VILA VITA PARC

The Algarve, Portugal

‘Perched on the clifftops in Alporchinhos, this white-washed resort in the centre of the Algarve is back in the game after a four-year renovation. It’s huge but peaceful, and with enough on offer that you could come back again and again and have an entirely different spa break every time. But for me, the showstopper was the new Sisley spa, the only one in Portugal. Tucked away in the tropical gardens, it sings of serenity, with turquoise tiles, soft lighting, sand-coloured walls inspired by nearby limestone caves and a spiral staircase representing the inside of a shell. Treatments are luxurious and forward-thinking; the traditional suspects are here, but so are the cutting edge. I plumped for a 90-minute anti-ageing facial with a full 20 minutes of jawline-sculpting and contour-refining massage, and walked away with skin that looked toned and rested. A sound and vibration waterbed sent me into a meditative state that felt even more powerful than sleep and a Filipino massage, in which my back was draped in hot coconut oil and ginger-infused banana leaves, untangled my tight muscles. There’s also a huge menu of fitness classes, a yoga pavilion and a light-filled Hypoxi Studio. Another first for Portugal, this is a low-impact form of exercise that uses vacuum pressure to stimulate blood flow and metabolism. There’s osteopathy, reflexology, craniosacral therapy and an aerial yoga class that stretched my body in a way that I’ve never been able to before. Soaking up the mesmerising ocean views, I hung (and swung) in a bright turquoise silk sling dangling from the ceiling. Very satisfying. Vila Vita Parc has 10 restaurants, including the two-michelin-starred Ocean. I worked up an appetite by walking along the golden beach to Arte Náutica (wonderfully informal with nautical interiors and slightly sandy floors) and tucked into the cataplana, a local fish stew cooked in a copper pot, accompanied by a glass of white house wine. Delicious.’ Harriet Compston