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Spain is famous for its excellent selection of outstanding luxury accommodations. Let us introduce you to two sumptuous five-star Spanish hotels with lavish spas on the Mediterranean coast. Tips and recommendations on beauty and wellbeing.
Sant Pere del Bosc Hotel & Spa
Housed in a 10th-century chapel, Sant Pere del Bosc Hotel & Spa sits on one of the most stately farms of Lloret de Mar on Catalonia’s Costa Brava. This charming five-star hotel has only 19 suites—some dedicated to famous women such as Joan Baez, Diane Fossey, Rosalía de Castro and Maria Callas, among others. The stylish rooms at Sant Pere del Bosc come with incentives and perks such as personalized valet service. The hotel also provides limousines and yachts rentals, translator services, and the assistance of a concierge who will handle reservations for the opera, the casino or the football stadium in the nearby city of Barcelona. The spa of the Sant Pere del Bosc has an indoor pool and a relaxing hammam. It also boasts a very special area dedicated to serene silence—La Cova (cave in Catalan)—a place for rest and meditation, conducive to revitalizing body and mind.
The spa menu offers more than 50 kinds of treatments; many of them are based on Ayurvedic principles, featuring the old traditional system of natural medicine from India. Some of the luxurious treatments use water and Vichy creams. Among them, you’ll find peelings performed with coffee and horsehair gloves; as well as therapies with clay from the Dead Sea, full of beneficial minerals and sediments. The standout body massages introduce medicinal pindas (cloth bags filled with rice, herbs and medicinal plants). The starting points of any successful wellbeing regime are diet and nutrition. The hotel’s restaurant, L’India, gracefully highlights the virtues of the Mediterranean diet using only local produce, with a touch of creativity. For recreation, there is nothing better than strolling through the beautiful gardens or visiting Lloret de Mar to observe the daily life of a small fishing village that has become a lovely tourist site.
Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa
Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa
It is hard to imagine a five-star hotel with so much to offer. Besides its excellent views of the Mediterranean Sea and the Costa Blanca, Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa features two 18-hole golf courses and three theme parks—Terra Mitica, Terra Natura, and Aqua Natura. Located near the Campomanes Marina and only 25 minutes from the international airport at Alicante, the Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa is a modern and luxurious Balinese-style resort, with excellent service and unforgettable amenities.
The resort is surrounded by tropical gardens and stunning swimming pools. Its spacious rooms and suites are beautifully decorated and have large terraces overlooking the sea and the mountains. There are eight restaurants in-house that provide a variety of options for every taste: from exotic Asian flavors to Mediterranean and modern international cuisine. The dishes— prepared with premium ingredients— arouse the admiration of connoisseurs for the care and attention placed on every detail.
The Thai Spa brings a fresh concept that combines tradition, wisdom, and fantasy in every treatment. It is equipped with an indoor heated pool connected to the exterior, a steam bath, Jacuzzi and seven outdoor tatamis for Thai-style massages. We found the Nuad Thai traditional massage particularly invigorating. It consists of a series of pulls and stretches–-following the body’s energy lines—that are applied using hands, elbows, feet or knees.
Other treatments include aromatic oils or herbal compresses, but your most memorable experience could be a four hands massage performed by two experienced therapists. There are even specialized massages for pregnant women, which serve to ease tensions in the back, legs, neck and head. Facial treatments, exfoliation therapies, and body hydration, are also available and highly recommended. Guests can choose one-week spa packages that allow them to try different kinds of massages, treatments, and therapies. The more adventurous can take advantage of the helicopter and hot air balloon tours, horseback riding, and scuba diving in the depths of the mythical and eternal Mare Nostrum. ■
