on her Instagram feed, dressed in her best approximation of a “normal person” (knitted beanie, no makeup), walking through the woods while speaking to the camera in a tone best described as “babbling brook.” Come dance and meditate with me, she murmured. Just sign up at the link in bio.

What?! It’s hard not to feel loyal to a place that makes your wildest dreams—the ones you never knew to have—come true. This is not the holiday where you connect with the local community. It’s a more traditional notion of luxury, focused on the individual’s needs: for privacy or self-discovery; the best in food, drink, and design; attentive butlers and coaches. Don’t expect to lift a finger—unless the tennis pro tells you to adjust your grip.