Nothing says “new year, new you” like booking yourself into a health and wellness retreat
— and there’s no better time to do exactly that than at the beginning of a new year. Whether you’re seeking inner balance, health treatment or a simple refresh, we’ve rounded up the top luxury health retreats around the world to help you become the best, calmest and most revitalised version of yourself. You’re welcome.
Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat, Gold Coast, Australia
Image courtesy of It’s Beautiful Here
Perched high on a plateau on over 200 hectares of the Tallebudgera Valley in the Gold Coast hinterland, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat is the epitome of tranquillity and calmness. The award-winning Eco Tourism-certified wellness retreat is one of Australia’s most renowned retreats and was once summed up perfectly by Traveller when it was dubbed “the Rolls Royce of heath retreats.” The wellness haven is committed to re-evaluating its guest’s lifestyle habits and transforming them into habits that promote wellness, energy and calm. During a stay, you can expect organic living, spa time, movement and relaxation with delicious organic cuisine and vital wellness seminars topped off with one of the country’s most scenic views.
gwinganna.com
Vivamayr, Altaussee, Austria
Image courtesy of Vivmayr
Located on the banks of Lake Altaussee in the dreamy Austrian Alps, Vivamayr Resort is undoubtedly one of the most modern and luxurious health resorts in the world. While you can expect rest and relaxation, Vivamayr is more a medical clinic than a luxury spa. Upon arrival, a doctor’s appointment will shape your seven day-stay of detoxing activities and restrictive diet based on your health objectives. Not only is its incredibly picturesque location easy on the eye, but it has important health benefits too. The area’s excellent air quality helps in relieving stress and activating the metabolism to promote relaxation, healing and well-being. If you’re looking for rest, relaxation and health in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, look no further.
Amanbagh, Rajasthan, India
Image courtesy of Amanbagh
Luxury hotel group, Aman Resorts, is responsible for one of the world’s most impressive collections of luxury hotels with 33 properties across 21 countries. While the company doesn’t specialise in wellness experiences per se, its resort in the rugged Aravalli Hills in Rajasthan, India — Amanbagh (meaning 'peaceful garden') — offers its guests three wellness programs that are tailored to each individual to inspire and promote meaningful change. Whether detoxing for a new lease on life, expanding your yoga and mindfulness practice or embracing the benefits of an Ayurvedic lifestyle, each program is personalised based on in-depth consultations and wellness screening. The hotel’s spectacular rose-pink, Mughal-inspired structure is just a bonus.
Lanserhof Tegernsee, Waakirchen, Germany
Image courtesy of Lanserh of Tegernsee
Dubbed “Europe’s most modern health resort”, Lanserhof Tegernsee offers 21,000 square meters of holistic treatments for health and well-being in Germany’s breathtakingly beautiful Bavarian Alps. The medical resort-meets-luxury health retreat is famed for its LANS Med concept which is based on the philosophy of Austrian physician and so-called ‘father of fasting’, Franz Xaver Mayr, who believed that a clean digestive system leads to a clean bill of health. The method is built on three pillars – rest (tea-and-water fasting to quiet you internally), detoxification (cutting out everything from sugar to alcohol to lessen the strain on your gastrointestinal system), and training (chewing thoroughly and without distraction to help your body process food better). Lanserhof Tegernsee has it all — post card-like nature views, seriously impressive architecture and an exceptional holistic health offering. Tick, tick, tick!
Gaia Retreat & Spa, Byron Bay, Australia
Image courtesy of Gaia Retreat and Spa
Being a health retreat in the Byron Bay hinterland, Gaia Retreat and Spa sounds like the perfect escape even before knowing about the exceptional experience it offers. Established in 2005, Gaia’s founders (including Olivia Newton-John) joined forces to realise a shared dream to create a place where their guests own the experience and to offer a place for them to refocus, rebalance and completely restore. Whether you are seeking total time-out or an improvement in general health, well-being or fitness, Gaia will tailor a stay and journey especially for you. Book into one of the 23 elegant, intimate rooms and melt away from everyday life.
Aro Ha, New Zealand
Image courtesy of Aro Ha
Reenergising escapes don’t get much better than Aro Ha—the sprawling property overlooking Lake Wakatipu near Queenstown. Here, you’ll push the reset button on life by cutting the stimulants, physically reconnecting with nature (mountain hikes, high-intensity interval training), absorbing wholesome food (vegan, dairy, gluten and refined-sugar free, much of it grown in Aro Ha’s greenhouses and gardens), and spending genuine time with other people.
Kamalaya, Thailand
Image courtesy of Kamalaya
This luxury Koh Samui retreat—rising out of the sands on a remote, postcard-perfect beach—brings together western and oriental healing practices as a tonic for stress, burnout and lack of sleep. Get ready to rediscover your inner self again.
