Holidays may usually help with your wellness levels without having to do very much, but if you want to take things up a notch, book a stay at one of these hotels for a yoga and wellness break. From a soul-nourishing detox retreat at the edge of the Atlantic in Devon to beachfront sun salutations in Tulum, Bali and beyond, these are the best hotels that offer yoga…
Koh Samui
Six Senses Samui
The Six Senses group is a safe bet for yoga and wellness breaks, and if you’re in search of one in Koh Samui, you’ll have landed at the right place. Some of the brand’s special programmes are available at its other retreats, one of the most elaborate of which being Six Senses Vana in India, which is fully devoted to detox. As at sister Thai stay Six Senses Yao Noi, guests can live the good life – here, that means heading to the farm every morning to collect your own eggs for breakfast. The brand’s Discover Yoga programme is available at Six Senses Yao Noi, as well as at other destinations around the world, from Crans Montana to Kaplankaya.
As for the spa at Six Senses Samui, it has six treatment villas, including one reserved for visiting practitioners, two saunas and as many steam rooms, and a gym. There are shalas for both yoga and meditation, and a walking meditation area, too. Other activities on offer include cycling trips around the village, snorkelling and scuba-diving, and Thai cooking classes.
Bali
Lost Lindenberg
If you’ve lost your way, you can find it at Lost Lindenberg in Bali, a community-minded stay away from the Ubud hordes in the quiet village of Pekutatan. And if you want to nourish your soul with some surfing instead, you’ve come to the right place, since Bali’s longest wave is on the hotel’s doorstep – the Medewi point break has been surfed by Kelly Slater himself. Lost’s surf programmes last three to five days, and can be tailored to suit both beginners and advanced surfers. Days will be spent enrolled in private surf and yoga classes – and we’re sure you can combine the two if your core’s up to it. There are Balinese massages, plant-based, communal meal times, bonfires on the beach and optional river tours to while away the days, too. Unlimited surf lessons are included in the rate for guests not on a package, too. You’ll be hanging ten and fully Zen in no time.
Tulum
Lula
The days of casual beach shacks and cheap guacamole may be long gone in Tulum, but it’s still a wellness-break epicentre, thanks to its pure shores and palm trees. At Lula, the wellbeing offering extends beyond some morning yoga classes to full-blown ‘mystical experiences’, which might involve perspiring it out inside a traditional Mayan ‘house of heat’ during an authentic temazcal experience in a sweat lodge, swims in cenotes and hikes in search of monkeys. There are two yoga classes daily (hatha, vinyasa, ashtanga and kundalini), regular sound-healing and dance sessions, and ice baths on hand for the Wim Hof wannabes.
Nest Tulum
And at Nest Tulum, guests can partake in various types of yoga, including ashtanga, restorative flow and power vinyasa, along with pranayama meditation for some serene yogic breathwork. The beachfront retreat is formed from just 12 rooms (plus a private villa). Also helping the meditative mood along is the over-10s-only guestlist.
Costa Rica
Hacienda AltaGracia
At Hacienda AltaGracia in Costa Rica’s San José province, it’s impossible not to check out feeling better, whether you’ve spent your days river bathing, undergoing wood therapy or joining a healing circle or intention-setting ceremony. Massages borrow herbs from the organic kitchen garden and saunas are equally well-scented. The landscape is a tonic in itself, with the mighty Talamanca mountains and the Calientillo River forming the wild backdrop. Along with various types of yoga (including aerial), you’ll also be able to sign up for Pilates and high-intensity classes, meditation and breathwork sessions, and alfresco interval training.
Origins Lodge
Over in Bijagua, Origins Lodge takes a similarly holistic approach to the wellbeing of its guests, with an array of wellness holidays that can be tailored to your needs. Resident experts include sound therapists, reiki masters, nutritionists in charge of the nourishing (with vegan options available) and, of course, several in-situ yogis. The eco lodge is on the edge of a mountain, overlooking the valley below.
Portugal
Vinha Boutique Hotel
The location does the talking at Vinha Boutique Hotel in Porto, which makes a case for wellness retreats not having to be in the middle of nowhere. Instead, this urban sanctuary is on the banks of the river in the centre of Porto. Hatha, vinyasa and aerial yoga are all available, and the hotel is home to a Sisley Paris spa, with a Vichy shower, hammam and Turkish bath. Other activities to fill your itinerary with include trips out on the hotel’s yacht, picnics in the grounds and wine tastings (no one said ‘wellness break’ had to mean teetotal). Cheese tastings can also make their way onto your agenda – there’s no enforced deprivation in sight.
Mallorca
Es Racó d’Artà
Reconnect with nature at Es Racó d’Artà on the east coast of Mallorca, a sort of living, breathing art gallery named after freedom and granting its guests just that. Days are spent on mindful hikes, revisiting the womb with a watsu bath, trying out some of the house-grown wine (the tastings are held in a former cistern), learning how to weave baskets, harnessing the therapeutic power or painting, making dream-catchers, meditating each morning, joining a medicinal workshop or just being, since life is pretty good around here. There are various converted barns throughout the vast farm, including a meditation space on what was once the threshing floor.
Son Brull
Elsewhere on the island, Son Brull is a former monastery for contemplative stays with daily yoga at 9am, loops round the spa circuit and prickly-pear treatments (not as scratchy as they sound, and surprisingly beneficial). And at Son Bunyola, the surrounding landscape invites guests to get out into the great outdoors, with yoga, tennis, cycling and hiking just some of the many wellness-boosting activities on offer.
Greece
Acro Suites
One look at a Greek island is likely to make most people feel better, but if you want to take a more hardened approach to your wellbeing, simply book a stay at Acro Suites, a wellness resort on Crete. Here, even the restaurant is called a ‘nurture house’, such is its dedication to nourishing its guests with wholesome Cretan cuisine. For the most meditative experience, book one of the aptly named Cave Suites and spend your stay going between the equally serene spa and the yoga shala.
Onar Andros
On the Cycladic isle of Andros, Onar hosts wellness retreats during the quieter weeks of the start and end of the Greek summer season. Yoga classes are sure to have a scenic backdrop, whether they’re held near the lighthouse at sunrise, under the shade of some giant plane trees or next to the waterfall. Meals will be made with organic produce from the hotel’s garden.
Euphoria Retreat
And on the mainland, Euphoria Retreat near Sparta in the Peloponnese is a seriously well-equipped spa stay, where guests can craft a packed programme of aerial yoga, sound baths, cupping, lymphatic-drainage massages, personal training, and trips to the neighbouring Byzantine monastery or some local hot springs. Slightly more fringe activities include ‘free your voice’ classes and drama therapy (sure to unleash dormant terror in people who were terrified of improv at school).
UK
Yeotown Devon
For a wellness break in the UK, Yeotown near Exmouth in North Devon is the perfect choice, especially if you want to take things seriously – this boutique bootcamp runs proper detox programmes. Its signature retreat is the Yeotox, a five-day itinerary (taking place weekly, from Wednesday to Sunday) that’s designed to give participants a break from the stress of modern life, focusing on what you gain rather than lose. Days are filled with guided hikes, activities, spa treatments, forest bathing and cold-water immersion – the aim is to nurture and nourish, rather than deprive, so that you leave rebooted and armed with new life hacks.
Aller Dorset
Just along the South Coast in Dorset, Aller can enlist a local instructor to come and give private yoga lessons by the lake. A reflexologist is also on hand for in-hut treatments. The hotel is formed from a handful of shepherd’s huts, with outdoor bath tubs and fire pits, set throughout a family-run farm. The colourful, joyful interiors are fittingly stylish – they were created by co-owner Cat, previously a PR for Gucci, after all.
Wildhive Callow Hall
South of the Peak District, Wildhive Callow Hall is a Victorian Gothic manor with treehouse suites that promise the best night’s sleep in Derbyshire (yes, they’re that quiet). The hotel hosts regular retreats led by wellness practitioners, the most recent of which was a five-day juice cleanse with the naturopath and nutritionist Lucy Peel, who created a holistic programme in collaboration with the hotel’s resident yoga instructor and sound therapist. The 35-acre estate spans gardens, woodlands and cycle paths, and you’ll also be able to head into the national park for more scenic strolls. Plus, there’s a yoga studio and two treatment rooms in the Coach House.
Ibiza
Six Senses Ibiza
Ibiza’s magnetic energy and borderline-spiritual sunsets have long made it a gathering ground for the crystal crew but with the arrival of Six Senses Ibiza a couple of years ago, the island got instantly more nurturing. This incredibly well-equipped wellness hotel is now one of the best spa hotels in Europe. Yoga retreats here can last three, five or seven days, and include every variation from one-on-one, to facial and Pranayama breathwork. Your wellness break can be improved with cacao or sunset ceremonies, stand-up paddle-boarding on the bay, bicycle rides through pine forests and trips to the Rose Bar, the resort’s ‘longevity clinic’.
Ca Na Xica
Also on the island is Ca Na Xica, which has jogging and cycling routes around the grounds, a super spa and yoga, with Pilates and personal training available on request.
Cyprus
Cap St Georges
Cap St Georges encourages its guests to stay active, with a wide array of sporting activities, from tennis, padel and beach volleyball, to football, archery and basketball. Away from dry land, you’ll be able to paddle-board or kayak to some nearby sea caves, where you’ll meet the seals if you’re lucky. There’s a two-kilometre beachfront for outdoor yoga sessions, and, Pilates, fitness and both individual and group yoga classes are available. Also aiding in your serenity are tranquil views of the horizon available from your balcony and poolside cocktails for added languor.
And if that’s not quite chilled-out enough for you, these hotels with meditation spaces take it to the next level…
Heckfield Place has a surprise room for guests seeking serenity.
Scorpios Bodrum has a temple at the spa for meditations and ancient healing rituals.
Six Senses Vana has a meditation cave.
Thyme’s ecclesiastical Tithe Barn dates back to the 17th century; it’s now occasionally used for sound ceremonies.
TheVagar Country House in Belmonte, Portugal, hosts regular meditation classes.
For more feel-good getaways see our most luxurious spa hotels.