With the societal shift to health and wellness still at the forefront of many minds, it’s no surprise that overall wellness remains a priority for travelers. Half of the respondents of Hilton’s 2023 Trend Report feel it’s important that their travels address their physical or mental wellness. Whether you want to gift someone a getaway or you’re prioritizing travel for yourself in the new year, here are 10 wellness destinations to add to your travel bucket list.
Domestic Destinations
Azure Palm Hot Springs Resort and Day Spa Oasis (Desert Hot Springs, CA)
Recently opened in the spring of 2022, the Oasis at Azure Palm Hot Springs and Day Spa Oasis sits on more than an acre of land directly next to the largest mineral spring pool in Southern California. Guests can relax, detox, and regulate the body in one of the five flow-through mineral pools nestled among the desert foliage. Post soak, guests can dry off in a gas-fired sauna or journey the winding path of the Reflexology Walk. For fare, The Azure Palm Café offers a menu of healthy, local, and seasonal dishes—each prepared from scratch. For those interested in cleanses, Azure offers both guided and self-guided health programs.
The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley, The Palmeraie (Scottsdale, AZ)
Slated to open in fall 2023, The Ritz-Carlton Paradise Valley will house a massive two-story luxury spa with 11 treatment rooms. Spa guests will also gain access to the outdoor spa, including a cooling hydrotherapy pool, refreshing rain walk, fireside cabanas, and food and beverage service. Back indoors, a fitness center with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooks the McDowell mountain range. Designed to indulge the senses and nurture wellbeing and focus, the resort features secret gardens including a secluded Meditation Garden filled with pathways and colorful vegetation, on-site citrus groves, air-purified and oxygen-boosted guest rooms, and more.
Southall Farm & Inn (Franklin, TN)
Located just outside of Nashville, Southall Farm & Inn aims to transport guests to a simpler time, when the pace of life was more mindful and deliberate. The working farm and inviting inn rest on 325 acres of land featuring greenhouses on one side and rows of heritage crops, orchards, and gardens on the other. The Spa at Southall is rooted in the belief in the healing powers of nature. Accessed through a series of bridges that initiate the spa experience through quiet walking and reflective meditation, the 15,000-square-foot spa’s design reflects the area’s natural surroundings. Featuring only products that have been certified by Ecocert, the spa offers a full range of treatments that overlap ancient healing therapies with modern techniques to provide the most effective care. Ultimately, The Spa at Southall is designed to amplify what’s happening on the property as a whole: an authentic return to the core principals of nature.
The Boca Raton (FL)
The Boca Raton recently opened its final hotel, Tower, a 27-story luxury hotel featuring 224 guest rooms with views of the Atlantic Ocean and South Florida Coastline. Located next door in the resort’s iconic Cloister building, Spa Palmera features 44 treatment rooms adorned with elaborate mosaics, grand arches, and more. Tranquil gardens, waterfall whirlpools, a private spa pool, and more promote a sense of quiet magnificence between mindful experiences like Reiki, Shirodhara scalp treatments, and Ritual baths. In the resort’s Harborside building, The Biostation serves as the property’s cutting-edge anti-aging and wellness center. Offering services such as IV therapy, b12 formulations, medical aesthetic treatments, and in-depth diagnostic testing, guests can focus on a number of concerns including weight gain, trouble sleeping, lack of energy, sexual performance, cardiovascular imbalance, and thyroid issues. Two fitness centers, outdoor running paths, indoor and outdoor fitness classes, and multiple pools are also available to get blood pumping.
Ulum (Moab, UT)
Open for the season from March 30 – October 23, 2023, Ulum Moab is the ideal destination for those wanting an authentic retreat to discover the American Southwest. Activities and amenities such as daily yoga, hot and cold dipping pools, live acoustic music, and stargazing allow for ultimate relaxation after seeing Moab via mountain bike, river raft, or the top of Looking Glass Arch, or after a day touring Arches or Canyonlands National Parks. Suite Tents offer uninhibited views of crescent red rocks and the surrounding desert. Full-service al fresco dining prioritizes fresh and sustainable ingredients to enjoy day or night.
INTERNATIONAL ITINERARY
Bulgari Hotel Tokyo (Japan)
Poised to open in the spring of 2023, Japan’s first Bulgari property, Bulgari Hotel Tokyo, will be home to the 16,000-sqaure-foot Bulgari Spa, which will offer immersive and innovative treatments, therapies, and grooming for all. A state-of-the-art fitness center and 80-foot pool will also be available to guests looking to enhance their wellbeing during their stay. The hotel will occupy the top seven floors of a 780-foot-tall ultra-skyscraper in the city’s Yaesu neighborhood, located within walking distance of some of the city’s top attractions such as the Imperial Palace and the vibrant shopping areas of Nihombashi and Ginza.
Savoy Palace (Madeira, Portugal)
Located in the new Savoy Palace, the new Laurea Spa was inspired by the lush, natural surroundings of Madeira Island. Featuring 11 treatment rooms, a heated indoor pool, a halotherapy room, steam and sauna rooms, sensorial showers, an ice fountain, fitness center and relaxation room, a beauty salon, and even a Champagne and nails bar, there’s something for all guests at the new facility. As a bonus, guests with suites have free spa access during their stay and other guest rooms have access to the spa when receiving a massage or treatment.
Oak Bay Beach Hotel (Victoria, BC)
Nestled atop the iconic Oak Bay Beach Hotel, which was recently named the number one hotel in Canada by Condé Nast Traveler, Boathouse Spa is Victoria’s only oceanfront spa, and it houses British Columbia’s only licensed waterfront pool deck. An adult’s only sanctuary, the spa and its three outdoor heated mineral pools, which overlook the Salish Sea, are only open to guests ages 16 and older. The spa offers a full range of massages, European facials, body wraps, and more. Back on the pool deck, light fare including pastries, fruits, salads, and sandwiches are available for some healthy bites.
Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort (St. Lucia)
The team at Windjammer Landing Spa believes that a spa treatment doesn’t have to stick to a 30-minute massage; it should be an experience that creates a lasting effect in a person’s life. In 2023, the wellness center is introducing new treatments and experiences designed to last a lifetime, including the Underwater Breathwork Program, a powerful sunrise dive designed to amplify the benefits of underwater diving with the healing nature of breathwork. Guests are led underwater where they hold controlled yoga positions, utilizing the various breathing exercises they just learned, wrapping up the program with a scenic dive tour exploring the underwater surroundings with a clear mind. Back at the spa, one-, three-, and five-day wellness packages focusing on immunity or detoxification are also available.
Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino (Greece)
The first Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group property in Greece, Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino sits on the historic Bay of Navarino on the southwest coast of the Peloponnese peninsula. Opening spring 2023, the new property will feature a 16,000-square-foot wellness facility with a stunning 270-square-foot indoor-outdoor pool with bay views. At the outdoor stretch of the pool, guests will find 48 spacious pool villas, offering privacy and waterfront views. Back at the spa, indoor treatment rooms and outdoor pavilions are the setting for classic Mandarin Group wellness therapies and locally inspired treatments.
