Algarve spa breaks: De-stressing in perfect Portugal
Having a bit of a stretch before breakfast is always a good thing.
But attempting a little yoga on a balcony overlooking wild, green, undulating countryside - just as the sun is preparing to unleash its full power on the day - is even better.
This is what I find myself doing Im at the Longevity Wellness Resort - a healthy hideaway that nestles neatly in Monchique, southern Portugal. And the prospect of three days of spa treatments, swimming, relaxing and eating carefully-prepared food is truly appealing.
Green glory: With its lush vegetation, the Serra da Monchique region is often called 'the Garden of the Algarve
The Algarve has long been a favourite destination for Brits abroad, its sun, sea and sand an obvious - if clichd - draw.
But if, like me, you get bored lying on a sun lounger or a beach, there is much to be discovered north-east of the coast in the lesser-known area known as The Garden of the Algarve.
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This is the Serra de Monchique region, 300metres above sea level - a crisp-aired contrast to the coast. It is also a densely forested, mountainous area perfect for hikin! g, bikin g, horse-riding and other outdoor pursuits - where 83 per cent of the land is classified as a protected natural reserve.
It adds up to a fine location for the Longevity resort - the first of its kind in Portugal, a hotel offering a truly beneficial holiday. Here, physicians, dieticians, physical instructors and a range of therapists are on hand to assess guests' personal level of health, and dispense advice for them to take home.
The hotel is a one of a new breed of medical spas preventative rather than curative designed for people who want to combine going on holiday with improving their overall well-being.
I have chosen a de-stressing holiday - a popular choice for burnt-out execs and frazzled parents. But you can also choose weight-management, rejuvenation, detox and other types of 'natural healing' retreats.
No splashing: The hotel's main outdoor pool area is a sun-trap surrounded by wild green countryside
My four-day mini break is for people who cannot spare a week to wind down. Ive brought my equally worry-burdened friend Pam, and our aim is to get to 'winding down' as quickly as possible.
Wemake an interesting start, arriving late at night to find the hotel staff scratching their heads over what to do about a donkey who has wandered onto the premises.
Iresist the urge to get involved, although it seems a nice, gentle creature. We are far more interested in a good nights sleep, particularly as weve been told that the air is so good here we should drop off immediately.
Aspredicted, I sleep like a log. But my light-sleeping companion finds the sound of cars on the nearby road distracting. What road? I ask thenext morning, to her annoyance.
Aftera spot of the aforementioned yoga, and a splendid spread of inclusive (ie as much as you can eat) breakfast, w! e head f or the pool. I find out later that the donkey's owner was mightily relieved to find him after his brief spa sojourn.
Full access to the beautifully designed spa, a couple of yoga and pilates sessions, plus a blissful whole body massage later, stress is a distant memory. Nature walks are also on offer here to lift body and spirit - but we are too busy enjoying the sunshine in the pool area to move too far.
The hotel itself is a new-build structure designed to honour the physical characteristics of the primitive landscape surrounding it.
Builthalf into the mountain, it utilises plenty of steel and glass for lots of natural light and a bringing the outside indoors sort of feel. The capture of solar energy and rainwater, among other measures, add to its eco-credentials. And despite having 195 bedrooms, the hotel feels almosteerily quiet.
Retreat: One of the smart hotel suites. A living area and kitchen add to the spacious feeling
Perhaps the reason for this is the design of the rooms. Each has a separate living area complete with dining table and open-plan kitchen, sopeople can self-cater (or hibernate) if they wish.
Usually after just a couple of hours in a stuffy hotel room, I'm desperate to escape. Not so here. Each room also comes with a large terrace with plenty of space for sunbathing, yoga - or just staring out at the wild scenery while the sun sets.
As a mother I am conditioned to the splashes and shrieks of children poolside - and consequently I find the main pool area strangely quiet. Until I discover why.
The resort manager explains that since opening last year - expecting to attract mainly spa aficionados, nature lovers, over-worked execs and empty-nesters wanting to slow down the aging process - they were surprised to find parents with young children flocking to the hotel.
It turns out that the hotel recently opened an addi! tional s wimming pool specifically for children and families, and a kids club area. Judging by the growth in popularity of child-free holidays, the resort has certainly tapped into the zeitgeist here.
Thesecond pool is a good walk away, and a couple of levels down in the lift - and it seems like a sort of parallel world when I visit, kids dive-bombing the water, music playing and a much less formal vibe.
Whilethere I join in with a salsa class, enjoying the feeling of dancing barefoot in the sunshine before wending my way back to the 'child-free' pool.
The Portuguese owner of the hotel, Nazir Sacoor, has given free reign to the spa director, whose 15 years' experience clearly shows - right down to the last sprig of fresh thyme and floating candle.
And it would be easy to spend all dayin this spa - says my friend, slipping in and out of the fluffy white bathrobes provided for massages and saunas.
But towards the end of the second day we decide to go off-campus to explore.
Cool, calm and collected: The Longevity Spa Tea Lounge, where you can relax after a massage or treatment
A ten-minute walk from the hotel, the village of Caldas de Monchique is a charmingly renovated village blessed with natural springs. Here, we cool ourselves in the tree-canopied square at a restaurant serving very reasonably-priced traditional dishes.
Later that evening a screen is erected at the end of the plaza, and we are able to round off our day by watching the Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona as we eat olives and drink deliciously smooth local wine.
To explore further afield we would need to hire a car. But we are perfectly content flitting from the hotel and its obvious attractions to this atmospheric little spot. Just below the shaded area where I fill my bottle with water that literally runs from the mount! ainside, a couple of attractive shops sell better-than-average-quality artisan souvenirs.
At the hotel my high-tech biophysical and nutritional evaluation had unearthed a few body issues - such as my weight (for each individual limb!), body-mass index, hydration level and a host of other important pointers to health.
I'm a fairly healthy eater and exercise fan - so there are no nasty surprises. But a meeting with a nutritionist and a physiotherapist mean I leave with tailored eating and exercise programmes. The aim, so both tell me, is to give guests tools to use in daily life when it comes to nutrition and exercise.
The nutritionist also gives me a selection of useful tips - such as never eating fruit on its own, in order to avoid sharp spikes in blood-sugar level (and the accompanying rapid falls).
Depending on how far you want to explore, the hotel also offers blood and urine tests, and various other specialist examinations.
I am surprised to find Botox and chemical peels on offer, as neither seem (to me) to fit with the ethos of well-being. But as the spa director explains, heightening self esteem is also one of the aims of the Longevity resort.
I'm sure this added service might appeal to travellers wanting to go on holiday and return minus a few wrinkles - and half a stone lighter. Maybe in 10 years' time I'll be first in the queue
Travel Facts
Health and Fitness Travel (0845 544 1936, www.healthandfitnesstravel.com) offers a four-night healthy break at the Longevity Wellness Resort in Portugal - from 890 per person, including breakfast, return flights, transfers and wellness programme.
Seven-night full-board programmes include Detox, Stress Management, Essential Wellness and Weight Management - and cost from 1,920 per person, including flights and transfers
Monarch airlines flies to Faro (www.monarch.com). < /p>
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