Lockdown got you down? How about going for a ‘healing trip’ on your next holiday, after the travel restrictions are lifted? Options has prepared two stellar destinations for you — one closer to home and another in the majestic hills of Monaco, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea — where your mind and body will be put on a strict regime of rest and relaxation.

Chilling in nature

Surrounded by lush tropical forests with a direct access to 900 meters of pristine sandy beach, Pimalai Resort and Spa on Koh Lanta in Thailand is inviting guests to rebalance their bodies and soothe their senses with a choice of top-notch wellness packages.

This is a world-class wellness centre that has won a World Luxury Spa Award and was included in the Condé Nast Johansens Luxury Spa Collection, a global list of luxury hotels specially selected by local experts. 

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This serene spa, located on a sleepy island district in Krabi province renowned for its stunning natural beauty, is also world famous for its Pimalai Wellness Packages which blend several hours of blissful body treatments with private yoga classes, airport transfers, authentic cuisine, healthy beverages and more. After an extended period of time spent at home — often with raised stress levels — what could be more rewarding?

According to the spa’s general manager Patrice Landrein: “Wellbeing is about more than just fitness and exercise. We take a holistic approach to wellness that energises the body, eases the mind and most importantly, stimulates the soul. The last few months have been challenging for everyone, but our Pimalai Wellness Packages will give guests many different ways to unwind and uncoil their physical and mental springs”.

Two Pimalai Wellness Packages are available: The three-day and two-night option includes a choice of luxurious accommodation for two guests with return airport transfers, three hours of body treatments at the Pimalai Spa, one private yoga class and one authentic Thai dinner at Spice and Rice, one sumptuous seafood set dinner at Rak Talay as well as three delicious and nutritious “smart” lunches and two healthy drinks per day. Rates start from THB 26,875 ($1,161) for two. Alternatively, guests can choose the four-day and three-night package, which includes spacious accommodation for two guests, return airport transfers, six hours of spa therapies, two private yoga classes, one Thai dinner at Spice and Rice, one seafood set dinner at Rak Talay as well as four smart lunches, and two healthy drinks per day. Rates start from THB 40,305 ($1,739) for two.

Beyond the spa, Pimalai also features a collection of spacious accommodations, world-class restaurants and exceptional leisure facilities and activities such as a sports centre, water sports, and even Thai boxing and cooking classes.

This idyllic island retreat recently won a series of TripAdvisor Best of the Best awards, putting it in the top 1% of hotels and resorts worldwide. Basically, it is everything you wanted, all in one place. There is no need to worry about how to get from one place to the other. What more can one ask for, so close to home?

Serious wellness regime in Monaco


For the more adventurous, why not consider a trip to Monaco? Not just a playground for expat tax exiles, racing aficionados or superyachts on the Mediterranean, this tiny country attached to France is also a wellness destination for many.

In Monaco, guests can combine medical treatments and rehabilitation with wellness and relaxation at the 160-year- old Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo spa, placed at the heart of a top-notch medical offering with its luxurious preventive medicine unit at the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace. The facility combines innovation and savoir-faire in a 71,042 sq ft facility dedicated to wellness, fitness and preventive health. The seawater-based treatments there, the basis of its founding in 1895, are still a priority while the massages and stunning seafront room views regularly attract the rich and famous.

As a destination rich in wellness history, you will also find heritage skincare brands like the Monegasque Lancaster, which originated here in the 1940s. World famous, it counts the late Princess Grace Kelly as one of their most loyal and enthusiastic ambassadors.

At the Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo, the spa features four different spas with entirely different experiences, including a Ko Bi Do Supreme facial massage using the Geto Supreme cream at Spa Cinq Mondes at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort.

Monaco also offers healing programmes at the Monegasque Institute of Sports Medicine and Surgery (IM2S). The place has been welcoming Olympic athletes since it opened in 2006, with many patients complementing their treatments with rehabilitation programs at Thermes Marins Monte-Carlo, including full body cryotherapy facilities — said to be a favourite of James Bond actor Daniel Craig.

With many exceptional spas drawing the world’s elite, integrated programmes are personalised to support individual needs to achieve their health and beauty goals. From stressed-out executives with health issues to high-level athletes to those seeking best-in-class anti-aging treatments, Monaco offers it all. If the hefty price tag doesn’t put you off, that is.