Make a splash: The best spa town hotels for a relaxing getaway
Read ahead for the best spa hotels in the world to rest and recharge, in destinations such as Hakone, Bath and Baden-Baden.
Grand Resort Bad Ragaz
Bad Ragaz, Switzerland
9Telegraph expert rating
In truth, this sprawling resort actually comprises three hotels that are wrapped around an extraordinary spa complex, with treatment rooms, saunas and steam baths on the wellness side, and nutrition programmes, dermatology clinics, sports medicine and more in the large medical facility. It’s all thoroughly modern, but at the centre of everything sit the thermal pools that have been the heart and soul of this Alpine town since the 13th century. Read expert review From £354 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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KAI Sengokuhara
Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
8Telegraph expert rating
Tradition meets modernity at this contemporary ryokan in the famous onsen town of Hakone, which sits on a tranquil mountside some two hours’ train ride from the bustle of Tokyo. It sells itself on art – exclusive works from resident artists, creative workshops for guests – but equal reason to make the trip is the communal hot spring baths, set outside in tranquil gardens with far-reaching views of the surrounding countryside. Or, for a little privacy, each bedroom balcony has its own wooden bath filled with steaming onsen water. Read expert review From £486 per night
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Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa
Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
9Telegraph expert rating
Such is Baden-Baden’s reputation for its life-giving waters that royalty, aristocracy and other members of the world elite flock to the fringes of the Black Forest to soak in its hot springs – and when they come, they tend to stay at Brenners Park. This imposing 19th-century hotel could be described as the grande dame of European spa resorts, and not just for its five floors of wellness facilities. Apart from pools, saunas and steam rooms, there are tenderly cultivated gardens to wander in, a Michelin-starred restaurant to dine in, and sumptuously appointed suites to sleep in. Read expert review From £274 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Gainsborough Bath Spa
Bath, Somerset, England
9Telegraph expert rating
Folk from across Britain and beyond have been taking the waters at Bath since ancient times, ever since a young Celtic prince named Bladud was supposedly cured of leprosy there. These days, anybody can come to bathe in the mineral-rich springs at the Thermae Bath Spa, although for a touch more exclusivity and convenience, the grand Gainsborough hotel offers the only other spring-fed spa in the city. Clad in smooth marble, with Doric columns spaced about the thermal pool’s edge, you could almost be soaking in the nearby Roman Baths. Read expert review From £213 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
The Adelphi Hotel
Saratoga Springs, Upstate New York, United States
8Telegraph expert rating
Few of the United States’ spa towns have the heritage to match Saratoga Springs, which, thanks to its position equidistant from New York City and Boston, became a focal point for east coast society during the 19th century. The Adelphi is a relic of that era, albeit one that has had an upgrade. The look and feel is still very much 'vintage Victoriana' though, and with the town’s spring waters a short jaunt away, and the racecourse also nearby, the old slogan of 'health, history, horses' still rings true today. Read expert review From £306 per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
