Kathryn Brierley, a director of The Healthy Holiday Company, experiences a restorative 4 night break at SHA Wellness Clinic on Spain’s Costa Blanca.

I’m just back from my first SHA experience. SHA is more beautiful than even the gorgeous press shots convey. The vast terrace with pool, white double day beds and wafting white linen has an incredible panoramic view of Albir beach and harbour and the National Park. The bedrooms are sleek and chic – predominantly white with tasteful taupes and greys – each with generous sun-trap balconies and fabulous views. You feel you’re in a serene white cocoon, away from temptation and in the hands of wonderfully caring, smiley staff who love the job of looking after you. I was booked in for a 4 night ‘SHA Discovery programme’ – a short-stay taster of what the clinic offers.

SHA’s activity schedule is a blend of fitness and relaxation activities with talks and cooking demonstrations – usually 4 activities every day. We enjoyed some steep uphill Nordic walking (pictured), jogging by the beach and a meditation lecture. Other sessions included options such as pilates, acqua fitness, yoga and tai chi. Regio, one of the trainers delivered a great mix of cardio, TRX and resistance training in my personal training session and fitter guests might want to add more PT into their stay. The gym is really well equipped with the latest cardio and strength equipment and the gym team is on hand to offer support and encouragement.

Food follows the macrobiotic principle – i.e. steer clear of meat and other extreme ‘yang’ foods as well as alcohol and caffeine (too ‘yin’) – it’s the swing from extreme to extreme, they say, that destroys good health. The food served (choice of 3 menus depending on the purpose of your stay) was beautifully presented and very tasty and the staff impressively informed about each guest. Portions were small but perfectly formed and correctly balanced energetically for optimal health according to macrobiotic rules. And we didn’t go hungry. We had some delicious soups, loved the ‘asparagus tempura’, ‘tuna tataki’ with a highlight being the ‘chocolate fondant,ice cream and truffles’. Yes macrobiotic principles allow the odd dessert, though don’t expect chocolate on your menu if you’re on a strict weight loss programme.

The spa experience was pure bliss. My SHA massage by Nicole with ylang ylang and orange essential oil was gentle and relaxing – I drifted off. The deep tissue massage by Arelis was excellent. I’m a lover of firm massages and it was as strong as I could take. Shiatsu with Jorge was powerful and I’m now a convert. The indoor pool and hydrotherapy circuit visit is a treatment in itself . You can be pummelled by warm jets while horizontal on your marble bed, indulge in the sauna or herbal steam, and even cover your body in slush puppy white ice.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the quality of the hotel, the staff and the treatments. What comes across is that they all genuinely care about your health. A guest I met was back at SHA for her 4^th visit – it’s her haven and escape and her opportunity through the intensive detox programme to readdress bad habits that have crept in, with the added bonus of an impressive 10kg weight loss each time she comes. Even after my short visit now I’m back at my desk, a more balanced and more chilled version of myself  – with diary out, planning my next restorative visit.

The Healthy Holiday Company offers a wide variety of wellness programmes at SHA.  Please see all SHA programmes for further info.

Last night, some of the team from The Healthy Holiday Company were at the Four Seasons Hotel in London’s Park Lane for the prestigious Conde Nast Traveller awards ceremony.  We were delighted when Como Shambhala – our favourite spa resort in Bali – won the award for Best Destination Spa 2013 from CNT readers.

Como Shambhala is a sophisticated health retreat in a simply spectacular wilderness setting with access to talented health consultants and genuinely holistic health programmes.   It’s set above the Ayung gorge, surrounded by an awe-inspiring jungle peppered with bright red African tulip trees, and you can hear the rush of the river from all over the estate. Immaculate, uber cool wood and glass suites are set within five different ‘residences’ that share a pool and communal lounging areas, and one of the charming Balinese butlers will take care of all your needs.

Soak in the steam room and hot tub set outside the main spa, where you’ll also find the main swimming pool, good for laps, and smoothe-sheeted day beds with inspiring views. There’s a separate yoga pavilion and a pilates studio, and you can opt to have your massage in the Kedara (water garden).

The daily programme of talks, classes and activities includes estate walks, circuit training, tai chi, dance, pilates and yoga. Specialist yoga and pilates retreats run throughout the year, and you can choose to dedicate your stay to stress management, getting fit, detoxing or just relaxing. Treatments range from facials and massages to hydrotherapy, acupuncture and shiatsu, private counselling with a resident psychologist is available, and you can even experience traditional Balinese healing with a local healer.

For further information, photographs and prices, please see Como Shambhala

Or call our experts on 020 8968 0501

To make life as easy as possible for busy parents looking for that perfect family holiday or half term break, we’ve compiled our top recommendations for best family resorts, ideas for family multi-activity adventures and a selection of fun and healthy family villa holidays.  Whatever the ages of the children and whatever activities and adventures you, and they, may be interested in, we’re sure to have an option that suits you perfectly.  Choose from short or long haul options.  If you haven’t got the time to view the options on our website, please don’t hesitate to give our experts a call on 020 8968 0501 (or simply send us an email with an outline of your requirements) and we’ll gladly put together some specific ideas and itineraries for you.  There’s something to suit every budget and, whatever time of year you wish to travel, we can recommend the best destination for perfect weather – be it Europe, North or South Africa, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Gulf or some other gorgeous corner of the world.  After all, we want it to feel like your holiday starts the moment you get in touch with us.

For a summary of our family holiday options, please see family holidays

When it opens on 1 June, Zening will be Europe’s first resort dedicated to yoga, meditation and wellness.   Located on the north west coast of Cyprus, in the Akamas Peninsular, adjacent to the stunning Akamas National Park and guests at Zening can look forward to daily yoga (suitable for all levels), meditation classes and workshops, as well as an Ayurvedic spa and regular culinary workshops.   The resort will also offer Zen Tea Rooms, 5 outdoor yoga zones and one indoor yoga studio, two swimming pools, an open air gym and access to the beach, with biking, kayaking and hiking also available. Cuisine is strictly vegetarian and sourced from local organic farms, and fresh seafood obtained from the daily catch.

Zening are designing their holidays to have at their heart the key pillars of spiritual wellbeing, complete relaxation, restorative beauty, soft fitness and a good diet.

The resort is offering some fantastic early booking deals with prices starting from as little as £899 for a week half board, including all yoga classes, flights and local airport transfers.  For more information, please see Zening

We have been singing the praises of this gorgeous new spa resort for quite a while, and it seems that the critics from the travel press agree.  Here are a few of the comments and awards recently garnered by Monastero Santa Rosa:

“Italy’s Amalfi Coast boasts some of the most beautiful views in the world and we’re loving the 20-room Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel & Spa.” InStyle

“Terraced gardens plunge over the cliffs towards what must be one of the coolest infinity pools in Europe.” Tatler

“That’s Amore—Whether you’re planning a honeymoon or simply a much needed vacation for two.” Architectural Digest

“A retreat that celebrates the best of the original religious architecture without skimping on 21st-century comforts.” UltraTravel

• Fodor’s: 100 Hotel Award 2012
• Architectural Digest: 11 Best Designed Spas around the World
• Black Card Lifestyle Magazine, Brazil: Best European Hotel, 2012
• Tattler Spa: Best Newcomer
• Sunday Times Style Spa Guide: One of the 10 best Spas in the World

If you’re looking for a romantic spa break we think it’s hard to beat Monastero Santa Rosa.  It’s also a superb base for exploring the numerous places of interest in this glamourous part of Italy.  The hotel re-opens again, after its customary winter closure, on 18 April.  We are able to offer you 4 nights for the price of 3, or 5 nights for the price of 4.  See Monastero Santa Rosa for details.

The first new luxury hotel in the famous resort of Gstaad for 100 years has just opened.  The superb Alpina Gstaad has just 56 bedrooms and suites and a fabulous 20,000 sq.ft. Six Senses Spa offering an enticing array of indulgent and resorative treatments and therapies.  And, unusually, a gorgeous Floatation Room.  There’s also a great little fitness studio (for guests who can’t get enough exercise from a day of skiing or, in the summer, hiking or mountain biking) and a yoga studio to stretch out tired muscles.

The hotel has three restaurants (including Megu, for Japanese cuisine) and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.  The accommodation is uber-luxurious, carefully and meticulously crafted using reclaimed stone and wood from various centuries old farmhouses in the mountains.  So, once through the hotel’s doors, it feels like a place that’s been around for a lot longer than a hotel that only opened in December 2012. For the ultimate treat, the Panorama Suite (a sensational 3 bedroom duplex apartment) even has its own spa and fitness facilities.

We can never quite decide whether we prefer the Swiss Alps in the winter or the summer, but whenever you choose to go you can be sure of a very healthy holiday enjoying the ‘great outdoors’.

Every now and then in the travel business you’re surprised by how popular a particular destination suddenly becomes.  For 2013, that’s Paradis Plage – a delightful beach front resort on the wild Atlantic coast of Morocco, about half an hour north of Agadir.  Paradis Plage offers spacious accommodation (all suites) with friendly service, excellent surfing, thrice daily yoga classes, and a lovely little boutique spa.  It’s great for both adults and families and, due to its location, works very well as a year round destination.  We love the yoga studio on the beach (and Nico, the yoga teacher) and the surfing is fabulous – headed up by Tariq, an entertaining and professional, English speaking, surf teacher and surf guide.  In the evening, head down to the beach and enjoy the sunset by the camp fire and then the night stars as the sky darkens.  Magic!

But, even with the resort’s great facilities and services, it’s probably the excellent value for money that makes this such a popular choice.  We offer a 5 night surfing holiday for a family of 4 from £599 per person and a 3 night surfing, fitness and yoga weekend (including 2 massages per person) from £635.  Both options include flights and airport transfers.

Please contact us – we will gladly tailor-make the perfect healthy holiday for you at Paradis Plage and, if you wish, include few nights in Marrakech (about a 3 hour drive) or the Atlas Mountains too.

The fabulous Kamalaya, on the Thai island of Khoh Samui, is proving to be one of our most popular destinations for 2013.  We describe Kamalaya as a holistic island wellness retreat – a wonderful place where you can do as much or as little as you want.  It also offers a superb selection of wellness programmes, including weight loss, yoga, detox and holistic healing.  Kamalaya is a place to enjoy outdoor living.  Have a thai massage in one of the elevated, open-air rooms, wander in and out of the steam room and plunge pools set into natural rock, or sip fruit mojitos in a waterside sanctuary. There’s a daily programme of complimentary classes, from Kundalini yoga and expressive dance to sound therapy and martial arts. You can go on local hikes or take out a kayak, though we rather think you’ll be tempted to stay on site for the duration.

Serene, uncluttered villas and thatched public spaces are tucked into a lush, tropical ravine strewn with granite boulders and  plants. Food is delicious yet still detoxifying, and the service is calm and friendly.

Perfect for a week or two.  7 nights, including flights, from £1,500.  For full details, please see Kamalaya

With Easter fast approaching and availability on flights and accommodation getting increasingly difficult, we thought we would put together a few ideas and options for both family Easter breaks and Easter escapes for adults, that we know have availability.  At least at time of publication today!

Family Easter breaks:  options include tennis in Cyprus, surfing in Morocco, a beach holiday in Abu Dhabi and a villa on the island of Ibiza.  See all ideas

Adult Easter breaks:  choose from a health, fitness and detox retreat in exotic Marrakech, a fitness holiday in Andalusia or a week of yoga near Seville.  See all ideas

As always, these are just ideas to whet your appetite.  We have a spectacular array of other healthy holiday options available – and not just over Easter.  Please send us an email with your preferences (or, better yet, give us a call on 020 8968 0501) and we will gladly put together the perfect trip for you.

Bali is rightly famous for it’s selection of wildly luxurious and uber-glamorous beach resorts, but in the hills, alongside the sacred Ayung River, there’s an altogether different opportunity available for travellers looking to reconnect with their minds, bodies and souls, and re-balance their lives.  Fivelements is still deliciously comfortable – their 9 riverside suites are utterly wonderful (as the picture shows) – but this is a place of healing and cleansing, rather than pure hedonism.

Fivelements is all about connecting with yourself and nature and embraces holistic Balinese-inspired therapies administered by traditional Balinese healers using ancient wisdom. Following the Balinese principle of Sekala-Niskala, which holds that we all live equally in two worlds; the seen or conscious world (Sekala), and the unseen or psychic world (Niskala), the Balinese healers engage the help of the higher divine source during each healing session.

There’s so much on offer for guests at Fivelements to help you rebalance your life, relax deeply, discover new knowledge, learn the Balinese philosophy of life, and return home feeling genuinely serene and blissfully energised.

The best time to visit this magical corner of the planet is from May to October.

Find out more about Fivelements