Posts tagged 'spa'

WELLNESS ESCAPE TO THE WESTIN MALDIVES MIRIANDHOO

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I recently returned from 9 days in planet Earth’s most rapturous dreamland – the Maldives. I’ve been fortunate to visit this heaven on prior occasions, and I am struck by how its luminous beauty never dulls; on this trip, I visited the wonderful Westin Maldives Miriandhoo, a jewel in the crown of the Westin  Hotels and Resorts group. I’ve worked with Westin for many years as their Wellbeing Movement ambassador and I’ve experienced several of their properties around the world; as such, I know the wellness ethos that pervades every detail of this hotel group well, and it’s one that I feel passionately about infusing into every trip I take. Whilst I was hosted at the Westin Maldives Miriandhoo (henceforth WMM), I experienced the purest expression of their Wellbeing philosophy, free from the restrictions and confines imposed by a bustling cityscape, and instead, able to indulge in the secluded tranquillity of island life. Picture-perfect postcard-style, powdery-soft sandy beaches, mesmeric sunsets, the freshest seafood and perfect temperatures, all render it an unsurprising top honeymoon destination; for me, after only a few days, I recovered the hitherto lost sensation of feeling recharged, relaxed and renewed. Thereafter, the ensuing week of pure revival left me ready to take on 2020 with gusto! Click MORE to see and read about my experience of this nirvana…

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WELLNESS CITY BREAK TO BATH!

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Last weekend, I voyaged westward to Bath for a distinctly British wellness escape. For years, I’d sampled the Instagram candy that was geotagged from this beautiful Georgian city, once revered by the Romans as the only hot springs in the UK – but this was my first IRL trip. VisitBath asked me to pop down for a weekend to experience the wellbeing benefits of this UNESCO World Heritage site for myself, so I jumped at the chance! What I found was an intoxicating blend of fresh air, relaxing proportions, historic significance, aesthetically arresting architecture, and a pace of life so wholly different to London (yet just 1hr 20 mins away on the Paddington flyer) that it was hard not to cut loose the stresses of the working week! Click more to see the key highlights of what I unearthed!

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ACTIVE ESCAPE: W MALDIVES

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On my recent blog trip to the Maldives (does November still count as recent?!), I had the opportunity to stay at the gorgeous W Retreat & Spa Maldives. Up front, I’ll declare that this Active Escape to the Maldives is nothing like the experience I wrote about HERE. In fact, this is unlike anything I imagined I’d encounter in the Maldives; it blends those core Maldivian ingredients of natural paradise and a stunning coral reef, with the energised atmosphere of ‘island-party-bliss’. There’s a totally W-like ‘cool’ here that’s unique to their brand of hotels (you’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever visited one!), but it’s an ambience that’s subtly woven in amongst the turquoise waters, the white sand, and the coconuts! The result is highest-end comfort, lowest-possible stress, and an awesome fun experience that does wonders to recharge the city-dweller’s depleted batteries! Click MORE to see my complete Active Escape review. (more…)

ACTIVE ESCAPE: REETHI RAH !

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For well over a decade, I’ve been told that ‘the Maldives will sink in 10 years’. Thankfully it hasn’t happened yet, but the spectre of climate change threatens to submerge the 1200 beautiful islands in this archipelago country, the highest natural elevation of which is a smidgeon over 2m above sea level. In the meantime, to “get in whilst I still had the chance”, I selected a few destinations so that I could experience it for myself. This post is a continuation of my Active Escapes series; it highlights a destination that’s almost indescribably spectacular in The One & Only Reethi Rah, a hyper-luxe resort island that’s larger than the capital city Malé, which offers an almost-inexhaustible suite of activities, which boasts a hyper-rarefied representation of elegant European hospitality, and which to my mind is utterly “exceptional, worth a special journey”! Click MORE to be transported to paradise & read my full piece…

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WELLNESS ESCAPE TO SWEDEN!

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Whilst on a trip back home to Sweden, I spent some time at a truly unique spa hotel. ‘Yasuragi as it’s named in Japanese, is nestled on the outskirts of the beautiful Stockholm archipelago, and is deeply infused with Japanese heritage throughout. The hotel, a former school designed by a Japanese architect, is vast, light, natural and altogether in tune with the verdant forestry surrounding it. Wherever you look there are sweeping, majestic views are over the lush archipelago and a fascinating combination of ‘the modern’ – large concrete slab walls, floor to ceiling windows – and ‘the traditional’ – Japanese tatami mats on the floor and walls and the respectful national ethic. It’s a place to unwind and re-energise amidst the invigorating beauty of Swedish forestry, and from which to return home with renewed physical and mental strength. Click MORE to see my review…

Fitness On Toast Faya Blog Girl Healthy Active Escape Travel Sweden Stockholm Yasuragi Hasseludden Spa Zen Japanese Relaxation Detox Hotel-38 (more…)

STOCKHOLM’S GRAND ESCAPE…

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Being half-Swedish, I travel to Stockholm quite regularly; whenever possible I’ll seize the indulgent opportunity to stay at my favourite Swedish hotel, The Grand Hotel Stockholm. To my mind, there’s simply no better place to enjoy a clean, healthy, pure Nordic lifestyle experience with all the luxurious little flourishes you could dream of. From the exquisite spa, to the sumptuously made-up bedrooms, and the to-die-for variety of their iconic breakfast ‘Veranda’, it’s every bit world class, and each intentional detail totally supports me in my pursuit of a healthy escape. A long weekend here yields the equivalent sensation of more than a full week elsewhere, and you emerge fully recharged and refreshed, having seen some of the wonderful local culture too. Read MORE for my full healthy review of this Scandinavian gem!

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MY CHEAT TREAT ???

I was recently invited to try out the Gym at London’s Corinthia Hotel, which recently opened at a reputed cost of £300m. Given that level of investment, I’d assumed the fitness facilities would be excellent, and unsurprisingly, I wasn’t disappointed. It’s invariably the largest and best equipped hotel gym I’ve been to, with an ample supply of soft fluffy towels and refrigerated bottled water on hand at a moment’s notice. Fantastic, great workout, good…

… But it’s not the gym that blew me away, unsurprisingly, since I spend most of my days in one! That was reserved, instead, for the Spa. Or more specifically, Espa Life at Corinthia. Living in a ‘never-sleeps’ buzzing city like London, it sometimes seems impossible to stop moving and take a deep breath. That’s never more apparent, I think, than when you go on holiday only to realise how exhausted you feel. But there are things you can do in the meantime to mask that dilapidation of the soul, and to ensure you don’t turn into a ball of stress and combust before you reach the beach!

Aside from the obvious – eating healthy, training regularly, sleeping well etc – spending a day at a spa is the ultimate indulgence for both man and woman! The mood is boosted by endorphin, dompamine and seratonin release, it promotes regeneration and healing, muscular relaxation as well as invigorating & energising, and expunging toxins in your body through the cycles of sweating and re-hydration. Plus it’s likely to make you sleep like a baby later that night! Espa Life is impossibly relaxing, blending outrageously ‘cool’ design (e.g. a sauna with no perceptible walls, sleek lines and fibre-optics) with all sorts of fabulous spa innovations, from heated-stone ‘anatomical loungers’ to effervescent ‘vitality pools’ and regenerative ‘sleep pods’. This hotel basically bisects Trafalgar Square and Embankment – both frantically stressful parts of the City – but you wouldn’t know that you within 500 miles of the nearest ‘Nelson’s Column’! The cavernous (but always intimate) 3,300 square meters of uber-luxurious spa space are spread over 4 floors (!!) which has to be verging on excessive indulgence! You can literally watch the stress receding.

Admittedly, maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle takes planning, dedication and hard work; the pay back is without a doubt worth it, but sometimes a little reward to pat yourself on the back isn’t just allowed; it’s compulsory. Many find that staging a ‘cheat day’ once a week is a great option to keep you on track, especially knowing you’ve earned yourself some extra chocolatey calories. But for me, given that I spent 1 hour in the gym and 3 at the spa, there can be no better treat than this place!

Faya x