Head to the Algarve – where medical healing meets spa serenity at the Longevity Health & Wellness Hotel
WORDS: ZOE CRIPPS PHOTOS: GETTY
It’s a great time of year to enjoy a spa break, but often the relaxation and healthy resolutions disappear as soon as you wheel your suitcase back out of the hotel. We checked in at Portugal’s Longevity Health & Wellness Hotel for a retreat that offers self-improvement beyond the stay’s length.
Located on the sun-soaked south coast in Alvor, Longevity is a five-star property that houses a world-class medical spa as well as a private hospital on its grounds. Here, adults can experience relaxation at its finest while also benefiting from both holistic and medical treatments tailored specifically to their needs.
CHECKING IN
The hotel boasts 70 rooms, each minimally decorated in tones of white and grey. They also feature expansive bathrooms with rain showers, and each room has a private balcony. Ours had a calming ocean view where we liked to sit with a coffee and bathe in the morning sun.
We also enjoyed taking a trip up to the rooftop where there’s an infinity pool and a sun lounger area. The café, which serves a healthy buffet breakfast in the mornings and an à la carte dinner, is also open to serve coffee, kombucha and fresh juices throughout the day.
To continue the theme of health, the gym located on the ground floor has everything you need to fit in a cardio or weights session in between massages and mealtimes.
PERSONALISED HOLISTIC HEALING THERAPIES
What we loved most about our stay at Longevity was being able to try out integrative medicinal treatments. Cryotherapy, which we had twice, had us feeling the most awake we’ve experienced in a long time. No wonder – standing for two minutes in a chamber that reaches -110°C will do that to you!
We also spent a lovely 30 minutes sweating out all the Christmas booze from our systems in the Iyashi Dome pod, which allows you to burn up to 600 calories per session. As for the massages, we found heaven on a floating bed in the 60-minute hot shells massage: a full-body treatment to ease deep muscle tension.
APPROACH TO WELLNESS
Before heading to the spa, we got in touch with the concierge to decide on the best wellness packages. The hotel offers specialised five to seven-night programme
