Hotels

11 of the world's best spa hotels

Treat yourself to a healthful getaway at our Experts’ Choice picks for the finest wellness hotels on the planet.

 

Whether you want to make like a celebrity or simply recharge your batteries, our Experts’ Choice picks for 11 of the world’s best spa hotels are all fabulous places to rest, rejuvenate, and indulge in some well-deserved pampering. From Doha to Denver, from Cape Town to Crete, these luxurious retreats will help sooth your senses and bring you back into balance.

Welcoming presidents, celebrities, and royalty since 1892, the Brown Palace continues to be Denver’s most prestigious hotel. Besides six restaurants and bars, ultra-plush rooms, and a nine-story lobby crowned with stained glass, its excellent spa offers a menu of invigorating massages, facials, body scrubs, nail care and other services. Looking for a Swedish massage after a decadent Champagne brunch, followed by a traditional afternoon tea? You can have it all without leaving the premises.

Housed in former saddlery near the Alamo and the River Walk, this 4.5-star hotel features a elegant rooms, along with an excellent in-house restaurant, a romantic rooftop pool, and a full-service concierge who gives excellent recommendations. Each of the 99 rooms has high ceilings, marble finishings, spa bathtubs, complimentary WiFi, and flatscreen TVs. The award-winning, 17,000-square-foot spa offers massage therapy, body treatments, facials, manicures, pedicures and hair care, as well as 18 private treatment rooms, and sanctuary lounges.

Situated in a gorgeous Victorian-era chalet, the Claremont is an iconic hotel and spa spread over 22 lush acres in the Berkeley hills east of San Francisco. In addition to its state-of-the-art fitness facilities, beautifully landscaped gardens, and upmarket rooms, its spa offers a range of top-flight treatments, including acupuncture, facials, and relaxing massages. Other perks: the saline whirlpool overlooking the San Francisco Bay, plus two heated pools, a children's pool, and ten tennis courts.

From its views of the Chao Phraya River to its tasteful East-meets-West aesthetic, The Peninsula is one of Bangkok’s most lavish hotels. Spacious rooms have marble bathrooms with spa tubs, teak floors, and silk-covered furniture, and each features a panoramic vista of the water and the city. Amenities include a three-tiered outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, a deluxe fitness center, and a spa where highly-trained therapists draw on methods from European, Asian and Ayurvedic traditions.

Allegedly the favorite hotel of Winston Churchill, this family-run colonial-style property blends tranquility (think sea views, and no TVs or radios) and tasteful opulence. Besides the 47 intimate, retro Jamaican suites, there’s a private beach, a gorgeous outdoor pool, and a spa on the cliffs of Cutlass Bay offering treatments utilizing sustainably harvested plants from the island.

Set in a modern glass tower in the busy JingAn District, the PuLi is an oasis of affluent calm. Along with serene decor, a giant indoor infinity pool, and a health club (complete with “experiential” showers and micro bubble bath), the Anantara Spa on the third floor fuses a range of ancient therapies from China, Thailand and India. Also on offer: two bars, an in-house restaurant, and a garden terrace with one of the most extensive selections of wine and champagne in Shanghai.

Voted the Canada’s top city hotel in 2016 by Travel + Leisure magazine, this 4.5-star boutique property in the heart of downtown Vancouver is known for consummate luxury and impeccable service. The award-winning spa offers exclusive treatments featuring the renowned Epicuren Skin Care line - and is a favorite with Hollywood filmmakers. Each of its 83 rooms has antique furnishings, a flat-screen cable TV with DVD player, free WiFi, and a stylish seating area -- private balconies with stunning city views are an optional extra.

Stone archways, pebble mosaics, and a location in a lovely 17th-century mansion are just some of the ingredients in the unique charm of Casa Delfino. A 4.5-star hotel near the historic center of Chania town, Casa Delfino has classy rooms that blend old-world elegance and contemporary comfort, as well as a spa with a marble steam room, two treatment rooms, an extra-large Jacuzzi whirlpool, and a soothing relaxation area. Additional highlights: A rooftop terrace overlooking the town, a stylish in-house bar, and legendary breakfasts in the courtyard featuring local cheeses and olives, house-made bread, organic house-made marmalade, and yogurt with thyme honey.

Surrounded by three lakes, rock cliffs, and snow-covered mountains, the five-star Llao Llao Hotel and Resort in Nahuel Huapi National Park is as idyllic as it is opulent. Argentina’s most famous hotel, it features 205 rooms with Patagonian-inspired decor and lovely lake or mountain views. An 18-hole golf course, plus trekking, mountain biking, and skiing will keep you in shape, and the spa offers a variety of hydro and relaxation therapies, massages, and a sauna to help you recover afterwards.

This five-star, 174-room oceanside resort combines the best of traditional architecture with the exquisite comforts of a Ritz-Carlton property. Elegant villas have Middle Eastern decor, wood accents, canopied beds, private balconies overlooking the resort village or Doha Bay, and marble bathrooms with deep-soaking baths and rain showers. Add to this a 1400-square-meter infinity pool, gorgeous gardens, world-class dining, and 300 meters of private beach — not to mention the Six Senses Spa, featuring an extensive menu of skin therapies and massages, a sauna, and a hammam.

Set in a picturesque location between the mountains and the Atlantic, this lavish, Dutch-style hotel features 70 large rooms with panoramic views, a fine-dining restaurant serving organic, locally-driven cuisine, and an award-winning spa with rock pools and a treatment menu that embraces holistic principles, combining ancient wisdom and modern expertise. All rooms come with free WiFi, DVD players, and access to a movie library, as well as full English/Irish breakfasts.

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