If – like us – you’re still feeling the effects of the holiday season, the January blues are starting to set in, and it now takes a good ten-minute shimmy to pull your jeans on each morning, a New Year retreat could be just what you need. Here we’ve gathered six of our favourite detoxes, retreats and relaxation spots near and far, to cushion the blow of January’s return.
Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador
Ideal for escaping the endless grey of a London winter, Mashpi Lodge is perched high above the emerald green of the Ecuadorian cloud forest: the ultimate eco-chic hideaway for wildlife lovers and nature geeks. Guests wake up to a chorus of cicadas and chirping birds from the dense forest just beyond their floor-to-ceiling windows. The perfect place to connect with nature, at Mashpi you will spend your days hiking through the cloud forest, sipping exotic juices from local fruits, indulging in spa treatments against the backdrop of local waterfalls, and spotting the jewel-toned hummingbirds flitting through the trees.
Cape Weligama, Sri Lanka
Need some sunshine and R&R to kick start the New Year? Head to Sri Lanka, where clifftop idyll Cape Weligama has just unveiled a brand spanking new spa. Paying homage to the hotel’s roots in the tea industry, pampering treatments at ‘The Sanctuary’ will blend white tea, black tea, soothing red tea and antioxidant green tea to balance the body and the mind. Looking for some me-time to recover from the festive season madness? Soak up the sun from the privacy of your own private garden or swimming pool, with a butler on hand to service your every need. Another cocktail, perhaps?
Tri, Sri Lanka
Moving just a few miles inland from Cape Weligama, Tri is located on the shores of tranquil Lake Koggala and – with just eleven suites that blend into the surrounding landscape – it’s the ideal spot for adults-only, no interruptions seclusion. Co-founded by the creator of the Quantum yoga method, Lara Baumann, holistic wellness is at the heart of each and every day at Tri. Start your journey with a ‘Science of Life’ consultation, to determine your prakriti and your dominant doshas, to inform your yoga practise and menu choices. Whether practicing yoga in the treetop yogashala, or spoiling yourself with traditional Ayurvedic treatments at Tri’s sumptuous spa, you’ll be sure to leave Tri with a renewed sense of self.
Le Grand Bellevue, Gstaad
What comes to mind when you hear the words ‘detox’? A miserable week surviving off questionably coloured juices and limp salads (followed, inevitably, by a surreptitiously smuggled chocolate bar)? That’s where you’re wrong: this year, Le Grand Bellevue is offering the ultimate paradox: an indulgent new detox programme that brings together a guilt-free gourmet menu at Michelin starred LEONARD’s restaurant, with treatments ranging from aromatherapy massages to seaweed body wraps. With a 3,000m2 spa overlooking the snowy peaks of the Swiss Alps, featuring a labyrinth of immersive treatment rooms from a Himalayan salt grotto to a Roman laconium, this is sure to be a detox you’ll remember – for all the right reasons.
Song Saa, Cambodia
With a focus on the Buddhist principle of Metta Bhavana, or loving kindness, Song Saa offers a truly authentic escape from the outside world, located across two secluded Cambodian islands reminiscent of Thailand’s islands before their tourist boom. The resort boasts a spa ‘sanctuary’ that aims to restore balance to the mind, body and soul, with treatments including Buddhist blessings, immersion treatments using local ingredients and sunrise yoga sessions by the ocean. After a day of soulful pampering at the spa, return back to your over-water villa to watch the sunset from your private pool. Dreamy.
Kamalaya, Koh Samui
Image: Kamalaya
While Koh Samui was one of the first Thai islands to attract flocks of wide-eyed tourists, the island has retained an aura of luxurious charm, home to a range of beautiful hotels, world class cuisine and luxurious spas. For those wanting to discover the more tranquil side of this notoriously wild country, Kamalaya is the ultimate Thai escape, offering a range of tailor – made programmes from stress reduction and emotional balance, to detox, yoga and fitness. Guests will be offered personal mentoring and group workshops, with the resort’s Life Enhancement Mentors on hand to offer support throughout the programme, as well as traditional massages, treatments and holistic fitness classes from Kamalaya’s resident wellness therapists and fitness experts.
