The Best Wellness Retreats to Book in Valencia, Spain

The Hotel Hospes Palau de la Mar occupies a 19th-century palace directly opposite the lush Turia Gardens, one of the largest city parks in Spain. Its on-site Bodyna Spa comprises a first-floor area where you can book treatments such as body scrubs, facials and massages, and a ground-floor wellness centre kitted out with a sauna, a gym, a Turkish bath and an indoor pool. Sample the rice and seafood for which Valencia is celebrated at Ampar Restaurant, where top dishes include octopus with citrus and yellowfin tuna with tomatoes and olives.

Get into the holiday swing of things with a stay at the Westin Valencia, with a state-of-the-art spa to aid your relaxation. The wellness centre offers an array of services; you can book fitness classes in the gym, soak in the plunge pools or treat yourself to a body wrap or massage. The guest rooms are just as relaxing, with some featuring terraces with jacuzzis. If you’re a keen runner or fancy a spot of outdoor yoga to start your day, the expansive Turia Gardens are close by.

Sporty types won’t do better than SH Valencia Palace, a hotel frequently chosen by Spain’s first-division football teams for its top-class fitness facilities. After working out, gaze out over the Turia Gardens and the Palau de la Música from the sauna or indoor infinity pool, or book yourself a personalised relaxation programme. Other available treatments include pressotherapy, passive gymnastics, vacuum therapy, and slimming and draining body wraps. On the accommodation side of things, the superior rooms overlook the Turia’s dry riverbed-turned-garden.

Book an 80-minute spa circuit at the Spa Primus Valencia, and you’ll move through installations such as a whirlpool, a foot bath, an ice fountain and an aromatic and contrast shower before finishing up in a space-age relaxation room under ultraviolet lighting. When you’re ready to explore, several of the city’s main attractions are within a 10-minute walk, including the futuristic architecture of the City of Arts and Sciences – home to the largest aquarium in Europe and the Queen Sofía Palace of the Arts. Superior rooms can be booked with or without private terraces.

If you want to make the most of Valencia’s sun and sand while being seriously pampered, book a three-night spa retreat at the famous beachfront Las Arenas Balneario Resort in Valencia, founded in 1898; it’s an ideal place for a long weekend away. The spa offers everything from luxury facial and massage treatments to a thermal circuit. There are also pools and terraces where you can enjoy the sea breeze and coastal views.