Alila Diwa Goa, India
Flying time Under 3 hours
This award-winning hotel is the latest luxury haven to open on the beaches of South Goa, with the Arabian Sea and lush tropical vegetation providing the perfect setting for a relaxed getaway. A sleek, contemporary style incorporating traditional colonial influences permeate the resort's design, including the spa, which offers the celeb-favoured detox programme Bioresurge. With a focus on holistic healing, including elements of nutrition, fitness and meditation, you are sure to leave the retreat with a new lease of life. The tailor-made Bioresurge programmes include beach power walks; nutritional consultations along with custom-made meals using fresh, organic produce; detoxifying spa treatments; yoga; gym sessions; massages; meditation; cooking demos and lots of opportunities for R&R.
What else can you do there? Goa is a fantastic destination, not just for its beaches. It also has lots of history and culture, bargain shopping in flea markets, and a vibrant nightlife. Most of the action is driving distance from the resort.
Need to know: Prices start at Dh4,950 per person for four nights, visit www.alilahotels.com.
Mövenpick Resort Dead Sea, Jordan
Flying time Under 4 hours
A Dead Sea spa visit should be on the bucket list of any spa aficionado. Located on the shores of the below-sea-level Dead Sea, the sprawling Mövenpick Resort & Spa is built to look like a traditional Jordanian village, nestled amid landscaped gardens. The Zara Spa, awarded best international spa retreat by Condé Nast Traveller readers, offers therapies harnessing the healing powers of the mineral-rich water, as well as extensive facilities including a hydro pool and Kneipp foot massage pool. The spa offers signature body wrap treatments that help restore the skin's natural minerals using therapeutic Dead Sea black mud, as well as a range of massages and facials. The resort also has a therapy centre offering climate therapy in a solarium, and specialised dermatology and rheumatology therapies.
What else can you do there? Aside from trying the whole reading-while-floating experience in the Dead Sea, Jordan's many historical and archeological riches offer a lot to discover. Don't miss out on a visit to Petra, Wadi Rum's stunning red cliffs, and snorkelling in the Red Sea off Aqaba.
Need to know: Room rates start from Dh515 (with breakfast) through the summer, visit www.moevenpick-hotels.com.
Four Seasons Resort, Seychelles
Flying time Under 5 hours
Make like of-the-moment royalty Will and Kate, who honeymooned in the Seychelles, and plan your own Robinson Crusoe escape at the luxe Four Seasons Resort. Located on the south-western coast of Mahe, where the airport is located, the resort is easy to get to, but offers the ultimate privacy with a secluded hilltop setting. With a Creole-inspired design that blends into its environment, the resort perfects the balance between laid-back and luxury. The spa capitalises on its incomparable location, cantilevered in the middle of a tropical canopy overlooking an idyllic cove, to provide nature-inspired treatments. Island ingredients such as frangipani, cinnamon and lemongrass are used in pampering face and body treatments, complemented by herbal teas and juices from the on-site juice bar. An outdoor yoga and meditation pavilion completes the wellness offerings, and personalised spa cuisine can also be offered.
What else can you do there? Hard as it might be to pry yourself out of your tree-house villa, you should venture out to see for yourself that Seychelles offers a lot more than powder-white beaches and a clear blue sea. The volcanic island is home to a staggering variety of flora and fauna, and the Unesco World Heritage Site Vallee de Mai - a 650 million-year-old palm forest - is probably the best place to start discovering them. Plus, there are botanical gardens, tea plantations, nature reserves and the colourful markets and galleries of capital city Victoria to see too.
Need to know: Three-night spa pampering packages include accommodation with breakfast, signature spa treatments, in-villa floral bath, one healthy Bento box lunch, and a spa CD. From Dh12,500 for two, www.fourseasons.com.
Amanpuri, Phuket, Thailand
Flying time Under 7 hours
Thailand is almost synonymous with spa retreats, but one of its brightest gems, Amanpuri, is tucked away in the unlikely location of Phuket, the country's largest island. Set on a strip of palm-fringed beach, away from the town's hustle and bustle, the elegant resort holes you up in luxurious pavilions each featuring its own private outdoor sala (deck). The flagship Aman Spa offers treatments using time-honoured wellness traditions and organic, handmade products. Combining the best of Thai, Chinese and Indian therapies, the spa offers everything from relaxing massages to energy realignment treatments and kinesiology. Spa treatments maximise the benefits of local ingredients such as pomelo, ginger, coconut and herbs to provide healing. Yoga, Pilates and meditation classes are also offered in an outdoor sala set in the middle of a coconut grove.
What else can you do there? Phuket is well known for its water sports and colourful nightlife, but for the ultimate island escape, you can hop on board a private Aman yacht for day trips to neighbouring islands like Similan and Phi Phi.
Need to know: Prices start from Dh1,925 for a Pavilion Villa, visit www.amanresorts.com for more information.
