Destination spas

A destination spa is part-spa, part-holiday; the perfect combination of beautiful surroundings and indulgent treatments. Unlike a day spa, a destination spa is not designed for drop-in appointments or a quick soak in the hot tub - a visit to a destination spa could be anything from a weekend away to a fortnight's honeymoon. Sometimes known as a health farm, a few of the most famous destination spas include Ananda in the Himalayas, Chiva-Som in Thailand, Bodyholiday at LeSport in St Lucia and Fonteverde Natural Spa Resort in Italy.

Because guests tend to stay for longer periods at a destination spa, they often also specialise in courses of treatments, which can mean much better results. You could choose a detox plan, a course of hypnotherapy, life coaching sessions, ayurvedic medical treatments or even blast your personal bests with a week of intensive personal training.

Often located in stunning beauty spots destination spas are known for their fantastic facilities; comparable to a luxury holiday resort with designer swimming pools and gardens, tennis courts, private beaches and sun decks. Of course, not all destination spas can boast their own private beach (and on the windy Yorkshire moors you probably wouldn't want one), but you will find a full complement of spa features such as a sauna, steam room, pool, jacuzzi, state-of-the-art gym, class studio and plenty of treatment rooms for those all-important pamper sessions morning, noon and night.

Whether you choose to take a holistic approach to your stay with a nutrition plan, detox treatments and an action-packed exercise regime, or you prefer to focus on shaking off the city stress with massages, yoga and long, lazy lie-ins, a destination spa will have all the treatments you need. To start with, you can expect the usual chocolate box of yummy spa treatments, including a variety of massages, beauty treatments like waxing, manicures and facials and also alternative therapies such as reiki and acupuncture.

Your destination spa might be in a Cotswolds country manor or on a beach in Bali, so each destination will have its own unique features. One of the benefits of the holiday-vibe is that there are often extra activities on offer at a destination spa that you would never find at an urban day spa - for example, you might have golf, rock climbing or horse riding lessons.

Destination spas are often at the higher end of the spa price-scale, but when it comes to choosing your honeymoon, stag or hen weekend, or if you feel like escaping away for a holiday on your own they're hard to beat for the variety and quality of experiences available. So you can look forward to peace, quiet and tranquillity without the tiniest chance of getting bored.