The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends
The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends
With all the stresses that come with everyday life, it’s no surprise the global wellness industry is now worth a cool £3.2 trillion.
From crystals to reiki and plant-based everything, one of the best ways to get your wellness fix is to head to a retreat.
Luckily for us, wellness retreats have popped up across the world and while we have some stellar wellness retreats right here in the UK, with summer just around the corner, a visit to a European retreat is the best way to combine health with that much-needed vitamin D.
Below, we’ve rounded up the best wellness retreats to head to in Europe this summer.
SHA Wellness Clinic, Spain
One of the best sleep retreats in the world, head to SHA Wellness Clinic in Spain’s Valencia to try the ‘sleep recovery program’. This retreat has been designed to recover the quality of sleep and help cure insomnia. A seven-day stay is the minimum in order to reap the benefits from the program – but they recommend staying for two weeks if you can. While there, you will take part in an anti-stress session, have a polygraph to diagnose your sleep patterns, as well as a session with a nutritionist and a general medical consultation among other assessments and treatments. Located on the shores of the Mediterranean near the Sierra Hela park, the peaceful destination will help aide a restful week.
Where: Valencia, Spain
When: throughout the year.
From £3,300 for seven nights,shawellnessclinic.com/
Palace Merano, Italy
Home of the famed Chenot Method – based on Henri Chenot’s study of biontology – Palace Merano is a luxury escape for anyone looking to rediscover their connection with health. The Chenot Method can help with weight loss, stress, health as well as provide anti-ageing effects. It works by using a unique combination of treatments and diet to help protect the body from damage, accumulation of toxins and premature ageing.
Besides following the Method, you can from several other programmes, like the detox programme, spa wellness programme and the indoor and outdoor activity programme. Expect to have world-class experts on hand who can provide a personalised detox diet for you to follow or conduct a body composition assessment. This is the place to go when you want to reset the clock on your health and learn how to nourish your body.
Where: Merano, Italy
When: throughout the year.
Price on request, palace.it/
Andronis Concept Wellness Resort, Greece
Found in one of the most beautiful locations in Europe, the Andronis Concept Wellness Resort really does have it all. With great views, healthy food and a dreamy infinity pool, even if you’re not after a wellness retreat this resort is worth checking out. The in-house Kallos Spa offers four main wellness programmes that you can undertake: Sleep, Stress, Hormones and Digestion. Each programme will include bespoke wellness consultations that will analyse the imbalances you may have and recommend the services and products best suited to you.
The hotel also offers a hair profiling test. Supervised by Dr. Zulia Frost, the test provides a full wellness profile from which a personalised wellness programme can be curated.
Where: Santorini, Greece
When: throughout the year.
Treatments start from €50, the hair profiling test costs €180,andronisconcept.com/
Women’s Health Retreat by Escapada, Spain
These newly-launched health retreats are women-only and focus on four key pillars: Holistic Treatments, Mindful Movement, Nourishing Nutrition and ‘Ultimate Me Time’. The retreats begin with an extensive consultation about what you want to get out of your time there, and you can expect a number of yoga and meditation sessions, along with acupuncture, demonstrations and talks from specialists. With only 12 guests per retreat, these are the perfect place to have some down time and get away from the stresses of every day life.
Escapada also runs retreats in Germany and Ireland with a number of focussed retreats planned for 2019 including Mummy’s Health Retreat and Pre-Winter Immunity Boost.
Where: Mallorca, Spain
When: August 30 to September 2, 2019
From €1,200 (£1,036) per person, escapadaretreat.com/
Clinique La Prairie, Switzerland
As one of the best wellness spas in the world , Clinic La Prairie was always going to offer world-class wellness retreats as well. With a number of different retreats to choose from – including a master detox programme, a revitalisation programme and a transformative sleep retreat, designed to help cure insomnia – you’ll likely find a retreat tailored to your needs here. Be sure to make the most of your stay with treatments from both the spa and medical spa, and by the end you’ll find it hard to leave the serene and cleansed routine you’ve designed for yourself in the Swiss mountains – but you’ll feel better for it.
Where: Clarens, Switzerland
When: throughout the year.
Price on request, cliniquelaprairie.com/
Our Retreat, Spain and Italy
Want to combine your wellness retreat with a dreamy location? Our Retreats offer week-long luxury retreats mixing yoga, pilates and HIIT sessions in spacious villas across Spain, Italy, France and the UK. During your down time relax in your private pool or explore the beaches of Sardinia before tucking into a nourishing, yet indulgent meal made by the retreat’s private chefs.
Where: Ibiza, Spain and Sardinia, Italy
When: October 6 to 12, 2019 for Ibiza and June 1 to 6 and June 9 to 15, 2019 for Sardinia
From £1,450 per person, ourretreat.co.uk/
Mindfulness Wellness Retreat at Longevity Cegonha Country Club, Portugal
Nestled in the tranquil green surroundings of Vilamoura in Portugal’s Algarve region, you’ll find the Longevity Cegonha Country Club which is launching a wellness and mindfulness retreat this June. The five-night retreat aims to tap into how you can be more mindful in your actions and every day life. In between sessions, sample some of the finest beaches in the world along the Algarve coast.
Where: Algarve, Portugal
When: June 12 to 17, 2019 and October 2019 – later dates to be confirmed
From £754 per person, longevitywellnessworldwide.com/
Vinyasa Yoga Retreat with Dr. Patrick Broome, Germany
Another world-class spa (there are three separate spas on site, including a women-only spa and a 5,400 square foot Hamam), Schloss Elmau is also home to some incredible retreats. This May the resort is hosting a five-day yoga retreat with physiologist and yoga teacher to the German national football team, Dr. Patrick Broome. Mornings will consist of 90 minutes of Hatha and Vinyasa yoga while in the afternoons you’ll get the chance to practice pranayama, yoga philosophy and yoga nidra – along with making use of the on site spa facilities and taking in the crisp German air.
Where: Krün, Germany
When: May 19 to 24, 2019
Price on request, schloss-elmau.de/
MasQi: The Energy House, Spain
Set in the rural hills between Spain’s Alicante and Valencia, these boutique retreats (just eight rooms available) are a place to visit for a short break, or up to three weeks or more. Yoga and meditation with views over the Spanish countryside are on offer, as are one-to-one healing sessions, Ayurvedic massages, cookery classes and sessions with visiting practitioners. Choose from a focus on yoga, detox or cleansing from the number of retreats on offer – the hardest thing will be deciding which one.
Where: Banyeres de Mariola (near Alicante), Spain
When: throughout the year.
Starting at £343 per person, masqiretreats.com/
Park Igls, Austria
Located on a sunny plateau in the Austrian Alps, overlooking Patscherkofel mountain, the Mayr Clinic at Park Igls is all about the gut. The FX Mayr Method works by combining conventional medicine with targeted regeneration of the digestive system to help improve lifestyle problems that can be caused by imbalances in your gut. Here, you can follow specific programmes to help with everything from your skin to insomnia and arthritis. During the retreat you’ll follow the six principles of the method: cleanse, rest, education, substitution, exercise and self-discovery, which will work together to make you feel refreshed and renewed once you leave. Celebrity fans include Karlie Kloss, Liz Hurley and even Theresa May.
Where: Innsbruck/Igls, Austria
When: throughout the year.
Price on request, park-igls.at/
Ayurveda Parkschlösschen, Germany
Since it opened in 1993, Ayurveda Parkschlösschen has been the specialist for the Ayurvedic detox cure Panchakarma in Europe, a process that ‘cleanses your organism holistically and restores the natural balance of your mind and body system’. With retreats being a minimum of nine days (and up to 34), expect plenty of yoga and Ayurvedic treatments. Specific yoga, anti-stress and liver detoxifying retreats are also on offer, all monitored by experienced Ayurvedic practitioners.
Where: Traben-Trarbach, Germany
When: June 1 to 15, 2019
From €1,715 (£1,418) per person, ayurveda-parkschloesschen.de/
Shamballah Yoga Retreat, Portugal
Near Sintra, the enchanting Portuguese city just an hour out of Lisbon, you’ll find one of Europe’s best yoga retreats. The Shamballah yoga and meditation retreats are based by the sea so expect a pleasant dose of fresh sea air while practising. For avid surfers, its also offers a yoga and surfing retreat, including surf lessons, yoga and meditation classes. All meals are provided and be sure to explore the rugged natural beauty of the region while there.
Where: near Sintra, Portugal
When: every week, Monday to Saturday.
From €600 (£518) per person, shamballahretreats.com/retreats
Sianji Well-being Resort, Turkey
Bodrum is the place to be this summer so why not combine your summer escape with a week of wellness? With a private beach, and set among 100 acres of gardens, the resort offers a number of retreats, from a master detox, to a raw food detox and an alkaline detox, there’s something to suit everyone. The retreat will begin with a consultation and during your time there you can partake in yoga, tai chi and combat fitness classes, book into the Muu Spa and take advantage of the Turkish baths and join in a cooking class too.
Where: near Bodrum, Turkey
When: throughout the year.
Prices on request, sianjilife.com/
Adventure Yogi Retreat, Greece
With yoga retreats offered in Montenegro, Norfolk and even Botswana, the hardest decision you’ll make with Adventure Yogi Retreats is which destination to head to. But with summer on the horizon the Adventure Yogi Retreat to Santorini in Greece is hard to look past. Spend eight sun-soaked days on Greece’ most famous island with daily yoga classes, sunset meditation over the Caldera, walking along the coastline and even spend a day on a yacht around the island, eating nutritious food and snorkelling below the island’s cliffs.
Where: Santorini, Greece
When: June 29 to July 6 and August 24 to 31, 2019
From £895 per person, adventureyogi.com/
Mountain Beach Fitness Retreats, Switzerland
Verbier isn’t just a winter destination. When the snow melts, the Swiss Alps turn into an adventure enthusiast’s paradise, and Mountain Beach Fitness Retreats take full advantage of this during its retreats. Holding three retreats in the mountains this summer, expect to partake in high altitude training, yoga, paddle boarding on a glacial lake, boxercise at an altitude of 2,200 metres and sunset hiking on a mountain and trail runs. If you’re after a more laid back retreat, the team also offer fitness-led retreats in Tuscany, Sardinia and Iceland.
Where: Verbier, Switzerland
When: July 14 to 21, July 28 to August 4 and August 11 to 18, 2019.
From £1,850 per person, mountainbeachfitnessretreats.com/
