Best Spa Hotels, Asia

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ASIA
2008 Rank	2007 Rank
1. Conrad Maldives, Rangali Island	2
2. The Ritz-Carlton, Bali Resort & Spa	1
3. The Peninsula Bangkok	3
4. Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay, Bali	4
5. Amanpuri, Aman Spa, Phuket Six Senses Hideaway Samui	5 7
6. Banyan Tree Phuket Bulgari Resort Bali	7 10
7. Soneva Gili by Six Senses, Maldives	5
8. JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa	9
9. Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai	8
10. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai	8 13
11. Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang	11
12. COMO Shambhala Estate at Begawan Giri, Bali	10
13. Pangkor Laut Resort	6
14. The Tongsai Bay, Koh Samui	11
15. InterContinental Bali Resort	18
16. The Oriental Bangkok	12
17. Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai	- 8
18. Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort	20
19. Sofitel Centara Grand Resort & Villas, Hua Hin One&Only Maldives At Reeti Rah Chiva-Som Resort Hua Hin	13 - 20
20. Conrad Bali Resort & Spa, Bali Royal Pita Maha, Bali	12 24
21. Plaza Athénee Bangkok, A Royal Méridien Hotel Hotel Tugu Bali	17 24
22. Ananda in the Himalayas, Rishikesh Mandala Spa Boracay	21 -
23. Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, Chiang Rai	15
24. Conrad Bangkok The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong	10 23
25. Mandarin Oriental Tokyo	-

Any modern traveller worth his salt will be unable to string three sentences together without the word “spa resort” tossed in here or there, somewhere, anywhere. Spas have attained a certain cachet, so much so that just about every place with a mug and running water claims to be a spa resort. Not so. The arts are ancient – and specific – even if the delivery is modern and the setting contemporary. On then to our Top 25 List of the Best Asian Spa Resorts.

A clear favourite in the Best Spa Hotel of Asia category, is the rebranded Conrad Maldives, Rangali Island. It was formerly a Hilton and ranked first worldwide in 2006 and second in 2007. It is back up strongly at No.1, straddling two separate islands connected by a walkway. The Spa Retreat offers water villas and treatment rooms. But, for a true-blue marine experience, head five metres below to an exclusive wine cellar and a glassed-in underwater restaurant. The public areas are stylish, fraternal, and informal with sand underfoot. Service is friendly and quick despite the larger number of guests here when the resort gets busy.

The sprawling The Ritz-Carlton Bali Resort & Spa is ranked second (it won the top spot in 2007). This breezy and secluded retreat features its own 22,000sq m hydrotherapy resort within a resort. At the Thermes Marins Bali, amidst the gardens and water-features, are the spa villas and a huge "aquatonic” pool.

The luxurious riverside The Peninsula Bangkok was voted a strong third (the same position it occupied in 2007). The hotel’s spa is a joint development with the spa consultancy ESPA and occupies a characterful three-storey Thai colonial-style building overlooking the river and set at the back of the hotel’s gardens and stepped swimming pools. It has several treatment rooms, including four rooms for couples.

Voted fourth Best Spa Hotel in Asia is the elegant Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, sited on a verdant headland with open views along Jimbaran Bay. The Spa at Jimbaran Bay is near the sea and utilises sea-salt crystals, seaweed and natural ingredients. In joint fifth place are the quintessentially Thai Amanpuri, Phuket, and its Aman Spa (the first by Amanresorts), and the Six Senses Hideaway Samui
(formerly known as the Sila Evason Hideaway & Spa), set on a secluded headland to the north of Samui Island with cinemascope views of the sea and brilliant monsoon sunsets.

Ranked joint sixth in the Best Asian Spa Hotels category is veteran spa icon Banyan Tree Phuket – a sprawling compound of pampered luxury in the family-friendly Laguna Phuket enclave. Banyan Tree Phuket was ranked second in 2006 and seventh in 2007). It is the spa getaway that started the rubdown excitement with its stylishly Thai spa villas and authentic treatments, now almost an industry. Golf on the side remains a big draw.

Joint sixth with Banyan Tree Phuket is the new Bulgari Resort Bali, a supremely chilled-out designer getaway with cool touches, elegant black stone underfoot and cosy snuggeries for honeymooners. The Spa at the Bulgari Resort Bali offers an upscale yoga pavilion, relaxation lounge, six treatment rooms and two Royal Pavilions where couples can savour plunge pools, a private garden and stimulating rain showers. In between enjoy views of leggy models strolling the cliffside pool “catwalk”.

Soneva Gili by Six Senses is in seventh (down a couple of notches from No.5 in 2007). The place is engagingly eccentric, close to Malé, the capital island. Rooms here are born of fantasy, self-contained timbered enclaves sprouting from a lagoon. At the top end are the Private Reserves and Crusoe Residences. Some villas require a rowboat to shuttle you around. What could be better than that? Of course, the Six Senses Spa.