The top 10 spa hotels in the world
A stay at a spa hotel can bring a transformation. Everyday stress melts away in the lap of impeccable luxury and service. Add in the excitement of an interesting destination and the combination becomes too hard to resist. Here’s a look at 10 of the world’s top spa hotels that considers exotic location as well.
ESPA at the Ritz Carlton, Moscow, Russia
One of the world’s most intriguing capitals is home to this 5-star hotel with an unrivaled spa experience. Treatments developed by ESPA exclusively for Ritz-Carlton create an oasis of relaxation away from the fast pace of the city. After the spa, guest rooms furnished in the Russian imperial-style with expansive city views welcome you.
Six Senses Spa, Evason Ma’In Hot Springs, Jordan
A hot spring waterfall cascades into the spa area in a dramatic desert landscape featuring hues of brown, purple, and copper. Delicately placed in the stark scene is the sublime spa, part of the Six Senses group of hospitality hotels. Located 264 meters below sea level, the Jordan resort is an excursion into the exotic. Include a side trip to the Dead Sea or the ancient city of Petra and peer through a window into the distant past.
Discovery Shores, Boracay, Philippines
The property Travel + Leisure magazine has named the number one hotel in Asia three years running is located on a stretch of white-powder sand on Boracay Island in the crystal waters of the Sulu Sea. The Terra Wellness Spa is renowned for a determination to ease mind and body in pure relaxation. The nearby waters are exceptional for snorkeling and diving.
Nam Hi, Hoi An, Vietnam
It’s an all-villa resort located on the sparkling beach of Hoi An features rooms with private infinity pools to stretch the boundaries of imagination and relaxation. Excursions to nearby UNESCO World Heritage sites add culture and context to the spa resort experience. Hoi An is an ancient trading port on the South China Sea, with a welcoming and unexplored tone.
Mohonk Mountain House, Hudson Valley, New York
On the banks of Lake Mohonk in the Hudson Valley but just 90 miles north of New York City, this spa resort offers outstanding getaway options. Constructed in the grand mountain resort style featuring woodwork and stone fireplaces, the setting evokes days gone by, while the amenities are thoroughly modern.
Ananda in the Himalayas, India
Set in the foothills of the Himalayas in sal forests along the Ganga River, the Ananda has been called the ultimate destination for a complete reset. Traditional Indian wellness regimes are combined with the best international techniques to provide an unparalleled destination spa experience. The grandeur of the Himalayas off in the distance can be a side trip, or just an amazing frame.
Tswalu Kalahari Spa, South Africa
Designed to blend in with the landscape and use the climate as a treatment, the open-air spa garden can see you getting a treatment as an exotic antelope meanders by. The spa is located inside the huge Tswalu Game Reserve, where you can safari for sightings of even the rarest Kalahari animals like the desert black rhino. The preserve has one-third of South Africa’s remaining population of the endangered rhino.
One&Only and ESPA have worked together to bring this exquisite destination spa to life. The sublime tropical beauty of the Maldives, set out in the Indian Ocean south of Sri Lanka, is the exotic backdrop. Relax and receive treatments under thatched roof villas on the edge of a seemingly endless sea, it’s a locale where getting away from it all is an incredible understatement.
ESPA at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore
A glorious spa experience can be set together with everything that Resorts World Sentosa tempts guests with. For example, parents can get an amazing treatment, all while letting the kids play at nearby Universal Studios. The spa is a 10,000 square meter immersion into a panoply of inviting options.
The Spa at the Palace Downtown, Dubai, UAE
The special setting of the lakeside cabana spa treatment areas overlooking Burj Khalifa Lake add to the level of luxury. Views of the Dubai Fountain and the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, help set the backdrop. An all-encompassing spa experience in the architecture of an historic compound on Old Town Island is contrasted against the glass and steel of downtown Dubai.
An incredible spa experience at a wonderful hotel in an intriguing location is what this list is about. Hopefully, it can provide food for thought, perhaps launching grand adventures around the world. To truly immerse oneself in the experience requires a blending of technique, location, and amenities, and these properties fit the bill.
Pierre Fortier is General Manager for Palmex International.
If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
The natural waterfall at Six Senses is such a perfect touch. There are few things as calming as the sound of naturally flowing water!
Heavenly spas my dream for my life is winning the lottery and travelling the world visiting spas like these on the way pure heaven
Wow! Discovery Shores, Boracay, Philippines lookes awesome, no wonder it was voted winner thrice by Travel+Leisure.
Ananda in Himalayas is yet another of the gorgeous one. It’s location is awe inspiring. Haven’t been here but have crossed it on my way many a times whenever I am being footloose in the Garhwal Himalayas :-)
Great list! I’ve visited Mohonk many times and love it…however, please note that you have it spelled wrong! It’s not Monhauk…it’s Mohonk!
Thank you, Lisa… that typo has now been corrected! :)
All of these look like they’re worth every penny. I must agree with Sara about the power of nature to calm, heal and renew. I personally prefer spas that have a natural setting. There’s something so profound about the real smell of the sea and the sounds of animals all around you.
The Ritz Carlton, with its impeccable ESPA facility, is by no means a “spa hotel”- it is a business hotel WITH a spa, located in the central street with heaviest traffic
, 200 metres from the Red Square. According to international standards, spa
Hotels should primarily addressing spa tourists, aiming to book spa packages. Which is not the case with the Ritz Carlton in Moscow. It is just a magnificent hotel with a luxurious spa.