Best spa hotels in the world, reviewed by GH

Pampering comes with a royal pedigree at The Phoenicia. It was here, as newlyweds living in Malta, that Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip would whirl the night away in the hotel ballroom, embracing a brief carefree era before destiny and duty called.

Today, Malta’s grand dame hotel is polished for the 21st-century pleasure-seeker, yet feels like a passport into a glamorous bygone era. A darling of high society since 1947, its angular beauty slots like a Tetris piece into the base of Valletta’s city walls. The geometrically shaped infinity pool butts up against the capital’s 16th-century bastion, making the view out to the waterfront even more spectacular.

The spa is a recent addition to this five-star icon (completed after a long-buried part of the city wall was unearthed and the spa cleverly redesigned and reshaped to accommodate it). There’s a chic relaxation area, with stone and rock detailing that echoes the historic fortifications outside. The indoor pool is flanked by a sauna, solarium and sinus-soothing salt room, the latter proving so relaxing that GH curls up like a cat and dozes.

The breathe-easy theme continues with our Himalayan Salt Stone Massage (around £113 for 50min), which encourages us to follow our nose to spa nirvana, sniffing to decide between a rich oudh oil or a digestion-aiding angelica massage blend. The second option feels especially fitting, since our spa session directly follows a delicious, hearty breakfast in the hotel’s terrace conservatory.

The treatment unfolds into a drowsy blur of warm stones, unclenched shoulder blades and deep contentment. Who needs a title to feel like a queen?

For a scenic spa moment, you can book an alfresco massage in The Phoenicia’s lush Mediterranean gardens during warmer months. Tucked away from prying eyes, you’ll be kneaded and de-knotted on a shaded gazebo while the heady scent of jasmine floats on the air around you.

Rooms from around £294 a night; treatments from around £42.

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Spas don’t always come with a fold-out map to carry in your dressing gown pocket, but in Lefay’s case, you’ll be glad it does. Not just because the spa is a huge 5,000sqm, but also because it was created with the principles of classical Chinese medicine in mind, and its layout reflects that.

Okay – not the entire layout; the tranquil pools, glass-fronted relaxation rooms with cinematic views and light-flooded treatment rooms are glorious in their own right. But the sauna floor (where GH spends most of a long weekend) is, so your map acts as an orienteering aid and a bite-sized guide to this ancient wellness philosophy.

Don’t worry, everything falls quickly into place, and by the end of your stay you’ll understand the basics of balancing your ‘chi’ (life force) to improve health and happiness. In the sauna area, this means working with heat, water, herbal tea and aromatherapy as you meander through five different zones, each related to the energy of different seasons, elements and organs.

The White Tiger, for example (autumn, metal, lungs) is cosy and steamy, while lavender-scented The Red Phoenix (summer, fire, heart) has the highest temperatures and an exhilaratingly chilly plunge pool.

Even more cleverly, Lefay works with local mountain guides and wellbeing experts to take those principles outside, with activities including hiking, foraging and forest bathing designed to make the most of nature and the changing seasons.

To complete your holistic MOT, swerve traditional beauty treatments and go for a body massage that uses techniques such as tui na or gua sha to stimulate significant energy points and leave you feeling light and revitalised.

The three-night Yin-Yang Active & Balance Programme (from around £1,385) features an optional menu that mirrors the programme’s chi-balancing effect. Delicious and plentiful, it makes sure you have lots of energy for the outdoor activities, which include a forest walk with an invigorating dip in a crystal-clear stream.

Rooms from around £352 a night; spa breaks from around £562;
treatments from around £50.

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Where do we find the spa? Why, it’s out the front door, past the village square, around the Byzantine chapel... and we haven’t even left the hotel grounds! The five-star Anassa resort, snuggled into Cyprus’s easterly tip, has many such gems to discover as you meander along paths bursting with hot-pink bougainvillea and beckoning you down to the beach.

The award-winning Thalassa Spa is a key slice of this paradise. It offers a serene place to swim beneath Roman columns, sink your shoulders into a seawater massage pool or shade-bathe in the spa courtyard.

Treatment-wise, the premium roll call of spa names has been further elevated with the arrival of Subtle Energies, a brand that brings a magical alchemy of aromatherapy and Ayurveda.

Its signature Indulgent Beauty therapy (around £205 for 120min) saves GH from the traditional ‘facial or dilemma by delivering both in two hours of top-to-toe heaven. The full body exfoliation followed by a dosha-balancing massage is so relaxing, it’s genuinely challenging to roll over for the second half. When we admire the glow from the real 24k gold-infused facial, though, we’re glad we managed it.

The ‘mind, body and soul’ ethos of Subtle Energies is complemented by Anassa’s own wellness offerings, including the most intensely reverberating sound bath we’ve ever been immersed in, and a session with a shaman to discover our spirit animal (we can neither confirm nor deny that GH is a sloth).

Away from our spa-time, we enjoy indulging in Anassa’s excellent restaurants, feasting on the hotel’s self-produced cheeses, breads, pastries, cakes, honey and much more. A typical day of gastronomic heaven might begin with an al-fresco breakfast at Amphora, progress onto poolside mezze at Pelagos, and end with exquisite Asian flavours by candlelight at Basiliko.

With our senses satiated by food, spa and sunshine, we feel delightfully spoiled at Anassa – and ready for another lie-down.

Rooms from around £308 a night; treatments from around £50; Subtle Energies treatments from around £121.

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With its light-dappled waterways and labyrinthine cobbles, Amsterdam has to be one of the loveliest cities in all the world – and the arrival of the new Beauty House is doing nothing to dampen this.

Part of the five-star Pulitzer hotel, made up of 25 interconnected 17th- and 18th-century canal houses, the Beauty House is a micro-wellness space serving up tranquillity amid the bustle – perfect if you prefer a city break with spa elements incorporated, rather than the whole fluffy white robe nine yards.

The space offers a concise but well-considered range of body and facial treatments, plus hair and nail appointments. Spa blow-dries (from around £46) come courtesy of Champō – an Ayurveda-inspired, hair- health-first brand. Head to the Blow-Dry Bar, where you can also try a scalp detoxifying Head Spa (around £67 for 60min).

The facials, curated by top skincare brand 111Skin, have all been developed by its London-based team and are sublime. GH tries the Non-Surgical Lifting Facial (around £150 for 90min), which uses some of 111Skin’s most advanced formulas to give a sculpted, smoothed complexion.

And our glow only gets glowier as we take it for a turn, doing a spot of shopping in The Nine Streets and then on to visit the Van Gogh Museum.

Rooms from around £405 a night; treatments from around £46.

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In big, bold letters on the roof of this hotel, a sign reads: ‘Everything’s going to be alright’ and as you step inside, warmly greeted by attentive staff and the lobby’s four-storey crystal waterfall chandelier, you feel sure it will be.

The town of Bad Ragaz, with its thermal springs from the Tamina Gorge, is nestled in the foothills of the Swiss Alps and its Grand Hotel has been one of Europe’s most famous luxury wellness and spa resorts since 1869.

Fed with the gorge’s 36.5°C water, the palatial spa offers a bespoke environment for healing and relaxation. Among the resort’s many pools, possibly the most impressive is the marble-pillar-lined 19th-century Helena Bath.

Beyond it lies a dedicated sports pool (ideal for those who are feeling more active), while outdoors there’s a heated pool that overlooks the spectacular Graubünden mountains.

The resort is also home to a dedicated family spa, complete with child-sized spa loungers, thermal pools and water games. This spa gives children aged under 16 their own space to relax and splash about in, keeping them entertained – and the Helena Bath strictly adults-only.

To top it off, there’s the Tamina Therme public baths (integrated into the hotel, and free for guests), with its own variety of indoor and outdoor pools. This famous attraction is currently undergoing a huge redevelopment and is set to open again this October.

With so much pool-ing to do, it can be easy to forget there’s a long list of treatments available (not to mention three separate Michelin-starred restaurants to indulge in). GH tries the Swiss Back Relax (around £180), which incorporates facial-style methods into a body massage, leaving our back not only relaxed but also freshly cleansed and feeling shiny and new.

If you need even more care and rehab, the resort also houses a medical centre specialising in nutrition, sports medicine, rheumatology, aesthetics and more. Doctors and nurses are available on site, and the spa is accessible to people with a variety of conditions to help aid their recovery. Everything, it seems, is going to be much more than alright.

Rooms from around £296 a night; treatments from around £40.

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Drifting off midway through a spa treatment is nothing unusual. But being jolted awake by the static-like sensation of 'energy channels unblocking' during a Reiki session? That wasn’t on our list of expectations when we arrived at Kamalaya to de-stress and decompress. Then again, there is nothing ordinary about this wellbeing retreat, which draws people from across the globe to its transformative modern-day edit of ancient Eastern wisdom.

The term ‘integrated’ isn’t used lightly here. Programmes begin with a naturopathic consultation, and you can be prescribed sessions with anyone from a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner to a former Tibetan monk-turned-life coach. We meet these gentle souls, and many more, during our Asian Bliss programme, a magical, mystical reset for body and soul.

Life at Kamalaya flows with the circadian rhythm. Morning yoga classes focus on energy, while sunset is reserved for calming group meditation. In between, GH visits the Wellness Sanctuary for twice-daily treatments to nurture a more relaxed and resilient self.

An Ayurvedic massage delivers ASMR-like thrills as we’re drizzled top to toe in oil, while a meltingly-good scalp rub is delivered alfresco as birdsong floats down from the treetops – no need for a Spotify playlist here. And no stay appears complete without cupping, since everywhere we look there are backs covered in (painless) suction marks. They’re worn with pride; a symbol of belonging to this special community.

As night falls, we retreat to our luxurious sea view villa with its high-rafted ceiling, peaceful veranda, and a (private) open air bathing area that becomes an exhilarating literal rain-shower whenever a monsoon bursts overhead.

The cuisine here is equally inspiring. The ‘regular’ menu offers healthy Thai cuisine, while detoxing is made delicious with an array of filling soups, salads, curries and even desserts. When it’s time to depart, we feel nourished physically, spiritually and mentally. Our cupping marks may be fading but Kamalaya remains imprinted on our heart.

Asian Bliss programmes from around £3,746pp for seven nights, including full-board accommodation, 14 treatments, wellness consultation and progress review.

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The minute GH steps into this tropical wonderland, stress seems to melt away. At StolenTime – an adults-only sanctuary – the idea is ‘to introduce your body to your mind’, address the pressures of everyday life and focus on your wellbeing. A pre-arrival consultation promises a bespoke itinerary to help achieve this, with the exotic foliage and soothing sound of tree frogs doing their bit, too.

The boutique resort is set around a 150-year-old saman tree draped in chandeliers, and sits on one of the island’s longest beaches. You can stay in cottages beside the white sands or in treehouse-inspired lodges with hammocks across the balconies. GH has an airy and elegant Signature Poolside Suite, with Italian marble floors and a freestanding bath. There’s even a pillow menu featuring five options.

The resort engages mind, body and spirit through an array of exercise classes, yoga, tennis and watersports, including sailing and paddleboarding in the warm, gentle waters. Instructors are experienced and highly motivating, helping to keep you going during the more challenging sessions.

Nestled in a hidden oasis, where a lazy river meanders through lush vegetation, is The Spa In The Water Garden, whose cabanas sit on tiny islands. The spa is one of two Ayurvedic centres on Saint Lucia, and treatments here are based on your dosha (or body and personality type).

After our dominant dosha has been pinpointed, GH is prescribed a rebalancing treatment: a 50-minute massage with attitude, which manages to be both invigorating and relaxing. With skin rolling, acupressure and reflexology, it’s the perfect antidote for our sore, strained back muscles. After five days on the island, we feel totally restored; this is paradise found.

Prices from around £378ppa night on an all-inclusive basis; treatments from around £47.

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