Wellness tourism has been one of the most transformational travel trends in the last decade or two. In fact, according to a TripAdvisor poll of its global community, wellness sojourns are on the rise, and booking one doesn’t have to be a daunting or head-scratching task. Travelers can easily book a wellness vacation on TripAdvisor, as it not only helps them choose a fantastic wellness destination but also ensures that it caters to their objectives and goals. It does so by providing excellent and highly detailed photos and user reviews of wellness resorts and retreats, amenities such as healthy restaurants, spas, and holistic wellness centers, and more. So, they ensure that travelers find the exact highly rated experiences and stays that are tailored to their needs for mental, spiritual, and physical health. Here’s a detailed guide to ensure you find a restorative getaway with TripAdvisor.
TripAdvisor Media Center
One of TripAdvisor’s best resources is the TripAdvisor Media Center, which helps travelers on their journeys of all kinds by providing surveys, articles, and other resources. What’s more, they provide information and details that help them make decisions about their own holidays.
In the past, TripAdvisor surveyed popular and highly rated spa hotels, wellness experiences, and even healthy restaurants and attached specialized eating outlets for maximum harmony of the mind, body, and soul. It found wellness destinations based on those destinations that saw the greatest amount of related search terms on its website. These included the likes of yoga retreats, spiritual retreats, or wellness retreats, as well as searches for wellness experiences and spa hotels. What’s more, it also looked for retreats whose in-house healthy restaurants were popular and highly rated on TripAdvisor for having vegetarian, vegan, organic, healthy, and farm-to-table options.
These top 10 global wellness destinations included the likes of Bali, India, Sedona, Koh Samui, Zermatt, and even Ibiza. We’ll explore them in the sections below.
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Destinations
One of the best things about wellness destinations today is that they exist all around the world now. So, you can not only choose the kind of retreat you want to head to, but its actual geography, which is equally important. That’s because you need to choose a wellness retreat destination that you and your mind, body, and soul are in tandem with. For instance, those who aren’t exactly mountain people will probably not appreciate a retreat in the Himalayas. Conversely, if you aren’t exactly fond of cold weather, then there’s no point in choosing scenic cold-weather retreats, no matter how many heated swimming pools and saunas they might have.
Hence, one needs to first decide the kind of destination one actually likes before trying to decide anything else about their wellness vacation, and TripAdvisor is the right place for that. For instance, if your idea of a spiritual zone out is cooking, then why not consider a visit to ITC Grand Goa, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa in Goa? Its “Cuisine Classica” initiative is customized to guests and is an interactive experience of cooking with a MasterChef. Not only that, but it also has tasting tours, morning beach yoga, and the massive seaside sanctuary of holistic wellbeing and rejuvenation that is the Kaya Kalp – The Royal Spa.
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Understand Different Wellness Offerings
One of the most important things is knowing what the different kinds of wellness offerings are. In fact, choosing a wellness retreat suitable for you depends entirely on what you are looking to extract from your wellness sojourn. For instance, some resorts are luxurious spaces with spas, saunas, swimming pools, and a laidback vibe where you can ‘get away from it all.’ On the other end of the spectrum are resorts that focus on specific areas of wellness, such as resorts with yoga, Pilates, and other activities. Furthermore, there are other resorts that focus on the outdoors and nature, with activities such as hiking, horse riding, water activities, and the like.
So, you need to learn the difference between a dedicated wellness retreat with a focused and regimented health program and a typical hotel or resort with a spa. That’s because you need to decide whether you’re looking for a luxury stay with wellness facilities or an actual “retreat” that is purpose-built for wellness. In this case, TripAdvisor’s comparison feature is very useful, allowing you to compare different wellness programs, spa treatments, dining, activity packages, and more.
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Facilities and Amenities
Wellness stays are of a wide variety. After all, there can be many different kinds of wellness-focused retreats, right? Do you want to get away from it all, or do you want to focus on your mind, body, and spiritual wellness? Is it luxury with spa treatments that you’re looking for, or do you specifically want to focus on a body goal, such as losing weight? Firstly, one needs to zero in on their wellness goals before they check out the wellness sojourns and their amenities on TripAdvisor.
When you finally decide on your goals, head to TripAdvisor and look out for filters that allow you to narrow down results to specific wellness offerings. For instance, look specifically for “healthy restaurants,” or “wellness experiences,” or “spa hotels.” Additionally, you should put TripAdvisor’s comparison feature to good use and compare different wellness programs, their offerings and amenities, their dining, and their activity packages.
For instance, Ibah in Ubud, Bali, focuses on traditional Balinese wellness programs with a whole menu at the Two Rivers Spa. It also has a Saturday night of Balinese culture, dance, music, and dinner in the gardens, a ‘friendship’ fire, complimentary yoga sessions, and a massage + picnic experience in the gardens. On the other end of the spectrum is the Amara Resort and Spa in Sedona, Arizona. It not only has a spa nestled in the heart of Uptown Sedona’s Red Rocks, but it also focuses on outdoor wellness, with packages including daily smoothies/juices, a seven-day Red Rock parking pass to all area trails, a picnic lunch prepared by the chef, and even a guidebook to the trails around.
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Budget and Accommodations
Whether or not you’re looking for wellness, deciding the budget is one of the most crucial factors to consider. For instance, would you prefer a luxurious escape with all mod-cons, creature comforts, and luxury touches like in-room dining, personal chefs, butlers, and the like? Or are you okay with a more eco-styled retreat without air-conditioning or other frills and simpler rooms? Deciding what you really like is extremely important, as you want your wellness retreat to be relaxing, not otherwise.
TripAdvisor allows you to peruse the details of all the resorts you see as options. For instance, the utterly Zen-like Shizuka Ryokan Japanese Country Spa Retreat is a slice of Japan in the very heart of Australia. This tranquil Japanese ryokan experience has all the touches of Japanese hospitality: sliding shoji paper screens, Omakase dining, Tatami floors, delicious breakfasts, deep-soaking baths overlooking private courtyard gardens, and holistic wellness and spa treatments. The idea is to re-energize and relax in a traditional, Zen environment.
On the other end of the spectrum is Nayara Springs in Costa Rica, an exclusive, adults-only Relais & Chateaux property of 35 private luxury villas in the lush rainforest. Think oversized plunge pools, outdoor private gardens with rain showers, sleek four-poster beds, balconies with hammocks, and oversized bathrooms. Michelin-star fine dining with global cuisine and a bevy of five-star amenities set the tone of “luxurious wellness” at this retreat.
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Dining
Last but not least, you need to pay attention to the food when it comes to wellness retreats. That’s because luxurious hotels leaning towards wellness have a very different idea of food, whereas wellness retreats that are truly “wellness retreats” have a very specific cuisine and menu.
For instance, some truly wellness retreats offer specific health and nutrition-focused menus, with specific timings for meals. These retreats are usually focused on particular wellness objectives, which usually relate to health. Moreover, there are also places that have juice bars and special diets for those who are looking to lose weight. On the other end of the spectrum are luxurious resorts that offer all-inclusive dining as well as options for vegan, gluten-free, and vegetarian meals. Furthermore, some might even have cottages/bungalows with kitchens, allowing guests to pick fruits, vegetables, and herbs from their farms and gardens to cook their own food. Finally, some even have culinary and cooking classes and programs.
On TripAdvisor.com, do ensure that you check out the details of the restaurants, cuisines, and food offered by the property.
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How do I book a wellness retreat on Trip.com?
The process is no different from choosing any other resort or hotel on TripAdvisor. Simply search for the specific hotel or resort’s name and head to its TripAdvisor page. Then, enter your staying dates, choose the kind of package or room that you seek, and then complete the booking process by making the payment.
Also read: How to Find the Best Hotels on TripAdvisor.
Can I check into the hotel early?
Usually, check-in times are mentioned on the hotel’s “Policies” page. So, the room might or might not be ready when you arrive. Additionally, you could also contact them in advance and negotiate whether early-in is possible.
Some images in this article are copyrighted by TripAdvisor.