Bushman Kloof, South Africa
Part wildlife reserve, part wellness retreat, Bushman Kloof is the perfect place for you to recharge while getting close to nature. The property is home to multiple ancient rock art sites as well as indigenous flora and fauna, offering plenty of chances for exploration. Their award-winning spa offers treatments combine “ancient wisdom with modern expertise”, and often make use of local botanicals to heal and rejuvenate. Bushman Kloof also offers restorative crystal healing, meditation sessions, and — if your needs are a little more spiritual — two ley lines that run through the grounds of the property. Wellness here also extends to your meals, with an on-site organic vegetable and herb gardens.
Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat, Queensland, Australia
Sprawled across 200 hectares and boasting sweeping ocean and valley vistas, this Australian retreat blends rustic charm with serious wellness. A year-round schedule of two to seven-night wellness packages are available, each addressing particular issues like stress, nutrition, and balance. Top choice, is the comprehensive – and popular – seven-night Gwinganna Detox, a fully immersive wellness experience. While here, you’ll stay in beautiful rustic accommodations, feast on local organic meals, and indulge in activities like hiking, spa treatments, and wellness seminars. Rounding out the offerings are a wellness centre specialising in naturopathy and nutrition, tennis courts, and a MindBody pavilion. From $1,600 for three nights, single occupancy.
Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa, Maharashtra, India
Tucked in the picturesque Western Ghats, this expansive property combines ancient Indian health traditions with modern Western practices to create a truly holistic wellness experience. Spend your days engaged in activities like cooking, star-gazing, painting, pottery and jungle-trekking. At night, you’ll want to relax in your private pool villa. A wide variety of personalised wellness programs are on offer, ranging from three to 28 nights and focusing on different goals like de-stressing, anti-aging, weight management, and detoxing. Each retreat comes with three bespoke meals a day, private health consultations, spa therapies, and daily yoga or meditation
Six Senses Douro Valley, Portugal
While not as remote as the other properties, Six Senses’ Duoro Valley has the bonus of being right in the heart of Portugal’s wine-producing regions. You’re still surrounded by nature though, the property overlooks a river and verdant vineyards that offer activities like winery visits and the traditional grape-stomping, which marks the start of a vintage. If wine isn’t enough of an elixir, the property’s 10 treatment rooms offer locally-inspired therapies like grape and citrus fruit-based ones. Couple that with a heated indoor pool, outdoor pool, and a well-equipped gym and you’ll be burning off enough calories to indulge a little at one of the hotel’s locavore, provenance-led restaurants.
Amangiri, Utah, USA
Surrounded by national parks and massive swathes of untouched nature, Amangiri offers a experience as far removed from civilisation as it gets. Embark on your wellness journey in the middle of dramatic desert landscape, with treatments that are based on the healing practices of the Navajo. Inspired by the four elements of earth, wind, fire, and water, these treatments include massages, scrubs, wraps and even flotation therapy all spread over 2,322 square metres of spa facilities. If a little movement is in order, a wellness coach is also on hand to help you meet your goals — be it in the gym or during a yoga lesson. Amangiri’s yoga pavilion opens up to the grand mesa, where candlelit restorative yoga is available in the evenings, while the rising moon brings the almost mystical experience of fullmoon yoga. Private sessions and special requests for a tailored visit are also possible.
Sangha by Octave, Suzhou, China
While most retreats offer some manner of spa treatment and fitness classes, this 189,000 square-meter property takes an even more holistic approach. On site are professionals — from a martial arts instructor to a life coach and even physicians — whose job is to help you achieve complete wellness. Treatments are inspired by a mix of Ayurveda, TCM and modern medicine, and can also include customised meal plans by dieticians and chefs. Built along the banks of Yang Cheng Lake, Sangha is also located just a stone’s throw away from downtown Suzhou — perfect for a quick reset in a sub-urban getaway.
(Related: Why wellness is key for Six Senses hotels and properties, according to CEO Neil Jacobs)
(Related: Luxury wellness resorts that bridge alternative healing and Western medicine)