READERS’ TRAVEL AWARDS 2020 WINNERS INSIDE

THE LAST WORD IN TRAVEL INDIAN EDITION DEC-JAN 2020-21 | 150

250+ TRIPS YOU CAN TAKE NOW If you are getting back out there, make it count HEALING HOLIDAYS 20 breaks to de-stress, unwind and recover from the year that was 2020. By Saumya Ancheri

134 Condé Nast Traveller Dec-Jan 2020-21 DESTINATION SPA

ANANDA IN THE FOUR SEASONS RESORT cherry blossoms give way to the rich reds MALDIVES AT LANDAA GIRAAVARU of fall and snowy winter. Guest pavilions Surrounded by sal forest, Ananda in Swim with manta rays in the Baa Atoll curve in sync with the hillside and river. The the Himalayas is located on a 100-acre UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and gently restaurant Kasuke draws on local culinary estate overlooking . It integrates turn inwards with and . styles for its preparations of fish, game and Ayurveda, hatha yoga and Vedanta with Treatments use medicinal plants from the vegetables. Tour neighbouring Karuizawa international wellness experiences, fitness garden, and all restaurant menus include Wild Bird Sanctuary, go horseriding on and organic cuisine. Unwind with a spa an Ayurvedic food-labelling system. Guests Mount Asama or indulge in spa therapies treatment such as the restorative Tibetan can enjoy an AntiGravity yoga class, join the from shiatsu to a hot-stone treatment with Ku Nye massage with Himalayan salt resident yogi in the seawater pool, or pick volcanic rock from the mountain. Doubles poultices or pick sessions in alternative a personalised course to help alleviate an from USD425/ 31,320; hoshinoya.com healing like reiki and chakra-balancing with ailment or lifestyle disease. The three-acre Himalayan crystals. Doubles from 26,000; Spa and Ayurvedic Retreat emphasises ITC MUGHAL RESORT minimum two-night stay; anandaspa.com natural healing. Ten open-air treatment & SPA AGRA pavilions are set up in a garden or on stilts Neighbour to the Taj Mahal, the ITC Mughal ANANTARA AL JABAL AL AKHDAR over a lagoon. The robust therapy menu Resort & Spa o*ers a taste of courtly RESORT OMAN extends from facials and sleep-inducing life. The 233-key hotel spreads across Rooms come with canyon views and villas spa rituals to acupuncture and chakra 23 acres, with a bar and restaurants that feature private pools at Anantara Al Jabal cleansing. Doubles from USD2,000/ o*er flavours from the Northwest Frontier Al Akhdar Resort, a two-hour drive from 1,47,200; fourseasons.com and beyond. The wellness facilities, which Muscat. The spa has a hammam suite and extend over 9,200sqm with pools, a gym therapies include the Rose Rescue Ritual, HOSHINOYA KARUIZAWA JAPAN and spa, are embellished with Mughal which uses Al Jabal Al Akhdar’s damask Luxury chain Hoshinoya began here, as landscaping and architectural elements roses in a foot cleanse and a hydrating a mountainside ryokan at Hoshino Hot such as channels of running water and facial. After a day of cli*top yoga, a village Spring that was dug over a century ago by stone latticework. Kaya Kalp - The Royal hike, mountain biking or a cooking class, Kunitsugu Hoshino. Soak in the mineral- Spa has an infrared bath and a Jacuzzi, and choose the in-villa Slumber Guru ritual with rich waters in the cedar-lined indoor baths over 40 indulgent therapies including foot an aromatic bath and massage. Doubles or the rock-set outdoor baths, immersed and head massages for absolute relaxation. from OMR126/ 24,100; anantara.com in views of the changing landscape as Doubles from 5,299; itchotels.in

136 Condé Nast Traveller Dec-Jan 2020-21