Entry

Twelve spectacular Spas

Apr 9th, 2007 09:59
Harish Kohli, http://www.awimaway.com

Crete 
Blue Palace Resort & Spa
About three kilometres from Elounda on the north Cretan coast, this 
resort has a dramatic east-facing view towards the Spinalonga, a now 
uninhabited island that was once a leper colony. There are 204 rooms 
in the 5-star Blue Palace, where the main treatment is water therapy, 
or thalassotherapy, to give it its appropriately Greek-derived name. 
There are five restaurants and an outdoor terrace bar. 
Slovenia 
Terme Catez
This resort in the southeastern part of Slovenia offers a newly built 
spa centre and a choice of hotels. Here you can have a variety of 
treatments, such as body wraps, facials, massages and treatments with 
hot stones. Get there by flying to Ljubljana from Stansted or Luton.
France 
Salles-de-Béarn
This mediaeval village in southwestern France lies over deposits of 
curative salts, which are used to fill the waters of the town’s 
thermal baths. The nearest large towns are Biarritz and Pau, 
themselves beautiful towns set in glorious countryside.
Sri Lanka 
Ulpotha 
Northwest of Kandy is a place of ancient pilgrimage, where people have 
come for centuries to receive treatments based on Vedic wisdom. 
Ulpotha offers no five-star or indeed any-star accommodation, but 
instead a variety of treatments, both Ayurvedic and not, including 
yoga and massage and wholesome organic food. The lush scenery around 
the town is in itself worth a visit.
India 
The Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram
The ashram is situated about 60 kilometres from the airport at 
Trivandrum and offers a complete break with everyday Western life. 
Spending some time there involves doing yoga, meditation and physical 
exercises, hearing lectures and providing some selfless service for 
others, as well as eschewing sex, baring of flesh above elbow or knee, 
smoking and drinking, meat, coffee, sugar, garlic, onions and dairy 
foods. The regime may come as a shock to the system, but most visitors 
leave calmer, more flexible and more relaxed.
Iceland 
The Blue Lagoon
Created partly by accident from the outflow of a nearby industrial 
plant, the Blue Lagoon has become a major attraction for tourists. 
Open every day of the year – and we do mean open, as the pool is not 
covered – the Lagoon boasts warm, in parts hot, geothermal water. In 
winter it is possible to have your body submerged in warm water while 
snow falls on your head. The waters are full of minerals, which are 
said to be an effective treatment for psoriasis and other skin 
conditions, and the Blue Lagoon health and beauty products sold in the 
centre’s shop have protective, palliative, anti-ageing and other 
excellent qualities. The Blue Lagoon is half an hour by bus from 
Reykjavik; closer still, for those in a hurry or en route elsewhere, 
to the main airport at Keflavik (incidentally, one of the most 
attractive terminals in the world). 
Hungary 
The Danubius Thermal Hotel Maritsziget
The Danubius is situated on an island in the River Danube in the 
centre of the capital, Budapest. Opened in 1873, the hotel offers 
indoor and outdoor pools, hydrotherapy and other health treatments, 
mainly thanks to the three thermal springs on the island.
Morocco 
La Sultana
La Sultana, at Marrakesh, is a combined hotel and spa in a lavishly 
restored riad, with a colonnaded pool and several treatment rooms, 
where you can enjoy body wraps, facials, massages and other treatments 
guaranteed to soothe and restore. 
Switzerland 
Clinique La Prairie
The setting alone, on the shores of Lake Geneva, is enough to make you 
feel better, even without the magnificent array of treatments and 
cures offered by this famous clinic. Here, albeit at quite a price, 
you can enjoy massages, Pilates and hydrotherapy sessions and access 
to the fitness centre, as well as medical consultations. 
Thailand 
Chiva-Som
This is a spa boasting a huge outdoor pool, glorious all-you-can-eat 
buffets, Thai pavilions for accommodation and a relaxation area with 
daybeds, as well as a vast choice of ‘retreats’ and treatments, which 
include colonic irrigation, massage, exercise programmes, saunas, body 
wraps and detox programmes. 
Wat Pho
Wat Pho, Bagkok, is a famous, though little advertised, massage 
school, where you can get a rub-down for as little as £4 an hour. It’s 
just round the corner from one of the oldest temples in the capital, 
with its reclining, 46-metre long, brick and gilded plaster statue of 
Buddha. 
UK 
Holistic Clinic and Spa
The Clinic, in Ludlow, Shropshire, prides itself on using only organic 
products, cleaning with environmentally friendly products and 
recycling all rubbish. It will soon have solar heating. Water-saving 
equipment, good building design, insulation and ventilation help to 
mitigate the environmental impact of basing treatments on the use of 
water. 
UK-based operator AwimAway (020 7430 1766, www.awimaway.com) offers 
activity and adventure tours to far-flung destinations for individuals 
and corporates. AwimAway can organize spa holidays for individuals and 
corporate incentive programmes at these spas, where you can organize a 
conference or just chill out, party, unwind. 
Harish Kohli
http://www.awimaway.com