The Best Spas In Europe

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A treat for the eyes in more ways than one, a long weekend at exclusive Austrian nature retreat Eriro is exactly what us square-eyed screen addicts really need.

A wellness holiday of the truly enjoyable kind, this ultra-luxe nine-room hideaway, built sensitively yet spectacularly into the peak of a Tyrolean mountain, prioritises crisp air, hot saunas and foraged food over gruelling workouts and restrictive diets. One thing you are encouraged to give up, however, is your phone: while it won’t be wrestled from your hand at check-in, you will be urged to leave it in your case and stare at the views instead. Similarly, there are no televisions or laptops in sight.

Once your eyes have adjusted, there is plenty to soak up. The hotel’s truly remote location – you’ll arrive, in spectacular style, via cable car – boasts hiking trails and ski slopes right on the doorstep (don’t skip the hour-long amble to stunning Seebensee lake). Back in the warmth, pottery classes, yoga sessions, painting and sound baths are just a few of the mind-restoring activities on the menu. Dinner each evening is the kind of thing you’ll want to photograph (but you won’t, remember) – with meals ranging from caught-that-day local meats and foraged plants to extravagant multi-course tasting menus. Honouring the natural landscape, everything is hyper-local to the area, so don’t expect to spot an orange-juice carton at breakfast or Prosecco at sundown.

And of course, there’s the spa, perhaps the very best part of this phenomenal hospitality project. Carved from concrete and wood around the rocks that were there first (spot the fox footprints in the floor too), this sublime escape boasts thermal pools and glass-walled saunas that bring the outdoors in, allow you to gaze at the snow-capped peaks and passing clouds as you reset your mind and muscles.

Really, the best way to experience an Eriro stay is simply to kick your shoes off (you’ll be wearing hand-made woollen socks inside) and embrace it. Trust me: without your phone flashing by your bedside, you’ll sleep like a baby, and making your morning coffee slowly from the traditional filter pot will encourage you to refocus on the day’s small joys.

I left feeling so refreshed and energised, with newly reshuffled priorities, that I could have quite happily left my phone there and kept the screen ban going until the end of the year (but then – the irony! - you wouldn’t be reading this right now).

Eriro, Tyrol.

Rooms start from £1,315 per night on an all-inclusive basis

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It would honestly be quicker for me to tell you what you can't do at Daios Cove, the sprawling, sun-bathed resort set on a private patch of Cretian coastline.

Kepos by Goco is the hotel's new, world-leading wellness spa: although to call it spa would really be reductive. Start your stay with a full-body health assessment by one of the in-house doctors, then the wellness world is your oyster: BXR fitness retreat? Cryotherapy chamber? Colonic hydrotherapy? (Yes, that is what you think it is).

If that all sounds a little low on the relaxation scale, know there's also a host of indoor and outdoor pools, thermal experiences, and a full menu of 111 Skin spa treatments – the marker of a seriously good spa – waiting for you too.

Daios Cove, Crete

Rooms from 452 Euro per night on a half-board basis

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‘This is the best hotel we have ever stayed in’ declared my husband over breakfast on day two of our long weekend at My Arbor. Granted, he was eating a peach-topped almond cake at breakfast at the time, but wherever you stand on the idea of sugar before 9AM, I’m certain you’ll end up agreeing with him. In fact, the selection of tiny, perfectly formed cakes on the morning menu pretty much sums up the kind of wellness in store South Tyrol’s newest spa resort: it’s all about the little indulgences.

While wellness to some may mean juice cleanses and gruelling HIIT classes, if you prefer your detox with a healthy helping of rest and relaxation, this South Tyrolean gem will be your personal paradise. Perched on stilts amongst the Plose peaks, where snow-kissed mountains frame your every view, this incredibly chic adults-only treehouse combines mountain hikes and morning yoga with sauna sessions and feasts of truly epic proportions.

Now, more on the feasting: your room comes on a half-board basis, meaning you bookend the day’s activities with what may just be the world’s most elaborate breakfast and a five-course dinner menu that showcases the best of both Italian and Austrian culinary traditions.

Your room also includes unlimited access to the world-class spa, with its sprawling selection of saunas – in which there are daily meditation sessions and livelier musical rituals – and a pool-sized outdoor hot tub you’ll struggle to get out of. (It’s worth noting that European spa rules apply here, so expect to drop the swimwear, but if the British blood runs deep, there’s a pool and a sauna on the next level where swimwear can be worn.)

Thankfully, the journey here is almost as effortless as the sauna-slumping itself. Simply fly to Innsbruck, where the hotel will collect you, or head to Verona and take a beautifully scenic two-hour train journey up to Bressanone.

For those who gravitate more towards forest bathing and wine tasting than being shouted at by a personal trainer, I guarantee this will be your new favourite escape. And if cake for breakfast sounds truly outrageous (you spoilsport) simply level things out by working through the table of cold-pressed juices. It’s all about the balance, remember.

My Arbor, South Tyrol

Rooms from 245 Euro per person (based on 2 people sharing) including half-board and full access to spa and wellness activities.

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About two hours drive from Rome is the village of Saturnia, whose history dates back to 7th century B.C. Terme di Saturnia's thermal baths was said to offer respite to Roman soldiers after battles, and the water's reviving and purifying qualities are sought after by Italian locals and tourists alike.

Forget rigid programmes and forced relaxation, at Terme, its all about having some down time - your own way. That means enjoying a sublime breakfast spread (semolina cake for breakfast? Si, signora), lounging in your bathrobe 24/7, soaking up the sunshine, spending time in the various steam rooms and yes, luxuriating in the thermal baths. In the evenings, the bar is buzzing with drinks and cocktails, which makes Terme a great spot for a girls trip, too.

It's difficult to leave the comfortingly warm pools, but 20 minutes is the recommended time for softer skin - and do make use of the floats available, it can be hard to find your footing otherwise. Don't be surprised if you find yourself feeling significantly lighter and more serene after the baths; its what keeps generations of Italians returning to Terme.

For those seeking something extra, the spa offers an extensive menu of massages along with in-house specialists who can take care of your skin's needs, whether that's a mole check or a laser treatment. Do make time to wander to the tiered hot spring pools located just five minutes walk from the hotel. Milky turquoise waters make for a magical, once-in-a-lifetime sight. There's also a lush, verdant golf course if you fancy a round of putting.

Got an extra day? Make your way to the ancient town of Pitigliano, which is built into a cliff and features the Medici aqueduct - it's a must-see for history buffs.

Like most thermal baths, there is a strong scent of sulphur emanating the air, but given the breathtaking scenery and the bliss one feels after a dip in the baths, it's worth it.

Terme di Saturnia, Italy

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Adare Manor has stood on the banks of the River Maigue since the 17th century – and while the original building has seen several expansions, repairs and renovations over the decades, it has lost none of its imposing grandeur.

Today, the sprawling country hideaway is home to what many consider one of the best hotels in the world, where Michelin-starred dining, an internationally renowned golf course and, of course, a truly remarkable spa can be found.

The order of the day here is flawless traditional hospitality. Whether you're hiding in a cosy corner of the Tack Room, whisky in hand, or arranging a very special dinner (naturally, many come here to celebrate a major occasion), you can expect to be wholly looked after.

But back to the spa – the star of the show, if you ask me. Few manage to balance slick modernity with classic cosiness, but the Manor has mastered it: just submerge yourself in the supersized jacuzzi pool, with glass walls revealing the forest outside, and tell me otherwise. And for your treatment? The arrival of Harley Street's acclaimed 111 Skin can only mean very promising things: whether you opt for circulation-boosting cryotherapy or the famous Celestial Black Diamond facial, you're in very good hands indeed.

Adare Manor, County Limerick, Ireland

Rooms from 1200 Euro

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Borgo Santo Pietro is the most special place I have ever stayed in Europe, and frankly I doubt anything could top it. Owners Jeanette and Claus Thottrup purchased the 800 year-old villa (and the rolling hills that surround it) just over twenty years ago, and have been painstakingly reviving it ever since.

Today, the place is an otherworldly ode to nature, where horticulturists, vintners and farmers nurture the fruits of the biodynamic land. In-between dips in the infinity pool, sound-healing sessions and imbibing in the Borgo's own rosé (you will never try a better one), retreat to the stone-walled spa, where treatments spotlight Jeanette's other baby: Seed to Skin, which uses potent plant extracts sourced from the grounds, and formulated by scientists in her local lab.

And the rooms? The rooms! Each villa is entirely unique and true to tradition, with claw-foot bathtubs taking up the centre of your outrageously sized bathroom and a four-poster bed to flop into come nightfall. Some have private pools and secret herb-lined gardens.

As you can probably tell, I could wax lyrical about this Tuscan retreat for days, but to summarise: there is pizza, there is rosé, there are views you will never forget. For a seriously special occasion, it cannot be beaten.

Borgo Santo Pietro, Tuscany

Rooms from 1173 Euro

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If you like to balance all the reclining with a few activities that actually raise your heart rate, Forsthofalm is the ultimate choice. This action-packed Austrian resort is part ski stalwart, part yoga retreat, part ridiculously indulgent hillside spa – so you can feasibly steam yourself silly in a eucalyptus-scented sauna while your travel companion throws themselves down a mountain.

Of course, in winter the place is filled with snow-sport types, but come spring this Austrian haven transforms into an idyllic green escape, where high-altitude hikes are followed by a peaceful yoga class, or simply a glass of Prosecco overlooking the phenomenal landscape.

Yes, there might be an endless list of sports to try your hand at here (including a mountain bike trail ominously titled The Hangman) but the spa is the real star, if you ask this admittedly biased beauty editor. The wood-and-glass structure offers 360 views of the forest outside, so whether you're floating in the heated infinity pool or warming up in the thermal rooms, you'll feel fully immersed in nature.

Phew, there's a lot to squeeze into a wellness weekend here. Good job your room is built entirely from Swiss pine, which has an aroma said to knock you out for a full eight hours (I can attest this is true, so do set an alarm or you'll miss the breakfast extravaganza).

Holzhotel Forsthofalm, Leogang, Austria.

Rooms from 361 Euro on a half-board basis

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Tucked away on the cobbled streets of Kraków is a former monastery and church that has been lovingly converted into one of the Polish capital’s best-kept secrets: Stradom House, a 125-room hotel that opened in 2023 after a decade of restoration. The result is an architectural triumph and in every way a testament to the city’s powerful history and culture. Nestled equidistance between the city’s Jewish quarter and old town, Stradom House is a home away from home. At the heart of the property is its bar, Hedwig’s Club, which now occupies the former Church of St. Hedwig. Already a staple among those in the know in the city, the circular (yes, circular) cocktail bar is abuzz with live music and DJs at the weekends and a bustling milieu during the week.

You might be drawn in by the Hedwig Club, but it’s the Sól spa, which was created in partnership with Alexandra Soveral, that is the real star of the Stradom House show. From its cave-like treatment rooms to its 20-metre indoor swimming pool, steam room, bio sauna, infrared salt sauna, hydromassage showers and sound room, there is nothing this tucked-away relaxation treasure trove doesn’t have. If you’re truly in the market for indulgence, opt for one of the Sól spa’s signature salt treatments, which is inspired by local Polish salt mining traditions, and combines natural salts with healing essential oils for optimal relaxation. Heaven? Oh, it’s a little place in Kraków, didn’t you know?

Stradom House, Autograph Collection, Kraków, Poland

Rooms from £151

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The new 1,800 square metre spa at Fairmont La Hacienda Costa Del Sol focuses on the internal alongside the outward-looking picture, with a unique selling point - wraparound views of the endless azure Mediterranean Sea and the lush green mountains too. Disconnect, recharge and reconnect with nature is the peaceful plan here, thanks to the serene and beautiful natural light that pours into the neutral-toned space.

Hydrotherapy and immersion pools, hammams, saunas and steam rooms are plenty to keep you occupied between the many treatments on offer, including the 24k Gold Age Defying Facial and the spas two-hour 'journeys'. The 'journeys' focus on rejuvenation, restoration, detox, adrenal boosting, re-energizing boosts and full body exfoliation, in addition to body scrubs, wraps, masks, aromatherapy massages, holistic personalized massages, and deep, invigorating massages. Should you wish to do more than lift a fiunger, there's a dedicated yoga terrace and a cardio lounge too.

Rooms from £420 per night