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From Lake Como to Thailand: 20 of the world's most unforgettable spa hotels, tested by us
From lakeside escapes to tropical retreats, GH has tested a spa hotel for everyone
If you want to combine your next spa getaway with a trip abroad, we’ve found the best overseas spa hotels to head to. The GH beauty team has been busy trying out the dreamiest spa getaways in the world, from city breaks, beach resorts and exotic long-haul retreats, to find the ones that will help you really unwind in style.
These are our favourite spa hotels around the world.
Coquillade Provence, France
There’s a stone outside Coquillade Provence carved with six words – La Vie, Le Vin, Le Vélo – and it couldn’t be more apt a motto. Because wine is truly at the centre of everything here. Far more than just a luxury boutique hotel, Coquillade is a beautifully restored 11th-century stone hamlet in the Luberon, surrounded by acres of its own vineyards.
Guests can enjoy the fermented fruits of Coquillade’s labours in many ways, not least at the spa. A vinotherapy specialist, it offers massages, scrubs and wraps powered by the antioxidant richness of grapes – all utterly intoxicating. The spa also celebrates the surrounding lavender fields. There’s a lovely phytotherapy selection, co-created with a local herbalist. Sadly, my stay came too early to see Coquillade’s own flowers, but my soothing Blue Gold Massage, using warm pouches of Provençal lavender, felt every bit as life-affirming.
It’s not all about ancient remedies, though. The spa has just added myBlend, a French skincare brand centred on cutting-edge diagnostic facials. After submitting to a cocktail of hydration, exfoliation and LED light, I felt rejuvenated and dazed in the loveliest way.
I had a similar dream-like sensation when I was shown to my home from home: the Luberon Suites. Prepare to immediately video-call everyone you’d like to show off to, because this new wing of ultra-luxurious suites has to be seen to be believed. Each one even has its own whirlpool on a private terrace, with views over the vineyards, paired with a bottle of rosé on ice. What better way to immerse yourself in Provence?
I also took an afternoon to experience the third part of the hotel motto, le vélo. Coquillade’s cycling centre has everything a serious Lycra enthusiast could hope for, but it’s also delighted to accommodate nervy e-bike amateurs. Our guide led us on quiet roads as we wound our way up to the gorgeous hilltop village of Roussillon. A true high point.
Back at the hotel, we rounded off the day with bistro delights at Les Vignes: Charolais fillet, frites and Crêpes Suzette flambéed tableside, all washed down with our favourites from the hotel’s vineyard tasting tour. The wine labels are etched with the coquillade itself: a migratory lark famed for its unerring return to the same spot year after year. After such a magical stay, I could fully understand that choice of name. - Lynne Hyland
Hubertus Mountain Refugio Allgäu, Germany
Hubertus Mountain Refugio is built around an ethos it calls ‘Holistic Life’ – an approach to wellness that combines nature, movement and, crucially, proper rest. If your nervous system is running on notifications and coffee, arriving here feels like someone has pressed a very luxurious reset button.
Set in the peaks of Bavaria’s Allgäu region, the hotel emerges from the mountains after a winding drive through the valley – all timber, glass and clean, contemporary lines. The chalet feel continues in the bedrooms, with warm wood finishes and minimal tech. Mine had a balcony overlooking the valley and came with a cosy kit of blanket, hot-water bottle and furry shrug to encourage lingering in the crisp air.
The centrepiece spa spans several levels, making the most of its spectacular setting. Swim to the edge of the heated outdoor infinity pool and it’s just you, a sheet of water and endless mountain views.
Inside, guests drift between herb-scented steam rooms, panoramic saunas and relaxation areas. I especially loved the halotherapy salt room, where the mineral-rich air supports respiration and relaxation. I went in intending to read and instead fell fast asleep.
If you prefer self-care with a side of adrenaline, there are ice bathing sessions at the lake under expert supervision. With someone calmly talking you through the initial shock, the icy sting gives way to remarkable clarity. For something gentler, the sound bath uses singing bowls and gongs to melt away tension.
Food is another highlight. Breakfast showcases local produce, while dinner is a multi-course celebration of seasonal regional ingredients. Afternoon cake – perhaps Black Forest gateau one day, warm apple strudel the next – is served with coffee or herbal tea. It’s entirely consistent with the hotel's philosophy that enjoyment is an essential part of wellbeing.
As evening falls across the mountains, guests gather in the courtyard with wool blankets as a harpist plays into the twilight. It's a simple ritual, but one that perfectly captures the dreamy, unhurried atmosphere.
Whether you're hiking at sunrise, soaking in the outdoor hot tub, enjoying a glowy facial, or simply watching clouds drift through the mountains, it’s impossible not to switch off here. I left feeling clearer, lighter and reluctant to swap the mountain air for the city. - Maria Kumar
Ikos Kissamos, Crete
If you think you know what to expect from an all-inclusive Mediterranean holiday, IKOS will change your mind. No wristbands, no buffet fatigue, and definitely no feeling that you’re trapped on the same patch of land 24/7 to get your money’s worth.
Kissamos is IKOS’s first foray into Crete, and it’s already top-notch. We’re talking slick service, high-end dining, incredible sporting facilities, a dazzling array of activities for all ages, and thoughtful ways to connect with the world beyond the hotel.
I stayed in a Deluxe Collection village, which makes Kissamos feel even more luxurious. One of its perks is two (wonderful) aromatherapy back and shoulder massages per suite, per stay. Try not to squabble over who gets them! If you’re holidaying with family, an excellent kids’ programme makes it easy to carve out grown-up spa time.
Wellness extends into an impressive schedule of fitness classes, alongside tennis, padel, volleyball, canoeing and paddle boarding. The facilities are so inspiring that even I, a renowned holiday slug, had squeezed in pilates, HIIT and circuits classes. Before breakfast as well! Who is this person?
Perhaps someone who’d seen the dining options and wanted to fit into her cossie by the end of the stay! There are six a la cartes, covering Greek, Italian, Mediterranean, French, Asian and Peruvian, plus a genuinely boredom-proof buffet. I especially loved the Thai cuisine at Anaya, overlooking the beach.
A neat extra touch is the Dine Out programme, which allows you to eat (all-inclusive style, of course) at a curated choice of local restaurants. You’re also given complimentary use of a Mini Countryman to explore Crete’s coves, ruins and rugged coastline. The only challenge? Summoning up the will to leave such a blissful bubble in the first place. - Lynne Hyland
British Airways Holidays (britishairways.com/crete) offers seven nights all-inclusive from £2,329pp, including flights from London Heathrow. Rooms cost from around £403 a night all-inclusive.
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SALT of Palmar
There are plenty of beautiful beach hotels in Mauritius, but few feel as rooted in the island as SALT of Palmar. Sitting on the peaceful east coast near Bras d’Eau National Park, it’s more boutique hideaway than polished five-star resort – and all the more charming for that. The setting is jaw-dropping, with the Indian Ocean just steps from the rooms, and while it might not have the scale or opulence of some of the island’s grand resorts, it has genuine warmth. It’s one of those places you’re tempted not to tell people about in case it gets spoiled.
With just a handful of rooms, everything feels personal here. The team are nearly all local and they’re passionate ambassadors for their country. The Keen on Green dining concept celebrates local organic produce and every meal is fresh and delicious – proving that healthy food can still be indulgent.
The hotel’s Wellness Warrior programme is designed to slow you down – and it succeeds. As well as daily yoga and gentle forest treks, I visit the nearby Brahma Kumaris meditation centre. The surroundings are modest – lace tablecloths and old-fashioned armchairs, rather than minimalist Zen – but the session itself is seriously effective. I sleep brilliantly afterwards and return home with breathing and mindfulness techniques I still use today.
The SALT Equilibrium Spa is small but perfectly formed. Treatments utilise the healing properties of natural salts, blended with essential oils. My Salt Revitalisation Journey combines a soothing massage with mineral-rich salt therapy that leaves me feeling noticeably lighter. Beforehand, there’s time in the Himalayan salt room, being soothed into tranquillity by mineral-rich air and the hypnotic colour-changing lighting. I’d like that in the GH office!
You’re also nourished from the inside here. One morning, I join Chef Shiva’s cookery class, preparing a sensational (though I say so myself) heart of palm salad. Eating in the hotel’s open-air beach restaurant is definitely one of the highlights of this enchanting little hotel.
SALT of Palmar doesn’t need marble lobbies or extravagant luxury to make an impression. It offers something more personal: exceptional food, heartfelt hospitality and an authentic connection to Mauritius. It’s the kind of place that reminds you what proper relaxation feels like. I’ve let you in on the secret – but promise not to mention it to anyone else. – Jane Bruton
Storfjord Hotel, Norway
The Storfjord Hotel is a place so rooted in the natural world that arriving here feels like you’ve stumbled across Mother Nature’s most well-tended terrain. Surrounded by mountains, majestic forests and inky-blue water, it’s like a fairytale come true.
The turf-roofed timber lodge is part of 62°Nord’s luxury adventure hospitality portfolio, and it’s situated in the heart of the eponymous Storfjord valley. It’s a 30-key property that feels smaller still, with wood-panelled walls and crackling fires keeping things cosy. Only the natural wonders that lie outside are powerful enough to pull you from a reading nook.
Stepping across the threshold of my room all I see are Norwegian pines. Square windows substitute a wall on the far side, through which I’m offered up a soothing scene of trees swaying in the wind. When I open the window and notice the soporific soundtrack, I feel like I’m being cradled by the forest’s canopy.
The spa serves as a reminder that small can still be mighty when it comes to making space for switching off. The real standout feature of this one is its incredible proximity to the natural world, which its designer has mirrored with natural materials that consciously bring the outside in.
Extra points awarded for the home-baked cookies scattered on plates throughout, serving as a post-massage snack. (You just don’t see baked goods in spas enough.)
A trip by boat to their sister hotel, Union Oye, is highly encouraged – you’ll be rewarded with the opportunity to dip below the water’s surface then warm up in the floating sauna in the middle of the fjords.
The food at Storfjord sits at the height of Scandi seasonality – with our menu comprising fresh shellfish, local reindeer fillet and can’t-believe-how-good-this-is caviar.
We also discovered a phrase the Nords live by: ‘Ut på tur, aldri sur’, which translates to ‘out on a trip, never in a bad mood’. And whether hiking around the Sunmøre Alps, swimming in the fjords or swapping between saunas and outdoor hot tubs, it rang true. Life’s stresses simply loosen their grip after just a few hours here. - Florence Reeves-White
The Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury, Mauritius
Imagine paradise, with all the colour temperature filters slid up to maximum vibrancy, and you still won’t come close to the brilliance and beauty of the Royal Palm Beachcomber Luxury. This five-star Mauritian beach pearl is so perfect that if you weren’t standing there in person, with the pristine white-powder sand beneath your toes and the turquoise Indian ocean glinting in front of you, you’d swear it was CGI.
It’s not just picture-perfect either; every part of this experience feels like stepping into a ‘how is this happening to me?’ dream world. Bring arnica to deal with bruises from pinching yourself.
Once your eyes have adjusted and your heart rate slowed, it’s time to step out of the sunshine and into the shaded serenity of the spa, with its thatched wellness pavilion, steam baths, and treatment cabins set around palm-fringed plunge pools.
You can pick a la carte from a vast selection of rituals, hailing from every exotic nook of the world, or opt for one of the hotel’s new, ‘retreat within a resort’ packages.
Running for five to seven days, these wellness retreats are curated across five themes including sleep, exercise, skin, and energy, and offer the perfect compromise for anyone who wants, say, a meditation-focused holiday without committing their travel companion(s) to the same. Zen life and lounger life, in perfect harmony.
The general spa menu here is also exceptional. The spa’s signature therapies are provided by Valmont, and if you’re someone who knots their muscles with ‘facial or massage?!’ agonising, go for the head-to-toe Royal Valmont, which ticks both boxes. We also loved L’Elixir Des Glaciers Majestic Treatment, L’Elixir Des Glaciers, a true anti-ageing extravaganza with lifting and sculpting massage techniques inspired by cosmetic surgery methods. Officially, it’s 90 minutes but allow yourself a little extra time for admiring at your complexion in the mirror - our glow afterwards was genuinely astonishing.
You can also enjoy taster sessions of alternative therapies with (tiny) group classes with the hotel’s yoga, pilates and reiki instructors. The chakra colours meditation is one we’ve brought home and kept in our wellness toolkit for days when we long to be back on that beach.
Evenings are relaxed yet sophisticated, with laid-back live music to enjoy as you toast the end of another perfect day with cocktails. Truly, the holiday of a lifetime.
Six Senses, Rome
Although there are a few in our list, it’s rare for a city hotel – in the heart of the bustle of an iconic locale – to offer a spa that far outperforms rural counterparts. You can’t spell space without ‘spa’ and typically a good, reposeful one requires a generous lot of it. Six Senses Rome really turns that rule on its head. Although it doesn’t at all feel small, what they’ve done with the space they have is what really sets it apart from any I’ve stepped foot in on this (really tough) mission we’re on to find the best in the world.
True to the ancient history of the city, the Roman bath style spa is a real spectacle, in the classiest possible way. I did feel a bit like I’d forgotten my toga, though. The travertine limestone arching each walkway and housing each pool – a laconarium, caldarium, tepidarium and frigidarium – ensures the space feels light and bright, despite being two floors below street level. While the design and feel of the spa are an obvious nod to the city’s famed ancient past, treatments look to the future.
‘Biohacking’ may be top contender for wellness buzzword of 2026, but that doesn’t mean the methods used aren’t brilliantly effective, besides being deliciously relaxing. Think: wellness screenings, a venom back wrap (a heat technique for easing lower back pain), compression boots, sleep tracking, specialised breathing masks and localised cryotherapy. Plus, an on-site osteopath, PT and body and mind practitioner are floating around for you to grab a consultation with should you like to make your stay even more productive than we all know a moment of calm can be. - Florence Reeves-White
The Phoenicia, Malta
Pampering comes with a royal pedigree at The Phoenicia. It was here, as newlyweds living in Malta, that Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip would whirl the night away in the hotel ballroom, embracing a brief carefree era before destiny and duty called.
Today, Malta’s grand dame hotel is polished for the 21st-century pleasure-seeker, yet feels like a passport into a glamorous bygone era. A darling of high society since 1947, its angular beauty slots like a Tetris piece into the base of Valletta’s city walls. The geometrically shaped infinity pool butts up against the capital’s 16th-century bastion, making the view out to the waterfront even more spectacular.
The spa is a recent addition to this five-star icon (completed after a long-buried part of the city wall was unearthed and the spa cleverly redesigned and reshaped to accommodate it). There’s a chic relaxation area, with stone and rock detailing that echoes the historic fortifications outside. The indoor pool is flanked by a sauna, solarium and sinus-soothing salt room, the latter proving so relaxing that GH curls up like a cat and dozes.
The breathe-easy theme continues with our Himalayan Salt Stone Massage (around £113 for 50min), which encourages us to follow our nose to spa nirvana, sniffing to decide between a rich oudh oil or a digestion-aiding angelica massage blend. The second option feels especially fitting, since our spa session directly follows a delicious, hearty breakfast in the hotel’s terrace conservatory.
The treatment unfolds into a drowsy blur of warm stones, unclenched shoulder blades and deep contentment. Who needs a title to feel like a queen?
For a scenic spa moment, you can book an alfresco massage in The Phoenicia’s lush Mediterranean gardens during warmer months. Tucked away from prying eyes, you’ll be kneaded and de-knotted on a shaded gazebo while the heady scent of jasmine floats on the air around you.
Daios Cove, Crete
The clue’s in the name, but this family-first hotel has bagged itself an entire cove to create a complete resort. The setting is quite something, with buildings hewn into the rocky crescent. It’s set over four levels that descend to sea level, with views out to the bright blue Aegean, whichever bar, pool or restaurant you choose.
KEPOS by Goco is 2,500sq m of spa grandeur, hidden away on level two. It delivers excellent classics (lymphatic drainage massage, gua sha thermal mud massage and 3-Bright and 111Skin facials) and an even better menu of forward-thinking wellbeing treatments. Highlights include IV drips, hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments, infrared saunas and cryotherapy.
You can either self-select treatments or allow its experts to build a bespoke programme. Keep an eye on the spa calendar, as resident healing masters, including holistic specialist Lucja Maslowska, have seasonal residencies.
For weary parents taking advantage of the Kids’ Club, the treatment menu here strikes gold, helping to soothe aches, restore glow and boost energy levels so you can do it all again. Go early and wallow in the vitality pool, which looks like something out of Greek mythology.
Room sizes at Daois Cove vary (to accommodate different-sized groups) but all feel wonderfully generous, thanks to open-plan living, cool palettes, high ceilings and uninterrupted sea views.
There are five main restaurants, ensuring a good mix between family-focused and adult-only dining. While Ocean is saved for the adults and RHO (for those aged 14+) specialises in contemporary raw cuisine, children are welcome at Taverna, The Beach House and Pangea.
Taverna was a firm favourite with our four-year-old (pastitsio dumplings with charred cauliflower béchamel and aubergine ice cream were excellent). There’s a superb (and speedy) pool and beach menu, providing toasted sandwiches, crunchy salads and fresh juices. And top marks for the frozen (virgin) daiquiris that make beach life so worth living.
Four Seasons Astir Palace, Athens
The Four Seasons Hotel chain needs no introduction, but this Astir Palace property is particularly special. Perched on the cliffs of the Athenian Riviera – one of this summer’s hottest travel destinations – sun-drenched coastal lunches and steps into the sea meet a nervous-system soothing spa experience. The hotel has three Michelin keys and is a historic spot that lured in celeb crowds and put the riviera on the map in the sixties. Now, it’s a popular destination for proposals and weddings, all owing to its jaw-dropping panoramas and sublime food and service – don’t skip the ceviche and corn ribs at the hotel's Helios restaurant.
Offering every treatment under the sun, the spa has something for everyone. Restorative facials will have you looking and feeling fresh, foot rituals are for cleansing you of bad energy and detoxing body polish treatments will smooth and buff skin, so you’ll be glowing at dinner. Oxygen face masks, red light therapy and cupping will leave you revitalised long after you leave the hotel and you can even get your hair cut, coloured and blow dried in the salon. Sign us up. - Florence Reeves-White
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La Residencia Hotel, Deià, Mallorca
A self-proclaimed ‘sanctuary of artistic energy’ in the Mallorcan mountain town of Deià, this is a hotel where although the wellness offering is sensational, it’s not centred in its messaging. Firstly, it presents as an impeccably designed, deliciously Mediterranean luxury hideaway with green and white striped sun loungers in palm-fronded shade, many strewn with post-dip honeymooners sprawled out almost as limply as the damp towels beneath them.
If time by the pool or nourishing food in one of the three restaurants isn’t relaxing enough, take a walk along a cobbled path under the shade of olive trees and head to the sanctuary on the second floor. You’ll find an indoor heated pool (because the two outdoor freshwater pools just simply aren’t enough), with a more muted colour scheme to suit the brain-stilling serenity of the space.
I met my therapist, Gemma, and she led me to a treatment room with mountainous views peppered with the ochre and beige stone houses of Deià, watching people going about their days like a scene from the past while a candle flickers in a brass pot in the foreground. But nothing felt old fashioned about the treatment menu. I had a cryotherapy facial – which may have been somewhat inspired by wandering around in the sweltering heat of this sun trap property – but it did more than cool me down. Although it feels pretty spicy at first, once you get used to the sensation of the localised skin chill, you settle into it and it’s surprisingly calming. The treatment uses ‘hyper-cooled and purified air’ to boost circulation and make your complexion look more refined. I walked out with glowing, brighter skin that stayed as such for days after the treatment. - Florence Reeves-White
Lefay Resort & Spa, Dolomiti, Italy
Spas don’t always come with a fold-out map to carry in your dressing gown pocket, but in Lefay’s case, you’ll be glad it does. Not just because the spa is a huge 5,000sqm, but also because it was created with the principles of classical Chinese medicine in mind, and its layout reflects that.
Okay – not the entire layout; the tranquil pools, glass-fronted relaxation rooms with cinematic views and light-flooded treatment rooms are glorious in their own right. But the sauna floor (where GH spends most of a long weekend) is, so your map acts as an orienteering aid and a bite-sized guide to this ancient wellness philosophy.
Don’t worry, everything falls quickly into place, and by the end of your stay you’ll understand the basics of balancing your ‘chi’ (life force) to improve health and happiness. In the sauna area, this means working with heat, water, herbal tea and aromatherapy as you meander through five different zones, each related to the energy of different seasons, elements and organs.
The White Tiger, for example (autumn, metal, lungs) is cosy and steamy, while lavender-scented The Red Phoenix (summer, fire, heart) has the highest temperatures and an exhilaratingly chilly plunge pool.
Even more cleverly, Lefay works with local mountain guides and wellbeing experts to take those principles outside, with activities including hiking, foraging and forest bathing designed to make the most of nature and the changing seasons.
To complete your holistic MOT, swerve traditional beauty treatments and go for a body massage that uses techniques such as tui na or gua sha to stimulate significant energy points and leave you feeling light and revitalised.
The three-night Yin-Yang Active & Balance Programme (from around £1,385) features an optional menu that mirrors the programme’s chi-balancing effect. Delicious and plentiful, it makes sure you have lots of energy for the outdoor activities, which include a forest walk with an invigorating dip in a crystal-clear stream.
Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, Switzerland
In big, bold letters on the roof of this hotel, a sign reads: ‘Everything’s going to be alright’ and as you step inside, warmly greeted by attentive staff and the lobby’s four-storey crystal waterfall chandelier, you feel sure it will be.
The town of Bad Ragaz, with its thermal springs from the Tamina Gorge, is nestled in the foothills of the Swiss Alps and its Grand Hotel has been one of Europe’s most famous luxury wellness and spa resorts since 1869.
Fed with the gorge’s 36.5°C water, the palatial spa offers a bespoke environment for healing and relaxation. Among the resort’s many pools, possibly the most impressive is the marble-pillar-lined 19th-century Helena Bath.
Beyond it lies a dedicated sports pool (ideal for those who are feeling more active), while outdoors there’s a heated pool that overlooks the spectacular Graubünden mountains.
The resort is also home to a dedicated family spa, complete with child-sized spa loungers, thermal pools and water games. This spa gives children aged under 16 their own space to relax and splash about in, keeping them entertained – and the Helena Bath strictly adults-only.
To top it off, there’s the Tamina Therme public baths (integrated into the hotel, and free for guests), with its own variety of indoor and outdoor pools.
With so much pool-ing to do, it can be easy to forget there’s a long list of treatments available (not to mention three separate Michelin-starred restaurants to indulge in). GH tries the Swiss Back Relax (around £180), which incorporates facial-style methods into a body massage, leaving our back not only relaxed but also freshly cleansed and feeling shiny and new.
If you need even more care and rehab, the resort also houses a medical centre specialising in nutrition, sports medicine, rheumatology, aesthetics and more. Doctors and nurses are available on site, and the spa is accessible to people with a variety of conditions to help aid their recovery. Everything, it seems, is going to be much more than alright.
Rooms from around £296 a night; treatments from around £40.
Rocco Forte Hotel De La Ville, Rome
The Forte family have fortified their position as some of Italy’s most impressive hoteliers, but in recent years daughter Irene Forte is turning heads for her genius for natural, nourishing skincare formulations. As a result, each Rocco Forte Hotel is now home to some of the most sensorially special spas in the world, with products developed from ingredients grown in Italy – at their organic farm at Verdura Resort in Sicily, to be precise – that bottle that fresh ingredient feeling you get at every mealtime in this joyous country.
Hotel De La Ville is a haven within a vibrant city – the whole property is built around a quiet courtyard that each glamorous room gets a view of. The Irene Forte spa includes five treatment rooms, a full body cryo chamber, a thermal area with a salt room, steam room, sauna, hydro pool, foot bath and ice fountain, infrared loungers to relax on and a fancy gym with all the latest Technogym equipment. Don’t skip the phytomelanin buccal facial – your therapist will get right inside your mouth, which can feel a bit strange, but if you’ve ever experienced tension in the jaw you will walk away feeling you have a whole new face.
Anassa Hotel, Cyprus
Where do we find the spa? Why, it’s out the front door, past the village square, around the Byzantine chapel... and we haven’t even left the hotel grounds! The five-star Anassa resort, snuggled into Cyprus’s easterly tip, has many such gems to discover as you meander along paths bursting with hot-pink bougainvillea and beckoning you down to the beach.
The award-winning Thalassa Spa is a key slice of this paradise. It offers a serene place to swim beneath Roman columns, sink your shoulders into a seawater massage pool or shade-bathe in the spa courtyard.
Treatment-wise, the premium roll call of spa names has been further elevated with the arrival of Subtle Energies, a brand that brings a magical alchemy of aromatherapy and Ayurveda.
Its signature Indulgent Beauty therapy (around £205 for 120min) saves GH from the traditional ‘facial or dilemma by delivering both in two hours of top-to-toe heaven. The full body exfoliation followed by a dosha-balancing massage is so relaxing, it’s genuinely challenging to roll over for the second half. When we admire the glow from the real 24k gold-infused facial, though, we’re glad we managed it.
The ‘mind, body and soul’ ethos of Subtle Energies is complemented by Anassa’s own wellness offerings, including the most intensely reverberating sound bath we’ve ever been immersed in, and a session with a shaman to discover our spirit animal (we can neither confirm nor deny that GH is a sloth).
Away from our spa-time, we enjoy indulging in Anassa’s excellent restaurants, feasting on the hotel’s self-produced cheeses, breads, pastries, cakes, honey and much more. A typical day of gastronomic heaven might begin with an al-fresco breakfast at Amphora, progress onto poolside mezze at Pelagos, and end with exquisite Asian flavours by candlelight at Basiliko.
With our senses satiated by food, spa and sunshine, we feel delightfully spoiled at Anassa – and ready for another lie-down.
Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, France
The Champagne region may be best known for its fizz, but this hotel does fabulous bubbles of both kinds. As well as the chance to soak in the spa’s hot tub, which comes with incredible vineyard vistas, you’ll be handed a complimentary glass of the hotel’s eponymous tipple at practically every turn.
The sprawling landscape can also be enjoyed from every spot: the sauna, steam room, and indoor and heated outdoor pools. The spa itself is extensive, with dozens of therapy rooms and a generous treatment menu, from full Japanese head spas and scalp massages to hot stone healing and 90-minute Clarins facials. Speaking of menus, you might want to acquaint yourself with one of the renowned restaurants on site. The Michelin-starred Le Royal is the jewel in the hotel’s gastronomic crown – don’t skip the Brittany coast crab. - Florence Reeves-White
Kamalaya, Koh Samui, Thailand
Drifting off midway through a spa treatment is nothing unusual. But being jolted awake by the static-like sensation of 'energy channels unblocking' during a Reiki session? That wasn’t on our list of expectations when we arrived at Kamalaya to de-stress and decompress. Then again, there is nothing ordinary about this wellbeing retreat, which draws people from across the globe to its transformative modern-day edit of ancient Eastern wisdom.
The term ‘integrated’ isn’t used lightly here. Programmes begin with a naturopathic consultation, and you can be prescribed sessions with anyone from a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to a former Tibetan monk-turned-life coach. We meet these gentle souls, and many more, during our Asian Bliss programme, a magical, mystical reset for body and soul.
Life at Kamalaya flows with the circadian rhythm. Morning yoga classes focus on energy, while sunset is reserved for calming group meditation. In between, GH visits the Wellness Sanctuary for twice-daily treatments to nurture a more relaxed and resilient self.
An Ayurvedic massage delivers ASMR-like thrills as we’re drizzled top to toe in oil, while a meltingly-good scalp rub is delivered alfresco as birdsong floats down from the treetops – no need for a Spotify playlist here. And no stay appears complete without cupping, since everywhere we look there are backs covered in (painless) suction marks. They’re worn with pride; a symbol of belonging to this special community.
As night falls, we retreat to our luxurious sea view villa with its high-rafted ceiling, peaceful veranda, and a (private) open air bathing area that becomes an exhilarating literal rain-shower whenever a monsoon bursts overhead.
The cuisine here is equally inspiring. The ‘regular’ menu offers healthy Thai cuisine, while detoxing is made delicious with an array of filling soups, salads, curries and even desserts. When it’s time to depart, we feel nourished physically, spiritually and mentally. Our cupping marks may be fading but Kamalaya remains imprinted on our heart.
Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, Lake Como
Set in Bellagio on the shores of Lake Como, Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni is an impossibly glamorous destination to live la dolce vita. This palatial villa has over 150 years of stories to tell, with a cast of royalty, Hollywood superstars and political icons having walked its gleaming marble hallways. Today, its timeless charms have just been given extra sparkle via a huge renovation, plus the introduction of a biggest spa complex on Lake Como and a new beach club and sunset bar.
Beautiful Bellagio itself is literally on the hotel doorstep, and within moments you’ll be immersed in a meander through its winding, stepped streets. Keep walking along the waterfront until you reach Villa Melzi; while the residence itself is private, there’s a stunning botanical garden to explore as well as the museum and family chapel.
Feeling lazy? You don’t even need to walk out of the hotel grounds to explore Lake Como. The hotel has its own jetty, where you can hop on a private speedboat tour for a tantalising glimpse of the area’s grandest private houses and gardens.
When it’s time to spa, you’ll be in the very best, highly skilled hands. The Luce del Lago wellness centre has been deftly designed to echo the world outside, drawing you in with its palette of soft pink sunsets, beige sands and the sparkling blue of the lake itself.
Tranquility comes in imaginative forms here, particularly in the private suite where warm quartz sand beds recreate the bliss of a beach massage, minus the sand in your swimsuit. This light-bathed ‘sanctuary within a spa’ is a truly special place for couples, with its own private jacuzzi and a unique immersive sauna with synchronised light, sound, and water projections.
The spa also has a wonderful Hammam, where you can lose yourself in a fragrant ritual of steam, shower, scrubbing and bubbly soaping. It brings to mind the gentle comfort and calm of being bathed as a baby: think spa serenity meets inner child therapy!
Elsewhere, the cocoon-like treatment rooms offer therapies from Sothys and MEI, an Italian brand focused on the healing power of herbs, and there’s also a new relaxation area, plus a nail and hair parlour. And, of course, water is at the heart of everything here. You’ll find an ‘emotional shower’ and steam bath, with mood-elevating lighting, and two indoor hydropools, one for families and a separate, quiet one for adults with meditation tubs where cares float away.
StolenTime, Saint Lucia
The minute GH stepped into this tropical wonderland, stress seemed to melt away. At StolenTime – an adults-only sanctuary – the idea is ‘to introduce your body to your mind’, address the pressures of everyday life and focus on your wellbeing. A pre-arrival consultation promises a bespoke itinerary to help achieve this, with the exotic foliage and soothing sound of tree frogs doing their bit, too.
The boutique resort is set around a 150-year-old saman tree draped in chandeliers, and sits on one of the island’s longest beaches. You can stay in cottages beside the white sands or in treehouse-inspired lodges with hammocks across the balconies. GH has an airy and elegant Signature Poolside Suite, with Italian marble floors and a freestanding bath. There’s even a pillow menu featuring five options.
The resort engages mind, body and spirit through an array of exercise classes, yoga, tennis and watersports, including sailing and paddleboarding in the warm, gentle waters. Instructors are experienced and highly motivating, helping to keep you going during the more challenging sessions.
Nestled in a hidden oasis, where a lazy river meanders through lush vegetation, is The Spa In The Water Garden, whose cabanas sit on tiny islands. The spa is one of two Ayurvedic centres on Saint Lucia, and treatments here are based on your dosha (or body and personality type).
After our dominant dosha has been pinpointed, GH is prescribed a rebalancing treatment: a 50-minute massage with attitude, which manages to be both invigorating and relaxing. With skin rolling, acupressure and reflexology, it’s the perfect antidote for our sore, strained back muscles. After five days on the island, we feel totally restored; this is paradise found.
