Kamalaya Koh Samui awarded Destination Spa of the Year

Congratulations to Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa which was was honoured with the award for Destination Spa of the Year: Asia & Australasia at the World Spa awards hosted in London last night! Kamalaya is an incredible health and holistic retreat located on one of our favourite islands in the world - Koh Samui, Thailand. In these awards it was shortlisted alongside three other finalists Chiva-Som International Health Resort, The Dheva Spa & Wellness Centre at The Mandarin Oriental, Chiang Mai and Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat on the Gold Coast Australia ... all of these are truly spectacular destinations in their own right. Tough competition!

The awards included two categories across multiple territories allowing the best spa and hotel resorts to be recognised geographically. The two awards for Hotel Spa of the Year and Destination Spa of the Year were segregated into regions encompassing Asia & Australasia, America (North & South), Africa, Middle East & Africa as well as Europe. Following a visit from both an “official” judge and a “mystery” judge the final winners in each category were selected for best practice, excelling in client service with a well researched and comprehensive menu of treatments, high quality training and having a point of difference from the opposition through implementation of innovative ideas amongst other criteria.

This latest award follows on from Kamalaya’s success in 2011 winning three awards; including two awards for its cuisine voted winner of Best Conscious Cuisine at the 2011 Crystal Awards Asia Pacific in Singapore and named Spa Retreat of the Year and Spa Cuisine of the Year at the 7^th Annual Asia Spa Awards in Hong Kong in November. Since opening in 2005, Kamalaya has won more than 22 awards.

Well done Kamalaya! 

Romance amongst a dramatic lunar landscape - Cappadocia, Turkey

The tourist region that is today known as Cappadocia in Turkey consists of Aksaray's Ihlara Valley, the Göreme National Park and underground cities in Nevşehir and the Soğanlı Valley in Kayseri. This is a place of incredible and astonishing beauty - a dramatic landscape of lava hewn crags and cliffs in which caves can be found, earning it the local nickname of 'the Fairy Chimneys'. Humans have used the fairy chimneys as dwellings throughout history, carving them into homes and places of worship that still bear the traces of thousands of years of civilization. And now it is also the dwelling place of tourists and travellers who come here to revel in the natural mystique and history, and the spas and superb cave hotels. 

Like the Cappadocia Cave Resort & Spa, nestled among the rock carved dwellings of Uchisar on the top of the Cappadocia. The hotel offers breathtaking panoramic view over the magical lunar landscape and provides a restful base from which to explore the region. It also has some of the only therapuetic cave spa therapy rooms. Imagine sleeping in thousands of years old caves, in charming rock cut rooms that bring the old settlement and village alive in the modern age. Share quiet talks and slow strolls under the changing colors of the Cappadocian landscape, join in the sunrise hot-air ballooning that is so popular in this region, and take time to appreciate the splendor of Fairy Chimney formations and historical sights which made Cappadocia a true wonder of our world. 

Dream Destination: COMO Shambala, Bali

OK, so this 'Dream Destination' has been chosen for the couples seeking out total renewal at a very physical level. A holistic spa escape in Bali ... the island has plenty of them. But if you're after a true wellness approach to your holiday - a little time together where you can renew your body and mind along with your relationship -without forsaking any level of comfort or pampering, you might just find COMO Shambala to be an ultimate choice! 

This place is pretty special. Not only will you be immersed in a completely relaxed and slowed down version of life while staying here, you're offered a daily schedule of pilates, yoga, meditation and other spiritual pursuits, as well as adventure activities that will have the most active enthusiast satisfied. State-of-the-art facilities include a Vitality pool, treatment areas beside the River Ayung, and in-house experts including a Yoga Master, Ayurvedic Doctor and guides for outdoor activities while the healthy 360-degree approach offers nutritional menus by COMO Shambhala Cuisine.

And just check out those incredible villas! Sublime ... this stunning property certainly takes a lifestyle retreat to a whole other level of luxe! And all in beautiful Bali, where romance and escapism is always the order of the day. 

Hot springs, rainforest, spa and wellness at The Banjaran, Malaysia

I've always been a firm believer that you can mix romance and wellness together in to a really special holiday. And as a long time devotee of the holistic escape, it was with great pleasure that I came across The Banjaran Hot Springs Retreat in Malaysia. 

This incredible retreat is in a spectacular setting, surrounded by million-year old rainforest and soaring limestone cliffs just outside the city of Ipoh, about two hours drive from Kuala Lumpur and 1.5 hours drive from Penang. With an amalgamation of natural caves, pristine jungle, waterfalls and geothermal hot springs, The Banjaran ticks all the right boxes for an exquisite experience where you can both indulge in each other in the utmost of peace, privacy and relaxation. 

And it's all about spa and wellness here ... with a good dose of luxe thrown in to up the romance factor for couples! The Banjaran has 26 villas spread out across a sweeping valley floor, with Garden Villas that are set within their own secluded gardens, while the Water Villas rest on the bank of the hot springs, with individual balconies overlooking the water.

And with hot spring dipping pools, thermal steam caves, anti-oxident restoration beds, ice baths, outdoor rainforest shower, meditation cave, crystal cave and a freeform swimming pool to completely lose yourselves in, might we suggest that this place is a slice of heaven on earth for couples seeking out a full body and mind experience! 

Experience the divine at Maya Ubud Resort & Spa

Still in Ubud, and off to another stunning property, Maya Ubud Resort & Spa, where you are greeted with the most incredible beauty all around. With individual Balinese style villas set in a lush landscape, this well established favourite is also home to one of the best spas to be found in all of Bali. We were told to go here by a local friend who lives in Bali - in her words it is an "incredible experience" not just for the amazing treatments on offer, but also for the sheer beauty of traveling down through the resort to the very banks of the sacred Petanu River. What a stunning setting!

Below the luxurious resort you will discover the riverside spa at Maya, and it has been designed with the utmost sensuality, relaxation and pure pampering in mind. Surrounded by nature, with the swirling waters of the river a stone's throw away, this is the very best of serene Ubud.

For couples, the spa at Maya Ubud is a heavenly indulgence, with double treatment pavilions that allow couples to be together and to share in the spa specialties - a gentle four hand massage, relaxing Balinese massage, reflexology, herbal treatments, organic body scrubs (including the traditional Lulur scrub, highly recommended!) and facials - plus a range of packages to choose from that will keep you in total bliss for hours on end. Divine!

Maya Ubud Resort & Spa has also recently opened a new fitness centre and yoga pavilion, where you can enjoy daily yoga sessions in a tranquil atmosphere, with stunning views over the resort gardens and adjacent rice terraces. There is a "Yoga for Beginners" session conducted each morning for all to join, and also private sessions available for those who really want to immerse themselves in this holistic body and mind practice while staying here in paradise.

There is also the incredible "Spiritual Journey" package available, tailor made by Maya Ubud to include an 8-day/7-night program that will enable you to experience and understand the spirituality of the Balinese. The program includes yoga and meditation each morning, exploring nearby temples and a visit to balinese healer or obtaining a priestly blessing, join in the making temple offerings, and even walk to a traditional village to be greeted by the villagers and experience how they start the day. And between the activities, spa pampering awaits you at Maya, to help you relax and rejuvenate both mind and body. Sounds truly beautiful, doesn't it? Maya Ubud Resort & Spa is just that - a place of beauty, and a unique journey in to romance and relaxation.

Images courtesy Maya Ubud Resort & Spa