The survey for the 2024 Readers' Choice Awards is open, vote now for your favourite places, hotels, airports, cruise lines, travel fixers and more.
Wellness expert Healing Holidays, which certainly has its finger on the pulse (and chi), tells us that “people are looking for purpose and guidance”, with continued demand for post-Covid balms to treat low self-esteem and poor sleep, as well as for full-body MOTs at spas such as Sha Wellness Clinic. You voted Joali Being best for its forest-green rooms (all with pool and sundeck included), Lanserhof Lans and Ananda in the Himalayas for their deft-handed therapists, and the Mayan-inspired Palmaïa, The House of AïA, on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, for its sustainability efforts. In the UK, Lucknam Park’s ever-evolving spa – now with CBD floating meditation on the menu – eased into first place.
These are the best spas in the world, according to the 2023 Readers' Choice Awards. The scores below are percentages representing overall average levels of satisfaction.
The best destination spas in the UK
15. Barnsley House, Gloucestershire. Score 91.36
14. Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa, Hampshire. Score 91.79
13. The Gainsborough Bath Spa. Score 92.20
12. Buxton Crescent Hotel, Derbyshire. Score 93.46
11. Cowley Manor Experimental, Gloucestershire. Score 94.55
10. Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa, West Sussex. Score 94.95
9. Thyme, Gloucestershire. Score 94.97
8. The Grove, Hertfordshire. Score 95.45
7. Gleneagles, Perthshire. Score 95.51
6. Beaverbrook, Surrey. Score 95.58
5. Coworth Park, Dorchester Collection, Berkshire. Score 95.60
4. Cliveden House, Berkshire. Score 95.61
3. Heckfield Place, Hampshire. Score 95.62
2. Lime Wood, Hampshire. Score 95.91
1. Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire. Score 97.06 (pictured above)
The best destination spas in Europe
20. Ikbal Thermal Hotel & Spa, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. Score 89.01
19. Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda, Italy. Score 89.30
18. Sha Wellness Clinic, Alicante, Spain. Score 90.08
17. Lanserhof Sylt, Germany. Score 90.57
16. Burgenstock Hotel & Alpine Spa, Switzerland. Score 91.12
15. Schloss Elmau, Krün, Germany. Score 91.29
14. Six Senses Douro Valley, Portugal. Score 91.32
13. Euphoria Retreat, Mystras, Greece. Score 91.75
12. Immerso, Santo Isidoro, Portugal. Score 92.16
11. Lefay Resort & Spa Dolomiti, Pinzolo, Italy. Score 92.21
10. Brenners Park - Hotel & Spa, Baden-Baden, Germany. Score 92.82
9. Marinedda Hotel Thalasso & Spa, Sardinia, Italy. Score 93.38
8. The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland, Grindavík, Iceland. Score 93.80
7. Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. Score 93.82
6. Les Sources de Caudalie, Bordeaux, France. Score 94.28
5. Six Senses Kaplankaya, Bodrum, Turkey. Score 94.92
4. The Original FX Mayr, Maria Wörth, Austria. Score 96.14
3. Andronis Concept Wellness Resort, Santorini, Greece. Score 96.36
2. Lanserhof Lans, Innsbruck, Austria. Score 96.77
1. Palazzo Fiuggi, Italy. Score 97.02 (pictured above)
The best destination spas in the USA
5. Miraval Austin Resort & Spa, Texas. Score 96.76
4. Canyon Ranch Woodside, California. Score 96.83
3. Mii Amo, Sedona, Arizona. Score 97.31
2. Lake Austin Spa Resort, Texas. Score 97.66
- Winvian Farm, Litchfield Hills, Connecticut. Score 98.11
The best destination spas in the rest of the world
10. Chiva-Som, Hua Hin,Thailand. Score 93.08
9. The Retreat Costa Rica, Atenas, Costa Rica. Score 94.17
8. Palmaïa, The House of AïA, Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Score 94.34
7. Aro Hā Wellness Retreat, Glenorchy, New Zealand. Score 94.70
6. Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico. Score 94.81
5. Como Shambhala Estate, Bali, Indonesia. Score 95.15
4. Six Senses Laamu, Maldives. Score 95.90
3. Joali Being, Maldives. Score 96.02
2. BodyHoliday Saint Lucia. Score 96.09
1. Ananda in the Himalayas, Narendra Nagar, India. Score 97.00