Sleep, the Ultimate Travel Companion

Wherever you may roam, the one companion it’s wise to keep close is sleep. It’s the plus one that enriches every trip. Not just Shakespeare’s ‘chief nourisher in life’s feast’, sleep is linked to looking well, feeling well and even longevity.

Poets and physicians alike have long known its worth — a wisdom that travels well, whether the setting is a city skyline or an open coastline. At the shore, sea air becomes nature's original nightcap. Crashing waves release negative ions that lift serotonin; the breeze cools core temperature. At Verdura Resort, on Sicily's southern coast, the soothing scent of orange blossom is in the air, and a five-minute stroll leads to the resort's own beach where natural light at dawn and dusk helps reset the body's circadian rhythm.

Across the island at Villa Igiea, tiered gardens lead to the Gulf of Palermo and many rooms have terraces directly over the water. Here, let the rhythmic pulse of the ocean become its own soundtrack, slowing the breath and easing the mind.

Elsewhere, well-spent days shape your night just as much as evening rituals and at Brown’s Hotel in bustling Mayfair, a new bedtime ritual is brewing. Executive Chef Andrew Sawyer is developing a sleepy-time tea, growing herbs onsite and experimenting with seasonal varieties: lemon balm, used for centuries to promote calm, and mint to relax the muscles. 

If sleep is fitful, lack of cognitive energy can dim the next day. When it's well behaved, it boosts alertness and skin-cell turnover with a recent Harvard University study showing that good-quality sleep could add almost five years to life expectancy. For Irene Forte, Wellness Consultant for Rocco Forte Hotels, it's a travel essential: “Sleep is where the body repairs itself at a cellular level. This is why we've approached it as a science, not an afterthought. I am an advocate for the benefits of sleep and for tools that help me relax and de-stress, such as mindfulness."

That same instinct for mindfulness lends itself to early mornings, long before the day has properly woken up. When in the city, head for a spot of green to soak up the first rays, such as the Old Botanical Gardens in Munich, moments from The Charles Hotel. Or in Rome where Hotel de Russie’s Secret Garden rises through tiered levels thick with greenery, each one a further step away from the urban melee. Climb to the top, and there's a stillness to be found, well suited to a meditation practice and clearing the mind. 

At any time of day, the spa is central to a deeper sleep, supporting a luxurious snooze or a quality night with true relaxation. At The Carlton in Milan, a head massage at the Forte Vita Bar encourages the body to shift into its natural rest-and-digest state, activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Indeed, Italy has long understood the value of rituals that bring the body back to rest, particularly in Rome, where the ancient art of bathing offers another route to restoration. At Hotel de la Ville, the Irene Forte Spa reimagines this centuries-old ritual through a journey of heat, cool water and quiet relaxation, resetting the nervous system after a whirlwind city pace. 

Perhaps though, the best sleep comes when we stop trying to find it, and simply create the conditions for it. A walk by the sea, the rhythm of waves, a quiet garden, a restorative treatment or a few unhurried hours in a beautiful room can all help the body and mind settle. And when they do, the day’s discoveries have a way of becoming tomorrow’s bedtime stories.

Take time to slow down, settle in and discover the restorative side of travel with Rocco Forte Hotels.