News and Reviews

Review – Restore mind, body and soul with a Nature Immersion experience at the Spa at South Lodge
Forest bathing, qi gong and more – Yoga instructor and forest bathing practitioner Helena Skoog leads a day of communing with nature as part of an overnight package at this stately country hotel.

Clinique La Prairie Announces an Exclusive Health Resort in Partnership with Amaala
Amaala and The Red Sea, has announced a partnership with leading longevity clinic and wellness brand, Clinique La Prairie.
The partnership involves the development of a high-end 36,115 sqm Clinique La Prairie Health Resort within Amaala, which is located on Saudi Arabia’s north-western coastline. The exclusive resort will offer 13 villas, as well as housing 52 rooms and suites.
“Clinique La Prairie’s world-renowned facilities and health and wellness experiences, set against Saudi Arabia’s extraordinary natural landscapes, will take our visitors on transformative personal journeys inspired by arts, wellness, and the purity of the Red Sea. The resort’s subtle beauty – a product of Islamic architecture and modern craftmanship – will deliver a serene place in which to unwind, meditate and rejuvenate,” said John Pagano, Group CEO, Red Sea Global.

RAKxa Wins ‘Best Holistic Heaven’ in Condé Nast Traveller Wellness & Spa Awards 2023
Only two years since its opening, RAKxa – Thailand’s leading integrative wellness and medical retreat – has been awarded “Best Holistic Heaven” in the prestigious Condé Nast Traveller Wellness and Spa Awards 2023.

Review – Gilpin Lake House & Spa, Windermere
The Lake District lays claim to many wonders – being the home of craggy fells, gleaming waters, England’s highest mountain, Beatrix Potter, William Wordsworth, the UK’s biggest red squirrel population and the best selection of spa hotels and Michelin starred restaurants in the north, for starters. Which makes it hard to stand out from the crowd. Not that the Gilpin Hotel and Spa has any concerns on that front. When you’re privileged enough to review luxury travel in the name of ‘work’, it’s shamefully easy to get a little blasé about places. Yet we were utterly blown away with quite how downright glorious of an experience our stay at this 21-acre estate near Lake Windermere was.

Review – Alice Hart Davis Discovers a Transformative Retreat at Ananda in the Himalayas
First, an apology: there may be a lot of superlatives in this review. In my defence I’d like to point out that Ananda in the Himalayas has won Conde Nast Traveller’s Global Wellness Destination award twice in the past three years…

Review – Palazzo Fiuggi – We Check In to the New Multi-Million Pound Italian Spa Retreat
Following a £26 million renovation, Palazzo Fiuggi is being hailed as one of Italy’s leading wellness retreats. Spa guru Jo Foley investigates…

Review – Four Seasons Kuda Huraa & The Island Spa
Set amidst the tranquil turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean and just a 25-minute speedboat ride from the Maldivian capital of Malé, Four Seasons Kuda Huraa offers the kind of top-notch hospitality synonymous with the Four Seasons brand, paired with an Instagrammable paradise island aesthetic.

Amanzoe Launches Personalised Individual Wellness Immersions
The birthplace of modern medicine, renowned for its philosophers, natural beauty, and healthy cuisine, Greece is soon to become the fifth Aman destination to offer personalised Individual Wellness Immersions. Three life-enhancing, multi-day programmes will launch at Amanzoe on 1 April 2020, promising guests expert guidance and cossetted time in which to reflect, recalibrate and reset the course of their long-term wellbeing.
Following the success of the multi-day Individual Wellness Immersions at Amanpuri in Thailand, Amanbagh in India, Amanoi in Vietnam and Amanemu in Japan, Aman is bringing the concept to the shores of the Peloponnese.

Review – Juliet Kinsman’s Life Changing Programme at Vana Retreat
“Well, I’ll be, says Juliet Kinsman. I went to north India for a week’s holiday, ate to my heart’s content and spent most of my time supine. And you know what – it was the most life-changing holiday I’ve had.”

Review – Linda Meredith Oxygen Facial at Four Seasons Park Lane
The Four Seasons Hotel Park Lane has long been acknowledged as one of London’s big hitters, perched on a statement corner by the grand entrance to Hyde Park. So the invitation to review the new signature treatment menu at its eponymous spa is no small deal, particularly when these treatments include a 24-carat gold facial.
Ascending to the 10th floor the lift doors open to an ultra-modern circular reception area, all in white with floor to ceiling windows looking out to the city. Busy looking women sit around the circumference urgently tapping on tablets. Combined with the fact I am trialling an ‘Oxygen Facial’, the whole affair gains a futuristic edge.

Review – Lanserhof Tegernsee – A Gleaming Mayr Clinic at the Foothills of the Bavarian Mountains
Of all the detox tribes – juicing, raw, paleo, macrobiotic – Mayr cure disciples might be the most hardcore. Named after the Austrian scientist and pioneering holistic therapist Franz Xaver Mayr, FX Mayr clinics and medispas are dotted across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, peddling a spartan, results-driven regime of fasting, chew-training and purging epsom salts. Its no-nonsense approach to digestive health is particularly popular with the international fashion crowd (Alber Elbaz and Karlie Kloss are fans), wealthy Russians and high-powered German CEOs and bankers, all of whom think that superfood smoothies are for wimps.

Review – Wellness in Paradise – We Test the Tailored Wellbeing Offerings at Anantara Maldives
Set in the North Male Atoll amidst the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean, the tropical island of Anantara Dhigu offers the perfect location for a stress-busting getaway…

The New ‘Wellbeing Sanctuary’ by Banyan Tree, Koh Samui & Krabi
Banyan Tree are known worldwide for their exceptional holistic spas and wellness facilities. The new “Wellbeing Sanctuary” by Banyan Tree provides guests with an opportunity to combine a leisure stay with a daily wellbeing programme – designed to enrich mind, body and soul.

Introducing the Fabulous New Wellness Retreats by Mandarin Oriental
Mandarin Oriental are renowned worldwide for their award-winning 5 star hotels and resorts – offering world-class accommodation, outstanding service, innovative dining and exceptional holistic spas & wellness facilities.
Reflecting on the past couple of years and all the stress that has been endured, the iconic brand have launched their new wellness retreats with a focus on complete rejuvenation of body and mind – offering guests the chance to de-stress and re-boot in the lap of luxury.

A Wonderful New Spa & Wellness Experience Awaits at Scotland’s ‘Glorious Playground’ – Gleneagles
The iconic country estate and hotel, Gleneagles, has launched an exciting new spa and wellness offering – cementing its place as Scotland’s leading wellness destination.

Review – We Check In to the Culloden Estate and Spa
Belfast is now making headlines for all the right reasons. There’s been a boom in film and TV companies shooting blockbusters here of late, and with Hollywood stars swanning about the city as a result, it’s no surprise that Belfast is increasingly being seen as a chic destination for a weekend spa break.

The Future of Heath and Wellness – Revealed by Clinique La Prairie
Reversed ageing and advances in stem cell technology are among eight key trends in the future of health and wellness, as predicted by experts at the world-renowned Swiss wellness clinic, Clinique La Prairie.

Review – Nayara – The Award-Winning Luxury Hot Spring Spa Hotel in Costa Rica
Located in the Arenal Volcano National Park of Costa Rica, Nayara Springs is ideally situated for wildlife enthusiasts and adventure seekers alike. Where activities range from canyoning in the wild rainforest waterfalls, to kayaking on the tranquil lake. Followed by soaking in the natural hot-springs, heated by the third most active volcano on earth …

Clinique La Prairie Opens an Exclusive Detox Chalet in the Heart of the Swiss Alps
This summer sees the opening an exclusive Clinique La Prairie chalet in the heart of the breathtaking Alpine village, Verbier. Offering a highly exclusive detox experience in utmost privacy, this one of a kind hideaway has been devised to provide guests with outstanding health and wellness care.

Review – Bürgenstock Resort & the Alpine Spa, Lake Lucerne
World-class beauty and wellbeing therapies in Europe’s largest spa, 500 metres above Lake Lucerne.
Nine years and a 550 million Swiss Franc investment, Bürgenstock Resort has been reborn as one of Switzerland’s most prestigious addresses. Here in the Alps, the estate represents a landmark in ecological thinking due to its construction practices, the Bürgenstock Bahn, the world’s oldest electrical funicular delivers you into the lobby of Bürgenstock Hotel where the carbon-neutral credentials continue.