Whether you want to get close to nature, indulge yourself or even shift a few pounds on holiday, traveldk.com is packed with hotels that give you the experience you’re after from the moment you wake up to the second you go to sleep. Below we’ve hand-picked five hotels that we think offer the perfect escape for everyone from luxury-lovers to naturalists, gym bunnies to culture vultures.
If you love nature... Capsis Beach Hotel, Crete
Set on a private headland with beautiful views of the Aegean, Capsis Beach Hotel is a nature lover's paradise. On top of all the luxuries you'd expect from a 5* hotel, there is a very unique twist to the Capsis – its stringent environmental protection plan. This dedication to the environment means the hotel has botanical gardens, Ancient Greek ruins, lakes, ponds, cascades, waterfalls and green pathways all within its grounds. It also has three private greenhouses, in which organic fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers are grown for use in its restaurants and bars. But the most unique thing about the Capsis is its zoo; this is the largest private zoo in Crete, in which guests can see pelicans, monkeys, parrots and much more.
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If you love luxury... Burj Al Arab, Dubai
From the moment a Rolls Royce picks you up from the airport, your luxury experience at Burj Al Arab begins. This iconic hotel is the ultimate in pampering, offering a range of personal services to guests – from being welcomed to the hotel with refreshments, cold towels, incense and dates to having a brigade of highly trained butlers on hand to tend to your every need throughout your stay. As you’d expect from a self-proclaimed ‘seven star’ hotel, the Burj Al Arab is the home of pure luxury!
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If you love keeping fit... Renaissance Retreat, Costa Blanca
Set in beautiful Mediterranean gardens on the outskirts of Javea, you'll find Renaissance Retreat. This restored farmhouse may look like a relaxing holiday home, but it is in fact the base from which to embark on a fitness and weight loss campaign. The hotel hosts a team of experts who'll put you through your paces in a 6 day-4 week programme designed to get you in shape – choose from the Weight Loss Boot Camp (a strenuous exercise programme), Kickstart (a metabolism boosting fitness programme), the Standard Fitness Package (a fitness and relaxation programme) or the Weight Loss Programme (a longer-term weight loss 'journey'). Besides enjoying the sunny climate and new surroundings, there are other benefits to combining keep-fit with a holiday – on your workouts you'll experience things like olive grove obstacle courses, hiking in the Montgo Natural Park and yoga on the beach.
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If you love culture... Hotel Claris, Barcelona
In the centre of Barcelona sits Claris, a boutique hotel with all the luxuries you would expect, plus one very special extra – its own exclusive museum. The fascinating museum hosts pre-Colombian art, such as engravings commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte, mosaics and Roman sculptures from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. But the art is not confined to Claris's museum; all 124 bedrooms are decorated with original Egyptian, Roman and Hindu art, as are the hotel's restaurants, bars and other communal areas. And if you're still hungry for more, the admission fee to the nearby Museu Egipci – home to one of the finest collections of Ancient Egyptian artefacts in Europe – is waived for guests from Claris.
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If you love being pampered... Vilalara Thalassa, The Algarve
Perched overlooking the ocean and surrounded by lush gardens, is lavish spa Vilalara Thalassa. This luxury resort offers guests an extensive range of over 50 pampering treatments, from mud wraps to hot stone massages, plus one of the world's finest thalassotherapy centres. There's also an activities program including yoga, tai chi and personal training and three on-site restaurants to choose from – including the Dietetic Restaurant, where diners can experience gourmet low-calorie meals. With a hotel so dedicated to its guest's wellbeing, you're guaranteed to leave your holiday feeling a million dollars.
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