From ancient healing traditions and regenerative farm stays to reading retreats, these restorative escapes are designed to leave you feeling better than when you arrived.

Wellness means different things to different people: for some, it’s discovering time-old health rituals and long, quiet days; for others, it’s wild landscapes, good food, deep sleep or simply the chance to put your phone away. From the wild reaches of Borneo and lush jungle of Kerala to the spas of Sicily and sunny shores of Fiji, these health and wellness getaways offer a chance to slow down, reset and return home feeling genuinely renewed.

1. Find your bliss in Borneo

Health and nature are deeply intertwined, each shaping the other in ways we are only starting to rediscover. In Malaysian Borneo – where ancient forests, mangroves and coral gardens teem with life – that connection feels particularly pertinent. YTL Hotels’ Gaya Island Resort is bringing this ethos to life in September 2027 through its Gaya Wellness & Wonder Journey, developed by the resort’s Spa Village and director of conservation. This three-day experience combines healing rituals inspired by Indigenous Kadazandusun and Bajau traditions along with coral planting and wildlife tracking – offering the chance to recalibrate your own inner balance while contributing to the wellbeing of Borneo.

2. An Ayurvedic awakening in Kerala

The southern Indian state of Kerala doesn’t do wellness by halves. This is a place that built an entire philosophy around Ayurveda long before the rest of the world discovered turmeric lattes. At tranquil Kalari Rasayana Ayurveda Hospital Kerala, a NABH-accredited retreat by CGH Earth set amid the Paravur Backwaters, doctor-supervised panchakarma programs pair centuries-old healing protocols with sattvic cuisine and genuine stillness set among pretty groves of palms and floating islands, kingfishers flying overhead. Extend the journey with a few nights cruising Kerala’s backwaters by kettuvallam, drifting past paddy fields and fishing villages. This is a retreat for total restoration.

3. A regenerative farm stay

The new luxury is a muddy pair of boots and chicken eggs still warm from the coop. At Fowlescombe Farm in Devon, England, 10 suites sit inside converted stone barns on a 182-hectare regenerative estate where guests gather breakfast from the hens, learn to compost and eat produce measured in footsteps rather than food kilometres. Halfway across the world in South Africa’s Franschhoek Valley, Sterrekopje Healing Farm applies the same soil-to-soul philosophy with bathhouse rituals and biodynamic gardens. Both prove regenerative farming has become the new frontier of rest; healing measured in what the land gives back, not what you take from it.

4. The ultimate spa indulgence in Sicily

Mount Etna smoulders on one horizon, the Ionian Sea glitters on the other, and somewhere between the two sits Sicily’s most indulgent new spa address. Grand Hotel Timeo, A Belmond Hotel, Taormina has opened its first permanent Dior Spa with four treatment rooms tucked into terraced gardens. The centrepiece is Dior Wellness Villeggiatura, a bespoke program of anti-inflammatory movement and hormesis-based therapies (using infrared heat or targeted exercise) developed with Pilates specialist Bryony Deery and nutritionist Rose Ferguson. Think a week of deep regeneration, Italian sunlight and treatments using semi-precious Sicilian gems.

5. Experience Asia’s original wellness retreat

Long before wellness tourism had a name, Thai businessman Boonchu Rojanastien demolished his own beach house in Hua Hin to build a place where his friends could properly recharge. That instinct became Chiva-Som, Asia’s first comprehensive wellness resort, which opened in 1995 and still sets the benchmark three decades on. Set amid seven hectares of tropical gardens on Thailand’s Gulf coast, the resort blends more than 200 personalised treatments, doctor-led programs and genuinely restorative Thai hospitality with a refreshing lack of pretension. Guests hand over their phones at check-in (you can have it back in your room) and leave with a real plan for better living, rather than just a suntan.

6. Find renewal at sea

Cruise wellness used to mean a treadmill with an ocean view. No longer. Among the companies investing in health onboard is Explora Journeys, whose newest ship, Explora III, has consolidated its spa, fitness and medical facilities into one sweeping sanctuary. The deck-five wellness centre is fitted with reformer Pilates studios, Sisley Paris treatments and the exclusive Sava Sound Pod – a chamber designed to calm an overstimulated nervous system. Add five whirlpools, more than 60 cabanas and a philosophy built around the ocean’s own restorative rhythm, and this is proof cruising has grown up. Sail from Barcelona through the Mediterranean or further north into Iceland and Greenland to witness the wild, swirling northern lights.

7. Enter a new chapter with a reading retreat in Mallorca

Somewhere off the wild west coast of Mallorca, one of Spain’s Balearic Islands, a catamaran drifts past a rugged coastline framed by Aleppo pines and olive groves. Women read in companionable silence, closing each chapter with a swim stop. Ladies WhoLit x Nautilus Collective’s four-day sailing retreat weaves through the island’s turquoise coves and past honey-hued villages, from the marina glamour of Palma to the charm of Deià. Past retreats have sold out within days, so lock in the 2027 dates early. For those whose idea of wellness is locking phones in a detox box and staying glued to a paperback, this reading retreat is the holiday for you and part of a global growing trend.

8. An urban resort in London

City breaks don’t have to leave you in need of another holiday. An oasis in the city, Six Senses London has breathed new life into Bayswater, redefining the urban resort. Housed in the former Whiteley department store, the plant-filled, wellness-focused retreat is an idyllic hideaway to escape to after a busy day exploring the UK capital, as well as a convenient base for modern travellers. A 2300-square-metre spa, with a hammam, apothecary and 13 treatment rooms, caters to health-conscious travellers and locals alike, alongside a dedicated longevity clinic offering advanced, medical-grade diagnostics and therapies.

9. The science of happiness in Fiji

‘Bula’ goes beyond being a simple greeting in Fiji; it is more akin to a prescription for good health. In 2025, Tourism Fiji strapped biometric sensors on a surfer, an artist and a chef, then watched their stress markers drop as fast as their smiles widened. The findings only proved what anyone who has slowed down in Fiji already suspected: connection, gratitude and time by the water are potent medicines. Lean into the rhythm of the archipelago, snorkelling reef systems by day, sharing kava with locals by night and letting village life reset your nervous system one ‘bula’ at a time. Neuroscientist Dr Lila Landowski says you will come home happier.

10. Sleep under a billion stars in New Zealand

The Milky Way comprises a sea of stars spilling across the sky above Mackenzie Basin, uninterrupted by streetlights for kilometres in all directions. New Zealand/Aotearoa protects its dark skies fiercely; it’s home to two of the world’s 22 Dark Sky Reserves plus a clutch of dark sky parks and sanctuaries – more accredited dark sky sites than almost anywhere on Earth. Stargazing here is not just a spectacle; sleep scientists link darkness to better rest and lower cortisol. Book a guided session at Lake Tekapo’s University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory, then let your body recall what a great night’s sleep feels like at SkyScape, designed for bed-bound stargazing.

This article is part of International Traveller’s 100 Holidays You Deserve round-up. Visit the special 100 Holidays You Deserve hub to find inspiring adventures for every travel type.