Our super duper spa trekker blogger Caroline Sylger Jones, founder of Queen of Retreats suggests five wellbeing holidays to get you out of the cold and into health
1. CHILL OUT IN LAOS
Escape to Shape is an excellent ‘travelling fitness spa’ whose healthy holiday in Laos takes you to the serene UNESCO protected city of in Luang Prabang. Staying in a riverside villa, you are minutes away from the historic city centre with its Buddhist temples and boutique shops, but you can enjoy a heated pool, stress-busting daily yoga and holistic massages. Swim in freshwater waterfalls, hike up the town’s central mountain and visit a local elephant sanctuary – the combination of ‘healthy’ and ‘holiday’ could not be more apt. It costs from $3500 (around £2300) for seven nights accommodation, all meals, yoga, hiking and massage, and a fantastic range of trips and cultural experiences, as well as bikes to explore the town, airport transfers and city tax. The trip runs February 8-15, 2014.
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2. DO YOGA IN CAMBODIA
Reclaim Your Self are offering a week long yoga adventure this year based on an organic farm. Stay among pepper plantations and durian orchards in the Kep region of Cambodia and enjoy two yoga and meditation classes a day with top London yoga teacher (and Healthista TV favourite) Lisa Sanfilippo. Midweek there’ll be a day off for an excursion, and the menu will be mostly vegetarian, gluten and sugar free, low in dairy, and using local produce from the farm. It costs from £725 – £950 per person depending on room choice including six night’s accommodation, classes, meals, drinks and snacks and transfers to and from Phnom Penh. The trip runs from 15-21 March, 2014.
Book here and receive a little gift
3. LOSE WEIGHT IN MOROCCO
Get fit and detox in a beautifully hot climate on this in:spa holiday, which features hikes in the Atlas Mountains, personal training, yoga, massage, a cleansing diet and nutritional advice. You’ll be based at Dar Liqama, a luxury villa in the Palmerie district of Marrakech with four acres of gardens, courtyards, fruit trees, two swimming pools, a hammam and tennis court. On one afternoon you’ll have the chance to explore the nearby medina, Marrakech’s bustling market square. For your food, an in:spa chef will create gourmet cleansing meals, juices and snacks that will energise you and keep hunger at bay. It costs from £2,195 per person including all classes, activities, meals, consultations, two massages and transfers to and from the recommended flights. The next trip runs 30th Jan 2014.
Book here and receive a little gift
4. JUICE FAST IN GOA
Jiva Healing run a wonderful juice fast retreat in Goa each year with daily yoga sessions and fun, informative classes on nutrition, healthy eating, sustainable living, meditation and happiness. You’ll be based at The Mandrem Beach Resort, which has simple, well furnished cottages with sea views next to three miles of unspoilt beach, woodland and coconut groves. A nutritionist will support you throughout the fast, which features organic fruit and vegetable juices, vitamin and mineral supplements and detoxifying herbs to nurture your body and aid the cleansing process. It costs £475 per person in a shared room or £675 in a room alone, including en suite accommodation, all juices, soups and detox pack and all classes. The weeks run from 1-8 and 8-15 March 2014 – there’s a £50 discount to anyone booking for two weeks.
Book here and receive a little gift
5. HEAL YOUR BODY IN MAURITIUS
Want a treat? Maradiva Villas is a plush yet warm and friendly spa resort on a generous stretch of white sand beach and turquoise lagoon in Tamarin Bay on the west coast of Mauritius. It was the first hotel to introduce ayurveda to the island, bringing experts in from Kerala, and its 65 private pool villas are havens of solitude. The spacious spa offers ayurveda treatments and dedicated retreats under the guidance of Dr Amat, an ayurvedic doctor from Kerala. From £333 per person per day for villa accommodation; ayurvedic spa experiences from £390 per person; 7 day Ayurvedic Detox Retreats including treatments, meditation and yoga from £1080.
Book here and receive a little gift
Queen of Retreats features honest, in-depth reviews written by journalists, fields booking enquiries for retreats it truly rates & offers The Retreat Concierge to help people find the right spa, retreat, yoga break or healthy holiday to suit their budget, taste and life situation.
Caroline Sylger Jones is an author and freelance journalist who travels the world checking out spas, yoga retreats and healthy holidays for international newspapers, glossy magazines and websites. She is the editor of healthy travel site www.queenofretreats.com for honest reviews and expert advice on spas, retreats and healthy holidays and runs The Retreat Consultancy for people looking to set up or improve their own retreats.
Read previous Spa Trekker posts:
Britain’s best affordable retreats
5 perfect Christmas spa escapes
Italy’s Vigilius Mountain Resort
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