Spa holidays
Do you yearn for a spa holiday but don't know whether you want a medical institution with healing waters or a posh hotel with thermal pools and seaweed wraps? These days, every posh hotel boasts some sort of spa, but it is often nothing more than a pool the size of a handkerchief and a couple of treatment rooms where therapists dole out feathery massages. If you want a proper spa experience, say to lose weight, end stress or knock 10 years off your appearance, you'll need something more hardcore. Here are a few to choose from.
For weight loss
Celebs make a bee-line for the Chiva Som resort in Thailand whenever they need to shed a few pounds, but this boot camp in the sun is so eye-wateringly expensive that you might start comfort eating to get over the shock of the final bill. A cheaper alternative is the Thermes Marins de St-Malo, one of the leading thalassotherapy centres in France. Thalassotherapy uses seawater and seawater products to promote weigh loss and the centre also has a fitness room. Erna Low offers a 3-day thalassotherapy programme, including accommodation at the Grand Hotel des Thermes, from £580pp. Seven days costs from £960pp.
For detox
A great way to kick start a new health regime, detoxification. using a mixture of heat, water and herbs, is supposed to speed up the elimination of toxins from the body and improve circulation. Spa specialist Thermalia Travel recommends a stay at the elegant Grand Hotel Trieste and Victoria in Albano Terme, Italy. There are four thermal swimming pools, a treatment grotto and a gym, and some of the bedrooms have private ‘cure cabins' for fangotherapy, which is where you get slapped with mud, bathed in thermal waters and massaged. A 7-night fangotherapy programme costs from £921pp, including flights, accommodation and 5 days of treatments. For a detox-on-a-budget, try the Rogaska Health Resort in Slovenia, where Thermalia offers 3-night programmes from £299, including flights and 7-nights from £588.
For stress
Start the day with a glass of fresh juice followed by yoga on the beach as the sun rises over the Atlantic and feel the tension drain away. Holistic holiday specialist in:spa offers all-inclusive health and fitness breaks combining activities, yoga, massage and gourmet cuisine at a variety of locations. One to make your toes curl is the Ksar Massa on the beach on the Moroccan coast, an hour south of Agadir in the heart of the Souss-Massa National Park. A 7-night package including accommodation, meals, yoga, hiking, circuit training, three massages, personal training session and a one-on-one nutrition consultation costs from £1,895 excluding flights.
For beauty
Sinking into the deeply luxurious Evason Hideaway and Six Senses Spa at Zighy Bay in Oman, where the buzz words are ‘holistic' and ‘pampering' is enough to make improve anyone look and feel better. This new resort, with a soft sandy beach to the front and dramatic mountains at the back, has nine treatment rooms and 11 private spa suites built into villas with pools. La Joie de Vivre offers 5-night packages from £1,289pp including flights, transfers and accommodation with breakfast.
For anti-ageing
You'll often feel 10 years younger when you emerge from a spa, but the effect might not last as long as the flight home. For lasting benefit, a nip and tuck might be the solution. Drastic? Perhaps, but some people feel it's worth it. Plastic surgery is so much cheaper abroad that an estimated 10,000 Britons return from a ‘holiday' with duty-free and a new look. Treatment Abroad claims a face lift typically costs £1,343 in Bulgaria, 80% cheaper than the UK; getting your eyes done will cost about £800 compared to £3,660 in the UK. All prices include flights and accommodation as well as hospital and surgery fees. British surgeons warn the quality of care might not be as good overseas, so this is obviously an area you will need to think about before going ahead.
For something different
If you have a health problem you'll need to check into a medical spa that specialises in your particular ailment. Thermalia offers a range of medical spas that offer tried-and-tested treatments. One of the newest on the market is cryotherapy, which involves being locked in a chamber at minus 120 degrees to rid you of arthritis, osteoporosis and skin disorders. Sounds good? Then contact Czech Travel for more info.
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