(L-R, clockwise) Castle Hot Springs; Gangtey Lodge; Namia River Retreat; eriro; Acro Suites; Miramonti Boutique Hotel
Marking International Relaxation Day, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) is delighted to reveal its new Wellbeing Collection. A thoughtfully chosen selection of just 15 luxury hotels across the globe that go beyond the spa to provide soulful sanctuaries designed to restore the body, mind and spirit. The Wellbeing Collection celebrates hotels where wellness is not just a service or trend, but wellbeing is a way of life. They are destinations of depth, where environment, design, service and philosophy work in harmony to enable guests to pause, reconnect with what matters and leave feeling inspired to live more resilient, balanced lives.
In today’s overstimulated, always-on world, meaningful rest has become both a luxury and a necessity, with travel emerging as one of the most powerful tools to support holistic recovery. To understand on a more granular level what is driving this need for profound rest, SLH commissioned OnePoll to conduct The Restless Traveller Report*, a quantitative survey of 6,000 adults across the UK, US and Australia.
Key results show that 72% of respondents reported feeling tired right now, with 60% saying modern life does not allow for true rest. Yet, 89% reported that they recognise travel as effective for achieving holistic rest – supporting emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. Furthermore, 49% reported nature-based travel allows for the most rest, followed by wellness-focused trips. The SLH Wellbeing Collection has therefore been created with intention and care to meet this need for meaningful, comprehensive, and genuinely restorative travel experiences.
“Following an increased desire from guests for wellbeing and inner sustainability, we’ve created the Wellbeing Collection by carefully filtering the hotels in our portfolio to spotlight those that offer heartfelt hospitality somewhere peaceful, where they can immerse themselves in nature-based experiences, the local culture, educational workshops and wellness-focused facilities, to feel enriched, unplug for their daily lives and truly relax,” explains Richard Hyde, Chief Operating Officer of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
Each hotel in SLH’s Wellbeing Collection goes beyond simply providing therapeutic treatments, nutritious dining, customised fitness and imaginative activities. Instead, each understands how to layer the process of improving health with practical advice for long-term sustainability.
Furthermore, in a world where artificial intelligence is dominating the conversation, its antithesis, emotional intelligence – EI – is the elusive ingredient people struggle to develop in our busy, hyper-connected world. Yet it’s crucial for decision making and navigating our personal and professional lives successfully. The Wellbeing Collection hotels display ‘EI’ superpowers. They are inspiring places that have instinctive teams and exceptional locations that subtly set guests on course for a 360-degree recharge, bolstering physical, mental and emotional states. From forest bathing and wild swimming to seamless service and joyful design, every stay is rooted in promoting three pillars of wellbeing: rest, reconnection and resilience.
The 15 founding members of the Wellbeing Collection include:
EMEA
- Acro Suites, Crete, Greece
- Overlooking the Aegean Sea in northern Crete, this contemporary clifftop wellness retreat aims to boost mood and energy levels, whilst lowering stress, by blending therapies focused on relaxation, with workshops on the vagus nerve, ancient Greek bathing rituals, energising therapies, chanting and cacao ceremonies, with healthy local cuisine overseen by a Michelin-starred chef. Rates start from approximately £400 per night including breakfast.
- eriro, Ehrwald, Austria
- A secluded and super-stylish lodge in the Tyrolean Alps, eriro takes a uniquely unstructured, hands-off approach to wellness to ensure each guest unfolds their wellbeing journey in a way that feels logical and comfortable for them. Combining traditional practices with unconventional activities, all set in a tranquil, tech-minimal environment. Rates start from approximately £1,300 per night on a full board basis.
- Euphoria Retreat, Mystras, Greece
- A luxurious wellness haven that seamlessly blends ancient healing traditions with modern medical science, offering personalised, results-driven programmes in a stunning Peloponnese setting, where expert-led therapies, gourmet health cuisine, and serene natural beauty create a truly transformative escape. Rates start from approximately £440 per night including breakfast.
- FORESTIS, Brixen, Italy
- A contemporary summit-level sanctuary in the emerald forests of South Tyrol where guests can reconnect with nature and ancient rituals surrounded by the dramatic peaks of the Dolomites. Following a Druid nature-based philosophy tuned into the natural rhythms and elements of the landscape, guests can soak up the innate spirituality of the forest practising wyda, the Celts’ mindful version of yoga, in sauna rituals with essential oils from local larch, spruce and pine trees and nutrient-dense dining with organic food from nearby farms and foraged ingredients. Rates start from approximately £431 per night including breakfast.
- HUBERTUS Mountain Refugio Allgäu, Balderschwang Bayern, Germany
- This Bavarian mountain retreat blends European and Indian wellness traditions with a focus on slow food, offering Ayurvedic treatments and mindful activities such as silent sunrise hikes, yoga classes, Sunday mass in the local church and singing bowl meditations, all in a serene setting where the Alps meet Asia. Rates start from approximately £580 per night on a full board basis.
- Miramonti Boutique Hotel, Merano, Italy
- A luxurious South Tyrol Mountain retreat where guests can unwind with stunning spa views, adventurous outdoor activities including paragliding, hiking, horse-drawn sleigh rides and the unique experience of sleeping under the stars in a Land Rover rooftop tent, all complemented by gourmet dining and a deep connection to nature. Rates start from approximately £440 per night including breakfast
- Oasyhotel, San Marcello Piteglio, Italy
- Located in a serene, car-free 1,000-hectare wilderness reserve in the Apennine Mountains, setting a seductively slow pace where nature-based wellness experiences from next-level forest bathing and wild swimming to organic spa treatments and starlit meditations create a deeply restorative escape designed to reset mind, body, and spirit. Rates start from approximately £400 per night including breakfast
- Quinta da Comporta, Carvalhal, Portugal
- This boho-chic resort is set on a former rice farm, offering locally inspired spa treatments centered around the healing power of its surrounding rice paddies, surf workouts, and unique cultural experiences like Alentejo singing – a traditional two-part choral singing style – and UNSECO-protected cultural activity, unique to the region and an imaginative and memorable wellbeing experience. Rates start from approximately £380 per night including breakfast
- Teranka, Formentera, Spain
- This bohemian beach retreat in Formentera is the antidote to Ibiza’s party scene, offering a creative and unconventional approach to wellness, focusing on a revolving programme of artistic residencies by renowned writers, artists and poets, who provide emotional healing through meaningful conversation, combined with immersive nature experiences, artistic endeavours such as scarf making, botanical silk printing, daily Pilates and yoga classes on a sea-facing deck as well as excellent massages and an ice bath. Rates start from approximately £580 per night including breakfast.
APAC
- Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary, Shaba, Bhutan
- A Himalayan paradise hidden among the lush pine forests of the Neyphu Valley, near Paro, offering deeply personalised wellness guided by a Traditional Bhutanese Medicine doctor, who delivers an uncannily accurate health diagnosis and sets you on a course to achieve better balance of mind, body and spirit by blending traditional Bhutanese medicine, cultural rituals which may include a trip to a traditional fortune teller, and mindful practices. A truly transformational retreat. Rates start from approximately £720 per night on a full board basis.
- Gangtey Lodge, Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
- A serene traditional Himalayan farmhouse hideaway overlooking the remote and sacred Phobjikha Valley, where guests can deepen their spirituality by joining the local monks for an early morning cleansing ritual or taking a meditation class with a tulku (the reincarnation of a deceased spiritual master), explore ancient trails, engage with local farming traditions, and rejuvenate with traditional healing therapies for a profound sense of inner peace. Rates start from approximately £550 per night including breakfast and dinner.
- Keemala, Phuket, Thailand
- A fantastical rainforest retreat in Phuket with a whimsical design and treehouses that appear to float in the jungle canopy. Immersive wellness experiences range from traditional Thai healing using herbal therapies and Muay Thai to forest yoga and personalised cuisine, all designed to restore balance, clarity, and a deep connection with nature. Rates start from approximately £730 per night including breakfast.
- Namia River Retreat, Hoi An, Vietnam
- This thoughtful riverside spa retreat blends traditional Vietnamese wellbeing practices, such as duong sinh, the country’s spin on breathwork, and dien chan, a form of facial reflexology, with modern wellness design, including circadian rhythm lighting systems, as well as offering immersive wellness rituals, cultural experiences, and easy access to the charming nearby UNESCO-protected port city of Hoi An. Rates start from approximately £500 per night including breakfast.
AMER
- Castle Hot Springs, Morristown, Arizona, USA
- Mineral-rich springs dictate the pace at this serene retreat in Arizona, where the soulful, calming qualities of the Sonoran Desert are best appreciated whilst soaking in the healing pools, yet there’s no shortage of activities to connect you to this pristine pocket of nature, with hiking, biking, via ferrata and mindful therapies such as painting and gardening. Rates start from approximately £1,500 per night on a full board basis.
- Rio Perdido, Bagaces, Costa Rica
- A lush eco-resort centred around a thermal river and medicinal springs in a 1,500-acre reserve, offering ‘blue therapy’ - water-based healing, immersive nature experiences, and therapeutic thrills from mountain biking, zip lining and canyoning to white-water tubing and forest walks in one of the Americas’ rarest ecosystems. Rates start from approximately £230 per night including breakfast.
The 15 founding members of the Wellbeing Collection have received the official seal of approval from SLH’s Wellbeing Industry Experts, including renowned spa editor Susan d’Arcy and leading wellbeing expert in Sophrology and Founder of BeSophro, Dominique Antiglio. Sophrology, a practice combining breathing, gentle movement, relaxation, visualisation, and meditation has been widely used across Europe for over 60 years in medical, educational, corporate, and sports settings. It supports a variety of wellbeing goals, including managing stress, improving sleep, reducing anxiety, easing pain, and preventing burnout.
To celebrate the launch of the Wellbeing Collection, SLH Club Members will receive exclusive access to the BeSophro app, featuring the new Travel Reset series, a collection of guided mind-body practices designed to enhance restful travel, from easing flight anxiety and jet lag to helping guests maintain that post-holiday sense of calm.
SLH’s Wellbeing Collection answers the modern traveller’s need for more than just a spa, but an experience providing deep restoration, conscious connection, and lasting impact.
