Luxury Travel Advisor - July 2008 - (Page 36)

AT THE ANANTARA MALDIVES (this photo and center), spa treatments are administered in eight separate suites. OVER-WATER SUITES (bottom photo) at the Anantara Maldives have lush, private sleeping quarters. should book them into the “Dine by Design” program, which offers couples the chance to have an exclusive experience in one of the many beautiful areas around the islands. Since only one such experience can be enjoyed per day, it’s advised you book early. The spa at the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru (www.fourseasons.com) provides avid spa-goers age 16 and over with Ayurvedic therapies in secluded open-air treatment areas. Set on its own 2½-acre site, the spa has 10 thatched treatment pavilions; four are over the water and have their own steam rooms and deep baths that overlook the ocean. Garden treatment villas have their own steam rooms and outdoor showers. While this is all quite posh and lovely, we think that those three pavilions found in the spa’s Ayurvedic Retreat, which teaches guests about the fundamental philosophical approach to Ayurveda, including diet, body type, patient approach and the practice of yoga and meditation, might be the ones to opt for. That’s because in each of these treatment pavilions, which are furnished with wooden Ayurvedic tables, traditional herbal bathtubs, steam benches and an area for mud treatments, guests are treated to “physical and spiritual rejuvenation.” Note: there’s also a selection of resident yogi guides at the resort who lead guests through morning meditation and evening enlightenment sessions from a pavilion that “floats” on the sea. Hint: For true soul searchers, private sessions are available. The Island Spa at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa (www.fourseasons.com) is set on its own island, which is reachable from the main resort via a wooden dhoni (traditional Maldivian boat). All told, there are seven thatched over-water spa pavilions, each with its own viewing port that allows clients to watch marine life just below them. Here, the Asian-inspired spa treatments are complemented by the use of Vichy showers and oversized deep soaking tubs, while an open-air, oceanfront yoga and meditation platform is used by the resort’s resident yogi for private training sessions. The travel agent liaison for the U.S. is Ayumi Sakamoto, director of sales (ayumi.sakamo to@fourseasons.com). 36 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | July 2008 http://www.fourseasons.com http://www.fourseasons.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Luxury Travel Advisor - July 2008

Luxury Travel Advisor - July 2008 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter California Coast Tuscan Villas Ranch Vacations Gansevoort South Rancho Las Cruces Reserva Conchal Spas of the Maldives St. Lucia A Gentleman's Touch The Pulse Just Back Sightings Source List

Luxury Travel Advisor - July 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.