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Luxury spa and well-being holidays

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Search for your luxury spa holiday by destination, spa type, spa treatment and well-being activities

Spa holidays by destination

Search here for a spa holiday by destination.

Spa holidays by spa type

Search here for a spa holiday by type of spa, for example, therapeutic spa, holistic spa and pampering spa.

Spa holidays by treatment type

Search here for a spa holiday by treatment type, for example, vinotherapy, hydrotherapy, thalassotherapy or fangotherapy.

Spa holidays by activity

Search here for spa and well-being holidays by activity, for example, weight-loss programme, yoga or pilates

Then once you have had a look, speak to us and let us guide you using our knowledge and experience of luxury spa holidays.

Luxury spa and well-being holidays to luxury spa hotels and retreats around the world

Luxury spa holidays and spa breaks to luxury resorts and hotels worldwide from Expressions Holidays. Expressions Holidays offers you the chance to indulge in a spa break to selected luxury spas and resorts abroad. People have benefited from the therapies offered by spas for hundreds of years to treat certain medical conditions and promote a feeling of well-being. Nowadays the term ‘spa’ encompasses many different experiences and is associated with relaxation and enjoyment.

One of the things that spas generally have in common is water, a natural healer which soothes the mind and body. Some of the spas featured in this guide benefit from their own mineral-rich thermal waters while others offer a range of hydrotherapy treatments to boost the circulation. We can offer an amazing choice of spa venue and treatments, from fangotherapy to thalassotherapy, from vinotherapy to Ayurveda. We can suggest places for weight-loss, anti-ageing, anti-stress and yoga. Expressions Holidays offers you spa holidays to different regions of the world, from Europe to Asia.

With our spa and well-being holidays you can choose to take perhaps a short break to Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland or Hungary within Europe or perhaps a longer spa retreat to somewhere further afield, perhaps in Vietnam or the Maldives. All our hotels feature something extra so that you can combine your spa holiday with a range of other facilities. Maybe you are looking to enjoy a few rounds of golf followed by some soothing spa treatments or want to be pampered while your partner learns to dive. In certain areas we can offer you a twin centre holiday where you can combine a spa break with a sightseeing tour or a beach holiday. Our sales consultants will be happy to advise on which destinations are best for which activities, as well as letting you know the facilities available at individual hotels.

Frequently Asked Questions

A spa and well-being holiday with Expressions is a tailor-made stay at a hotel chosen for the quality and character of its spa, with treatments booked in advance to suit you. Holidays range from a short break at a thermal spa in Tuscany or a boutique spa hotel in Mallorca to a longer Ayurveda retreat in Sri Lanka. The spa can be the focus of the holiday or part of a wider trip combining sightseeing, walking, golf or time on the beach, and one specialist consultant arranges the travel, the hotel and the treatment programme.

Spa holidays broadly fall into three types. Therapeutic spas use natural thermal or mineral waters, sea water or mud, as at Terme di Saturnia in Tuscany or the hotels on the volcanic island of Ischia. Holistic spas treat body and mind together, often through yoga, meditation and Ayurveda, as at Ulpotha in Sri Lanka. Pampering spas, found at many luxury hotels and resorts, focus on massage, beauty treatments and relaxation alongside good food. Many hotels combine elements of all three.

Italy has several hotels built around natural hot springs. Terme di Saturnia in southern Tuscany has a park of thermal pools fed by warm sulphurous spring water, and Grotta Giusti, near Montecatini, has a natural thermal grotto beneath a 19th-century villa. The island of Ischia, in the Bay of Naples, is known for its volcanic thermal waters, with spa hotels such as the Regina Isabella and Mezzatorre. Font Santa in Mallorca has its own thermal spring, and in Switzerland, the Grand Hotel des Bains Kempinski in St Moritz was built at the source of the town's mineral springs.

Yes. Sri Lanka has a long tradition of Ayurveda, the traditional system of medicine based on herbal treatments, diet and massage, and programmes usually begin with a consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor. Ulpotha, a rural retreat in the Cultural Triangle, is known for yoga and Ayurveda in a setting without electricity, while Ayurveda Pavilions near Negombo is an adults-only Ayurveda hotel close to the airport. An Ayurveda stay of a week or more can be combined with a tour of Sri Lanka with a driver-guide or a few days on the south coast.

Vinotherapy uses grapes, grape seeds and vine extracts in spa treatments, and is usually found at hotels set among vineyards. Les Sources de Caudalie, set in the Smith Haut Lafitte vineyards near Bordeaux, is where vinotherapy was developed, and the five-night Vinotherapy Spa Holiday there starts from £3,580 per person. Other spa hotels in wine country include L'Albereta in Italy's Franciacorta region, Relais San Maurizio in the Piemonte vineyards and Six Senses Douro Valley in Portugal, each combining treatments with wine tasting and good food.

Thalassotherapy uses warmed sea water, seaweed and marine mud in treatments, and is offered at seafront hotels with specialist spas. Expressions features thalassotherapy at Blue Palace in Elounda on Crete and at Vilalara Thalassa Resort on Portugal's Algarve coast. Thalassotherapy can be combined with a beach stay, and on Crete with visits to Knossos and Spinalonga.

Yes. Several hotels combine spa treatments with yoga, fitness, walking and sport. The BodyHoliday in St Lucia includes a daily spa treatment within an all-inclusive programme of fitness classes and sports, and suits solo travellers. Masseria San Domenico in Puglia combines a spa with yoga, cycling and golf, and Six Senses resorts in Oman, Thailand, Vietnam and the Maldives offer yoga, hiking and wellness programmes. Ulpotha in Sri Lanka focuses on daily yoga in a rural setting.

Short spa breaks of three or four nights work well within Europe. Mallorca has several boutique adults-only hotels with spas, including Son Brull near Pollença, Can Simoneta on the east coast and Font Santa near Es Trenc beach. In Switzerland, Victoria-Jungfrau in Interlaken and the Lausanne Palace combine grand hotels with large spas, and both can be reached by train. Other options include Le Mas Candille in Mougins on the Côte d'Azur and the Four Seasons Gresham Palace in Budapest, a city with a long tradition of thermal bathing.

Yes. Many clients combine a spa stay with a city, a tour or a beach. Popular combinations include a few days in Florence or a Tuscan tour followed by Terme di Saturnia or Grotta Giusti, a tour of Sri Lanka with a driver-guide ending with an Ayurveda stay, or Budapest's sights with its thermal baths. Spa hotels can also suit couples with different interests, so that one can enjoy treatments while the other plays golf, dives or walks.

Treatments can be chosen from each hotel's spa menu and booked by Expressions before you travel, which is advisable, as popular times fill quickly. Some holidays include a set number of treatments, and further treatments can be added in advance and paid either to Expressions or directly to the hotel. Therapeutic and Ayurvedic programmes may begin with a medical consultation, and anyone with a health condition should seek advice from their own doctor before booking. Holidays including a flight are protected under ATOL 3076.

Our bespoke, luxury spa holidays can be

● To selected destinations
● Flexible in duration
● Include pre-booked treatments
● For well-being activities such as yoga

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday
● Financial protection with our ATOL (3076) for all holidays including a flight and AFPS (6104) for all non-air holidays

Call us on 01392 441245

Luxury spa and well-being holidays to luxury spa hotels and retreats around the world

Expressions Holidays, as a specialist tour operator with a strong reputation for quality built up over thirty years, can offer you a level of service that is hard to match. Our experienced sales team will put together your package to meet your personal needs, including scheduled flights, private return transfers and your hotel of choice. Our teams have gained considerable specialist knowledge on all aspects of the travel industry and can also offer advice on the different spa treatments available at each hotel or resort. The tailor-made package we put together for you can include as many spa programmes or treatments as you want us to arrange in advance for you.

Travel arrangements

To ensure that you receive the spa holiday that you want, we provide as much flexibility as possible. Every aspect of your holiday is booked individually, offering you a truly bespoke service whether you want to upgrade your travel arrangements or book a multi-centre holiday. We are proud to offer our customers outstanding levels of customer service. For true indulgence, upgrade to World Traveller Plus, Club or First and start the pampering before you even reach the hotel.

Spa treatments

We recognise that our clients are all individuals with different needs so, depending on the hotel, we offer you the flexibility to choose your own treatments from a selection and we will construct the holiday to include your choice. In this way we aim to give you the best possible use of your time away, with plenty of free time around your treatments for relaxation and to enjoy the hotel’s facilities. This personal approach is unique to Expressions Holidays. To ensure availability, additional treatments should be booked in advance before you travel. We are happy to personally book any additional treatments for you and you can choose whether to pay us for them or to pay the hotel direct.

Types of spa

Most of the spas at our hotels are renowned for deluxe beauty and pampering treatments that leave you feeling refreshed and glowing. Some of the hotels have resident doctors who can offer treatments designed to relieve a wide range of medical conditions like arthritis. Programmes designed to promote weight-loss or reduce the prominence of cellulite are good, specialist aspects to spa facilities. Some spa hotels propose more unusual experiences, such as the Sources de Caudalie, set on an exclusive vineyard in the Bordeaux region of France. The grapes and wine are powerful antioxidants and are used in their unique treatments. The Hotel Son Brull in Mallorca has produced a spa menu based around local Mallorcan products and healing traditions for a truly unique experience. Many of the spas we feature can be divided into three main groups:

Therapeutic Spas

The treatments offered at Therapeutic Spas are often more medical in nature than pampering. The mineral-rich waters can be used to treat a variety of conditions and are ideal if you are feeling particularly run down and in need of a boost. Treatments will leave you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated and do have aesthetic benefits as well as promoting good health. Thermal Spring and Hydrotherapy spas, Thalassotherapy Spas and Fangotherapy (treatments using mud) are examples of typically therapeutic spas.

Holistic Spas

The theory behind holistic treatments is that our beauty is strongly linked to our general state of health and the holistic method treats the whole body and mind to induce a sense of wellbeing. Spiritual rather than physical sports are promoted. Yoga and meditation are often available to treat your spiritual health. Many spas now provide a combination of holistic treatments and more traditional therapies allowing the spa-goer to test out what works best for them. Ayurveda spas are a typical example of holistic spas.

Pampering Spas

Most of the spas at our selection of hotels are pampering spas, where a relaxing enjoyable holiday is combined with a course of treatments. Savouring fine wine and gourmet cuisine is part of the experience! Some hotels do offer low-calorie menus or healthy options served in the main restaurant or in their own spa restaurant. Destination Spas, where everyone staying at the hotel is taking part in the spa experience, offer more of a traditional ‘health farm’ experience. They might not serve alcohol and the cuisine is aimed at detoxifying and weight-loss. The treatments at Pampering Spas are focused around beauty-boosting and inducing wellbeing and relaxation. Many of these hotels offer a luxury experience in fabulously private surroundings.

Our bespoke, luxury spa holidays can be

● To selected destinations
● Flexible in duration
● Include pre-booked treatments
● For well-being activities such as yoga

Included in all our holidays

Call us on 01392 441245

Luxury spa and well-being holidays to luxury spa hotels and retreats around the world

An Expressions tailor-made holiday to the Maldives is ideal for visitors looking for a relaxing and luxurious holiday in serene surroundings. The small republic of the Maldives is a luxury holiday destination that possesses some of the most astonishing and beautiful underwater life in the world. Consisting of over a thousand tiny coral islands, the Maldives is traditionally a fishing and trading nation which converted to Islam in the 12th century. Aware of its magnificent natural resources, in recent years the country has striven to maintain its traditional way of life and preserve the natural beauty of the islands whilst offering visitors a secluded and exclusive holiday experience. With turquoise seas, coral sand beaches, swaying palm trees and thatched huts and cottages, the Maldives represents for many the perfect picture of a typical deserted tropical island, a dream holiday destination offering peace and quiet with hotels which epitomise barefoot luxury. The Maldives hotels and island resorts we feature really are the very best. Whilst they all look idyllic, and clearly with the deluxe resorts we offer, you will receive luxurious accommodation and outstanding service, there are important distinctions that our sales team can draw your attention to: distance from Male and how you travel to the resort (speedboat, seaplane or domestic flight plus boat), the size of the island (some are very small and intimate, others are found on larger islands or connecting islands, beach or overwater villas (the overwater villas are usually, but not always, more expensive than beach villas) and the range of facilities (dining options, water sports and diving).

Country facts

Capital

Malé

Airports

Malé International Airport

Currency

Maldivian rufiyaa

Size

The Maldives consist of 1,192 islands, dispersed over an area of 35,000 sq. miles

Population

436,000

Average temperature

Temperatures are consistently hot averaging about 31 degrees Centigrade. Sea temperatures average about 27 degrees Centigrade. The year is divided into two monsoon periods, the north-east monsoon from December to March (drier) and the south-west monsoon from May to November (wetter months with stronger winds).