Spa

Set just outside the ski resort of Obertauern in the tiny village of Untertauern, less than an hour’s drive from Salzburg airport, Lürzerhof makes an immediate impression. The lobby alone is vast, all polished wood, stone and light, with the sort of scale that tells you this is not a small, sleepy alpine guesthouse but a serious operation. It’s family-run, but with the confidence and infrastructure of somewhere that has grown steadily over time and knows exactly how to look after its guests.

There is a distinct, quiet magic in returning to the roads of your youth. Growing up in Plymouth, the landscapes of South Devon, where the rugged granite tors of Dartmoor give way to sweeping coastal horizons, were the backdrop to my early life. Returning decades later aboard a motorcycle adds an entirely new dimension to that nostalgia. The long, open miles through the West Country flow past with effortless rhythm, culminating in a stay at one of Devon’s most captivating historic estates: Boringdon Hall Hotel and Spa.

Flying directly into the tiny airport of Bolzano from Gatwick with SkyAlps makes the journey into South Tyrol unusually simple. Within half an hour of landing you are driving through the Val d’Ega, its meadows and forests framed by the jagged peaks of the Rosengarten and Latemar. Nestled in this landscape is Engel Ayurpura, the first dedicated Ayurveda hotel in the Dolomites and one of only two in Italy.

Arriving at Naturhotel Forsthofgut feels like stepping into a perfectly balanced world  - one where the warmth of a family-run retreat meets the refined elegance of a five-star hotel. Nestled at the foot of the Asitz Mountain in Leogang, it’s the kind of place where the air carries the scent of pine and wood, mingling with the aroma of freshly baked bread in the morning, and where hospitality is more than just a service; it’s second nature.

Some hotel names can be a bit of a mouthful. And then there’s the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District.

But this lengthy appellation is a fitting one for such a sprawling complex that’s actually one of the largest urban revitalisation projects in the Deep South city of Savannah, housed in what was a 1912 power plant that lay abandoned for decades on its riverfront. 

I mention the Maldives and already you are conjuring up a far away paradise, powder white sandy beaches, crystal clear turquoise sea and the bluest of blue skies you have ever set your eyes on. Yes certainly it is paradise but what sets the Sun Siyam resort group apart from the others is the staff. The minute you arrive the staff greet you with the words “welcome home”, well if your home is heaven you have returned. 

Some hotels might say they’re fit for a king, but in the case of The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa it is undeniably true, as King George V once stayed here, as well as nearly every US president since Roosevelt, and not to mention rock royalty in the form of The Beatles and Rolling Stones.

Sat in the heart of downtown Denver, it remains one of the most luxurious and iconic hotels in the Colorado capital since opening its revolving doors in 1892. 

With a matador-like swipe of the towel, our ‘GusMester’ (Mist Master) Matthias, directs a blast of hot, scented air towards our perspiring limbs within the confines of the sauna cabin. This form of aromatherapy is followed by a dip in the cold waters of the Oresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden, sending the endorphins into overdrive, giving an almost instantaneous feeling of elation and renewed vitality. This is ‘SaunaGus’, just one of the signature activities available at Denmark’s leading Spa hotel and part of a holistic approach towards health, well-being and luxury.