Travel & Leisure

Sitting up in bed swallowing eggs Provencal I gaze out the large ship-style porthole window to glassy Akaroa Harbour. My moment in paradise is interrupted by the sweetest sound of a native bellbird morning song.

The view of paradise walking into Cloud9 lingers forever. This $nz1700 a night four-bedroom Bay of Islands holiday haven is a must-stay before you die place.

For one weekend a year, I sing Hare Krishna with pride and burn my emotional baggage on a cow dung fire. 

It's been one of Britain's best spas for the last 2 decades but Ragdale Hall is not one to rest on its laurels. This award-winning health farm in the peaceful Leicestershire countryside now has something else to add to its endless list of idyllic offerings with the opening of its brand new Thermal Spa. The multi-million pound development sets Ragdale even further apart from its competitors who are already struggling to keep up with its exemplary customer service, exclusive treatments, superb cuisine and all the little extras that place it a cut above.

Nick Hordern travels to Alsace to suss out France’s first and best Bio Spa Hotel