GREECE & CYPRUS SPA & WELLNESS RETREATS DESTINATIONS
hammam treatments – all devised with the help of science boffins and in-the-know therapists. On the island of Evia – about two- and-a-half hours from Athens – lies the town of Edipsos, whose healing waters have been drawing in spa- seekers since Roman times. Cream of the crop here is the five-star Thermae Sylla Spa Wellness Hotel, which offers its own medical spa treatments plus weight-loss, detox and anti-stress programmes, using thermal, mineral- rich waters from underground springs in its products and pools to help rejuvenate.
SAMPLE PRODUCT
Olympic Holidays offers a week’s half-board at the five-star Elounda Beach
Hotel, Crete, from £1,525. The price is based on two sharing a deluxe spa room with a sea view, and includes private taxi transfers and return flights from Gatwick, departing May 8. olympicholidays. com
Planet Holidays has a week’s B&B at Casale Panayiotis, Cyprus, from £799 per person in mid-April, including flights and car hire. planet-holidays.
co.uk
◗ HEALING WATERS It’s not the only thermal retreat on the shores of Greece. Over in Halkidiki, Travel 2 recommends the Miraggio Thermal Spa for its geothermal springs, plus treatments using ingredients sourced from the local environs: think herbs, honey and olive oil. Meanwhile, in Cyprus you’ll find a similar focus on thermal waters – especially at the Ayii Anargyri Natural Healing Spa Resort, an adult- only retreat in the village of Millou, close to Paphos. Yoga, meditation,
It’s not just the natural spring
Treatments are fed by sulphur spring water – said to slow ageing, heal inflammatory joints and work various miracles
aromatherapy and holistic therapies feature on the menu, alongside a range of treatments fed by sulphur spring water – said to slow ageing, heal inflammatory joints, improve sleep and work various other miracles. There’s plenty more on the natural spring front elsewhere on the island, not least in the Troodos Mountains, where you’ll find Casale Panayiotis, a retreat in the traditional village of Kalopanayiotis. Made up of converted village homes, it’s surrounded by nature trails, wine routes, mountain- bike tracks and colourful orchards, and boasts a dedicated spa serving up an exotic ‘champagne and truffles’ experience, plus other Mediterranean massages, hydrotherapy treatments and bath rituals.
water spas booming here though – thalassotherapy centres designed to harness the power of seawater are having something of a heyday too, according to Mathilde Robert, managing director for Planet Holidays. “It’s the big thing among luxury spa hotels in both countries,” she says. Among its champions is the Anassa
in Paphos, whose all-natural products use water pumped straight from the nearby Chrysochou Bay. Carrier recommends the spa here for its extensive facilities, which include a sky-lit indoor pool, 18 treatment rooms, fitness equipment and saltwater exercise pool. And if that’s not enough to secure a sale, the Roman villa-style architecture and verdant landscaped gardens might be. Back in Greece, it’s Crete’s Aldemar
Royal Mare that takes the crown on the thalassotherapy front, according to Jet2holidays, offering one-off treatments including an anti-jetlag facial and a slimming water massage, alongside two, four and six-day programmes targeted at different needs. There’s also an oriental hammam, hydro jet-bath and
The Romanos, Costa Navarino
29 March 2018
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