spa awards

three- to five-day, one-on-one yoga therapy opportunities. With a team of Ayurvedic doctors, naturopaths and yoga therapists, the thatched-roofed spa spreads across gardens and water.

Grand Velas Luxury Riviera Maya Resort Mexico

Cenotes (natural swimming holes) pepper the Yucatan Peninsula. The Maya believed them to be sacred. Taking that cue, sustainable Grand Velas, an upscale all-inclusive, wedged between the ocean and the jungle, patterns itself after the terrain and preserves and incorporates stones, plants and streams to mirror the region. Likewise, the SE Spa by Grand Velas, poised below ground level, has a 40,000-square-foot Water Lounge, which elicits the sensation of swimming in a cenote. Distinguished by local culture, treatments utilize Yucatan traditional products, such as cacao, corn cobs, Mayan jade and aloe vera.

Cal-a-Vie Health Spa United States

The Francophile owners of Cal-a-Vie have created an authentic slice of Provence in the hills outside San Diego, complete with a 15th-century French meditation chapel facing the Cal-a-Vie vineyards, where the spa grows and produces its own wine. When guests arrive, they are set up for a custom consultation, and a full schedule magically appears later that day. Mornings are spent at a state-of-the art fitness facility with an expert team of instructors and trainers. Afternoons revolve around restoration and relaxation at the standout spa and two gorgeous pools. The new Renew and Refresh Mind &Body program is designed to relieve stress, help with sleep issues, support weight loss and nurture positivity.

The Spa at Phulay Bay Thailand

The Adaman Sea’s craggy karsts establish the mystical mood at Phulay Bay, the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve property of the collection. With temple-like Thai architecture and a deep commitment to conjuring local culture, the resort’s renewing spa oasis furnishes tranquility to offset active days spent hiking mangrove forests, snorkeling transparent waters and cruising on long-tail boats. Nestled into classic Thai pavilions, replete with stepping stones, water features and decked walkways, the spa offers teas made from the haven’s own garden and treatments inspired by the locale—such as an acupressurestyle massage, performed with herb-filled packets.

Chablé Maroma Mexico

In Mexico’s Riviera Maya, between a pristine beach and a lush tropical jungle, this member of Leading Hotels of theWorld has it all: luxurious villas that showcase regional materials—tropical wood, stone, marble—by Mexican artisans.A 17,000-square-foot spa offers a range of treatments that honor Mayan wisdom and traditions, and three restaurants helmed by Jorge Vallejo, the power behind the renowned Quintonil restaurant inMexico City. Partner property to the magical Chablé Yucatan, Chablé Maroma is committed to supporting local businesses and producers—food is grown or caught nearby, textiles are sewn by hand inMexico. Guests can practice meditation and yoga, paddleboard and kayak, take cenote tours and jungle excursions or simply relax on the beach.

ORIGINS Luxury Lodge Costa Rica

Set high above a valley in Costa Rica’s northern rainforest, this French-owned resort’s six lodges and one three-bedroom villa were designed to blend into the surroundings, with vegetation-topped “living” roofs and the use of raw natural materials worked by local artisans. Under the direction of Michelinstarred chef Jean-Luc L’Hourre, the Asian- and Peruvian-inspired menus—veganand vegetarian friendly—use ingredients from area farms and the on-site organic garden. Standout activities include medicinal plant tours, waterfall hikes, horseback rides, nighttime wildlife tours and chocolate-making sessions at a cacao farm, plus healing spa therapies performed with organic products.