Pampering Oases
INDIA Shreyas
The ashram meets the Amanresort at Shreyas, a farmland yoga retreat 22 miles outside Bangalore.
Its four cottages and eight tented chalets—with all the typical luxuries (but no television)—are
drizzled with jasmine, frangipani, and rose petals. Couples spend most of the day indoors,
recharging with rigorous twice-daily Hatha yoga classes and vegetarian dishes prepared with
produce from the gardens.
T+L TIP Visit the stilted thatched hut on the edge of the gardens, built
for meditation; it resembles the lookout platforms used by colonial tiger-hunters. Nela Mangala;
91-80/2773-7183; www.shreyasretreat.com;
doubles from $375, meals included.
VIETNAM Evason Hideaway & Six Senses Spa at Ana Mandara
After a day of islet-hopping in Ninh Van Bay or shopping in bustling Nha Trang, grab a bottle
from your villa's private wine cellar and soak in the wooden bathtub with a view, or plunge
into your own free-form rock pool. Or take advantage of the property's perks: stroll past
the water lily lake to the beachside spa and get an Adam-and-Eve massage that ends with a
whirlpool dip and a glass of bubbly.
T+L TIP Request a candlelit barbecue with a personal chef and waiter
and views of the South China Sea. Nha Trang; 84-58/829-829; www.sixsenses.com;
villas from $400.
CYPRUS Thalassa
Thalassa's 58 elegant suites—crisp white furniture, Brazilian-marble shelves, African
iroko-wood floors—hover above the rhythmic waves of Coral Bay on Cyprus's west coast,
but it's the Anagenisis Spa that most soothes the soul. Ask your multilingual butler to book
one of its Greco-Roman treatments, such as the yogurt, olive oil, and herb-infused Trahana
body wrap.
T+L TIP Follow your wrap with a meal at Psari, Thalassa's seafood grill
overlooking Mycenaean ruins dating back to the 13th century B.C. Coral Bay, Paphos; 800/525-4800
or 357-26/881-500; www.thalassa.com.cy;
doubles from $205.
SCOTLAND Skibo Castle
Andrew Carnegie's former estate—set on 7,500 rugged highland acres—finally has
a spa to match its spectacular setting. Sleek and state-of-the-art, each room is equipped
with a marble shower and heated treatment table, where you can start every session with a
scalp rub. Spoil yourself with an oil-rich hot-stone massage, then relax fireside or
stroll through the grounds where Madonna was married.
T+L TIP At this members-only club, you can stay only once before joining,
and rumor has it that this won't last forever. Clashmore; 44-1862/894-600; www.carnegieclubs.com; doubles from $1,258, all-inclusive.
ARGENTINA Patios de Cafayate Hotel & Spa
You don't just get to drink the fine vintages at the Patios de Cafayate in the northern Argentine
province of Salta—you get to bathe in them. The ultraslick Winespa at the 30-room Spanish
colonialstyle property draws on ancient vinotherapy techniques that include soaking in bubbling
water treated with Cabernet Sauvignon and moisturizing the skin with a preparation of grape
syrup, seeds, and oil.
T+L TIP Take the bacchanalian experience further with the 45-minute Romantic
Massage—administered at night, in the vineyards. Cafayate; 800/325-3589; www.luxurycollection.com;
doubles from $229.
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