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by Mary E Tjotjos

Wellness Travel Guide

International—Resorts with Wellness Programs


Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort

The Algarve is the Riviera of Portugal, known for its pretty beaches and perfect climate. At the beautiful spa, guests can experience holistic and Ayurvedic spa and wellness treatments. anantara.com

Andaz Mayakoba

The Naum Spa in Riviera Maya is built around healing Mayan rituals, and therapeutic treatments performed in boma-style treatment suites: a great place to realize your intentions. mayakoba.andaz.hyatt.com

Amankila

A beautiful wellness destination overlooking the coast in remote East Bali, Amankila offers bespoke wellness programs that feature outdoor yoga, Reiki, myofascial massage, as well as traditional Balinese spa treatments in a beach bale, guest suite or secluded open-air spa pavilion. amankila.com

Anantara Hoi An

The Balance Wellness program recently introduced by Anantara offers a range of programs to help fulfill your wellness goals, all in a beautiful setting like this one in Vietnam. Focus on weight loss, detox, anti-aging, de-stressing or holistic healing, with programs that offer healthy cuisine, mind-body fitness, therapeutic spa treatments, wellness seminars and more.
hoi-an.anantara.com

Banyan Tree Spa Sanctuary

Banyan Tree is renowned for one of the best training programs for spa therapists in the world. At this luxurious adult-only resort in Phuket, Thailand, guests embrace wellness through the five senses, along with healthy cuisine, an award-winning spa and wellness activities. banyantree.com

Borgo Egnazia

This unique resort in Italy’s Puglia is built from indigenous materials traditional to local architecture. Everything is local. The Vair Spa offers an authentic wellness program infused with local products and traditions, along with a staff of therapists, naturopaths, psychologists and more—including three swimming pools and courses to help guests achieve their wellness goals. borgoegnazia.com

The Brando

The Brando’s vision is a culturally rich, sustainable, environmentally protective luxury destination, set on a remote private island off Tahiti, once the home of Marlon Brando, who envisioned this island as a conservationists’ paradise. There is a research facility on property, where scientists study fish, coral and other wildlife. The spa is an oasis of wellness and healing, based on traditional Tahitian treatment modalities such as the Taurumi massage, which features natural indigenous oil blends. thebrando.com

Chaa Creek

With its proximity to a 400-acre nature reserve in Belize, Chaa Creek ensures a wide range of activities that connect guests to nature: bird watching, medicine trail walks, butterfly farms, canoeing, an organic farm and more. And, the commitment to sustainable tourism is supported by an ongoing donation that goes directly into environmental and community projects under the Chaa Creek Cares initiative. chaacreek.com

Chewton Glen

Chewton Glen is a quintessentially English Country House outside London. Relax in a hydrotherapy spa pool, aromatherapy saunas, and crystal steam rooms. A beautiful place to escape the outside world and enjoy the nature around you. chewtonglen.com

COMO Parrot Cay

Reopened late last year, the Turks & Caicos resort known for its holistic wellness program and barefoot luxury draws a dedicated crowd of A-list celebrities and wellness obsessives who come for the serene setting, organic spa treatments, fresh healthy food and extensive programming. comohotels.com/en

Deplar Farm

Deplar Farm is a converted sheep farm in the Fljót Valley, on Troll Peninsula, way up in northern Iceland, about as far north as you can go before you hit Greenland. The wellness is in the bespoke outdoor offerings—hiking, communing with nature, heli-skiing, surfing (yes, in Iceland!)—and a beautiful Nordic-style spa, sauna and geothermally heated pool. elevenexperience.com

Echo Valley Ranch & Spa

This remote escape near the Marble Mountains in British Columbia features rail rides and hikes on piney mountain trails and combines Western traditions with Eastern wisdom at the spa. Don’t miss the signature digital detox package. evranch.com


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Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Few places remain that can nourish the soul as does Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Bounded by lapping Caribbean waves and lush pineapple gardens, this one-time Rockefeller retreat offers devoted embajadores who make this secluded paradise feel like home.

Nestled within Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, lies Spa Botánico–a sanctuary within paradise. This holistic refuge is dedicated to restoring both body and mind with botanical and healing traditions rooted in the local lands and signature Manos Santas rituals. ritzcarlton.com/doradobeach


Esperanza, An Auberge Resort

Tucked between two scenic bluffs on the Baja Peninsula, this award-winning Cabo San Lucas resort offers a vacation for your body and a holiday for your soul. Celebrated for its naturally restorative, coastal desert environment and hand-crafted botanical treatments, the world-renowned Auberge Spa at Esperanza utilizes the natural, indigenous healing agents to create enriching treatments tailored to specific health, wellness and beauty needs. Plus, the daily array of indoor and outdoor, complimentary fitness classes provide guests with a perfect balance between hard work and pure leisure.
esperanza.aubergeresorts.com

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Set among Alberta’s Banff National Park in Canada, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, offers spectacular mountain views and transformative wellness offerings with the outdoors at the heart of it all. Explore the scenic landscape with its Guided Adventure Program and soothe your overexerted body at the spa, specializing in more than 20 treatments and services. fairmont.com/lake-louise

Fairmont The Palm

This luxury beachfront resort features unrivalled views of the Arabian Gulf and glittering Dubai Marina skyline, as well as an award-winning spa. Its comprehensive wellness approach includes fitness trainers, a menu of authentic spa treatments from luxurious facials and result-focused body treatments, and a partnership with a leading rejuvenation and antiaging aesthetics pioneer. fairmont.com/palm-dubai

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay

Nestled on the oceanfront, the Four Seasons at Jimbaran Bay offers guided meditation, bamboo stretch classes and blessings of Bali. Experience therapeutic treatments from visiting wellness gurus and Jimbaran Waters Rituals. fourseasons.com/jimbaranbay

Four Seasons at Sayan

In the heart of Bali’s highlands, find your center with seven different chakra ceremonies or visit a Balinese healer. The Four Seasons Sayan offers full moon yoga, a wellness mentor and Balinese healing rituals. fourseasons.com/sayan

Grand Hotel Kronenhof

Located in the heart of the Swiss Alps, experience guided hiking tours and personal Pilates classes. Or relax at the spa with a steam bath, salt grotto, sauna and solarium. Enjoy the signature Haki method, which combines physical and mental relaxation. kronenhof.com

Grand Hotel Tremezzo

Along with original mosaics, a yoga studio, three-story gym and the area’s only authentic hammam (complete with marble walls and domed ceiling), the nearly 11,000-square-foot spa offers serene Lake Como views from its sauna, hydromassage-equipped infinity pool and elegant relaxation room, where comfortable loungers encourage lingering. grandhoteltremezzo.com

Grand Velas Los Cabos

The Mexican-owned resort has 304 rooms, all overlooking the Sea of Cortez. But, you’ll want to book one of the six, two-level Wellness Suites, which include an exercise bike, MUSE brain sensing headband for meditation, crudite mini bar, spa treatments, a deck large enough for yoga, and a spa concierge. In the spa, go for regionally inspired Nopal Massage, designed for its anti-inflammatory results. loscabos.grandvelas.com

Hacienda AltaGracia

Nestled among the rolling hills and lush mountain tops of Pérez Zeledón surrounded by untainted natural beauty experience river rafting, hikes through private rainforest, and fitness retreats. Relax in the spa inspired by the healing traditions of Costa Rica. altagracia.aubergeresorts.com

Half Moon Bay

Tucked away in a nature reserve, Half Moon offers yoga classes and massage in open air bungalows overlooking the sea. All spa products are handmade and organically grown on-property. Detox with an outdoor herbal soak, a traditional Jamaican healing remedy. halfmoon.com

Hotel Goldener Berg

An intimate hotel deeply committed to the salubrity of mind, body, and spirit, this Austrian haven extends guests the opportunity to restore their health in summertime with weeklong programs that range in themes from detox to slimming. goldenerberg.co.uk

Harmony Nosara

The Harmony is a boutique resort in Costa Rica. For a sustainable retreat, its Healing Center uses products inspired by the local culture. A freestanding facility with four treatment rooms and two open-air yoga studios encourages maximum wellness. harmonynosara.com

Hotel Hochschober

The family-owned Hotel Hochschober, a wellness lodge in the Austrian Alps on the border of Carinthia and Styria, lies on the Turracher Lake, surrounded by verdant nature. Celebrated for its unique, heated lap pool, set within the crystalline lake, the hotel also draws health seekers for its Chinese Tower, where courses in Eastern philosophy are taught. hochschober.com

Hotel Matilda

Hotel Matilda is set in Mexico’s historic San Miguel de Allende. With an outdoor, living spa, it features diverse treatment modalities, massage and bodywork. Treatments are inspired by these tenets of well-being: Energy, Recovery, Focus, Radiance and Decompression. hotelmatilda.com

Hotel Miramonti

Located amidst the ancient Aravalis the ITC Grand Bharat offers wellness retreats that include Ayurvedic detox and holistic wellness programs. Enjoy traditional indigenous therapies, ancient Ayurvedic practices and international healing forms of well-being at the spa.itchotels.in

Inkaterra

The first boutique hotel in Cusco, Peru, Inkaterra La Casona features a full wellness experience. Treatments include reflexology and de-stress massage, which include 100 percent natural and local botanicals. inkaterra.com

Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort &  Thalasso Spa

Imagine a place where the sky is always clear, the sea is bright turquoise with glints of sunlight and the sandy beaches are white as pearls. The Deep Ocean Spa is one of the first thalassotherapy spas built in the South Pacific, where wellness possibilities—including a traditional Tahitian massage—are endless. thalasso.intercontinental.com

Kulm Hotel

1,856 m above sea level, the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz offers beautiful views of Lake St. Moritz. The Kulm Hotel offers meditation classes, Nordic walking, cross-country skiing and snowshoe hikes. Relax at the spa, which focuses on relaxation, detoxification and regenerating. kulm.com

Las Lagunas Hotel

Perched in the midst of the Guatemalan jungle, the Las Lagunas Spa features a range of wellness treatments that end with a cup of calming allspice tea made with leaves plucked from around the property. A serene pool includes a water treadmill, better for serious swimming than the gorgeous infinity pool, which opens to the lagoon that is the centerpiece of Las Lagunas. laslagunashotel.com

Le Soleil d’Or

Le Soleil d’Or is a secluded resort just an hour’s flight from Miami. With its 20-acre organic farm, guests can take advantage of a range of farm-to-table wellness experiences, along with farm-to-spa-table treatments. lesoleildor.com

Los Cabos Montage

Stand up and aerial yoga, meditation and breathwork classes are offerings at this stunning new property along the Santa Maria Bay in Cabo, along with a star-gazing program, full-moon ceremony and shamanic experience. The launch of Montage Expeditions, curated cultural/wellness experiences, will bring guests to remote areas of Baja to experience local wellness experiences that are results-driven, in a nurturing environment. The 40,000-square-foot spa, more a holistic retreat, is magnificent. montagehotels.com

Malliouhana

This Auberge resort in gorgeous Anguilla offers horseback riding, stand-up paddleboarding, outdoor yoga and a beautiful new spa featuring wellness experiences based on local ingredients and traditions. aubergeresorts.com

Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Mandapa is the third resort in the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Reserve collection. There are 60 rooms, all made with local materials. Guests can enjoy a candlelit dinner by the river, or partake in a wellness program offered by the spa. Each wellness program is based on pillars: Balinese Spa, Detox and Nutrition, Alternative Therapy, Body Therapy and Healing. mandapareserve.com

Mukul Resort

Located in Nicaragua, this resort offers several wellness retreats led by yoga and wellness experts. Relax at the spa, which includes six experiences housed in six individual, private spa suites, each equally harnessing a different ancient healing tradition, using local Nicaraguan ingredients. mukulresort.com

Naia Resort & Spa

Cited by the New York Times as “one of the 52 places to go in 2017,” Naia, tucked away within a private 200-acre reserve on Belize’s Placencia Peninsula, is a place to focus on relaxation and personal growth. Healthy food, fresh juices, yoga and transformative spa treatments are all tied to the beautiful natural surroundings. naiaresortandspa.com

Nayara Springs

Secluded in the Arenal Volcano National Park, this Costa Rica resort is immersed in the lush vegetation of Costa Rica’s rainforest with a nearby creek, underground thermal springs and the world’s highest concentration of tropical plants and wildlife. Enjoy yoga sessions while surrounded by nature, take guided tours of the breathtaking surroundings, or relax with a nature-inspired spa treatment. nayarasprings.com

Niyama Private Islands

The water surrounding the Niyama Private Islands resort in the Maldives, is nothing short of astonishing, and there’s something innately soothing about inhabiting such exquisite beauty, whether biking along the white-sand paths or lounging on the deck of your villa. Personalized wellness journeys are on offer, from yoga and Pilates programs to rehabilitative aqua workouts, to holistic spa treatments. niyama.com

Palais Namaskar

This contemporary spa at the Palais Namaskar highlights Moroccan ingredients, featured in a number of nourishing massages and body services. With stylish villas and romantic restaurants, this sleek resort is a destination wellness getaway.
palaisnamaskar.com

Park Hyatt St. Kitts

The beautiful Park Hyatt St. Kitts, with its Miraval Life in Balance Spa, brings a Zen vibe to the Caribbean, with wellness services and experts to enhance well-being. The property’s ethos of clean luxury—its spare and warm aesthetic, echoing the natural landscape—creates a haven of tranquility. stkitts.park.hyatt.com

Resort at Pedregal

Hewed into a cliff, with personal pools, the Resort at Pedregal sprawls across 24 acres, suggesting a Greek fishing village, but the mood exudes festive Mexico. Dinner at al fresco El Farallon beckons, as do watersports. But save time, too, for the spacious Luna Y Mar Spa, which has a collection called Mexican Folk Healing Treatments. Yield to The Intention, an energy cleansing ceremony, led by a local shaman (curandera). theresortatpedregal.com

Rosewood Baha Mar

This hot property in the Bahamas offers not one but two wellness programs: at Asaya, where you set your wellness goals and experts on-site help support you, and the Sense Spa. Both rely on local offerings and traditions to help guests experience wellness. rosewoodhotels.com/en/baha-mar

Rosewood Mayakoba

To reach the spa at Mexico’s Rosewood Mayakoba, guests are invited to walk across a bridge to a private island hidden away by thick jungle foliage—then venture deeper into the trees. The remote setting for the 12-room, eight-suite spa not only ensures privacy and serenity, but is also a symbol of the sense of discovery that the spa celebrates, by harnessing natural elements of ancient Mayan culture to achieve overall well-being and balance. rosewoodhotels.com/en/mayakoba-riviera-maya

Rosewood Phuket Asaya Program

Rosewood Phuket’s Asaya program is rooted in self-discovery and self-acceptance. A personal Wellness Concierge, local practitioners, on-site pros and visiting experts will help guests learn how to incorporate the practices from this program into everyday life. Complete the experience with skincare treatments, indoor and outdoor fitness sessions, and culturally authentic therapies. rosewoodhotels.com

Rosewood Tuckers Point

Only fresh, local ingredients are used at Rosewood Tucker’s Point for one-of-a-kind wellness treatments. This relaxing sanctuary for mind, body and soul offers four swimming pools, and a fully equipped fitness center, in addition to its world-class Sense spa. rosewoodtuckerspoint.com

Round Hill Hotel and Villas

In Montego Bay, which is where you’ll find Round Hill Hotel and Villas, a resort spread across 110 green acres, where luxury and wellness rehabilitation blend together seamlessly. roundhill.com

Six Senses Yao Noi

Six Senses offers a layered approach to wellness that unites the spirit with treatments that go beyond ordinary. At the Yao Noi, the spa promotes traditional Thai healing practices and incorporates the basic four elements to ensure the senses are balanced. sixsenses.com

Sonora Island

A quick seaplane, helicopter or boat ride from Vancouver, this idyllic resort is located on a private islet in British Columbia’s Discovery Islands, surrounded by dense forests and Pacific Ocean-linked waterways. It’s all about the outdoors here, with activities ranging from kayaking and hiking to birding and bear spotting, so it’s no surprise that the resort’s Island Currents Spa draws upon nature for its signature services. sonoraresort.com

Ste. Anne’s Spa

Ste. Anne’s offers all guests a warm, friendly and embracing environment from the moment they arrive. For the well-being of the body, classes are offered regularly throughout the day. Guided meditation, garden tours and painting classes give the spa an “ease of mind” atmosphere. steannes.com

Tivoli Palacio De Seteais Hotel

A glorious and verdant fairyland, covered with lush plants that flourish, due to the natural springs that flow throughout the neighboring hills, have made this area in Portugal a health retreat—the parks and palaces of Sintra are a UNESCO Heritage site—since Ancient Roman times. The Tivoli offers a small, oasis-like spa that will jumpstart your well-being. tivolihotels.com

Trisara

Though Phuket is one of Thailand’s busiest beach destinations, you’d never know it once past the gates of Trisara. Outfitted with indoor and outdoor relaxation areas, the villas provide an idyllic setting for treatments that draw from both traditional Thai and hyper-local healing traditions. trisara.com

Tschuggen Grand Hotel

Tucked into a ski mountain in the Swiss Alps, near the charming town of Arosa, the owners of Tschuggen Grand have a deep commitment to sustainability, as does the incredible staff. Yoga wellness programs are regularly on offer, along with star-gazing, cycling tours in the mountains, mushroom foraging, and a huge state-of-the-art spa, with an extensive hydrotherapy course. tschuggen.ch/en

Unique Garden

Set about 33 miles from the sprawling city of Sao Paulo, this eco-haven started as a retreat for blind children and their families—and now offers healing and respite for all. The Wellness Programs are divided into Fit, Relax or Detox, and each is a comprehensive wellness journey. uniquegarden.com.br

Viceroy Riviera Maya

The Wayak Spa, at the Viceroy Riviera Maya, rises from a tropical forest surrounded by 41 private villas. Guests are welcomed with a Mayan Blessing performed by an in-house shaman and offered signature wellness treatments featuring indigenous ingredients. viceroyrivieramaya.com

Zemi Beach House

This gorgeous getaway in Anguilla, features the Zemi Thai House Spa, a sanctuary with private spa suites, a yoga deck, the island’s only hammam, a fresh juice bar and so much more to set you on the path to wellness. zemibeach.com