When life feels overstimulated and ungrounded, nature has a way of calling us back to ourselves. From jungle canopies and thermal rivers to rice paddies and seaweed-wrapped coastlines, these wellbeing retreats invite a slower, more intuitive kind of restoration — one shaped by landscape, culture and ancient ritual. Part of SLH’s Wellbeing Collection, each escape goes far beyond the spa, offering immersive experiences where local traditions, elemental therapies and design rooted in place work together to restore energy and clarity while instilling a sustaining sense of calm.
1. Quinta da Comporta – Wellness Boutique Resort, Portugal
The spa at Quinta da Comporta – Wellness Boutique Resort gets it right by staying close to home for its wellness playlist. You can clock up some cool cardio workouts by surfing off its world-beating beaches — among Europe’s top spots to ride a wave — or take a more sensory route with a session of Alentejo singing. This traditional two-part choral style is a UNESCO-protected cultural activity, unique to the region and an imaginative, memorable wellbeing experience.
But things get even more interesting inside its striking, barn-like spa, constructed from centuries-old, reclaimed wood. There’s an impressive indoor–outdoor hydrotherapy pool, a hammam, a sauna, and a gym — all ticking the usual five-star boxes — but this resort then steps into a league of its own. Surrounded by distinctive, emerald-green rice paddies, it has made rice the star of the spa menu. The humble grain has skincare superpowers — the Japanese have used it in beauty rituals for more than a thousand years — and the resort’s own rice-based products are understated but excellent, forming the basis of facial creams and massage oils. Rice also plays a leading role in the restaurant, appearing in everything from fritters and risottos to burnt-cream rice puddings.
2. Acro Suites, Greece
It’s easy to feel inspired by the power of nature at Acro Suites as you gaze out over the sparkling Aegean Sea from Crete and across to mysterious Dia, the legendary island of Zeus. The spa uses its dramatic location as a springboard to encourage guests to boost their own energy levels, too. Its open-sided, space-age yoga shala is the perfect place to greet the day with sun salutations cooled by sea breezes, while the Bath House — its dazzling, Byzantine-influenced hammam — takes its cues from the ancient Greeks, who saw bathing rituals as a gentle way to lift mood and reduce stress.
Therapies are also focused on relaxation, with workshops on the vagus nerve — the linchpin of our parasympathetic nervous system and key to staying calm — as well as instruction in visualisation techniques designed to energise both body and mind. There are also chanting and cacao ceremonies, created for reflection and emotional resilience. The more active will appreciate the resort’s padel, tennis, and basketball courts. And once you’ve worked up an appetite, you’ll find the quartet of restaurants stay tastily on message. The Cretan diet, often cited as one of the world’s healthiest, is celebrated here with dishes based on local, organic, seasonal ingredients and ‘liquid gold’ — the island’s nickname for olive oil — including at one restaurant overseen by a Michelin-starred chef.
3. Keemala, Thailand
Phuket may have a party image but this thoughtful holistic retreat on the island’s west coast is like entering a parallel universe. Keemala’s mesmerising design, featuring treehouses that appear to float in the jungle canopy and others shaped like giant birds’ nests, sets the scene for an ethereal experience that is instantly uplifting and relaxing. It may sit high on a steep hillside, but this resort is grounded in nature and traditional Thai wellness. Expect blessing ceremonies with local monks and immersive Thai healing therapies – including herbal compresses and transformative Tok Sen, a treatment during which a skilled practitioner uses a wooden hammer and mallet to tap along the body’s energy channels, clearing blockages and invigorating physical and emotional wellbeing.
Turn the adrenaline up with a Muay Thai class, the ancient martial art originally practiced by 15th-century Thai warriors, which is excellent for body conditioning and fat burning as well as route one to mental clarity. For a slower-lane-pootle to a clearer head, there are yoga classes in a forest clearing and contemplative sessions in an atmospheric meditation cave. Food is medicine here too, so you can take a plant-to-plate workshop to discover the best herbal remedies and have wellness cuisine tailored to your specific health goals such as weight balance and stress relief. The intuitive team is always willing to go the extra mile and surprise you by placing some relevant reading matter by your bedside or by running a flower-strewn bath ready for when you return to your room post-massage.
4. Teranka, Formentera, Spain
This boutique sanctuary’s free-spirited, bohemian attitude means it dares to be different, and its quirky take on what is beneficial for health has put Formentera on the map for those in search of a less conventional path to wellbeing. So, the art of ‘spa-ing’ at Teranka includes a revolving programme of residencies by renowned writers, artists and poets who hold workshops and talks with the intention of providing emotional healing through meaningful conversation. Other esoteric experiences include next-level sound therapy which combines the island’s pure white sands, electric-blue waters and pristine pine forests with a neuro-sonic 3D soundscape for a user-friendly digital route to meditation and mindfulness.
Guests can also connect with heritage and the environment on archaeological nature walks, and artistic endeavours such as scarf making and botanical silk printing. Providing an anchor to each day are complimentary Pilates and yoga on a sea-facing deck, ceramic classes and watercolour workshops. There are also excellent massages on the menu, from Balinese to reflexology, and an ice bath tucked away in the pine trees for a pure hit of adrenaline that’s better than any high neighbouring Ibiza can offer.
5. Rio Perdido, Costa Rica
Nowhere does ‘blue therapy’ — the healing power of water — with more style than Rio Perdido, an eco-resort in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste Province. At the heart of this 1,500-acre reserve is a mile-long, mineral-rich river that’s fed by hot springs. You walk through untamed forest trails to swim in its thermal pools, soak in its carbonated medicinal spring, sit in meditative silence on the riverbank or literally float through meditation and sound bath sessions on the water. This is a lost world that was only recently reclaimed and is home to one of the rarest ecosystems in the Americas, with lush jungle bursting with exotic birds and colourful plants to explore and hikes into a rare dwarf forest.
There are plenty of therapeutic thrills to be had too, from mountain biking, zip lining and canyoning to white-water tubing on the Rio Blanco, and you can also take evening walks where your five senses come alive as you tune into the nocturnal activities of the forest. At some point, treat yourself to a spa treatment with sweet-smelling products handmade in a nearby town from ingredients grown locally on a biodynamic farm. This is a place where nature insists you go with the flow and if you do, you’ll emerge feeling thoroughly recharged.
Share this article
Latest stories
Wildly restorative: 5 nature-immersed wellbeing retreats
When life feels overstimulated and ungrounded, nature has a way of calling us back to ourselves. From jungle canopies and thermal rivers to rice paddies and seaweed-wrapped coastlines, these wellbeing retreats invite a slower, more intuitive kind of restoration — one shaped by landscape, culture and ancient ritual. Part of
From Nordic cabins to cave suites: top boutique hotels for January
January has a way of sharpening the senses — a moment to pause, take stock and choose travels that feel intentional. Some escapes offer deep calm in dramatic landscapes, from Norway’s island edges to Sri Lanka’s mist-wrapped highlands. Others inspire with vineyard views in South Africa’s wine region, stone-carved suites
A foodie guide to Ireland: from coastal catches to country kitchens
With Guinness as rich as its landscapes are green — and whiskey never far from reach — Ireland’s charms can be drunk in and eaten up from the moment you arrive. And while its culinary reputation has soared in recent years, nothing quite compares to tasting your way around the
The natural highs of hiking solo in Costa Rica’s cloud forest
Out of nowhere, a stark yet melodic chirp punctuates the dense moss-heavy virgin forest, halting me in my tracks with its hypnotic, unadulterated beauty. I later discover it was likely the song of a black-faced solitaire, a bird that’s rare to see, yet glorious to the ears. And just one
