Can’t choose between a good swim and a full spa? Do you also need attractions around? We have found for you six heavenly places where the word SPA (sanitas per aqua – “cleansing through water”) is taken literally. By the way, the flight there is no more than 3,5 hours.
George Clooney’s huge villa on Lake Como is surrounded by a high iron fence with a sign that says PROPRIETA PRIVATA (“private property”) in large size. As evidenced by numerous pictures of the paparazzi, the actor is here very often, preferring the measured beauty of these places to the bustle of Los Angeles. Brad Pitt and Angelina and other people from Hollywood often visit him. However, there are many equally beautiful villas in Como, where they are waiting for you as well. The most beautiful of them – Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni – stands on the very shore.
The villa – more precisely, the whole complex of small villas in the neoclassical style, surrounded by a huge tropical garden – is almost 150 years old. It was built by the Lombard aristocrats, stayed here Winston Churchill, John Kennedy, Clark Gable. They were comfortable here, no doubt about it: large rooms (rather, they should be called “chambers”) with antique furniture and terraces overlooking the water or the park, several swimming pools, a promenade, a private sandy beach, a restaurant with a Michelin star. SPA at Villa Serbelloni is called Beauty Farm – “Beauty Farm”. There is a large selection of procedures and programs: for ladies, gentlemen, adolescents – and all are aimed at harmonizing the body and mind. Natural Italian cosmetics Olos Natura, mud, algae, herbs are used on the “farm”.
Italy’s renowned chef Ettore Bocchia prepares gourmet molecular cuisine there.
The interiors of the villa say a lot about the modest life of the 19th century aristocrats.
However, even without the Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage on their menu, you will be fine here. Time in Como flows slowly, and the landscapes literally leave speechless – this happened to everyone who ever came to this place 40 km from crazy Milan, from Virgil to the English poet Shelley, who announced that nothing is more beautiful than this lake. does not exist in the world.
Practice
Visa
- Schengen visa to Italy (35 euros)
Flight
- Direct flights of Aeroflot and Alitalia to Milan or Venice, or charter to Bergamo, then by car or by train.
Where to live
What to read
Season
Thanks to the Alps (and the Como region borders Switzerland), the lake is protected from cold winds and the climate is mild. The best time to relax is from April to November.
- Water: +22
- Air: + 22-28
The Rixos Premium Bodrum has so many trees and water that you hardly see people.
Located on the Aegean coast, Bodrum is not quite Turkey. Previously, there was Greece – the famous city of Halicarnassus, which is reminded of the mausoleum (4th century BC), the amphitheater and the gates of Myndos, which have survived since antiquity, through which Myndos entered here with troops. Alexander the Great. Modern Greece is just a stone’s throw from here – the island of Kos, for example, is visible from the beach in any weather. Bodrum is also called “Turkish Cote d’Azur” – a respectable audience from all over Europe has been coming here for several decades in a row.
The hotel is especially appreciated by connoisseurs Rixos Premium Bodrum, one of the best on the coast. The hotel is surrounded by a dense forest of pine and eucalyptus trees. Unlike most Turkish All Inclusive hotels, there is no feeling that you are relaxing with a huge and very noisy family. There is actually a LOT of space here – the hotel occupies an area of 187 square meters. m. If you are looking for complete privacy, it is best to settle in villas that have their own terraces, gardens and swimming pools. In addition to all kinds of restaurants (there are eight of them in the hotel – with different cuisines, plus numerous cafes and bars), tennis courts, saunas, discos, shops and other traditional components of a five-star Turkish hotel, Rixos Premium Bodrum has its own … peninsula with a park. If you are bored of lying on the beach all day, the hotel may keep you busy at least 000 hours a day: teaching you how to cook Mediterranean dishes, swimming underwater, doing yoga.
The hotel is considered one of the best on the coast. It is surrounded by a dense forest of pine and eucalyptus trees.
In addition to all kinds of restaurants (and there are eight of them here – with different cuisines), there are also numerous cafes and bars.
In the Royal Rixos Spa you can make a procedure from almost all the spa menus of the world – from balneo and chromotherapy to African massage. And when you get tired of resting so powerfully, go to the town Bodrum: see the fortress of St. Peter, built by the knights of the Maltese order of St. John, go shopping and, of course, dine on freshly caught sea bass. The main thing – do not forget to bargain, because it is, though European, but still Turkey.
Visa
- Placed at the airport ($ 20).
Flight
- with a transfer in Istanbul or a direct charter to Bodrum.
Where to live
What to read
Season
Bodrum has a mild dry climate, so the heat is easily tolerated. The water in the Aegean Sea is colder than in the Mediterranean, so the swimming season here lasts only until the beginning of October.
- Water: +22
- Air: +28
If you want peace, then for you, in addition to the main beach, the Hillside Beach Club hotel has two more silent beaches – “silent beaches”, where children and mobile phones are not allowed.
A picturesque road leads to the town of Fethiye – it winds along an intricate serpentine among mountains overgrown with eucalyptus and pine trees. No matter how hot it is, you want to turn off the air conditioner in the car, open the windows wide open – and breathe, breathe, breathe. The air in these parts is healing, saturated with the sea, forest and herbs. One of the most beautiful hotels in the Mediterranean is hiding in a bay nearby – Hillside Beach Club. It consists entirely of cozy villas immersed in greenery and flowers with terraces the size of a room. The Turkish elite rests here – prime ministers, oligarchs, pop stars.
Many people come here several times a season, in all seriousness believing that in this secluded ecologically clean bay there is their Center of Power. The place is really ideal to gain strength for the year ahead. Several beaches, excellent cuisine, two spa centers with masters from Bali and Thailand … Every year, the Hillside Beach Club SPA invites some world star of alternative medicine – a famous healer from Southeast Asia or a guru in Tibetan bell therapy.
In terms of landscapes and the degree of immersion in nirvana, Hillside really resembles the Thai island of Koh Samui, where everyone now goes to detox programs. But in Fethiye, the climate is much drier and milder than in Southeast Asia, it takes only three hours to fly here, and most importantly, there is something to do for someone who cannot lie on the beach without movement. This is a region with a rich history – for amateurs there are ruins of fortresses of the Rhodes knights, and Roman amphitheaters, and Lycian rock tombstones.
Flight
- to Dalaman with a transfer in Istanbul or Moscow – Dalaman or Moscow – Antalya.
Where to live
What to read
Season
May to late October. The best time to travel to Fethiye is the end of August and the first half of September: the heat is already subsiding a little, the days are still long, and the sea is warm. In early autumn, in the Fethiye area, it is good to go rafting and trekking, as well as sail on a yacht around the islands – Greek Rhodes is located very close.
- Water: +23
- Air: +28
Despite its state-of-the-art design, Six Senses Spa has been designed with natural materials such as stone, wood and glass.
The fishing village of Elounda on the east coast of Crete, like many villages in the Mediterranean, has long turned into a respectable resort. From the windows of the hotel Porto Elounda De Luxe Resort offers an unforgettable view of the Mirabello Bay. The serene landscape invites for serene relaxation – playing golf (the hotel has its own nine-hole golf course), tennis and long visits to the famous Six Senses Spa. This is the most grandiose spa complex in Greece: and in terms of size – 2200 sq. m, both in terms of service and design. The center is designed in the spirit of a museum of contemporary art by designers of the world-famous agency Syntax International. Coming here in the morning for a wrap and staying until the evening is a common thing.
Therefore, it is better to immediately order a package of procedures (there is a huge choice!), In order to immediately grab a bite to eat in the SPA-cafe, swim in the outdoor pool, admiring the sea, and see how the sun ball falls over the horizon. And in the evening, go to the embankment to eat a meze of freshly caught octopus and wash it down with white house wine. Or get to the neighboring resort town Agios-Nikolaos.
Greek churches are not locked – you can enter them both during the day and even at night.
You can stay in the SPA day and night, constantly moving from a cool room to a sunny terrace and back.
It is located in the western part of the Mirabello Bay, 9 km from Elounda, and has two whole embankments – the sea and the lake. The latter surrounds the freshwater lake Voulismeni in the very center of the city, and there are many souvenir shops crowded here. In the evening, life begins to boil – the abundance of bars, clubs and other entertainments has brought the city the fame of the Cretan Saint-Tropez. During the day, from here, as well as from the village of Elounda, boats go to the picturesque island of Spinalonga – it is located directly opposite the bay. It’s worth a ride there at least then, from the sea and take a couple of great photos.
Visa
- Schengen visa (35 euros), issued in a week.
Flight
- Direct flights of Aeroflot to Heraklion or charters that fly from Moscow to Crete almost every day.
Where to live
What to read
Season
If you miss the real summer and are not afraid of the heat, you can go in July – August. If you want coolness – both air and water – it is better to wait for the velvet season.
- Water +24
- Air +30
Rooms at La Reserve are decorated in an ecological style. All – overlooking the sea.
Saint-Tropez is not only noisy parties, palace yachts and a villa Brigitte Bardot. There are also cypress groves, vineyards, houses with tiled roofs and ivy-covered walls and, of course, famous coves with private beaches-clubs. To appreciate the Cote d’Azur from the point of view of not only a “vanity fair”, but also a very high-quality rest, it is better to live not in the city itself, but somewhere nearby. For example, in a newly opened design hotel La Reserve Ramatuelle – it is a 15-minute drive from the center of Saint-Tropez and 2 km from the cozy medieval town of Ramatuelle.
There are only 25 rooms, all with a view of the sea and neighboring bays. There was no one around. In 2000, new construction was banned in the vicinity, so no one and nothing threatens peace and quiet. The hotel was designed by a renowned architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte (he was involved in the renovation of the Louvre and the design of the famous airport in Seoul). The building blends harmoniously with the local landscape: there is no border between the walls and the surrounding landscapes – neither in terms of color, nor in terms of form. It is also practically the only hotel in Saint-Tropez where you don’t have to worry about how to get to the beach: it is close by.
La Reserve Ramatuelle is a futuristic building.
The windows are there from floor to ceiling – the feeling is that they “merge” with the sea.
The nearest beach can be reached on foot via a path that runs along the sea, and the beaches of Saint-Tropez Pomplone can be reached within a few minutes by a free shuttle bus. Here is a marvelous restaurant serving healthy and delicious Mediterranean dishes, as well as a spa area of 1000 sq. m – they work on La Mer products and specialize in cleansing the body of toxins, losing weight and anti-stress procedures. There is also an outdoor pool with very comfortable sun loungers – who knows, maybe you don’t even want to go out into town.
Visa
- Schengen (40 euros), registration – from 3 days.
Flight
- It is convenient to fly from Moscow with daily Aeroflot flights to Nice, then by car, helicopter or yacht-taxi.
Where to live
What to read
Season
The party season is August. A quieter holiday – in September-October
- Water: +22
- Air: +25
The hotel has a private area – this is a villa with several rooms with a private garden and swimming pool.
The southwestern coast of Cyprus is not a pretentious place (despite the name), but quite democratic. The island of luxury here is a hotel Elysium… It looks like a castle, only very cozy. With a lovely spa, private sandy beach, several pools and restaurants – Japanese, Greek and Spanish cuisine. Everywhere they cook deliciously, almost home-style – after dinner you are tempted to relax, lie under an umbrella and lie there for the rest. But it’s better to pull yourself together and rent an open-top jeep. You don’t have to go far to miracles. Nearby attractions: an open-air park with the famous Paphos mosaics and the ancient Odeon amphitheater, the ancient Forty Columns Castle and the harbor fortress, are located in the old town, a five-minute drive away.
It will take two days to examine them. This is enough time to get comfortable with left-hand traffic (western Cyprus is a former English colony), memorize a map of the area and come to terms with the fact that wherever you go, you will be haunted by the name of Aphrodite. The bathhouse of the goddess is located 48 km north of Paphos. 15 km to the east, in the village of Kuklia, are the ruins of her sanctuary.
The two-story studios, like the standard rooms, are warmly decorated with traditional rugs, wooden blinds and rattan furniture.
By prior arrangement, in a small church on the territory of the hotel, you can get married or baptize a child (Cypriots are Orthodox).
And halfway to Limassol is the very beach where Aphrodite, according to legend, emerged from the foam of the sea. There, by the rock, you definitely need to swim and, after making a wish, tie a scarf or any piece of cloth on a tree on the edge of the beach. Judging by the romantic-electrified atmosphere of the place, everyone, even Japanese tourists, thinks
Visa
- For Russians, it is issued free of charge. This can be done by filling in and sending it by e-mail to the Visa Section of the Cyprus Embassy in Moscow. An open Schengen visa is also valid.
Flight
- Transaero planes fly to Paphos. Charters fly to Paphos and Limassol in summer.
Where to live
What to read
Season
It is worth going to Cyprus from the beginning of April to the beginning of November. All this time you can swim there. The heat will not subside until September.
- Water: +24
- Air: +29
Thanks to the tour operator in Crete (tel. (495) 741-3333) for organizing the trip.