Jubin Johnson
This could be the finest spa we have ever visited, if not the coolest. Situated on a hillside overlooking the Mother Ganges above Rishikesh, India, Ananda in the Himalayas is in a class of its own. This remarkable wellness retreat is located on 100 acres of grounds and gardens. It offers 64 rooms, three villas and eight suites in the Himalayan foothills. The property has just announced new deluxe suites and renovations which look dream-like and ultra-comfortable, as one would expect.
People come to this place and typically stay as long as two weeks, luxuriating in the broad menu of treatments and personal handling to be found. On arrival, each guest is assigned their own Ayurvedic doctor and a dedicated chef, who work in collaboration to customize your spa and dining experience. The staff-to-guest ratio at the spa is extreme, and get ready for an in-depth intake interview that will yield more than your body type and recommended dietary needs. There is no other spa like this on earth, where just down the hill you can visit a selection of ashrams and do some serious guru-shopping. There’s a daily twilight aarti ceremony down on the ghats.
On a prior visit, your correspondent fell asleep on the massage table following a treatment which featured a hot oil drip to his forehead. There’s always a mystic-in-residence to stimulate your little grey cells. Nearby temple visits, alpine walks and the snowy peaks of the Himalayas figure in the stories you will tell.
The newly renovated Viceregal Suite has its own private terrace with Ganges view.
Highly recommended.
Stanley Moss is travel editor of Lucire.
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