Spa Guide 2012 | Top 5 Picks

Health is our happiness - without it, we're a sitting duck, but with it, the world is ours! This year's spa guide, sponsored by wellness trailblazers Cleveland Collection, is a storm of tried and test spa secrets.

The Spa Guide 2012, which was free with the November issue of Tatler, covers everywhere from freaky fitness breaks in California to Italian yoga retreats, Swiss medi-clinics, and big-city hotspots.

In between spotting where you'll spend your next fitness break, you can read Tatler Editor Kate Reardon's first experience of hardcore detox, while Emma Freud unearths a bespoke hideaway at Cotswold gem Temple Guiting.

Every tricksy bit of information and word-of-mouth winner lies within its pages - be it raw food, colonics, who to call for help with your hormones, or even life-changing therapists.

Welcome to the world of feeling better!

Alpina Dolomites

Quick Kicks | Italy

This place sparkles with its snowy mountains in winter, sun-drenched meadows in summer, super-oxygenated air and cleaner-than-green credentials. The design is uncompromisingly sharp: bold lighting, wraparound windows with views of jagged peaks and chalet-moderne bedrooms (the largest boasting infrared saunas). You can practically schuss from your balcony straight onto the ski slopes (there?s access to the Sella Ronda circuit too) and, yes, it?s an active place, with skiing, hiking, pilates, yoga and riding. The mountain-cool spaces of the Beauty Farm are dominated by white leather and pale stone. Treatments are a mix of the purely natural (goat?s milk, blueberries, honey and gentian flowers) and the clinically super-advanced, including intensive collagen facials and massages with serums that help to drain and metabolise fats. Play in the quartz-lined indoor/outdoor pool, or drift around the monastically serene sauna and steamrooms (all kit off ? don?t be shy). The pure Alpine air will make you wickedly hungry, but no worries because even the healthiest food ? roast scallops with tomato cream ? hits the spot.

Location:  Alpe di Siusi, Italy
Reservations:  Tel: 00 39 0471 796004
Website:  alpinadolomites.com

Ananda In The Himalayas

Superstar Divas | India

Wildly beautiful Ananda sits in the sort of silent ?at-one? mountain setting that spiritual fairies are beguiled by. This is the ultimate Indian spa experience ? and surprisingly the only one of its kind in the motherland. This place is nurturing, holistic and not at all ashram-grotty. Come to be massaged to within an inch of your life, until you feel as if your body is boneless; to be yoga-stretched to posture-perfection; and to be fed on fresh juices and delicious, health-giving food. Don?t miss lunch by the pool, slumbering on gigantic daybeds in the shade, eating crispy lettuce salads bursting with feta and sunblush tomatoes. Otherwise Dr Shree can sort out your pitta from your kapha and prescribe an ayurvedic diet ? even if you think it?s all tosh, the vegetarian feasts are outrageously good. And while every calorie is counted, the gentle approach is unashamedly joyful. Fancy some merlot? No problem (within reason). The therapists really care about how you are feeling and there?s a great deal of calm-your-karma, one-on-one attention. Go on marvelous hill walks, watch young monks chanting by the Ganges and visit Rishikesh, an ancient pilgrimage point for yogis. Then retreat back to the manicured grounds and watch peacocks prance and mischievous langur monkeys swing from the trees.

Location:  Uttaranchal, India
Reservations:  Cleveland Collection (tel: 020 7843 3596)
Website:  anandaspa.com

Como Shambhala

Superstar Divas | Indonesia

Oh-so delicious and just what we all want from the reigning queen of Bali?s spas ? beauty, confidence, professionalism and an atmosphere so peaceful that you can hear your own heartbeat (good sign). Juices appear just as your blood sugar is plummeting, spelt pizzas don?t cling to your hips, the wine is so shockingly expensive that it will keep you on the straight and narrow, and a mass of programmes juggle the cerebral and the sensual with enviable style. The yoga is top-notch, the fitness classes double up as glorious sightseeing tours and the therapists are highly intuitive. Few other spa settings dare to compare ? this is a natural paradise with kick where it counts.

Location:  Bali, Indonesia
Reservations:  Cleveland Collection (tel: 020 7843 3596)
Website: cse.como.bz

Royal Malewane

Faraway Fabulousness | South Africa

The most stylish and effective spa in Africa is completely surrounded by the open splendour of the bush. It?s not unusual to find a passing antelope gazing in fascination as you shift position on your massage bed. And while there are big brands such as Dermalogica to draw on, it?s the indigenous oils and traditional ingredients (rooibos, marula, lemongrass and avocado) that really make this a cut above the norm. Treatments are inspired by ancient African rituals and you can even consult a sangoma ? a healer who uses herbal remedies to rid you of evil spirits. Hydrotherapy treatments use the mineral-rich waters from an underground stream and there are Vichy showers, a heated lap-pool and a gym. All this mixed with the thrill of expert game drives and eight extravagant, colonial-style bedrooms. The food is incredible too ? Elton John had the wholemeal bread flown home.

Location:  Kruger National Park, South Africa
Reservations:  Africa Travel (020 7843 3585)
Website:  royalmalewane.com

Shanti Maurice

Peachy Beachy | Mauritius

What was once a saintly sanatorium now gently welcomes children and those who want the punch of an icy Margarita. But don?t despair ? the spa remains a gentle, evocative cocoon, a sort of lost city among the twisting vines, with huge windows to let the jungle in, and sweet, smiling ladies in white who will put you on your own little comfort cloud. This is ayurveda territory, but you don?t have to go the whole hog. Some deep breaths in the yoga pavilion and a four-handed massage with scrumptious Africology products should be enough to send energy levels soaring. Villas facing sun-warmed sand and endless sea are a lesson in understated elegance, with thatch-roofed dining salas and pools that are more lap than plunge. Drift in from the beach and feast on veg grown in the chef?s own kitchen garden and fish from the island?s boats.

Location:  St Felix, Mauritius
Reservations:  Africa Travel (020 7843 3585)
Website:  shantimaurice.com

Amangiri

Faraway Fabulousness | USA

This is nature at her loudest and proudest ? think proper Wild West country. Just to sit still here for a couple of days feels like one of the most restorative escapes you?ll ever experience. Picture the scene: stark and smooth sandstone buildings blend seamlessly into the surroundings, while the pool wraps around an incredible rock structure. Fires are burned year-round in keeping with local Navajo traditions; there are hydrotherapy treatments, a beautiful flotation pavilion and a vast range of natural, earthy, soul-awakening therapies from some of the most highly skilled practitioners anywhere. Customised programmes incorporating exercise and diet can be arranged; you can go yogic every morning; or head out for hikes and drink in that knockout scenery. An incomparable place to relax.

Location:  Utah, USA
Reservations:  Elegant Resorts (01244 897517)
Website: amanresorts.com

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