Traveller Awards: 10 outstanding places to relax and rejuvenate

Traveller Awards: Wellness

When we asked our expert contributors to nominate their favourite global wellness experiences of recent times, the resulting list ran the gamut from remote (but outrageously high-tech) retreat to guided high-desert spiritual awakening. Some require an open mind; others a deep pocket. But all of these unique experiences put relaxation and self-care front and centre. Read on for our Traveller Awards 2024 winners in the Wellness category.

Monk chat, Thailand

Mop, a 20-year-old Buddhist monk, during Wat Luang Chedi’s daily “Monk Chat” program.Credit: Getty Images

Several of Chiang Mai’s temples offer Monk Chat, a program that allows visitors to sit down with a group of monks and learn more about Buddhism and their lives. For tourists, it’s an invaluable opportunity to interact with the monks, rather than just photograph them as they move around the city in their saffron-coloured robes. Many have been studying since they were children and their insight and wisdom can be profound. Want to learn more? Wat Suan Dok temple offers a range of Buddhist meditation courses, from donation-based half-day sessions to three-day intensives. See monkchat.net

Rakxa

No one delivers personalised programs like Rakxa.

Tailored treatments are all the rage in the wellness world, but no one delivers personalised programs like Rakxa. Blood and stool analyses are used to design a program incorporating everything from longevity science to traditional Indian, Chinese and Thai healing. The village-like retreat, set in the lush green belt around Bangkok, is also kitted out with high-tech equipment that most spas only dream of, including a Tesla Former machine and a hyberbaric chamber you can sit in upright (unlike the usual claustrophobic capsule). Add in superb food, divine herbal teas and expansive private villas and you have the perfect place for a reset. See rakxawellness.com

Forestis

Forestis is located on Plose mountain in the Dolomites, 1800 metres above sea level.

At Forestis, they know that nothing lifts you up like a mountain escape. This boutique bolthole in Italy’s South Tyrol region structures its wellness offering around the Alpine experience. That includes everything from glass-walled saunas looking out to snow-topped peaks to forest walks that feature al fresco sessions of Celtic yoga. The spa products are based on the region’s distinctive trees – mountain pine, spruce, larch and Swiss stone pine – and the food, both foraged and farmed, is also hyper-local. Added bonus: the isolated perch away from noise and light pollution guarantees a glorious night’s sleep. See forestis.it

SIRO One Za’abeel

A treadmill workout with a view of the world’s tallest building.

It can be hard keeping up your fitness routine while travelling, but Dubai’s SIRO One Za’abeel makes it easy. This fitness-focused hotel has 1000 square metres of workout and recovery space including an amazing gym with a view (where else can you gaze at the world’s tallest building from the treadmill?), while the rooms come equipped with everything from gymnastic wall bars to Technogym stretching and balancing programs. Still want more? Sign up for one of 50 weekly classes or book yourself in for a session of cryotherapy, IV therapy or an infra-red treatment. See sirohotels.com

Heckfield Place

The Bothy’s swimming pool.

How do you make the most of a massage? By slowing down well before you reach the table. The Bothy, the 1600-metre spa at the sumptuous Heckfield Place country house in Hampshire, eases you in with a stroll through the walled garden to the spa, and then whisks away your shoes and your mobile phone before you head through to the treatment area. The signature 135-minute Wildsmith Time treatment, which features pressure point and kinesiology techniques and uses all-natural products, is superlative but if you are after something shorter, try an exhilarating Himalayan breathwork session. See heckfieldplace.com

Sound bath meditation, US

A sound bath meditation held in an authentic Native American medicine wheel.Credit: Joshua Tree Connectivity

California’s Joshua Tree National Park has long been a magnet for artists and spiritual seekers thanks to its stunning high-desert landscapes and claimed vortex energy centres. This four-hour experience with Joshua Tree Connectivity begins with a meditative desert walk, then continues with a sacred cacao ceremony and a sound bath meditation held in an authentic Native American medicine wheel. After an intention-setting guided meditation, guests are “bathed” in sound from a variety of instruments, including a cosmically tuned gong, a Mayan trumpet and Tibetan singing bowls. See joshuatreeconnectivity.com

Snow grotto, Viking Cruises

The Snow Grotto on board the Viking Sea.

Amid ever more elaborate spas on cruise ships, Viking Cruise’s snow grotto, with its uncomplicated but effective way to give your body a therapeutic jolt, is a breed apart. Snow flutters from the ceiling of a small glass-enclosed room where the temperature is a nippy minus 10 degrees. Leap from there into the 38-degree hot tub or 46-degree sauna and you get a wellness treatment at no charge. Meanwhile Viking’s ocean ships are conducive to mental wellbeing: adults-only, calming and chic Nordic design, infinity pool and an orientation towards destination-learning. See vikingcruises.com.au

Finn Lough, Northern Ireland

The Premium Bubble Dome at Finn Lough.Credit: Will Archer

In one of Northern Ireland’s last remaining tracts of ancient Atlantic rainforest, you can find Finn Lough, a wild lakeside retreat that promises to help guests reconnect with nature. There’s no TV or Wi-Fi, and guests are instead encouraged to explore by foot, bike or kayak, then retire to their stunning bubble-domed suites for a spot of stargazing. There’s a spa and sauna alongside Lough Erne, but book ahead for the self-guided Elements Trail Spa experience. A meandering trail leads bathers to a series of cabins scattered through the woods, each containing a different hot or cold spa treatment, including a floatation room and herbal sauna. A bracing dip in the lake is a must. See finnlough.com

Aurora Spa and Bathhouse, Victoria

Subterranean luxuriousness … Aurora Spa and Bathhouse.Credit: Nikole Ramsay

When the InterContinental Sorrento opened in 2022, while thankfully keeping some of the original village pub charm of the old Continental Hotel it inhabits, the IHG five-star changed the face of the Mornington Peninsula, adding luxury hotel vibes to a part of the peninsula that was already high net worth but lacked, perhaps, the high-end amenity to go with it. Like the hotel’s lovely restaurant Audrey’s, the attached Aurora Spa and Bathhouse has proven to be a popular spot for special occasions and holiday pampering sessions. Featuring a range of thermal and bathing experiences amid a subterranean luxuriousness, it was awarded best Australian spa at the 2023 Spa and Wellness Awards. See auroraspa.com.au

Escape Haven, Bali

The saltwater lagoon pool at Canguu’s Escape Haven.

Day-to-day drudgery and commitments can sometimes feel like it’s baked-in to our being, and there’s nothing like a seven-day retreat to give that modern-day compulsion to always be doing something a rest. Escape Haven is tucked away in a green pocket of Bali’s beachside Canggu. Renovated and expanded post-COVID, the sanctuary has a saltwater lagoon pool, infrared sauna, ice plunge pool and jacuzzi. Seventeen en suite rooms and suites are cocoons of indulgence from which to participate in the week-long women’s-only retreats. Themes include yoga, Ayurveda and detox with Bali healing (including chakra balancing and purification ceremonies) the most popular. Fitness sessions, unlimited spa treatments, communal gourmet meals and women’s circles around the fire pit complete the picture. See escapehaven.com

Traveller Awards contributors: Kate Armstrong, John Borthwick, Jim Darby, Anthony Dennis, Ben Groundwater, Julietta Jameson, Trudi Jenkins, Brian Johnston, Ute Junker, Katrina Lobley, Catherine Marshall, Rob McFarland, Justin Meneguzzi, Craig Platt, Jane Reddy, Jane Richards, Tim Richards, Craig Tansley, Lee Tulloch, Kerry van der Jagt, Penny Watson, Sue Williams