The Best Nature Spas on the Planet
By Daisy Finer
9 months ago
And relax
From the Wellbeing Guide 2023, we’ve rounded up the best nature spas around the world to rediscover yourself and your best self, and our beautiful planet. You’ll find that the two really do go hand in hand.
10 Best Nature Spas
RAKxa Wellness & Medical Retreat
Nr Bangkok, Thailand
RAKxa’s vision is crystal clear: scrupulously scientific modern medicine, nutrition and exercise seamlessly blended with ancient healing traditions. RAKxa took over a neglected 63 acres of Bang Krachao, on the outskirts of Bangkok, and planted 4,000 trees and 40,000 bushes that swaddle the low rise resort. Stays start with consultations from medical doctors (RAKxa is linked with Bumrungrad International Hospital), wellness advisors and physiotherapists. Blood is analysed; functional fitness is dissected. A plan emerges, a dance of high tech and human touch served with skyscraper levels of care and kindness. One moment you’re disco-dancing in the cryo-sauna, the next your belly is (literally) on fire during traditional Thai Ya-Pao detoxification therapy. As more information is gathered about your health, tweaks appear in diet and treatments. Food here looks as good as it tastes – a plentiful anti-inflammatory diet. The attention to detail is exquisite – the DJ-composed music is blended with binaural beats; the height of the beds is precisely calibrated. Everything is scrutinised for its health-giving benefits. Low-key yet stunningly beautiful, it has no need to show off – it knows exactly how good it is.
Book it: From £2,421 for a three-night Wellness Programme. rakxawellness.com
Preidlhof Luxury DolceVita Resort
South Tyrol, Italy
Nestled in the exquisite beauty of the South Tyrol, Preidlhof was the first well-being destination to receive an ISO wellness certification for its commitment to planet-positive values. All systems are designed to protect the environment. Furniture is made locally, pools are solar heated, the signature botanical skincare products are vegan and organic, and deliciously wholesome food is zero carbon. ‘I don’t eat anything that has a smile’, says Chef Emanuele Giorgione who created the menu. Smile you will, at the plant-based Wellness Healing Gourmet Menu, which includes the likes of beetroot falafel with cauliflower tabbouleh. Guests on retreat eat in a separate ‘Wellness Lounge’ and it’s these immersive programmes, of which there are nine, that people come for. Under the gentle genius of Patrizia Bortolin, one of the world’s most beloved spa creatives, Preidlhof offers transformative journeys for inner spirit. A team of outstanding therapists offer experience, vision, intuition, authenticity and wisdom. Shiatsu, shamanism, sound healing, massages, miracles… you’ll cry, laugh, come back to yourself, come out of yourself. Special classes, including laughter yoga, face gym, qi gong, dao yin and mindful eating, pass on powerful tools for sustainable everyday self care.
Book it: Healing Holidays offers a five-night retreat from £1,945pp based on two adults sharing a double room, full board. healingholidays.com
Calabash
Grenada
Tucked within beautiful Prickly Bay, on Grenada’s serene south coast, Calabash has it all for the perfect island escape. Opened in 1987 by Leo and Lilian Garbutt, this Relais & Châteaux retreat triumphs, with the Garbutts’ three daughters Adèle, Beth and Bobbie now joining the show. The 30 calming suites channel a contemporary look, and some have a private plunge pool and outdoor bathtub. The 130 staff are all Grenadian (bar three) and brimming with local knowledge. Gary Rhodes’ chic open-air restaurant serves Caribbean fare while sushi and Latin-inspired small plates are found at newly opened Izakaya. The ocean-facing Beach Club knocks out king crab brioche and tapas using the daily catch of local fisherman. Indeed, local produce is a big thing here and 80 percent of the fresh fruit and veg comes from the family estate. Bobbie has also started chocolate company L’Esterre, using the farm’s cocoa beans. The Zero Miles Spa is a must-visit. Ingredients are sourced from local artisans to produce honey and moringa facials and deep tissue massages with lemongrass-infused cocoa butter. And there’s much more to come, with 40 additional rooms on the horizon.
Book it: Inspiring Travel offers seven nights from £2,899pp based on two adults sharing, half-board, incl flights and transfers. inspiringtravel.co.uk
Six Senses Shaharut
Israel
For the ultimate in timeless regeneration, Six Senses Shaharut immerses you in a desert-scape so profound, it blows your mind. Deep in the Negev Desert, Israel, this futuristic resort blends into the vast bowl of land without another building in sight. It’s so raw, so unbelievably beautiful that you want to weep. And that’s before you’ve seen your room. All suites are visions of pitch-perfect, pared-down tawny beauty. The walls are in traditional tadelakt plaster, while the beds offer hand-made mattresses by Naturalmat. Everything is geared to sustainable comfort, made of local stone and recycled wood. The bleak moonscape land feels alien yet encourages you to come home to yourself. There is an ancient, grounding force here. If you don’t want to tap into the monolithic stillness, even with raging desert winds, head to the spa. The daily classes on offer are stellar; aerial yoga and wall-based reformer pilates stand out. The relaxation room has a partial glass roof, so you can stargaze in the evenings, knocked out from wholesome intuitive massage. The food, fresh from the organic gardens, is another highlight. Zingy, robust flavours and a house-blend houmous to remember. But it’s the light here you never forget.
Book it: Doubles from approx. £746 B&B. sixsenses.com
Shou Sugi Ban
Hamptons, USA
This stylish wellbeing haven in the Hamptons straddles the line of hotel-retreat and spa. Designed around a series of thoughtfully renovated barns, the 13 zen-styled studios feature striking recycled blonde-wood furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows. The hydrotherapy spa merges traditional Eastern healing arts with functional high-tech experiences to recalibrate body and mind. Shou Sugi Ban tastefully blends into the landscape, but it’s the plant-forward Japanese-Nordic-inspired cuisine that tells the story. Here, culinary director Mads Refslund (co-founder of Noma, Copenhagen) fuses wild foraged seasonal plants with sustainable local seafood and sublime renditions of the Japanese staple, miso. The results are exceptional. Sit in meditation around the firepit and succumb to sublime sound healing journeys, before soaking in a customised herbal infusion in your wooden Japanese tub and creeping under the cloud-like duvet to dream in a fresh new story.
Book it: From around £640. shousugibanhouse.com
Cliffs of Moher Retreat
Co Clare, Ireland
Set on ten acres of rugged Atlantic coastline, this niche collection of retreat buildings, gardens and yoga studio is just minutes from the captivating Cliffs of Moher and close to the grey limestone Burren, one of nature’s most extraordinary phenomena. Retreats are a deep immersion into time-honoured yoga, breathwork and meditation practices, led by founder Michelle Moroney and a team of visiting experts. Nature remains the leading lady and you can’t help but soak up her magnificence with unparalleled views from the glass-fronted shala and unforgettable daily hikes, swim spots, jumping piers and ice immersions, culminating in magical sound baths and hot tubs under the stars. Delicious vegetarian meals feature dahls, soups and seasonal salads. The mesmerising landscape, blazing fires and soft whispers from the Atlantic gently ease you into the deepest, soundest sleep.
Book it: From €705 for a weekend retreat. cliffsofmoherretreat.com
F Zeen
Kefalonia, Greece
Nestled in the hillside on western Kefalonia is a truly original health haven. Overlooking an unspoilt sweep of clear Ionian sea, it is both timeless and cutting edge. The ethos is to model the Good Life; a holistic existence enriched with healing.
This child-free, family-owned resort boasts eight outdoor fitness decks, with a zinging menu of classes encompassing various yoga styles – from aerial to animal yoga – and from reformer pilates to hard core weights or gym workouts. Yet there is no punitive vibe. You melt into the softness with the wafting jasmine and orange blossom, birdsong and background thrum of the sea. Sustainability features highly. It’s a luxury to drink the water from the taps, fresh from a mountain spring. The food, Greek with a fusion twist, is outstanding. There’s an elemental pulse here, plugging you into nature and back to your best self.
Book it: From €400 B&B. fzeenretreat.com
Eleven Rio Palena Lodge
Patagonia, Chile
There is a reason why Patagonia piques the interest of intrepid souls. In an age when every corner of the planet is accessible, the vast landscapes that traverse Argentina and Chile still offer the kind of hard-to-reach remoteness that allows for a journey of discovery and reconnection. Perched on the banks of the River Palena in a pristine Andean valley, Eleven Rio Palena Lodge is best known among anglers for its bountiful fly fishing. However, the beautifully appointed seven-bedroom refuge is a perfectly placed portal for adventurers looking to explore the verdant forests, jagged peaks and glittering glacial lakes Patagonia is so famed for. Under the expert guidance of the Eleven Experience team, guests spend days hiking to tumbling waterfalls, kayaking the river and its rushing rapids, and embarking on flights with ‘Ecocopter’ to azure alpine lagunas high up in the Andes, activities described as an adventurer’s equivalent of a beach day. Returning to the lodge just as golden hour gives way to a firmament aglow with stars, residents are invited to gather for a traditional asado (barbecue) before the generous supply of fresh air, locally farmed fare and pisco sours induce a deep night’s sleep.
Book it: Doubles from $2,501, all inclusive, plus guided activities, drinks and ground transfers. elevenexperience.com
The Well
Kolbotn, Norway
The Well plunges deep – from sustainability to spa immersions, there’s nothing half-hearted here. The largest spa in northern Europe (13 kilometres outside Oslo) does the maths with aplomb: 11 pools + 15 sauna and steam rooms + 100 showers ÷ 10,500 square metres nudged up against a forest = bliss for newbies and spa pros alike. The choice is almost overwhelming – onsen or hammam; rhassoul or banya? Soft sauna with tropical soundscape or with gong meditation? Northern lights laconium or art deco tepidarium? Aufguss rituals? There’s one for every mood and time of day. Every available centimetre of its roof is solar-panelled; heating is geothermal; 70 percent of water is purified and recycled, and heat is recovered from shower water (which can’t be recycled). Even the in-house swimwear collection is made of 82 percent recycled materials. The ethos is Roman – spa as a place to meet, talk and read as much as to float, scrub, ablute. The food (robust brasserie or bijoux Japanese) is fabulous; the hotel is supremely comfortable with immaculate attention to detail. There’s a side order of wow factor art (owner Stein Erik Hagen collects art alongside saunas); the staff are delightful and it’s remarkably good value. All in all, a perfectly balanced equation.
Book it: Doubles from £160 B&B. Spa day passes from £47. thewell.no
Casa Chablé
Nr Tulum, Mexico
Just south of Tulum yet a world away, the Unesco World Heritage Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve is known for its mangrove-fringed turquoise lagoons, tropical rainforest and Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. It’s also the castaway setting for the new Casa Chablé which sits on the site of a former hotel and has an eco-ethos at its core: solar panels provide energy for ten hours a day, electricity is off-grid, water is recycled. There are ten rooms, half in the Casa Principal, which has an open-plan living area and bar; the rest are Robinson Crusoe-style bungalows on the beach. Days are spent spotting frigates from sun loungers, riding fat bikes along the sandy track to the nearest fishing village or out on boat trips to see dolphins and turtles. Deep tissue and relaxing massages happen under a shady palm tree or on your terrace. At open-air restaurant K’uum, chef Williams Saurina uses herbs from the Ka’anche’s (traditional, elevated Mayan gardens) and local fish for family-style suppers with dishes such as blue tuna marinated in kombu and mussels with tomato creole sauce. Afterwards, take turns using the telescope for a closer look at the star-studded, inky sky. A laidback hideaway that puts the planet front and centre.
Book it: Doubles from £592 B&B. Full property buyouts available from approx. £6,616 for up to 22 people. chablehotels.com
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