de-stress

Take a break from the hectic rollercoaster that is daily life on a healing spa holiday to restore your well-being through a range of programmes, tailored to your personal requirements. From healing spas in Spain to Bali and Thailand, boost your overall wellness through a holistic approach to healing focusing on the mind, body and spirit. Experience an essence of calmness and tranquillity within lush exotic surroundings and return home feeling completely revitalized and restored.

Detox your brain as well as your body and escape to a luxury hideaway for a much-needed tech break. It is no secret that technology is having a negative impact on human interaction, not only affecting our relationships with others, but also, our relationships with ourselves as mental health studies continue to reveal worrying statistics. This negative psychological and social impact has meant there’s never been a better time to take some time out from digital world and learn the benefits of a digital detox retreat on your mind and body. So, swap the screen time for some me-time with these 5 luxury holidays that will allow you to disconnect and reconnect.

With so many retreats to choose from, it can be difficult to determine which retreats are truly authentic. Here at Health and Fitness Travel we have spent years trying, testing and researching all kinds of wellness escapes from Ayurvedic and mindfulness to yoga and digital detox to decipher which retreats are the most trustworthy. Thankfully, we can assure our clients that during any one of our healthy holidays, they will have the time to rest, focus on themselves and release any built-up stress causing mental exhaustion. Under the guidance of highly trained wellness experts, guests can feel assured that they will leave their holiday with the mental clarity and sense of purpose they’ve been searching for. So, without further ado, here are 6 authentic wellness retreats that are loved and trusted by us. 

Reset and relax at one of these calming retreats for the ultimate de-stress holiday experience. Unwind and reboot in a luxurious spa where you can enjoy treatments ranging from hot stone massages and facial scrubs to detoxifying wraps and steam baths. These beautiful destinations offer the perfect setting for you to take some time out to focus on your connection with your inner self with activities like Pilates, yoga and meditation. With all these relaxing and rejuvenating activities at your disposal, you can rest assured that a moment of Zen will never be far away.

Whether you want to get away for a short relaxing spa break or step out of your comfort zone on an exciting trekking adventure, these mountain holidays will surely deliver. From the majestic Himalayas to New Zealand’s Southern Alps and the Red Mountains of Utah, these healthy breaks are handpicked to provide the best in mountain escapes, with each providing diverse and thrilling experiences for the solo wanderer. Offering open-air activities all year round, connect with like-minded single travellers on an active mountain break. Reconnect with nature and make new friends as you soak up the Vitamin D and revel in the great outdoors surrounded by stunning mountain scenery. 

Stress is inevitable. It is an essential part of our lives, but this doesn’t mean that we have to tolerate the stress of our daily lives. It is true that negative emotions can affect our health so keep in mind that we are in control of our own thoughts, and if we are able to let it enter our minds, then we are capable to let it back out. By practicing these very simple yet effective methods can help reduce our everyday stress:

With the daunting task of wedding planning creating a nerve-wracking experience for even the most clear minded bride-to-be, Health and Fitness Travel, the leading specialists in healthy holidays worldwide, offer to save your sanity with their top 5 pre-wedding health retreats for stressed brides-to-be. From Switzerland to St Lucia, banish bridezilla through a personalised health retreat of sleep enhancing spa treatments, healthy nutrition and energy boosting fitness classes. Get back on the wedding planning wagon after a healthy dose of R&R, as you re-connect with yourself in these healthy hideaways and rediscover your bridal glow.

Reach Optimal Health in Portugal: Longevity Wellness Booster

Let your wedding worries float away as you reach optimal health at this specialist medical spa, set upon Portugal’s idyllic Algarve coastline. Following initial medical consultations with wellness experts, experience a personalised health retreat of medical spa treatments and ocean inspired thalassa therapies, guaranteed to revitalise any bride. With complimentary mindfulness and healthy living workshops, gain the tools you need to reach your wedding day at your peak. Boost your pre-wedding well-being with an array of group fitness classes, from yoga to cardio boost and SLIM circuit, to return home a healthier and happier you.

Health and Fitness Travel (0203 397 8891 healthandfitnesstravel.com) offers 5 nights at Longevity from £2,250pp or £1,980 for single occupancy. Price includes half board, a wellness programme, return flights and transfers.

Renew your Bridal Glow in Thailand: Kamalaya Relax & Renew

Escape the pressures of wedding planning and rediscover your bridal glow in the tropical paradise of Thailand. Begin your stay with an insightful wellness consultation, before immersing yourself in a variety of holistic activities and revitalising spa therapies, drawn from ancient healing traditions. Unwind with Asian inspired treatments, including an Indian head massage and traditional Thai massage, and join in with group classes from meditation to aqua aerobics. Ideal for yogi loving brides-to-be, transport your body and mind to a sanctuary of wellness with group Hatha, Yin, Flow and Power yoga classes.

Health and Fitness Travel (0203 397 8891 healthandfitnesstravel.com) offers 7 nights at Kamalaya from £2,502pp or £2,915 for single occupancy. Price includes full board, a wellness programme, return flights and transfers.

Banish Bridezilla in Spain: SHA Anti-Stress

Revitalise your wedding well-being as you banish bridezilla on this stress management retreat in the South of Spain, surrounded by idyllic views of mountain and ocean scenery. Ease the inevitable pre-wedding tension as medical and nutrition experts treat you to a personalised anti-stress health retreat, designed to reduce stress and rebalance your mind and body in time for the wedding. From aqua relax sessions, to healthy cooking lectures, mindful therapy sessions and soothing body wraps, return home with the knowledge to manage stress, improve your quality of sleep and lead a healthier lifestyle.

Health and Fitness Travel (0203 397 8891 healthandfitnesstravel.com) offers 7 nights at SHA from £3,120pp or £3,560 for single occupancy. Price includes full board, a wellness programme, return flights and transfers.

Beauty Sleep Top Up in St. Lucia: The BodyHoliday Optimal Wellness

Tone up and top up on your beauty sleep at this luxury all-inclusive health retreat, nestled upon a secluded bay of St Lucia. Reap the benefits of an all-encompassing wellness experience with specialist sleep enhancing spa treatments, one-to-one fitness sessions, nutritional and lifestyle consultations. Tone up with a series of personal training sessions, alleviate body tension with personal Pilates and clear your mind with private yoga and meditation sessions. With a complimentary skin consultation, return home from the Caribbean having recaptured your bridal glow.

Health and Fitness Travel (0203 397 8891 healthandfitnesstravel.com) offers 7 nights at The BodyHoliday from £2,990pp for single or double occupancy. Price is all-inclusive, with a wellness programme, return flights and transfers.

Holistic Healing in Switzerland: Alpina Gstaad Sense of Ayurveda

Rebalance your life as you discover the holistic healing powers of Ayurveda on this pre-wedding health retreat, set in the breath-taking Swiss Alps. Begin your stay with a private consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor who will evaluate your physical composition or ‘dosha’ and provide you with advice on treatments. Benefit from therapies ranging from a salt massage to an Ayurveda steam bath, sure to reduce stress and fight the signs of ageing. Enhance your well-being with complimentary classes, including yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and meditation, leaving you fully prepared to walk down the aisle.

Health and Fitness Travel (0203 397 8891 healthandfitnesstravel.com) offers 7 nights at Alpina Gstaad from £3,080pp or £3,835 for single occupancy. Price includes breakfast, a wellness programme and return flights.

For advice, guidance and booking visit www.healthandfitnesstravel.com or call 0203 397 8891

Stress is the 21st Century version of a health epidemic. At its’ subtlest level, stress will ruin your day; but at its most harmful, it’ll ruin much more than that – your self-value, relationships, sleep, and health. The worst thing is, we often don’t notice how stress creeps up on us. So isn’t it about time to fight back and address it ourselves?

Let’s face it - at times life can be stressful! That’s why it’s important to give yourself a break every so often to avoid burnout and extra stress. Our de-stress holidays are the perfect solution for the hard worker in need of rejuvenation! Health and Fitness travel offers a wide array of fabulous and soothing wellness retreats across the world, and here are five standouts that go above and beyond to make your relaxation experience unforgettable.  

There is no doubt that taking a break from dull weather can be the perfect relief from stress and anxiety. But looking a little closer, the real benefits of going abroad lie under the surface, in your immune system. Keeping your physical health in check is hugely important, and booking yourself a holiday could give your body a much-needed health kick by ensuring you eat well, drink well and exercise, alongside providing you with natural therapies and treatments to boost both your immunity and your mental wellbeing.

Shining the spotlight on the power of yoga to tackle stress, Mr. Sandeep Agarwalla, head of yoga in Ananda in the Himalayas, India, shares the benefits of taking up the practice of yoga.

Laurie is the Founder & CEO of REVĪVŌ Wellness Resort Bali, a leading new resort that brings together the ultimate in health and wellness through mind training and self-awareness.

by Maureen Cromey

An Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine Expert

“Aaah that’s it I can't go on.  I’m angry, tired and cannot sleep. My sides ache, I fantasise about running away, leaving it all behind.  Hate meeting new people and the only way I can relax is with at least half a bottle of wine.  I need plenty of coffee to wake up and don’t feel hungry at meal times but I do love a bag of crisps down the pub.  And a kebab on the way home. 

by Matthew Powell

A Body Aware Specialist

The link between stress and burnout is a linear one - stress can exist without burnout but burnout cannot exist without stress. Stress therefore, is the precursor, the forerunner if you will.

When we are stressed our body is, in effect, on high alert and our senses over-engaged. It results in us becoming tunnel visioned and our ability to deal with multiple tasks is lost. This is a manageable, almost a symptomatic byproduct of our day and age, but if there is never any break to this stress, if it is prolonged and incessant, it will lead to burnout.

by Justine Glenton

An Ashtanga & Zen Yoga Teacher

By the time we have reached the month of March, we are all completely submerged in our busy lives with schedules, commitments, deadlines, dramas and our personal evolution; not to MENTION those quarterly bills looming somewhere in the background. Some of us may already be feeling overwhelmed, stressed and burnt out?  The first thing I want to say and remind you about is simple, please '"Take the time to: BREATHE - Consciously and deeply as you can". For something that we can live for only a few seconds without, we can do it so badly and this sustenance is totally free and available to us 24/7!  When we are anxious we can literally 'hold our breath', and how much better do you feel instantly after just a couple of 'deep breaths', note how your body responds immediately.

With the pressures of modern day lifestyles causing many of us to compromise our own well-being, Dr. Sutthi Sawetsutthiphan, Medical Director at Thanyapura in Thailand, tells us about the influential relationship between stress and weight gain.

Today we’re going to be looking at some of the best mental health retreats around the world for men. Primarily, how they might be able help you or someone close to you recover from or tackle any mental health issues they may be dealing with, for a brighter, healthier future. Did you know, The Mental Health Foundation found that in England around 1 in 8 men suffer from common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)? 

Start to relieve your stress one spa treatment at a time on one of the world’s top stress-relieving retreats, designed purely for absolute rejuvenation and as an exceptional escape from your busy lifestyle. Focus on some uninterrupted ‘me-time’ in a luxury spa destination, from a secluded private beach in Greece to the unspoiled tropics of Indonesia, choose the relaxation retreat you deserve.

Everyone gets excited at the thought of a holiday, be it a sunshine escape to Spain, a winter break in Italy or an indulgent retreat in the Maldives, nobody’s going to refuse a break from the UK weather, are they? Although you might not need persuading when it comes to booking a wellness retreat, we’re looking into the reasons as to why holidays are important for our mental and physical health, and how an escape from your usual routine could be a wellbeing boosting experience that will solve your problems.