SUITE DREAMS
Suite Dreams - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Suite Dreams | |||||
| By: Judy Chapman, Issue 34 – Autumn 2008 | |||||
| ( Spas, Mandarin Oriental, Chiang Mai, Thailand; Shangri-La, Philippines; Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong; Six Senses, Soneva Gili, Maldives; Spa Village, Pangkor Laut, Malaysia; The Barai, Hua Hin, Thailand; I.Sawan, Bangkok, Thailand; The Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong; Chi Spa Village, Shangri-la, Fiji; Canyon Ranch, Miami.) | |||||
| DO YOU LOVE THE SPA EXPERIENCE SO MUCH YOU WISH YOU COULD STAY IN ONE? NOW YOU CAN. WELCOME TO THE VERY LATEST IN INDULGENCE – THE SPA SUITE. | |||||
| When I checked into my Spa Suite at The Private Reserve in the Maldives I never expected it would house a gymnasium and steam room. What a splendid idea! Nor did I expect at The Barai in Thailand that my suite would contain its very own treatment area. Recently, a new breed of hybrid concepts has been born – where your accommodation becomes your spa. Could the spa suite trend be the ultimate anti-dote from hotel life? | |||||
| The celebrity life | |||||
| A residence with your own staff and spa! Where else would you rather be? The Spa Penthouse Residence at Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai is conveniently positioned on the third floor of the Dheva Spa Residence. Seclusion is all yours with private lift access to the spa as well as in-room healing therapies. The palatial suite, decorated with European furnishings houses a luxurious drawing room, dining room, wardrobe and make-up area. Built-in spa treatment facilities include an indoor and outdoor massage area, steam room, bathtub and outdoor Jacuzzi. Order in Thai, Burmese, Laos and Ayurvedic treatments, plus there’s the newly opened dedicated Ayurveda wing for those seeking more serious detox and anti-aging retreats. Dheva Spa is Mandarin Oriental’s first destination spa located on 60 acres in Northern Thailand. Designed to replica ancient palaces, exquisite facilities include a traditional Hammam, hydrotherapies, heated scrub tables and watsu. | |||||
| www.mandarinoriental.com | |||||
| Your room is a retreat | |||||
| No need to share lockers with other guests at the newly opened Chi Edsa Shangri-La in the Philippines. Guests who check into one of the six Residential Spa Suites on the fifth floor are treated like celebrities. Not only is your accommodation directly connected to the spa, you have private entrance to the spa facility. This innovative concept brings new meaning to the ideas of ‘relaxed leisure’ and ‘speed vacation’. Comforts include posture sensitive chairs, yoga matt, healthy cuisine menu, cozy robes plus an open concept bath and shower. Not to mention all the mod-cons inclusive of DVD and i-pod docking stations. Your ‘retreat’ is adjacent to a private library, reading room and yoga studio all adding to the quiet atmosphere. There’s no need to change from your clothes either after being pampered in Himalayan-inspired treatments. Simply wrap yourself up in your fluffy robe and drift back to your suite to bed. | |||||
| www.shangri-la.com | |||||
| Wellness rooms | |||||
| The Plateau at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong was one of the first hotels in the Asia-Pacific region to introduce the spa suite concept and transform hotel-life as we know it. Forget busy foyers and elevators. Guests who check in to the 11th floor have direct access to all the hotel's wellness facilities including the fitness and exercise studios, swimming pool, sauna and treatment rooms. However it's the residential spa suite itself where you are given space to deepen your relaxation. Each of the 14 self-contained suites features an oversized bath and rain shower, a luxurious futon area for treatments, and Aesop amenities. Even better, late arrivals can order in-room-massages as late as 11pm. The entirety of Plateau reaches 80,000 square feet, all dedicated to health, beauty and fitness. Treatments by Carita, Decleor and June Jacobs brands are epic. | |||||
| www.hongkong.grand.hyatt.com | |||||
| A destination within a destination | |||||
| Eco-luxury brand Six Senses have long been creating suite spa concepts but it’s their Private Reserve Spa Suite at Soneva Gili in the Maldives, only accessed by boat, that is something memorable. Comprising five adjoining buildings, the facility appears to ‘float’ upon the Indian Ocean 500 metres from the main resort. Wellness facilities include your own sauna, steam-room, indoor and outdoor treatment pavilion, and an air-conditioned gymnasium with yoga mats, fit ball and dumbbells. Therapists come to you to deliver holistic treatments – by boat. The Private Reserve consists of two master bedrooms and guest room, several relaxation living areas, a gourmet kitchen and dining areas. Plus there’s a deepwater coral pool, rooftop sundecks and open-aired bathrooms. All this and you are constantly surrounded by 360 degrees of infinite blue, while Mr and Mrs Friday are on hand to cook meals. If you need to get away, then your private speedboat with its crew are on call 24/7. | |||||
| www.sixsenses.com | |||||
| Live at the spa | |||||
| Wake up to views across the bay in one of the Spa Villas located on Pangkor Laut, a private island resort in Malaysia. One of Asia-Pacific’s first properties to introduce the spa-meets-accommodation concept, direct access to the fabulous spa keeps guests returning year after year. Established in 1994, Pangkor Laut has a superlative reputation as a secluded destination. The first in the region to launch the Spa Village concept, a collection of Malay, Chinese and Ayurvedic healing huts, and other wellness facilities are only a few footprints in the sand away including a pool, yoga pavilion, bathhouse, herbal shop and steam room. After treatments, hang in ‘The Jamu Bar’, where healthful Japanese cuisine, herbal drinks and tonics are served. For the ultimate in privacy head back to your stilts-on-water Spa Villa for a languid soak in the sunken bathtub that overlooks the tranquil sea. | |||||
| www.spavillage.com | |||||
| You’ll never want to leave | |||||
| It’s the little things that count. Your own espresso machine, private dining area, cocktail hour at five plus top-notch in-suite service by the spa butler – think complimentary ironing anytime. The Barai, located on the beachfront at Hua Hin, is eight superb spa residential suites. Occupying around 1,360 square feet, inside each of these ‘hotel within a hotel’ concepts sleek steam rooms, soaking tubs and a Thai-style treatment area. All this plus an exclusive entrance to the spa, a maze of courtyards and chamber rooms inspired by Angkor Wat and designed by the renowned Lek Bunnag. But as the sun descends there’s no better place to be than back in your suite. I returned home one evening to find a herbal bath had been drawn, a mist of haze pumping from my steam room, and a therapist waiting to deliver an excellent Thai massage. | |||||
| www.thebarai.com | |||||
| Home away from home | |||||
| Take an elevator up to the fifth level at I.Sawan Residential Spa & Club in Bangkok and discover an entire floor dedicated to gym, juice bar, and treatment rooms. Added to this, your accommodation in one of six spacious spa cottages, houses a living area, bathroom, separate bedroom and a dedicated treatment room. Plus wireless broadband and i-Pod station so you can listen to heart opening songs as you soak in your tub, where bottles of salts and oils are within arm’s reach. Still, nothing prepared me for the high standard of therapies. As well as spa treatments, there are half and full day ‘Escapes or Retreats’ themed around ‘Purity’, ‘Energy’ and ‘Harmony’ while the nail bar is the best in Bangkok to have your nails buffed, oiled and pampered. Back at your spa cottage I recommend a classic Thai massage. Once you’ve been stretched, pulled and pummeled into shape – well you won’t want to leave. | |||||
| www.isawan.hyatt.com | |||||
| Urban retreat | |||||
| Check into ‘The Mandarin Suite’ at The Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, an expansive suite fitted out with a living room, dining room, kitchenette, entertainment, study room, bedroom, cloakroom, marble bathroom and spa treatment suite for two! Designed in opulent Chinese style with cutting edge western functionality, interiors include resorted antique furniture and priceless art pieces. But it’s the generous sized bathroom, fitted out with your very own steam room and tub with hydrotherapy jets overlooking Hong Kong’s skyline, that will excite the senses. Recommended is Mandarin Oriental’s signature ‘Time Rituals’ where you handpick your own blend of treatments. Time will disappear as skillful therapists press crushed hot herbs along your spine in the privacy of your own suite. Alternatively if you seek specialty experiences then head down to the spa floor offering the best in heat and water therapies. The one-hour Shirodhara, given upon a traditional Neem wood table, will take you somewhere else. | |||||
| www.mandarinoriental.com | |||||
| Ocean harmony | |||||
| For a secluded spa vacation check into one of the six one-bedroom spa bures within the grounds of the newly opened Chi Spa Village at Shangri-la Fijian Resort & Spa. Inside these Fijian-style bungalows, all the mod-cons plus sunken bathtubs, outdoor Jacuzzi’s and tropical showers are part of your sanctuary accommodation. Not to mention private butler service that takes the spa experience a notch higher. Book the overnight ‘Dusk til Dawn’ that begins with a Himalayan Bath Therapy followed by a skin polish, steam and massage. At sun down, a light spa cuisine is served while the following morning promises breakfast on your balcony and a Chi cleansing facial. | |||||
| www.shangri-la.com | |||||
| Spa living | |||||
| The real estate buzz of the millennium are Spadominiums or Spa Communities where all your wellness needs are on-site and where there are no more excuses for not going to yoga. The opening of ‘Canyon Ranch Living’ in Miami will mark history. Alongside 600 luxury residences will be first class spa and fitness facilities, and nutritious cuisine – all administered by qualified wellness staff. Likewise, ‘Miraval Living’ will open their doors to their first ‘Inspired Living Residence’ in New York in 2008 that will transform city living as we know it. Wake up in your three-bedroom penthouse with views over the Rocky Mountains, take a yoga class followed by an Ayurvedic treatment and a session on health all without leaving your home. Such is the vision behind The Ananda Inspired Living that will be a 60 lifestyle residential community alongside The Rocky Mountain Chopra Center & Spa directed by Drs. Deepak Chopra and David Simons from The Chopra Center. As well, there’s The Amrit Resort and Residences that has joined forces with the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy and cosmetics and spa company Aveda, both of which will help provide tailor-made treatments onsite. In Asia there are also exciting projects in the pipeline. In China, there's ‘Mission Hills Golf Club’ that features ten million dollar homes with their own spa floor while in the Middle East, ‘Jumierah Living’ houses luxury spa apartments as well as Angsana Resort & Spa and Angsana Residences in Abu Dhabi. Little wonder that Spadominiums are selling fast. Canyon Ranch Living is reportedly nearly 90 per cent sold out and there is a waiting list of 600 for their Chicago project opening in 2010. | |||||
| www.canyonranch.com | |||||
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