Struggling to find the right retreat for your client? Janine Kelso picks five spa holidays that will cover all your bases
Spa breaks are all the rage with increasing numbers of travellers seeking an escape from the daily grind. The range of products on the market is staggering, so we’ve rounded up a range of options that will appeal to different clients.
Four Seasons Hotel, Cyprus
Who would it suit? Older travellers with a passion for Mediterranean culture.
Why? Cyprus is famed for its upmarket spa resorts, such as the Four Seasons Hotel and Le Méridien Limassol Spa and Resort. For a taste of the east, head to the Four Seasons for its Japanese-themed Shiseido Spa offering thalassotherapy treatments that use products containing mineral-rich seawater and seaweed.
Olympic Holidays commercial director Photis Lambrianides said: “The Four Seasons and Le Méridien are high up among our top selling spas because of the extensive range of spa facilities they offer.”
If you tire of pampering yourself it’s easy to hire a car and explore Cyprus’s rural interior. You can walk in forest-clad mountains, visit vineyards and sample the wares or chat to the locals in quiet villages.
Sample product: Olympic Holidays offers seven nights’ bed and breakfast at the Four Seasons Hotel in Limassol, Cyprus, for £585 per person, staying in a twin room with a whirlpool bathtub, departing January 5 2009, including flights and transfers.
Book it: 0800 093 3322, Olympic Holidays agent website
The Bali Hyatt, Bali
Who would it suit? Couples seeking a romantic hideaway.
Why? Pamper yourself in one of the world’s most romantic destinations. Renowned for its rejuvenating massages, Bali has an abundance of beautiful spas. For a typically Balinese experience, stay at the Bali Hyatt, set on Samur Beach in 36 acres of tropical gardens.
Its attractive spa is sprawled across villas and open-air pavilions in a courtyard style. Choose from a variety of aromatherapy and massage treatments, from the jet lag massage to an anti-stress shoulder and back treatment.
Sample product: Premier Holidays offers seven nights’ room-only at the Bali Hyatt from £975 per person, including flights and transfers. Spa treatments are extra.
Book it: 08444 937 444, Premier Holidays agent website
Marrakesh, Morocco
Who would it suit? Anyone who wants an exotic city break with a heady dose of pampering.
Why? Only three hours from the UK, Marrakesh is a great place to go for a long weekend. Shopaholics will love haggling for lamps and beautifully decorated crockery in the atmospheric souks, while the city’s central square, Djemma el Fna, is a hive of activity with its storytellers, snake charmers and acrobats – plus food stalls at night.
However, the city can get quite frenetic, so rest your head at boutique property Angsana Riads Collection which features six individually designed traditional Moroccan houses. Each riad has a treatment room and hammam. Guests can have treatments in their own riad and couples can experience spa treatments together at Riad Aida’s rooftop spa tent.
Sample product: A superior room at Riad Aida in January starts from €127 per night.
Book it: 0800 300 200 00
Six Senses Hideaway, Koh Yao Noi, Thailand
Who would it suit? Honeymooners, lovers of barefoot luxury
Why? Set on the picture-perfect island of Koh Yao Noi, this five-star resort has 54 cavernous pool villas dotted around the hillside, each with its own iPod docking station, Bose sound system and espresso machine, as well as being served by a butler.
The Six Senses spa is cocooned in the forest-clad hillside and offers treatments using natural products. It’s all very back-to-nature: think wood panelling and palm-leaf thatching. If you want to burn some calories, the resort offers sailing, rock climbing, scuba diving and mountain biking.
Sample product: Sunset Faraway offers seven nights’ room-only in a pool villa at the Six Senses Hideaway, Koh Yao Noi, for £2,299 per person, including flights and transfers, departing from January 12 to March 31 2009.
Book it: 020 8774 7100
The One&Only Royal Mirage Resort, Dubai
Who would it suit? Fans of A-list indulgence
Why? For an authentic spa experience, visit the resort’s traditional and opulent hammam, reached by strolling through a network of winding corridors and dramatic archways.
Here, a masseur scrubs and exfoliates every guest so they leave feeling spotlessly clean and invigorated. Treatments include a full-body wrap with rose or mint-scented natural clay and an oriental massage with traditional black soap. If you prefer a western-style experience, head to the Givenchy spa.
Sample product: Kuoni offers five nights’ bed and breakfast at The Palace at the One and Only Mirage Resort for £1,624, departing January 1 to March 16, including
flights and transfers.
Book it: 01306 747 728, Kuoni agent website
