Want a resort-like experience at your holiday home? Here’s how to make every stay feel like a vacation

From spa-like bathrooms to alfresco dining, here’s how to create a resort-inspired experience at your holiday home

The idea of the holiday home is changing. For many people today, particularly in the premium segment, a second home is no longer simply somewhere to escape to for a few weekends a year. It is increasingly expected to function as an extension of everyday life, a place where people can spend longer periods of time, work when required, entertain friends and family, stay active and, importantly, slow down. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Aditya Kilachand, founder and CEO of Avas Wellness, shared a guide on how you can transform your home.

Design for how you want to live

A resort-like experience begins with design, but not necessarily with extravagance. Some of the most successful holiday homes are those that make everyday routines feel easier. Generous indoor-outdoor spaces, verandahs, courtyards, shaded gardens and areas for entertaining allow families to spend more time outside and together.

“Natural light and ventilation can transform how a home feels, while architecture that responds to its surroundings tends to create a greater sense of escape than simply replicating a city home on a larger plot,” highlighted Aditya.

Natural light and ventilation can transform how a home feels. (Avas Wellness)

Focus on privacy

Privacy is equally important. Aditya highlighted that as second homes increasingly become places for extended family holidays and groups of friends, buyers want spaces that allow people to come together without requiring everyone to follow the same routine. Multiple outdoor areas, independent guest spaces and flexible recreational zones can make a considerable difference.

Incorporate wellness

A gym and swimming pool were once considered sufficient. Yoga and meditation, racquet sports, walking and cycling, recovery, nutrition, sleep and access to nature are all important parts of a holiday home. The objective is not necessarily to fill a development with amenities, but to make healthier habits easier to maintain.

If someone can play a game of padel or tennis, take a yoga class, go for a walk surrounded by greenery and access recovery facilities without having to plan an excursion around it, wellness becomes part of the rhythm of a weekend rather than an activity that needs to be scheduled.

The objective is not necessarily to fill a development with amenities, but to make healthier habits easier to maintain. (Avas Wellness)

Create reasons to return

Ultimately, the best holiday homes are not necessarily those with the longest list of amenities. They are the ones people genuinely want to return to. That requires thinking beyond real estate and considering how you want to spend their time. Can children be outdoors safely? Can grandparents comfortably spend several weeks there? Are there activities for different generations? Can friends visit without compromising privacy? Can an owner work for a few hours and then transition easily into leisure?

What creates the feeling of a resort at home: not excess, but the freedom to move between rest, recreation, wellbeing, nature and time with people you care about, entirely at your own pace.