The Island That Time Forgot

There are escapes, and then there is Sark. Reached by ferry and untouched by the combustion engine, this tiny Channel Island exists in a realm entirely its own — and at its beating heart sits Stocks Hotel, the island's oldest and most distinguished retreat. What greets you here is what the hospitality industry so rarely delivers: genuine, unhurried calm. Horse-drawn carriages clatter past wildflower hedgerows, the Atlantic air is bracingly clean, and the only traffic you'll encounter is a fellow guest wandering barefoot towards the heated pool.

Stocks has undergone a sympathetic refurbishment that honours its historic bones while layering in every contemporary comfort a discerning traveller might wish for. The result is what the hotel itself calls 'barefoot elegance' — and the phrase is perfectly chosen. Evenings begin with something warming in the gloriously named Smugglers Bar, before moving through to the restaurant where international cuisine is prepared with the kind of care that mirrors the island's own unhurried philosophy. Book direct for four nights or more and the hotel will even arrange your ferry crossing as a gift — a gesture that speaks volumes about the warmth of the welcome here.

Sark is not for those who need to be everywhere at once. It is, rather, for couples who have remembered what it feels like to be nowhere but here. Stocks Hotel is the finest possible reason to make the journey.