But there’s one trip you can guarantee: the January guilt trip, accompanied with the post-Christmas sale that antigravity yoga dublin in on a detox, diet and booze-free bazaar. Like anything in fashion, the trick is finding the right fit for you.
None more so than a new health regime. Some are even hospital hybrids, five-star hotels with resident doctors and nurses that can turn test results around in a matter of hours. Whether a cracking medical outfit, holistic haven or luxury hotel with great facilities and specialist therapists, a great spa has specialists ranging from doctors to gurus, yogis to nutritionists, who will nurture body and mind, all under one roof. It should offer proper counsel and advice before you arrive and support after departure. This slick, contemporary hotel is made for holistic holidaymakers who are unwilling to forgo five-star comforts while soul searching. Mealtimes are muted at Lanserhof Tegernsee: guests must chew each mouthful of their meagre meals 30 to 40 times.
Perched on the 33rd floor of a glass tower is one of Tokyo’s more extraordinary hotels, which marries the time-honoured Japanese aesthetic with contemporary Aman design. Situated on Lake Garda, Lefay combines Chinese medicine with modern Western therapies to reactivate our internal energy system while saving the environment. Their approach to dieting is to make changes to eating habits that are psychologically as well as nutritionally sustainable. The spa is set in Moorish gardens heavy with orange trees, bougainvillea and gardenias which frame karp-filled ponds and sunken seating nooks.
Its star act, though, is the one-of-a-kind spa and Nihi Oka Spa Safari. Few hotel gyms have sheet-glass windows offering panoramic views of snow-covered mountains to motivate you through your workout. This restful apple-and-white Alpine retreat specialises in detox, medical MOTs and musculoskeletal wellbeing and takes fitness super-seriously. A lush, holistic healing paradise where palm-fringed paths and crystal streams tumble down natural rocks to a teeny white sand beach. A refreshingly clean-lined exterior set in a traditional, Alpine Bond-style setting.
The spa is big and Zen, yet intimate and cosy, a clever, rare balance to strike. Bircher for breakfast, dim sum for dinner. The Six Senses European debut brims with the wellness and sustainability that this spa hotel group is reputed for, and here adds wine to the mix. With an emphasis on its setting, tastings of Douro Valley wines are just rewards for a day spent meditating among ancient cedars in the surrounding woods. Set amid forests and gardens with moving water, this healing haven cum eco-hotel has the most stunning, calming and blood pressure-lowering architecture and interiors. Minimalist and clean, the palette is clotted cream, honeycomb and fresh light green with blonde hardwood furniture. Chateaux property are a carefully cloistered sculpture garden, and the intimate spa at the base of the garden epitomises Napa luxury.