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After about a million ads and movies reinforcing the image, it seems that we’ve firmly bought in to the image of the holiday as a rarefied deserted island, complete with mod cons. You’re probably picturing it in your head now; the smooth white sandy beach, fringed with swooping palm trees, the foaming breakers rushing against the shore, and glassy azure seas mirroring the perfectly blue sky. There’s most likely a significant other (or even stranger) in some state of undress. And, if you’re feeling whimsical, a macaw or some other exotic and non-threatening creature.

It’s a far cry from the holiday camps many of us were threatened and inflicted with as children, a communal suffering of wind, rain and public humiliation (talent competitions, for grief’s sake!) designed simply to make the rest of the year seem less insufferable. In those days the only people who went on retreat were hippies, unwed mothers-to-be and the insane, sent into isolation until the horrors that separated them from mainstream society had subsided.

Now you can drop the ‘retreat’ word into general conversation without looking like some New Age loon, and isolation has become tourism’s hottest ticket. And is it any wonder that we crave a little solitude when our lives are increasingly ‘social’? Bombarded by a never ceasing barrage of phone calls, emails, facebook requests and instant messages, not to mention face-to-face meeting, the idea of packing up the car and heading for the same beaches as our neighbours is less than appealing.

It may also be a reaction to the growth in large-scale upmarket resorts, like the Las Vegas Casinos boating upwards of a thousand five star rooms and suites. Those resorts have the trappings and trimmings of luxury, but operated on an industrial scale, with hundreds of staff working to maintain the illusion, that personal touch that is the mark of true luxury, is available to none but a select few high rollers.

Operated at a micro level, private resorts and retreats, with their large staff to guest ratios and unshared amenities, are all about the personal experience. Ranging from hyper-luxurious, chef and butler provided private estates to more basic alone-under-the-stars fare, Malaysia, and South East Asia in general, is adapting to this new tourism trend with vigour.

“It’s certainly something that’s definitely on our radar,” explains a spokesperson for YTL Hotels, which manages Malaysia’s most established and world renowned private resort, Pangkor Laut Estates. “We believe that it’s a function of lifestyles today; people are looking for a refreshing change from the day-to-day, and the soul of our resort (PLE) is the people that run it. You have [a] staff that stays with you throughout your stay, they know when to be there and when to step back. And it’s those little touches that make it a holiday.”

It’s a view that is also echoed by Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa’s Group Director Farizal B Jaafar, who adds, “There is definitely a demand and trend towards this kind of travel destination. More and more intimate, private getaways are being introduced throughout the world and guests do not mind travelling thousands of miles or paying thousands to gain the experience that they desire, all for the sake of peace, respite, romance.”

Viewed from a European perspective such isolationist tourism is a relatively new trend, but in Malaysia and much of Asia there is a much more established tradition of private villas and retreats. Many of us make use of corporate and privately owned accommodation like KTMB’s splendidly colonial Glen bungalow in Fraser’s Hill, and hundreds of others dotted around the country.

Against this backdrop, the emergence of a commercial sector of private retreats and resorts has required little re-education on the part of consumers throughout the region, as evidenced by the growing numbers of Japanese and Chinese travellers opting for such personalized holidays. And while there’s precious little hard economic data to support what is essentially a divergent sector of the tourism market, the lower start-up costs of a small bespoke resort make it an area where individual and independent operators can still compete in a market increasingly dominated by international chains.

It’s a rather far cry from the local originators of the trend, the more artistically focused retreats Rimbun Dahan in Kuang, Selangor and Tiger Rock on Pangkor Island. But despite these institutions shunning the commercial limelight, their shared blueprint – a combination of architectural and landscaping excellence that should provide both the space and sanctuary to fuel creative inspiration – is one that can be seen repeated through of the tourist targeted retreats and resorts.

Take Sekeping Serendah, a retreat on the edge of the sleepy town of Serendah in Selangor, just an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur, for example. Created by landscape designer Ng Seksan and his wife, the five ‘sheds’ are an exercise in environmental harmony, cost-efficiency and minimalism and prove that you needn’t spend a fortune to create comfortable, serene surroundings. The result is a series of building whose appearance blends into the jungle slopes of the heavily wooded five-acre site.

Or Roach Reefs Resort, an ‘island’ off the coast of Tawau, Borneo (actually a sunken barge) originally created as a private diving spot and now open to the public. While not providing the same levels of luxury as Pangkor Laut Estates, both are attracting large numbers of local tourists (as well as overseas divers at Roach Reefs).

One such tourist is photographer Jimmy Khoo, who explains: “The architecture at places like Sekeping Serendah is very interesting: there’s an artistic value; the dimensions of the buildings are well thought out, and the use of glass and windows throughout means you’re surrounded by greenery all of the time. And it’s more personal than a big resort; you rent the place and what you do is up to you. You can really relax and let yourself go and just be surrounded by your closest friends.”

Also anticipating the trend seems to be JapaMala the luxury boutique resort based on Tioman Island that is part of the Relaix & Chateaux chain. They are currently putting the finishing touches to two new resorts, JapaMala Lodges and JapaMala Retreat, whose locations are yet to be disclosed but look set to open this year.

And the other big boys are following suit. YTL’s Pangkor Laut Estates may have started organically but with the opening of the Spa Village Resort Tembok Bali, the company looks as though it’s setting its sights on dominating the high end of this market throughout Asia. YTL’s spokesperson adds, “Our guests are discerning travellers and we listen to them, [and what they’re asking for] is to have a unique input into their holiday experience and not a cookie cutter, one-fits-all, approach.”

It’s an attitude that’s being reflected across the industry. The ultra-boutique Four Seasons Resort Langkawi boasts its secluded Royal Villas, another example of a major chain moving away from the kind of large-scale luxury experience it’s known for, and creating a more tailored experience for guests. And appealing to the same opt-out tourism trend are the longer established private Pool Villas offered by Langkawi’s Datai and hillside huts in a jungle sanctuary at Taman Negara Resort.

But perhaps the most telling indication of how far the retreat movement has spread into our consciousness has been the introduction of urban retreats like the Seapark, Petaling Jaya based Brickhouse and The Villas at Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa. While the Brickhouse, with its wifi and yoga mats seems more like the kind of place for executives to work on that all important business pitch away from the complications of the office, The Villas is a full-on escape from the outside world, conjuring the illusion of the jungle complete with lush vegetation and private dining facilities.

Described as a ‘Resort-within-a-city’, according to Farizal B. Jaafar, “The Villas is driven by a philosophy of extending [a] tailor-made individualized service that is designed to facilitate [our guests’] every need and desire; no one experience mirrors another at The Villas.” It’s that ability to move from urban chaos to pastoral tranquillity as if through a portal that attracts us and will determine the longevity of this trend. One that looks rosy if Jimmy Khoo’s views are indicative of a mood in tourism: “[We’re looking for] things that work on a more spiritual level, that take you of your working life and to a slower pace where you have more time to reflect.”

Test is in original unedited form and may differ from printed version.

Copyright Matt Armitage and Zero Degrees 2008.