What makes a great wellness retreat? Well, that depends on what exactly it is you’re retreating from. Perhaps it’s a period of culinary indulgence, of too many evenings spent catching up over a seasonal tipple or two. If this sounds familiar, salvation (if not soul-soothing) is to be found at the more medical end of the retreat spectrum, with destinations like the cult Lanserhof and Vivamayr offering transformative programmes for those in need of a hard reset. (Most who make it through become obsessives for life.)
If your idea of rest and recovery involves hot saunas and cold Champagne, there are retreats to please you too. On home soil, Estelle Manor is the country escape made for long, luxurious weekends, while Crete’s oceanfront Daios Cove boasts a spa programme to be reckoned with, whether you're after a colonic or a cryotherapy facial (have both, it's all about balance).
And for something that’ll provide the antidote to a year lived online, consider something as remote and consciously screen-free as Austria’s latest opening, Eriro: a nine-room property where your days will involve bracing air, challenging hikes, and a zero-waste kitchen where foraged feasts take precedence over fasting. What real world?
The best wellness retreats, tried and tested by Bazaar:
Eriro, Ehrwald, Austria: Best for a digital detox
To arrive at Eriro is, I imagine, the adult version of arriving at Lapland as a child. Whether there is snow or sun blanketing the mountain peaks, the drive (or cable-car ride, if you’re lucky) to Austria’s most intimate, unique wellness opening is one worth putting your phone down for. Speaking of your phone, you may as well tuck it into your bag for the foreseeable: while Eriro isn’t strictly a digital detox, the staff will encourage you to embrace the tech-free way of life, leaving the wifi password locked away.
So, what will you do with all those screen-free hours? Well, staring at the views, (which will truly surpass any expectations) is a good enough idea, as it embracing the yoga, painting and pottery schedules. But for those interested in stretching their legs, options abound. Hiking trails range from easy strolls (don’t miss the walk to the stunning Seebensee lake) to the almost-vertical, while during the high season you can ski in and out, right from the doorstep. The spa is as much of an architectural marvel as it is a sensorial haven: from the monolithic stone Onsen to the glass-walled sauna, and the intriguing infrared recliner chairs, every element has been painstakingly considered and crafted. (Keep an eye out for the fox footprints set into the concrete floor: the most charming example of the brand’s commitment to harmonising with the natural landscape.)
Another aspect of analogue life that Eriro does spectacularly well is the dining. With only nine rooms, the property is small enough to allow the kitchen free, farm-to-table reign, designing each day’s menu around foraged treasure and hyper-local meat. Here, you won’t find anything that can’t be sourced from the local area (aside from proper tea and coffee, and perhaps a glass of crisp Champagne.) Dinner is where the kitchen’s zero-waste ethos shines: expect anything from modern twists on Austrian classics to a full eight-course tasting menu, embellished with experimental touches to keep any foodie entertained. As you settle down by the fire (or on the blanket-covered balcony, if you’re brave) with a glass of homemade Schnapps in hand, you’ll have forgotten all about the flash of your phone screen.
Rooms at Eriro start from £1,315 per night on an all-inclusive basis.
Eynsham Baths at Estelle Manor, England: Best for bathhouse rituals
Estelle Manor’s groundbreaking new spa in the Cotswolds, a recreation of a Roman villa, harks back to the sociability and ritual of ancient times. Gone is the silent reverence usually associated with high luxury. Instead, gather with friends or loved ones in the central tepidarium, before experiencing the hay-scented sauna, botanical steam-room and the bathing circuits that include two frigidariums (at six- and 12-degrees Celsius), and a caldarium. There is also an opportunity to take programmes with Emma Estrela, the spa’s breathwork master. Post-treatment, we recommend a massage with Manos Dimoudis, followed by light refreshments in the tea lounge.
Eynsham Baths at Estelle Manor, from £500 a room a night, B&B
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Galgorm Hotel and Spa, Northern Ireland: Best for a complete reset
The majestic River Maine cascades alongside the 19th-century villa housing Galgorm, set within 163 acres of County Antrim countryside. A 40-minute drive from Belfast, the retreat is famed for its saunas, steam-rooms, snow cabin and salt cave, plus riverside bathing tubs. Alternate between hot and cold areas to stimulate circulation and improve immunity, and indulge in an Elemis facial or a massage before drifting back to your suite for a blissful night’s sleep.
Galgorm Hotel and Spa, from £300 a room a night, B&B
Cunard’s Queen Anne, from England: For a floating retreat
Aboard its new luxury ship, the Queen Anne, Cunard is offering a fresh approach to renewal with Harper’s Bazaar. Our three-day Wellness at Sea programmes are designed to boost your skin, body and mind, combining bespoke spa treatments, fitness sessions and delicious, nutritious meals as you sail. The Detox Journey combats physical and mental stresses, the Relax Journey is tailored to reset your nervous system and the Energise Journey invigorates. Whichever you choose, you will disembark revived and radiant.
Cunard x Harper’s Bazaar’s Wellness at Sea programmes, about £495 each
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Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, Bali: Best for self-discovery
Designed to exist seamlessly in its jungle site in northern Bali, Buahan has no doors and no enclosing walls. The idea is for guests to engage with nature – and, in turn, disconnect from the outside world. This is the backdrop for its all-women retreat, a journey of self-discovery and female empowerment. Days are filled with Vinyasa yoga, ice baths, forest treks and healing fire rituals, as well as group sessions on mindset reframing and personal growth. An indulgent massage is also included, for good measure.
The seven-day Women’s Retreat at Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, from £4,600 a person, based on two people sharing
Abadía Retuerta, Spain: Best for wine and wellness
At this 12th-century restored abbey located in its own 500-acre vineyard, a two-hour drive from Madrid, oenology-inspired spa treatments are on offer. The large open spaces and walkways, originally created for meditation and the exchange of ideas, provide a calming setting from which to enjoy stargazing in the monks’ garden, lavender harvesting, mushroom foraging or just extra time at its Michelin-starred restaurant, Refectorio.
Abadía Retuerta, from £466 a room a night, B&B
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Daios Cove, Crete: Best for head-to-toe transformation
Taking a tech-focused approach to wellness, Daios Cove is decidedly more concerned with health optimisation than relaxation – although the views over the private Cretian cove will certainly induce feelings of calm.
Kepos by Goco, the resort’s holistic health destination, takes a head-to-toe approach to wellness. Those after a full body reset can begin with one of the team’s diagnostic consultations, where a practitioner will measure your biological age, metabolism, or nutrition levels before prescribing a personalised course of treatments to undertake throughout your stay.
For working up a sweat, London’s BXR offers intensive personal-training sessions and full courses in the indoor and outdoor gyms, while IV drips and colonic hydrotherapy are available on request.
Try the cryotherapy chamber for a major energy boost post-workout, or opt for something a little less bracing in the surprisingly calming hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which is said to improve cognitive function.
Once you’re ready to recline (an aerial yoga class will get you there) there’s a full menu of acclaimed 111 Skin facial treatments to dive into, from the cult Cryotherapy Toning Facial to intensely rejuvenating dermapen needling.
Daios Cove rooms from £409 half-board, with wellness therapies cost on application
Sha Wellness, Mexico: Best for complete revitalisation
Complete revitalisation is the mission of the innovative Sha Wellness clinic, situated close to Isla Mujeres, a white-sand paradise just off the coast of Cancún. Alongside personalised treatment plans to address any number of health concerns, Sha offers a cutting-edge solution to damaged skin in the form of its cellular-regeneration therapy. The clinic’s CAP (cold atmospheric plasma) machine delivers a painless current to skin cells, stimulating production of serotonin and vitamin D. Expect results that range from an uptick in energy levels to a tangible improvement in physical and mental wellbeing – bolstered by dips in the sea and afternoons basking in the Mexican sun.
A four-night Rebalance and Energise Programme at Sha Wellness Mexico, from £1,970 a person
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The Ranch, Italy: Best for hiking fanatics
A word of warning: this retreat is not a walk in the park. Rather, it’s a hike through the mountains, daily, for around four hours come rain or shine. An outpost of the original ‘Ranch’ based in Malibu, California, this is based at Palazzo Fiuggi about an hour south of Rome, but runs as a succinct and separate programme to the rest of the health-based hotel. You will get to use their brilliant spa facilities (the infrared sauna and hot-and-cold water therapy being particularly popular amongst weary-legged ‘Ranchers’) but otherwise you eat, hike and hang out with your fellow comrades and Ranch guides.
The concept is quite simple: a plant-based detox, switching off from the world, resetting, but also enjoying the beautiful nature whilst you work to improve your fitness. The meals are substantial enough to sustain you (the afternoon snacks such as oat cookies and coconut and tahini balls being a particular highlight) and you’re giving a daily massage as a reward in the afternoons. The hikes are undeniably tough, with steep inclines and rocky terrain, but are incredibly beautiful and seriously fulfilling. Even with their new shorter programme - designed for those who perhaps can’t take a full week from work - expect to return lighter, clear minded and with a spring in your step (despite the inevitable blisters).
Four night/five day programme starting from £4,017 per person
Six Senses Ibiza: Best for longevity
This recently opened hotel reveals a different side of the party island, with a programme that focuses on slowing down and promoting longevity through both ancient traditions and cutting-edge science.
The setting might be signature Ibizian style - wooden terraces and crisp white linen - but for your biohacking program it's pure high tech. Expect hyperbaric chambers, electromagnetic thrones, DNA testing and cryotherapy. There are of course some bohemian touches, like daily breakfast at the Farmer's Market and 'energy treatments' to realign, but this is mostly about utilising science to better and lengthen your health and life.
The main difference to your usual Balearic experience? Bed time's long before the sun rises.
From 2,500 Euros for three nights (4,000 Euros for seven) at Six Senses Ibiza to include diagnostics and bespoke program inclusions
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Daylesford Organic, England: Best for eating well
From the masters of organic farming and luxury living in the Cotswolds, Daylesford Organic’s wellness retreats go beyond your average wellbeing escape. Taking place a few times a year and usually as a mid-week break (providing the perfect excuse to use up your annual leave), these mini-breaks combine nutrition in an indulgent way, pampering that leaves you feeling fully restored and nurtured, and healing for a restful mind and body. This is a wellness retreat for those who like to eat and invites you to live and breathe the lifestyle brand that was founded in a bucolic corner of Gloucestershire.
Distinctly different from a wellness retreat at a hotel, here you’ll stay in one of Daylesford’s rustic cottages, just metres from the estate’s renowned Farmshop in Kingham. Expect to feast on the most delectable seasonal dishes in the Trough restaurant (where the ingredients are plucked from the estate's farm, we might add) and the nearby Wild Rabbit. De-stressing facials and massages using Bamford products are also part of the menu, as are crystal sound healing and yoga, alongside the most calming floristry or cooking classes.
A highlight is the market garden tour with brilliant head gardener Jez for a look behind the scenes at the incredible produce grown on site. There is also time with nutritionist Rhaya Jordan, who shares her tips for eating well, whether you have a busy lifestyle or would like to introduce more fibre to your diet.
Daylesford’s next wellness retreat takes place in March and costs £2,400 per person
Beaverbrook, England: Best for a day trip
Wim Hof’s breathing and cold-water therapy is a powerful reminder that we are in control of our stress response. Try his patented method in the cosseting surroundings of this Surrey hotel, only a short drive from London.
Led by a certified Wim Hof Method instructor, you and your small group (moral support is essential!) will be guided through breathing techniques designed to optimise and expand body and mind, followed by the famous cold water exposure. You'll work your way up to a guided six minute ice bath, which is hardcore and invigorating and even if you don't mind it emotionally life changing it's a great dinner party brag.
After warming up you'll enjoy a hard earned lunch and free rein of Beaverbrook's beautiful Coach House Spa.
£250 for the day at Beaverbrook including lunch and full use of the spa facilities. Book an overnight stay at Mr & Mrs Smith
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Yeotown Madeira: Best for the outdoorsy type
Since opening in 2010, Yeotown Devon has gained a reputation as a no-nonsense health retreat offering an array of fresh-air activities.
Its new Portugese island outpost transports that philosophy to sunnier climates. Dubbed the 'Island of Eternal Spring', Madeira's remote and rugged landscape sets the scene for daily activities of coastal and mountain hiking, sunrise yoga, wild swimming and more. Your schedule is packed but varied, including daily massages to soothe your post-hike legs. The food is as a fresh as the air, and although is branded as a detox (so expect to forgo alcohol, caffeine and sugar) it shouldn't send you into a panic: think bright juices and local-produce-filled salads.
If you wish to pack even more into your days, a whole host of alternative therapies such as acupuncture, reiki, crystal therapy and Ayurvedic consultations are available. Otherwise, you can nestle into your 'boho chic' room, and let the sound of the waves send you into a well earned slumber.
Five day retreat from £2,500 per person at Yeotwon Madeira not including flights and transfers
Goodwood, England: Best for a nutritional reset
Set in the famous Goodwood Estate and promising a gut-health overhaul in this glorious setting, this five-day retreat combines nutritional advice, complementary therapies and an organic diet to heal and re-energise you from the inside out.
A concept drawn up by the Duchess of Richmond, gut-health nutritionist Stephanie Moore and complementary therapist Elaine Williams, the aim is to have "a restorative effect on both body and mind". The food follows the estate's field-to-fork philosophy so expect organically farmed produce and local delights that help to heal your gut without depriving your taste buds.
Education is forefront here - there's no point eating well for five days then undoing all the hard work - so expect nutritional talks, results-driven therapies and a deep dive into your daily habits (from sleep to stress) to "ensure you experience a life-changing reset".
Goodwood Gut Health five day retreat from £2,225 per person
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Lanserhof Sylt, Germany: best for a medical MOT
The name Lanserhof has always been synonymous with medical excellence, and its newest outpost, a futuristic-looking building on the island of Sylt in northern Germany, has surpassed even its own high standards.
Offering more medical services than any other wellness hotel (it has 10 full-time doctors and a further 32 specialists on its books), the 50,000-square-foot medical centre has been designed to help guests achieve optimum health. ‘The people who come here aren’t necessarily ill by definition,’ says the group’s chief marketing officer Nils Behrens, ‘but they might have health problems like migraines, back pain, skini ssues or digestive struggles.’ On a health scale of one to 10, most people put themselves at a five to seven, he says. ‘We want to get you to as close to a 10 as possible.’
You’ll meet with specialists ranging from dermatologists to psychotherapists, and undergo assessments using hi-tech equipment such as a full-body AI scanner with 96 cameras. The goal is to combine medical treatments with natural solutions to cure the source, not just the symptoms, of any ailments. Essential to this are good nutrition and supplementing, breathwork, mindfulness and alternative therapies including acupuncture and craniosacral therapy (a gentle but effective upper-body treatment to remove energy blockages). There’s even a shaman available to guide you through a fire ritual. It might sound a bit woo-woo, but nothing at Lanserhof is for show: it’s about drawing on all possible resources to get you back to better health – and, hopefully, send you home feeling like a perfect 10.
The Lanserhof Sylt Cure Classic costs from about £6,000 for a seven-night stay, including accommodation
Palazzo Fiuggi, Italy: Best for a holistic health check
Leading a healthier lifestyle requires a multi-pronged approach, realigning and balancing the body and brain. The week-long Complete Life Rewind programme at Palazzo Fiuggi – a beautiful building set within expansive private grounds overlooking the mediaeval Italian spa town of Fiuggi – combines a multitude of tests, treatments and therapies to achieve just that.
A day might start with a thalassotherapy bathing ritual (wallowing in a magnesium-and salt-filled pool to draw toxins out), followed by a rigorous personal-training session, with time for some ayurvedic therapy later on. Another could include colon hydrotherapy, a vitamin-filled IV drip and an aromatherapy massage. And with the help of the team’s expert aesthetic surgeon Dr Regina Fortunato, you can take advantage of innovative treatments and tweakments, including skin-boosting injectables and fillers.
You will be served tailor-made, nutritionally balanced menus throughout your stay – but rest assured that, unless weight loss is a goal, there are no broth-based, hunger-inducing meal plans. Perhaps surprisingly for a wellness destination, one of the biggest draws for guests is the food, served in the opulent, chandelier-lit dining-room, since every dish – and there are more than 1,000 in the hotel’s recipe book – is conceived by the garlanded German chef Heinz Beck. "We don’t want guests to feel like they’re at a clinic," says the lead physician Professor David Della Morte Canosci. "It’s a holiday, after all."
The Complete Life Rewind programme at Palazzo Fiuggi with Healing Holidays costs from £9,805 a person for a seven-night stay, including transfers and full-board accommodation
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Eleven Deplar Farm, Iceland: best for an energy reboot
Winter can be a challenging time for wellness, when the temptation is to hole up in a cosy corner with a box of chocolates rather than doing vigorous exercise in the cold. Eleven Life’s new Live Well Retreat at Eleven Deplar Farm has a counterintuitive approach, flying a select group of guests to the darkest reaches of Iceland for a taste of ‘sensory-driven’ Nordic adventure. "The time of year is very important in connecting people to place, and to themselves," explains Hannah Smith, the head of product development at Eleven.
The retreat is centred around four pillars of health: movement, breath, nourishment and connection. First on your agenda might be a yoga class, before you set off on horseback or cross-country skis to explore the Troll Peninsula, breaking for a lakeside lunch. (Deprivation is not on the menu: the delicious food is locally sourced, while the in-house chef, Gardar Gardarsson, was named Iceland’s finest in 2018.) The afternoon might see you undergo a Viking sauna ritual – which takes place on a hillock believed to be inhabited by elves – or a Tata Harper treatment in the 10,000-square-foot spa while, after a sea-to-table supper, a sound-healing session or a sleep-focused meditation class will prepare you for restorative slumber.
A former sheep farm, Deplar has been transformed into an oasis of pure luxury. The 13 bedrooms are furnished in a simple yet cosily elegant style – think open fires, hardwood furniture and underfloor heating in the bathrooms – while huge windows offer glorious views. There’s a media room to relax in, but the spa is the crowning glory. Alongside the sauna, steam-room, hot tubs, flotation tanks and treatment rooms, it is home to a geothermally heated indoor/outdoor pool with a swim-up bar. Sitting in the water, surrounded by clouds of steam while watching the Northern Lights glittering overhead, is a soul-nourishing experience guaranteed to reawaken the joy of living. "People always want a quick fix," says Smith. "But this is about making little changes that have a big impact and long-term effects."
Live Well Retreats at Eleven Deplar Farm cost from £7,572 a person for a three-night stay, including activities, necessary gear, pre-arrival planning with an Eleven experience manager, chef-prepared meals, drinks and an in-room minibar
The Kusnacht Practice, Switzerland: Best for rebalancing
At this super-exclusive treatment centre set in the serene Swiss landscape, scientific excellence is paired with first-class hospitality. With only 12 villas (one per guest) and some 90 professionals to cater for your needs – from doctors to chefs and personal trainers – you’d be hard-pressed to find somewhere where your wellness experience will be more personalised and thorough.
Kusnacht’s Bio-R programme focuses on biomolecular restoration: the recalibration of your body, mind and energy through science. Bone density, muscle health, genetics, brain age and an extensive psychiatric evaluation are all taken into consideration when proposing treatments, the goal of which isn’t necessarily to cure a specific ailment, but to achieve peak physical and mental health.
Tailored supplementation and hyperbaric chambers are just a couple of the services available to the practice’s ultra-high-net-worth clients (who include CEOs and entrepreneurs, royalty and billionaires) as part of a comprehensive but constantly adjusted plan. A stay at Kusnacht – from one week, though many choose to stay for six or more – is a big investment, but one that is bound to repay itself; after all, you can’t put a price on your health.
A seven-night stay at the Kusnacht Practice, price on application
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Clinique La Prairie, Switzerland: Best for a mind and body reboot
If one chooses to undergo a life transformation – with all the dark moments of the soul that entails – there’s no lovelier place to do it than Clinique La Prairie, nestled beside the picture-postcard Swiss town of Montreux. Founded in 1931, the clinic has a reputation as the world’s most exclusive health destination, with just 38 rooms and the discreet ambience of a grand old hotel. It’s the original medi-spa, built on pillars of evidence-based medicine, wellness, nutrition and movement.
These have been refined over time – the menu now is mostly vegan and Michelin-star-worthy (no starvation here!), while the revitalisation programme is now about genetic testing and stem-cell therapy. It’s down to the dynamic CEO, Simone Gibertoni, who is leading a modernisation process that includes a range of ultra-luxe ‘longevity supplements’ to bring health home. A visit for a Bazaar editor not only resulted in weight loss but a miraculous shift in mindset.
The Master Detox programme at Clinique La Prairie costs from £15,000 for a week-long stay
Palacio Estoril, Portugal: Best for a dipping your toe in
This 1930s monument on the Portuguese riviera (where Ian Fleming supposedly wrote Casino Royale at the bar and British and German spies filled the tables during the Second World War) is a glamorous location for any type of holiday. But if you are going to go down the wellness route, why not do it in style?
With a menu of retreats, from a four day reformer pilates bootcamp to seven day 'holistic de-stress' programme, whatever your ailment or goal there should be something for you. Specialities include water shiatsu and osteopathy, and the wellness centre offers unlimited access to pools, saunas, Turkish baths and hydrotherapy. And there's of course the bar, for a martini, if you so wish...
Palacio Wellness Programme from £1,220 for seven days not including accommodation
