The Best Spas for Sunshine

The top spas for those who like their treatments with a healthy dose of sunshine.

Zuri Zanzibar, Africa

The epitome of eco-chic luxury, Zanzibar’s latest arrival is exactly what you want in a dreamy fly-and-flop hideaway. Thatched African-style bungalows – all wicker, hammocks and mosquito nets – are spread generously throughout spice- laden gardens that lead down to a white, silky-soft beach. The Maua Wellness spa is small but packs a punch. A wide range of treatments encompasses everything from gentlemen’s facials to holistic wellbeing or blissful full body packages. Opt for the Zanzi Spice Journey: a full body polish, wrap and massage with all-natural products including cinnamon and orange from the gardens. It leaves you feeling utterly revived, ready to enjoy the open-air Peponi bar (with lamps made from upcycled bottles), library, yoga deck, open-air gym and infinity pool. All this while knowing that the ethos supports local initiatives and is consciously energy- saving. Feast on freshly-caught lobsters and king prawns cooked on the barbecue on your own private beachfront cabana, and don’t miss unwinding on the jacuzzi deck, coconut in hand, as you catch the last of the African sun sinking below the sea while traditional dhow sailing boats drift across the horizon.

BOOK IT: Doubles from £331 per night. zurizanzibar.com

Revīvō Wellness Resort, Bali

A new and beautifully sleek retreat in Bali that aims to soothe and revive with an impressive mix of holistic treatments, vegan and vegetarian food. Aliwalu, the chef (as well as health coach and author), focuses on allowing the body to detox naturally while gradually needing smaller quantities. For breakfast expect a feast of green and colourful juices, enjoyed through bamboo straws, and delicious detox dishes, all gluten- free, such as banana porridge with cinnamon, cacao nibs and almond milk, or avocado on toast. There’s plenty of exercise to choose from including tai chi, HIIT, dance, every type of yoga, pilates, TRX and Muay Thai, or you can simply head to the gym and carry on with your normal workout. Gustu oversees the fitness programmes – if you can, get him to give you a stretch down that includes reiki moves on pressure points. The spa is where the therapeutic magic happens: shake off the jetlag and prep skin for the sun with the Lulur Indulgence – a body scrub followed by a body wrap in banana leaves, Balinese massage and Vichy shower – a powerful anti- ageing and hydrating treatment all in one. This is a new star on the scene, with proper immersive journeys for spa junkies, detox divas and gym bunnies alike.

BOOK IT: Doubles from £759. revivoresorts.com

Cheval Blanc Randheli, Maldives

Glide in on the smartest of seaplanes and prepare for glamorous, turbo-charged perfection: expansive, open-plan thatched villas designed by Belgian architect Jean-Michel Gathy with direct access to the ocean, private lobster dinners on the beach and the most majestic of true blue natural settings. Revel in your own private water world: swimming, sailing, diving, dolphins. Personal ‘ambassadeurs’ anticipate your every need and soon feel essential. It’s no surprise that a hotel under the umbrella of LVMH would consider every detail, from French linens to fragrant candles. When you feel like moving, Lara the Aussie fitness instructor will motivate even the laziest with fat-busting PT sessions. Afterwards, escape to the Guerlain spa – on its own island. Book treatments ahead and decide what you fancy: massages galore, from Thai to hot stone and shiatsu, aesthetic facials, slimming treatments, hammam, reflexology and an unusually large choice of haircare rituals. Yoga and meditation are integral and ensure that, however clouded your head, you’ll leave with a sense of calm that resonates long after your stay. Unfaultable, bar maybe the price.

BOOK IT: Villas from £1,530 per night. chevalblanc.com

Trisara Hotel, Thailand

In this wilderness of palms, lemongrass and jasmine, wellness isn’t just about a massage and a snooze after breakfast. Okay, it’s a little about that but the team are determined to get you moving. On the Extreme Wellness Experience guests are given a Fitbit (a razzy one with a screen) and an aim of 100,000 steps over eight days – quite doable given the peak-roofed suites with private pools, 45-metre pool and restaurants arranged over 40,000 acres of tropical gardens. There are plenty of fun ways to get your heart racing: sunrise yoga, beach bootcamp, kayaking, paddle boarding and Thai kickboxing. Once you’ve been put through your paces there are plenty of ways to recover: at the Jara spa, therapists who trained at Bangkok’s Wat Po Temple specialise in Thai thermal massage, oil-based facials, scrubs, reiki and craniosacral rebalancing. They offer urbanites (read: sedentary) a chance to reboot their energy and reset their exercise habits. It’s the carrot and stick in equal measure. The former is blissful compensation for skipping ropes at dawn and long stints in downward-facing dog. When you’re slathered in jojoba lotion, you know you’ve earned it.

BOOK IT: Junior suite for one week, including flights, breakfast and transfers, from £3,365 per person. trisara.com; inspiringtravelcompany.co.uk

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