LEFAY RESORT AND SPA DOLOMITI

Dolomites, Italy

‘Nestled high in a ski resort in the Italian Dolomites, this is the second luxe eco spa from Lefay. Like the first (on the shores of Lake Garda), it was painstakingly designed to have a positive impact. The ethos here is that wellness shouldn’t come at a cost to the environment, so Lefay records its carbon dioxide emissions and follows strategies to neutralise them. Whether or not you know all this, you can’t help but feel all is well with the world while you’re here – it’s a place of care, kindness and quiet luxury. My view, through floor-to-ceiling windows everywhere, was of velvety forests. Just floating in the pool, pummelled by water jets and gazing at the mountain tops, felt like a moment of peace. Lefay’s approach combines Western therapies with the Chinese concept of energy, or qi. It’s believed we need different energies at different times, so there are four sauna zones set around a huge whirlpool containing magnesium salts, each with its own temperature, humidity and aromatherapy setting. Personalised spa packages combine balancing treatments with recommended sauna and steam sequences. Or you can wander from zone to zone, as I did. My massage, facial and body scrub were all from The Scents Of The Forest menu using Alpine salt, pine, peppermint and local olive oil. They were exactly what I needed. I started coming down with a cold at Lefay, one that had been waiting to come out for weeks, I think, and some chopped fresh chilli was produced with my steak at dinner, to help clear my sinuses. I’d never been anywhere like this before and doubt I will again – experiences like this don’t come along more than once in a lifetime. Though there’s always Lake Garda…’ Fiona Andrews

RED NOTE Don’t pass up the Bircher muesli at the buffet breakfast. It’s delicious. Accommodation from €320. The Scents Of The Forest Wellness and Beauty Package, €280. (lefayresorts.com)