A Rum Affair

Nothing quite says holiday like sipping a delcious cocktail on a tropical beach paradise. But Shanti Mauricie, in Mauritius, takes it to the next level. Their rustic beach bar, the Fish and Rhum shack, has been voted 9th amongst the 50 Best Beach Bars in the world by top global travel website CNN Go.

With a drink in hand, the sand beneath your toes, glowing lanterns lighting up the midnight sea, and mauritian sega dancers swirling their brightly coloured dresses it's a heady and intoxicating way to spend a Mauritian night.

As well as cocktails, guests are offered a range of over 40 local Mauritian rums or a selection of ice cold beers from the local Mauritian brewery. Freshly caught fish and lobster is cooked on the BBQ and served alongside delicious salads featuring lettuce and vegetables grown on-site in Shanti Maurice’s herb garden.This is a luxury spa holiday with food like no other.

Shanti Maurice’s General Manager, Paul van Frank said, ‘We are extremely proud that our Fish and Rhum Shack has been recognised as one of the top Beach Bars in the world. The accolade really recognises how special the resort is and how much we value the exceptional, authentic experiences that our guests receive when staying with us.’

For a luxury spa holiday at Shanti Maurice check out our fantastic 'Discovery' holiday. 

We're still astonshed by this excellent offer at Longevity!

Exclusive 'Taste of Longevity' Luxury Short Break - Save up to 45%!

Taste the good life on an exclusive luxury spa holiday at Longevity Wellness Resort in the Portuguese Algarve. For a short time only, save up to 45% on usual rates and feel refreshed and rejuvenated in just a few days. The location in a stunning natural reserve in the mountains of the Algarve will give you a sense of calm and tranquility while you indulge in the relaxing pampering spa treatments. To take up this fantastic deal, we kindly ask you to agree to write a short review on your time at Longevity, which we will post on our website.

There are LIMITED SPACES available so act fast to make the most of this incredible offer!

	Luxury Algarve Getaway This Exclusive Escape includes: -Aromatic Body Scrub -Deeply Relaxing Cranio Facial Massage -Return Flights and Transfers -3 Nights Accomodation with Breakfast Prices from £300pp sharing, £370 single
	Become a Spa Spy like Helen! Read more about the beautiful Longevity Wellness Resort as visited by our very own Wellbeing team member Helen! Feel Insipired? Write a review of your trip to Longevity and see it appear on the website!

Postcards from Lefay

Our spa spy has proven quite the photographer with these beautiful shots from Lefay. In this interview, she gives the insider scoop on what she liked best about the resort.

What were your first impressions of the resort? I was immediately struck with the stunning views of Lake Garda, which you could just stare at for hours. There was also a great sense of space in the property. Plus, it was very eco-friendly, I was impressed by the fact there was no air-conditioning. To cool the rooms they used running cold water. It was quite high-tech there were lots of buttons everywhere and it was fun seeing what did what. There was even a button to open and shut the curtains, which I wish I could have every morning!
How did you find the food, was it healthy? On the lunch and dinner menus they have a healthy food option which tells you how many calories are in each dish. The food was absolutely gorgeous; it had a strong Italian theme and was all fresh and yummy. The salad buffet was incredible, with cheeses, hams, leafy greens, beans, antipasti and the like to choose from. You could take a buffet of salad and be totally happy for dinner. Breakfast was a decent spread, with an egg station, cereals and lovely breads.  A special touch was that they had a juicer and a big basket with apples and carrots so you could make your own fresh juice. I made my own healthy cocktail with carrots and ginger.  Be careful though, on the breakfast table there was champagne should you want it. I thought ‘ooo I could try that, but then I thought actually probably not!'
Lefay are famous for their Chinese Medical approach. How did you find it? Doctor Maurizio was really approachable and obviously very knowledgeable; he's quite a big shot in Italy. He knows a few words in English but there is a translator in the room.  Like with our other spa holidays, he talks you though your lifestyle, eating habits, checks your tongue and your pulse - the whole Chinese medicine approach is very personal. They translate the consultation into English so you have a record of it.  He prescribed me a moxibustion, which was like a hot heated rod that works on your meridians a bit like acupuncture. When the stick touched my back, I could really feel it working.
The Five different Saunas sound like an incredible experience - how did you find them? It's very European in the sense that everyone is naked, and to be honest that's not for me. They believe that when you're in the sauna you're sweating out your toxins, so it's not good to wear a swimsuit as it keeps them against your skin. Thankfully they had a separate female only sauna which had a sunset relaxation area, it was really lovely in there.
Was there anything particularly special about the spa area? The salt lake was really impressive. It was 37 degrees with a salinity of ten percent. You book into it and there's no one around so you can take all your clothes off if you want to! The whole area had lounge chairs and proper salt there. I floated around for a good 20 minutes. I felt so sleepy and blissful afterwards, I couldn't wait to get back to my room and chill out.
How did you find the resort's atmosphere? It was a really relaxed luxury spa holiday- you can wear your dressing gown everywhere, except to dinner. The service was lovely and friendly, the staff always came over to ask ‘how was your dinner'.  There was also an amazing meditation walk which took you through the beautiful grounds. I think it would be a great place for stress management.
What was your favourite part of the resort? Well I couldn't get over the views - you can just keep on looking at it, and the gardens. They allow you to make the most of it by providing lots of lounge chairs and seating areas around the property. Inside, there was a lovely ‘gentleman's' lounge with a bar area. You could cosy up in the armchairs and read a book or the newspapers which were laid out.
Any other insider tips? Remember the Italians take a siesta between 12:30-3:30, which is worth bearing in mind if you fancy visiting the nearby town. It is also well worth exploring the sensory gardens, in fact the whole place is so serence and beautiful it's great to jog or walk around.
Did anything surprise you about the resort? The Europeans often do shorter exercise classes, more frequently, which gives you a lot of variety. The Pilates and yoga classes were only half an hour long, but as no one else turned up it was like having my own private class, and the instructors were really knowledgeable, they knew exactly how to correct my postures.
Lefay have some fanstastic  packages that will leave you destressed and glowing with health. Try a rejuvenating pacackage or a chinese medicine based spa method programme.

Luxuriate at Laluna - our latest Caribbean hideaway

With its eclectic fusion of Italian influences, Balinese bounty and Caribbean charm you might think Laluna a bit of an odd mix, but it works. Voted this year as one of the top 100 best hotels in the world by Sunday Times Magazine, this chic little Caribbean bolthole on a golden Sandy beach in Grenada has proven itself a perfect spa holiday.

We've managed to secure some exclusive spa holidays at this super chilled resort. Explore the rainforest filled island, swim in secluded waterfalls,and roam around spice markets on our brand new Balance & Discovery Programme or take private yoga classes in their stunning beach-based yoga pavilion with our Exclusive Yoga Programme. Take some time to yourself and check them out!