WELLNESS TRAVEL GUIDE - 250 GLOBAL RESORTS - Andronis Exclusive
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Organic Spa Magazine
April 2020
WELLNESS
TRAVEL GUIDE
Volume 14
Issue 2
250 GLOBAL RESORTS
& DESTINATIONS
WELLNESS IN
WELLNESS TRAVEL GUIDE
THAILAND
TRAVEL TO THE EDGE
SCOTTSDALE:
A SPA WONDERLAND
Mapping Genes for Health
UNIQUE
ISLAND SPAS
APRIL 2020
organicspamagazine.com
TRAVEL
TO T HE E D GE
When life feels like a cliff-hanger, center yourself with a cliff walk
By Becca Hensley
High on a cliff, at Cape Finisterre, I stand at the “end of the world.”
For centuries, pilgrims like me have trekked across northern Spain, their goal the vibrant city of Santiago
Compostela. But I’ve gone beyond that, adding an eight-day optional jaunt that follows the sacred celebra-
tions in Santiago, after walkers finish their long hike through Spain. A kind of last meditation for the
completed adventure along the famous trail, this final trudge across Galicia ends on a rocky precipice at one
of northern Spain’s most western locations. From my perspective atop Monte Facho, I look out to sea,
where the earth appears to fuse with the ocean, then meld mystically into the sky. In the blur, all becomes
one.
Weary from walking, I toss off my shoes, balancing on this verge between land and water. The Romans
(and surely others) called this vista the “end of the world” for its infinity effect. Here, enshrouded in thick
fog, made somnolent by the rhythmic sound of the waves, bone-tired from days of hiking, I feel deeply in
tune with nature’s message. It whispers something so much greater than what I can articulate, and I simply
sway robotically and try to inhale what is offered: a feeling of being cleansed and recharged all at once.
Cliffs surely have inspired human beings since the beginning of time. From a symbology standpoint, they
represent a leap of faith, a dangerous free fall into the unknown, and an opportunity to connect with
something ethereal or unfathomable. A cliff with accessible pathways ups the ante. It’s as if a route to
self-knowledge has been offered by the universe. Just walk here, nature urges, and all will be revealed. It is
no surprise that in such locations, insightful hoteliers have erected retreats around the world that celebrate
the power of cliffs. Whether coming for the views, the fresh air, the repose or the metaphor, visitors feel
something transformative happen atop a cliff.
Looking to go to the edge this year? Here’s how to cliff-hang in style. J
Secret Bay, Dominica
organicspamagazine.com Organic Spa Magazine | March-April 2020 47
Cliff House, Maine
SEASIDE SANCTUARY AT CLIFF HOUSE
Back in 1866, Elise Jane Weare had a vision. She wanted to build a
retreat to crown Bald Head Cliff. The wife of a captain, and mother of
seven, she knew that the pounding waves and forever skies seen from
that bluff needed a homage. With that goal, she opened her hotel, Cliff
House, which honored the setting, and swiftly became a grande
dame-summer stop for the elite set.
Today, refurbished to reflect the current mood, but also stride
fearlessly into the future, this 266-room lodge manifests Maine’s sense of
place in alto voce. Bring your journal to pen thoughts cliffside. When
bored with that, go lobstering, hike or play cards in the hotel’s myriad,
convivial nooks. Visit the 9,000-square-foot Seaside Sanctuary and
partake of the “salt of the sea seasonal service,” which takes poetic
wellness inspirations from the calendar. cliffhousemaine.com
TALISE SPA AT JUMEIRAH PORT SOLLER
Cyclists worship Spain’s Catalan-speaking island of Mallorca for its Jumeirah Port Soller, Mallorca
steep inclines, craggy landscape, soaring mountains, remote rugged
shepherd paths and serpentine roads. That same terrain makes it an ideal
destination for hikers, who teeter up its sheers with the ease of indige-
nous mountain goats.
With an extensive fitness and spa program, Jumeirah Port Soller tops
a bluff above the festive beach town of Soller. The location ensures views
of both the Tramuntana Mountains and the Balearic Sea, appearing to
hover between sea and sky. The hotel’s Talise Spa crowns the building,
with a rooftop thermae circuit. Submerge, then enjoy a locally inspired
olive seed scrub. The spa can organize cliff walks around the island, such
as the popular Ermita de Betlem to Can Picafort hike.
jumeirah.com/en/hotels-resorts/mallorca
THE RETREAT AT CASTLE HILL BY FARMAESTHETICS
Traverse one of Rhode Island’s top attractions—Newport’s three-
and-a-half mile Cliff Walk. The journey fringes the undulating shores of
Newport’s rocky cliffs, providing revealing glimpses of Gilded Age
mansions, not to mention unbridled seas, birdlife and wildflowers.
Recover afterward at Castle Hill Inn, located just 10 miles away,
amongst a 40-acre peninsula on Narragansett Bay. Exuding Newport’s
elegant, vintage spirit, the Relais & Châteaux property vaunts a sweeping
lawn, a stately Victorian main house, beachside accommodations and an
indulgent farm-to-table restaurant. Further immerse at the spa, where
products are gleaned from organically grown flowers and herbs—many
from Rhode Island’s waterside farms. Get rosy with the Rose Immersion,
a treatment that honors the roses grown for decades on the estate.
Expect a rose soak, rose massage, rose facial—and, of course, a grand Castle Hill Inn, Rhode Island
finale glass of rosé. castlehillinn.com
48 Organic Spa Magazine | March-April 2020
Andronis Concept, Santorini Secret Bay, Dominica
POST RANCH SPA AT POST RANCH INN
At Big Sur’s most exclusive getaway, pervasive fog may block your
cliffside view of the sea. But, will you truly care? You’ll be bobbing about
inside infinity spa tubs, perpetually set at 104- degree water, perched on
the precipice. With a plentitude of romantic rooms mottling an enor-
mous swathe of land, the hotel cleaves into the cliffs, making guests the
poshest of cliff-dwellers. Stupendous redwoods, like sentries, stand
guard, setting a mood of gravitas amid luxury.
Warm up with wood-burning fireplaces after a chilly guided cliff walk,
yoga or a visit with the on-site shaman. Let nature take charge in the spa,
where garden and wildflower themed facials utilize plants, flowers, herbs
and vegetables from the thriving garden. And television fans, there isn’t
one, so media detox will be the order of the day. postranchinn.com
GOMMIER SPA AT SECRET BAY
Some of the dreamiest hotels stem from personal residences. Secret
Bay began as gift—a sketch for a home— from award-winning, Latin
American architect Fruto Vivas, to his daughter, Sandra, and her new
husband, Gregor Nassief. They built the sustainable domain, a nod to the
treetops, from Guyanese-sourced wood on a verdant precipice that
seemed to float above Secret Bay. A handful of villas followed, until the
home became a diminutive boutique hotel, part of Relais & Chateaux,
with just six perfect accommodations amongst four lush acres.
Ruminate over the rolling sea from your villa’s windows, or wander
down the nature trails. Get zen at the suspended Bwa Mang Wellness
Pavilion, which straddles the Cario River, then unravel your knots in the
new Gommier Spa, an al fresco, tree house-style structure, which
specializes in massages, with locally blended oils. secretbay.dm
KALLOS SPA AT ANDRONIS CONCEPT
Legendarily, the setting sun represents the completion of a journey—
as well as the portal to the beginning of the next adventure. Nowhere in
the world are sunsets more celebrated than Santorini, part of Greece’s
Cyclades Islands. Set at a zenith point facing the caldera, the blue and
white village of Imerovigli gets rave reviews for how the sun falls like a
lemon drop into the dark blues of the Aegean Sea. Join nature’s daily
dusk-time drama at Andronis Project Wellness Retreat, built to showcase
the event.
When not sundowning, yield to the ministrations at Kallos Spa,
experts in both eastern and western techniques and philosophy. The
Andronis Signature Experience, a 120-minute massage, uses grapes,
Post Ranch Inn, California honey, thyme and geranium sourced from the island.
andronisconcept.com
organicspamagazine.com Organic Spa Magazine | March-April 2020 49
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