National Geographic Traveller (UK)
WELLNESS WONDER
From health retreats to tropical spas, these are the best hotels where you can switch off in style
Joali Being, Maldives
A honeymooners’ haven of undeniable beauty, the Maldives nonetheless suffers from a certain uniformity — identikit resorts can be hard to tell apart. But that’s not the case at Joali Being in the Raa Atoll, which, perhaps surprisingly, is the first resort in the country devoted to wellness in all its guises. Simply put, everything here is designed to do you good. That means meals are calorie conscious as well as delicious; the sprawling spa includes a Pilates facility and the island country’s first cryotherapy chamber. You won’t be short of expert assistance with staff members including
PTs, naturopaths and nutritionists, and at The Learning Centre, hands-on classes cover everything from herbology to meditation practice. Throw in earth-to-table dining and elegant villas in calming cream tones and you’ll never want to leave. From $2,340 (£1,915), B&B. joali.com
RUNNERS-UP
SIX SENSES IBIZA
The White Isle has entered a new, grown-up age with eco-luxe Six Senses, lazing across 20 sunsoaked acres on the isle’s bohemian northern shores. Wellness programmes are offered in a 1,200sq-metre spa; veg-centric, farm-to-fork fare comes courtesy of chef Eyal Shani, and it’s all powered by self-produced renewable energy. From €570 (£480), B&B. sixsenses.com
THE WOODWARD, GENEVA
Making the most of the Alpine air and soothing blues of Lake Geneva, this grand quayside retreat is busy making a name for itself as a Swiss sanctuary of calm. The 26 suites are decked out in stone and duck-egg blue hues, but it’s the vast spa that beckons most, with a 21-metre pool, saunas, Swedish baths and treatments by luxury cosmetic brand, Guerlain. From CHF1,100 (£965), B&B. oetkercollection.com