#1 for Wellness Retreat
Ubud, Bali · Ultra-luxury . ***** · from USD 1,200/night
"COMO's Ubud estate, the COMO Shambhala curriculum's founding property, the global wellness benchmark."
9.8Room & Design
10.0Service
9.9Location
Why this rank, COMO Shambhala Estate opened in 2005 in the jungle north of Ubud, on a 23-acre site overlooking the Ayung River gorge. 30 rooms and suites across five residences (the Estate House, Tirta Ening, Wanakasa, Umabona, Tejasuara), each named for one of the property's five wellness focuses. The COMO Shambhala curriculum was developed here and now runs as the brand's global wellness programme across COMO properties; the Ubud Estate remains its operational headquarters and the most fully realised implementation. The wellness director leads a team of practitioners trained in TCM, Ayurveda, somatic therapy and structural realignment. The kitchen runs the COMO Shambhala Cuisine programme (raw, clean, macronutrient-balanced) developed by chef Amanda Gale. The integrated three, five and seven-day programmes are the property's working booking categories. Best for the structured wellness stay where the curriculum is the reason to come and the property is the global benchmark.
Best room: Tirta Ening, river-view residence, private terrace
#2 for Wellness Retreat
Sedona, Arizona · Ultra-luxury . ***** · from USD 2,000/night (all-inclusive)
"The Boynton Canyon destination spa, the working US destination-spa flagship, three and seven-night curriculum."
9.7Room & Design
10.0Service
9.9Location
Why this rank, Mii Amo, A Destination Spa opened in 2001 in Boynton Canyon next to Enchantment Resort, on a Sedona red-rock site at the working centre of the canyon's energy vortex tradition. 16 casitas only across a desert-modern compound. The Mii Amo experience is sold exclusively as three or seven-night all-inclusive curricula, which is the structural difference from spa-equipped hotels: every guest is on a programme, every meal is on the programme, every treatment is scheduled within the programme. The wellness director leads a team of practitioners trained in Native American healing, somatic therapy, hypnotherapy, breathwork and integrated nutrition. The property reopened in 2023 after a multi-year complete renovation that added the Mii Amo Crystal Grotto and the rebuilt treatment rooms. Best for the structured US destination-spa wellness stay where the property is the working US benchmark.
Best room: Mii Amo Casita, red-rock view, private terrace
#3 for Wellness Retreat
Ubud, Bali · Ultra-luxury . ***** · from USD 1,500/night
"Marriott's Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Ubud, the Ayung River gorge, the deepest in-house wellness team in Bali."
9.8Room & Design
9.9Service
9.9Location
Why this rank, Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve opened in 2015 on the Ayung River gorge north of Ubud, a 12-hectare site that includes a working rice paddy. 35 suites and 25 pool villas across the property. The Spa at Mandapa runs the property's wellness curriculum with the Healing Village programme, a three-day to nine-day integrated curriculum led by the property's resident wellness director and a team of practitioners trained in Balinese healing (the Boreh wraps), Ayurveda, sound healing and meditation. The yoga pavilion overlooks the river. The Sawah Terrace restaurant runs the wellness-aligned dining; Kubu by the river handles the formal dinner anchor with private rattan-cocoon dining pods. The Ayung River setting (no other property has equivalent gorge access in Ubud) is the property's defining wellness asset. Best for the Bali wellness stay at the Ritz-Carlton Reserve service tier with the deepest in-house wellness team in Bali.
Best room: Pool Villa with private pool, river view
#4 for Wellness Retreat
Five Valleys, Bhutan · Ultra-luxury . ***** · from USD 1,800/night
"Six Senses' five-lodge Bhutan circuit, the deepest cross-property wellness programme in Asia."
9.7Room & Design
9.9Service
10.0Location
Why this rank, Six Senses Bhutan opened in 2019 across five lodges at Thimphu, Paro, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang. The Six Senses Integrated Wellness programme runs across all five lodges as a single curriculum, with sleep consultations, breathwork, yoga at altitude, integrated nutrition and traditional Bhutanese sowa rigpa treatments delivered in sequence across the multi-lodge journey. The wellness director coordinates across the five lodges; each lodge has its own resident wellness team trained in the local Bhutanese tradition. Hot stone baths in cedar tubs, meditation with monks at the Black Necked Crane Monastery in Gangtey, and dawn hikes to Tiger's Nest at Paro structure the daily rhythm. The lodges share a single design vocabulary of rammed-earth walls and cedar interiors. Best for the multi-week structured wellness stay where the curriculum runs across a country rather than at a single property.
Best room: Lodge Suite with private terrace, valley view
#5 for Wellness Retreat
Ubud, Bali · Ultra-luxury . ***** · from USD 1,400/night
"Bill Bensley's all-tent Ubud property, the most-photographed tented wellness retreat in Asia."
9.7Room & Design
9.9Service
9.8Location
Why this rank, Capella Ubud opened in 2018 in the Ubud rainforest at Keliki, designed by Bill Bensley as a tented camp inspired by the European explorer tradition. 23 tents across the property, including the Tent at the Top of the World and the multi-bedroom Cliff Edge Tent. Auriga Wellness is the property's wellness operation; the curriculum runs across half-day, one-day and three-day programmes integrating massage, sound healing, the property's herbal apothecary, and the moon-cycle-aligned rituals from the Balinese Saka calendar. Api Jiwa restaurant runs the wellness-aligned dining; Mads Lange handles the formal dinner anchor. The Bensley design (the Bali jungle reinterpreted through the explorer-camp lens) is the property's structural difference from the more traditionally Balinese Mandapa or Como Shambhala. Best for the design-led Bali wellness stay where the tented architecture is part of the curriculum.
Best room: Cliff Edge Tent, multi-bedroom, jungle view
#6 for Wellness Retreat
Boynton Canyon, Sedona, Arizona · Five-Star . ***** · from USD 700/night
"The Boynton Canyon resort adjacent to Mii Amo, the working Sedona red-rock wellness stay."
9.5Room & Design
9.7Service
10.0Location
Why this rank, Enchantment Resort opened in 1987 in Boynton Canyon, the working Sedona red-rock canyon and the host site for Mii Amo Destination Spa. 218 casitas and suites across the canyon-floor property. The wellness programming runs through the Enchantment Spa and includes the canyon-vortex hikes, the Hopi-tradition flute meditation, sound bathing in the canyon's natural amphitheatre, and the meditation labyrinth on the property. The Tii Gavo restaurant runs the property's signature dining; Che-Ah-Chi handles the formal Native American-influenced dinner anchor. Enchantment is the working alternative to the all-inclusive Mii Amo: a regular hotel stay with wellness programming added rather than the curriculum-only structure of Mii Amo. Best for the Sedona red-rock wellness stay where the canyon vortex and the broader resort programming combine without the Mii Amo all-inclusive commitment.
Best room: Casita Suite, two bedrooms, red-rock view
#7 for Wellness Retreat
Sayan, Ubud, Bali · Five-Star . ***** · from USD 1,200/night
"The 1998 John Heah-designed Ubud Four Seasons, the Ayung River gorge, the working Bali luxury wellness flagship."
9.7Room & Design
9.9Service
9.9Location
Why this rank, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan opened in 1998 above the Ayung River gorge at Sayan, 15 minutes from central Ubud. 60 suites and villas across the property; the suites are arranged around the iconic elliptical lily pond at the entrance that the John Heah design has made one of Bali's most-photographed hotel architectural moments. The Sacred River Spa is set within the riverbank below the main property, with treatment rooms cantilevered over the river. The Wellness Mentor programme runs the property's curriculum, with one to seven-day journeys integrating massage, meditation, yoga, and the Four Seasons-specific Earth Awakening (chakra cleansing) and Mind & Body (breathwork) programmes. The Ayung Terrace restaurant runs the dinner anchor; Sokasi handles the casual Indonesian programme. Best for the Bali luxury wellness stay at Four Seasons service tier with the most-recognisable architectural setting in Ubud.
Best room: Sayan Villa, one-bedroom, river view, private pool
#8 for Wellness Retreat
Paro, Bhutan · Five-Star . ***** · from USD 900/night
"The Paro Valley COMO Shambhala lodge, the most accessible entry to a serious Bhutan wellness retreat."
9.4Room & Design
9.7Service
9.7Location
Why this rank, COMO Uma Paro opened in 2004 above the Paro Valley on a forested ridge, with views of Mount Jomolhari on clear mornings. 29 rooms and villas across a small lodge with a central courtyard. The COMO Shambhala programme runs the property's wellness curriculum integrated with Bhutanese sowa rigpa practice, with a seven-day course addressing sleep, breath, nutrition and movement in sequence. The hotel's small scale means the wellness team know each guest's programme by name within forty-eight hours. Yoga at dawn on the lawn overlooks Mount Jomolhari. Hikes to Tiger's Nest and to local nunneries are arranged with private guides as part of the programme. Bukhari restaurant runs an Asian-fusion menu in parallel to Bhutanese classics. The lower-cost entry point combined with the COMO Shambhala curriculum makes COMO Uma Paro the working entry-level serious Bhutan wellness retreat. Best for the entry-level structured Bhutan wellness stay.
Best room: COMO Villa, private terrace, mountain view
#9 for Wellness Retreat
Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Tuscany · Five-Star . ***** · from EUR 900/night
"COMO's 12th-century Tuscan estate, the European COMO Shambhala flagship, the Michelin-star kitchen."
9.6Room & Design
9.5Service
9.4Location
Why this rank, Castello del Nero is a 12th-century Tuscan estate twenty minutes south of Florence, operated by COMO Hotels since 2019 as a wellness-led country retreat. 50 suites are spread between the castle, the converted farmhouses and the chapel grounds. The COMO Shambhala spa programme runs the property's wellness curriculum, with the European version of the brand's global programme integrated with Italian-tradition treatments. Yoga is taken in the orangery; the wellness director runs three to seven-day curricula. The kitchen holds a Michelin star and the chef's table works for the wellness-aligned dining (the chef and the wellness director collaborate on the curriculum menus). Olive groves and vineyards extend from the windows. Florence is close when wanted and absent when not. Best for the European Tuscan wellness stay where the COMO Shambhala curriculum runs in a Tuscan castle setting.
Best room: Junior Suite Chianti, valley view
#10 for Wellness Retreat
Ubud, Bali · Ultra-luxury . ***** · from USD 1,400/night
"The 1989 Ubud Aman, the founding Aman property in Bali, the village-edge wellness retreat."
9.7Room & Design
9.9Service
9.8Location
Why this rank, Amandari opened in 1989 in the village of Kedewatan above the Ayung River gorge, the founding Aman property in Bali and one of the founding properties of the Aman portfolio globally. 30 thatched suites and one Amandari Villa across the property, the layout configured as a Balinese village. The Aman Spa runs the property's wellness curriculum, with treatments integrating Indonesian-tradition Boreh wraps, Javanese Lulur scrubs, and the Amandari-specific Healing Stone Bath in the river gorge. Yoga is taken in the wantilan (the Balinese open pavilion). The Restaurant Amandari and the Bar Amandari anchor the dining. The Kedewatan village setting (the property is set within the working village rather than separated from it) is the structural difference from newer Bali wellness retreats: guests participate in village ceremonies and pass through the working agricultural rhythm of Bali daily. Best for the heritage Bali wellness stay at the property that defined Bali ultra-luxury.
Best room: Amandari Villa, private pool, three-bedroom
#11 for Wellness Retreat
Xpu-Ha, Riviera Maya · Five-Star . ***** · from USD 800/night
"The 50-acre former Italian principessa private estate on the Riviera Maya, beachfront wellness retreat."
9.5Room & Design
9.7Service
9.8Location
Why this rank, Hotel Esencia opened in 2002 on a 50-acre former private estate of an Italian principessa on Xpu-Ha beach, 25 minutes south of Playa del Carmen and 90 minutes from Cancun airport. 28 rooms, suites and villas across the estate. The Mayan-tradition spa runs the property's wellness programming, with treatments integrating temazcal sweat-lodge sessions, Mayan herbal apothecary work, and the property's-own honey-and-cocoa wraps drawn from the on-site beehives. Yoga is taken on the beach at dawn. The kitchen runs a clean-eating programme aligned with the wellness curriculum. The 50-acre setting (the largest beachfront private estate in the Riviera Maya) is the property's defining wellness asset: walking trails through the jungle to the beach, no neighbouring development. Best for the Riviera Maya beachfront wellness stay at the working alternative to the Tulum strip.
Best room: Beachfront Villa, three-bedroom, private pool
#12 for Wellness Retreat
Sedona, Arizona · Five-Star . ***** · from USD 700/night
"The Oak Creek-side Sedona resort, the working Sedona forest wellness alternative to the canyon properties."
9.5Room & Design
9.7Service
9.7Location
Why this rank, L'Auberge de Sedona opened in 1984 on Oak Creek in central Sedona, with the creek running through the property and Cathedral Rock visible from the property's east edge. 88 cottages and lodges across the property, all with creek or red-rock view. The L'Apothecary Spa runs the property's wellness programming, integrating the Sedona-specific vortex meditation, the on-creek sound bathing, and the daily yoga programme on the creek-edge yoga platform. The kitchen runs farm-to-table dining at Cress on Oak Creek, the property's signature restaurant. The Oak Creek-side position is the structural difference from the canyon properties (Enchantment, Mii Amo): the creek-and-cottonwood-tree forest setting is gentler than the Boynton Canyon red-rock setting. Best for the Sedona forest wellness stay at the working Oak Creek alternative.
Best room: Creek Cottage, private creek-side deck
#13 for Wellness Retreat
Tulum, Mexico · Boutique . ***** · from USD 600/night
"The Habitas tented community on Tulum's beach, the working sustainability-led Tulum wellness retreat."
9.4Room & Design
9.6Service
9.6Location
Why this rank, Habitas Tulum opened in 2018 on Tulum's hotel zone beach, the working sustainability-led tented camp model that Habitas has since expanded to Mexico City, Namibia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. 32 tented suites and casitas across the property. The wellness programming runs through the Habitas curriculum, with daily yoga in the beachfront pavilion, sound bathing, breathwork, and the property's signature temazcal sweat-lodge sessions led by Mayan-tradition practitioners. The kitchen runs a plant-forward menu aligned with the wellness curriculum. The Habitas Tulum community programme (the property runs as a community rather than a hotel, with daily-rhythm activities that guests participate in collectively) is the structural difference from the more conventional Tulum beach hotels. Best for the Tulum wellness stay at the working sustainability-and-community-led tented camp.
Best room: Beachfront Casita, private terrace, ocean view
#14 for Wellness Retreat
Buahan, Bali · Ultra-luxury . ***** · from USD 1,200/night
"Banyan Tree's no-walls villa escape, the working ultra-private Bali wellness retreat."
9.6Room & Design
9.8Service
9.7Location
Why this rank, Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape opened in 2022 in the village of Buahan north of Ubud, designed as a no-walls villa experience set within the jungle. 16 villas only across the property, each with open-air design (no exterior walls, with retractable canvas covers for weather), private pool and integrated outdoor living space. The wellness curriculum is delivered as a fully integrated component of the stay: every guest has a wellness host who coordinates the curriculum (massage, meditation, yoga, breathwork) across the property. The kitchen runs the Open Kitchen programme with no fixed menu (the chef cooks what is available from the property's organic garden and local producers each day). The intimate scale (16 villas) combined with the no-walls villa design produces the most-private ultra-luxury wellness format in Bali. Best for the ultra-luxury Bali wellness stay at the working most-private new property.
Best room: Bayugita Villa, no-walls design, private pool, jungle view
#15 for Wellness Retreat
Ubud, Bali · Five-Star . ***** · from USD 900/night
"The Petanu River valley Viceroy, all-villa pool product, the working Ubud wellness retreat above the gorge."
9.5Room & Design
9.7Service
9.7Location
Why this rank, Viceroy Bali opened in 2003 above the Petanu River valley in central Ubud, an all-villa property with 25 villas, each with private pool and butler service. The Lembah Spa runs the property's wellness programming, integrating Balinese-tradition treatments (Boreh wraps, Mandi Lulur scrubs), Ayurvedic protocols, and the property's-specific Valley of the Kings meditation programmes. Yoga is taken at the wantilan overlooking the valley. CasCades restaurant runs the dinner anchor (one of the deepest wine programmes in Bali, with floor-to-ceiling wine cellar). The Viceroy is family-owned (the Hadiprana family), which has produced a different operational character from the larger international-brand Bali properties. Best for the Bali wellness stay at a smaller family-owned property with the working Ubud valley setting.
Best room: Pool Villa, private pool, valley view
#16 for Wellness Retreat
Uluwatu, Bali · Ultra-luxury . ***** · from USD 2,000/night
"Bulgari's Uluwatu cliff-top resort, 150-metre clifftop, the working ultra-luxury cliff-edge wellness retreat."
9.7Room & Design
9.9Service
9.8Location
Why this rank, Bulgari Resort Bali opened in 2006 on a 150-metre clifftop above the Indian Ocean at Uluwatu, on Bali's southwestern peninsula. 59 villas and 5 mansions across the property; the Cliff Villas and the Bulgari Villa floor plans are the working wellness-stay accommodations, all with private pool and clifftop ocean views. The Bulgari Spa runs the property's wellness curriculum integrating Italian-tradition treatments, Balinese-tradition Boreh wraps, and the property's-specific clifftop-yoga programme on the platform overlooking the ocean. Sangkar runs the all-day dining; Il Ristorante Niko Romito runs the property's Michelin-aligned dinner anchor. The Uluwatu clifftop position is the structural difference from the Ubud forest properties: ocean-facing wellness rather than jungle-and-river wellness. Best for the Bali clifftop ultra-luxury wellness stay where the ocean-and-sunset register is the primary setting.
Best room: Mansion, private pool, clifftop ocean view
#17 for Wellness Retreat
Payangan, Ubud, Bali · Five-Star . ***** · from USD 600/night
"The 1996 Kerry Hill-designed Payangan property, the working entry-level Bali wellness retreat."
9.4Room & Design
9.6Service
9.7Location
Why this rank, Alila Ubud opened in 1996 above the Ayung River gorge at Payangan, designed by Kerry Hill, one of the most architecturally significant Bali hotels of the past three decades. 56 rooms and villas across the property. Hyatt acquired Alila in 2018; the property has retained the original Kerry Hill design. The Spa Alila runs the property's wellness programming with Balinese-tradition treatments and the property's signature Resilience three-day programme integrating yoga, meditation and breathwork. The Plantation restaurant runs the wellness-aligned dining; the iconic green-tiled infinity pool overlooking the river gorge is the most-photographed Bali pool. The property's lower entry rate combined with the architectural significance and the Kerry Hill design make Alila Ubud the working entry-level Bali wellness retreat. Best for the entry-level Bali wellness stay at an architecturally significant property.
Best room: Pool Villa, one-bedroom, private pool, valley view
#18 for Wellness Retreat
Koh Yao Noi, Phang Nga Bay, Thailand · Five-Star . ***** · from THB 30,000/night
"Six Senses' Phang Nga Bay pool villa resort, the working Thailand wellness retreat with the karst-formation views."
9.6Room & Design
9.8Service
9.7Location
Why this rank, Six Senses Yao Noi opened in 2007 on Koh Yao Noi island in Phang Nga Bay, between Phuket and Krabi, with views across the bay to the limestone karst formations. 56 pool villas across the property; the Hilltop Reserve and Family Pool Villa are the multi-bedroom wellness-stay accommodations. The Six Senses Spa runs the Integrated Wellness curriculum, with sleep consultations, breathwork, yoga at the property's hilltop pavilion, integrated nutrition and traditional Thai treatments delivered across three, five and seven-day programmes. The Living Room restaurant runs the all-day wellness-aligned dining; the Hilltop Reserve dining room serves private multi-course meals when the wellness curriculum requires a more controlled environment. The biodiverse organic garden supplies the wellness-curriculum kitchen. Best for the Thailand wellness stay at the working Six Senses curriculum point in the Andaman Sea.
Best room: Hilltop Reserve, four bedrooms, private pool
#19 for Wellness Retreat
Tulum, Mexico · Boutique . ***** · from USD 700/night
"The Tulum hotel-zone Sanara, the working wellness-only boutique on the strip."
9.4Room & Design
9.6Service
9.6Location
Why this rank, Sanara Tulum opened in 2014 on Tulum's hotel-zone beach, designed as a wellness-only boutique with no nightclub, no party programming, and an integrated wellness curriculum that runs as the property's primary positioning. 19 rooms and suites across the property. The Sanara wellness programme runs daily yoga (twice daily in peak season), sound healing, breathwork, temazcal sweat-lodge sessions, and the property's signature plant-medicine-aligned cacao ceremonies. The Real Coconut restaurant runs the property's plant-forward dining with no alcohol service, a structural difference from the Tulum hotel-zone party-oriented properties. The Sanara on the property's beach handles the daytime sun-and-sea programme. The Tulum hotel-zone position (six minutes' walk to the Tulum ruins, three minutes to the cenote) puts the broader Tulum programming within reach without requiring a vehicle. Best for the Tulum wellness stay at the working alcohol-free wellness-only property.
Best room: Sanara Two-Bedroom Suite, beachfront
#20 for Wellness Retreat
Tulum, Mexico · Boutique . ***** · from USD 900/night
"The Pablo Escobar-built mansion turned boutique hotel, the most-original Tulum property, art-led wellness retreat."
9.5Room & Design
9.5Service
9.7Location
Why this rank, Casa Malca opened in 2014 in the former Pablo Escobar Tulum mansion, restored as a 70-room art-led boutique by collector Lio Malca. The Pablo-Escobar provenance combined with the contemporary-art collection (Basquiat, KAWS, Damien Hirst, Keith Haring on display across the property) makes Casa Malca the most-original Tulum property and one of the most-photographed Mexican boutique hotels. The wellness programming runs through daily yoga on the beach, breathwork sessions, temazcal sweat-lodge ceremonies, and the property's-specific moon-cycle-aligned cacao rituals. Philosophy restaurant runs the plant-forward dining; the Underground Bar handles the cocktail register (Casa Malca is not a wellness-only property in the Sanara mode, but the wellness programming runs throughout the property). Best for the Tulum wellness stay at the working art-and-design-led alternative to the wellness-only and party-oriented Tulum extremes.
Best room: Beachfront Suite, ocean view, private terrace
