Berkshire

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-where">WHAT? WHERE?</h2>



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At the lush, bohemian north tip of Ibiza, just half an hour’s pootle in a car from the party vibe of the south is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sixsenses.com/en/resorts/ibiza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Six Senses Ibiza</a>, sitting elegantly on a cliff with stunning views across the Cala Xarraca coastline.



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Built from scratch by architect and owner Jonathan Leitersdorf (his first hotel design), around a series of beautiful, ancient olive trees already on the site, Six Senses opened just last summer at a rumoured cost of £70m in 20 lovely acres that maximise the coastal landscape – all eyes are turned to out to sea at Six Sense, whether it’s from private balconies, the infinity pool, the yoga deck or the restaurants.&nbsp;



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Visually, the hotel’s warm caramel colours and natural materials such as bamboo balcony rooves camouflage it against the cliffs, and there’s a clear USP in terms of the hotel’s broader relationship with nature – it’s the first hotel in the Balearics to be given BREEAM certification, the prestigious benchmark for environmentally friendly construction and sustainability at its core, with targets for zero waste and zero single use plastics.



Most importantly for your frazzled reviewer, it’s a hotel that operates on what it calls a ‘different frequency’ to the rest of the island, with a stunning three storey spa offering that combines wellness and relaxation with a celebrity-laden glamour that few other hotels offer (case in point, Jared Leto was here in August and there’s a recording studio beneath the pool for when the mood takes the A-listers).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE VIBE</h2>



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Refined, undeniably luxe, and even in October when I visited, slightly decadent with a large chunk of guests knocking back Cava at breakfast, and seeing out the sunset with punchy cocktails. Visually, Six Senses is a mash up of pared back Spanish Finca with a Soho Farmhouse-esque retro aesthetic. Certainly the grand double height entrance, with its shiny Porsche tractor, huge floor-to-ceiling olive tree, and large open space with mid-century furniture owed more an a passing nod to Farmhouse’s Main Barn.



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In the northern tip of Ibiza, hedonism is replaced with laid back luxury and a replete wellbeing programs at the Six Senses. Check me in and leave me there forever, says editor-in-chief Hero Brown



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE SPA</h2>



Indecently gorgeous. 1200sq m of well-thought-out mind, body and spirit re-building that chimes with the historically hippie aesthetic in the north of the island. The spa is built into the cliffs themselves, and offers pretty much whatever you can ask of it from the sublime to the ridiculous – from immersive retreats to animal movement classes (no, I’m not kidding), that I&nbsp;nearly&nbsp;persuaded my friend to take.



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As you’d expect the facilities are superb and include a steam room, hammam, small indoor pool, infra-red sauna, fitness room, and a large area for classes plus an outdoor boxing ring. Both days of our stay we took a morning yoga class with&nbsp;<a href="https://xuanlanyoga.com/">Xuan Lan</a>, a visiting yoga expert who’s super-famous in Spain (and with a cool 2.5m Instagram followers to prove it) – just one example in a full programme of visiting practitioners and experts that adds to the Six Senses’ cachet.



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You can leave it at that and just enjoy the odd stretch, relax in the ground floor library area or massage (there’s an&nbsp;After Party&nbsp;special if you’re still in the rave zone). Or you can park yourself, as I did, in the Rose Bar, a gorgeous facility that will delve into your health and fitness more diagnostically and, as they coyly put it, find “a holistic way to stretch your prime years and maximise your strength, energy and love of life”.



A 45 minute non-invasive Wellness Screen gave me a surprisingly juicy score of 84% but highlighted stress as an issue to solve – not rocket science perhaps as a single working mother with three kids, but actually it was helpful to talk that through medically and practically and work out small ways to ease it. Apparently it doesn’t involve drinking malbec every night. Who knew?



Then it was up to the treatment room in the Rose Bar where billowing white curtains provided privacy while I looked out across an incredible sea view an polite, smartly dressed staff brought me juice, reclined seat and prepare to zap my wrinkles. I tried a cryotherapy mask, which basically blows freezing air on your face while you’re channelling the Phantom of the Opera which was an enjoyable, slightly giggly 10 minutes (E15).



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Then I was put in thigh-high compression boots, which pulsated, squeezed and pushed my blood around my body for 30 minutes (60 euros). Lymphatic fluid removal is the order of the day and frankly I don’t care if it worked or not, it was good fun and strangely relaxing.



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Finally I was taken off for a holistic relaxation massage that did it what it said on the tin – it’ll cost you a punchy 120 euros for 60 mins, but ‘when on holiday’ and all that.



There’s a spa treatment menu for children too – 16+ can use all the facilities to the children’s menu is particularly good for tweens I’d say. There are also some cute gimmicks like&nbsp;Significant Other&nbsp;where you can create a 90 minute treatment that you think your partner will enjoy, so the spa does feel like it’s there for everyone, not just yogis and anti-agers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">EAT! DRINK!</h2>



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There are four restaurants, one of which, the plant-based HaSalon (above), run by Israel chef Eyal Shani, had just shut for the winter. That still left plenty of choice, and we ate at them all.



The Farmers’ Market is the large open plan area below the main lobby, and I’d say is best used for lunch – for evenings a more atmospheric space is the Live Cave, part of the Beach Caves complex built into the rock and looking out over the sea, which served a mix of incredible sushi and tapas against a backdrop of live music.



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It’s also no problem to eat by the swimming pool, and as time went on and we became ever lazier, that’s what we did.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE BEDROOMS</h2>



I stayed in a Sea View Junior Suite, and you can see for yourself, it was stunning and spacious, with double basins, huge central bath, elegant furnishings and a deep verandah with a large, comfy sofa and uninterrupted views. You can check out my vid here! I loved the lattice wall between the bathroom and the bedroom, creating a relationship between the two rooms while maintaining privacy.



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My verandah came with a lovely cream sofa and extraordinary views and sunsets. Check this out.



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If you have a bigger budget, the Premium Junior Suite pretty much doubles the depth of the already excellent verandah size and offers more privacy from guests in rooms either side; other rooms again had their own small gardens, so there’s something to suit anyone. And of course, if you’re Jared Leto or Adrianna Lima, you just go and hire the 7-bedroom mansion, it’ll only set you back £10,000 a night.



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Back to my Junior Suite, there were thoughtful extras here such as panama hats and bags for the swimming pool, pre-mixed cocktails and stylish gowns from Milan-based brand La Double J that we, like so many others, wrapped ourselves in to waft around the pool . The only mishap – no English breakfast tea or milk for morning for my morning fix – was solved in minutes by chatting to the staff on the app. The service was really en pointe throughout.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">OUT AND ABOUT</h2>



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If you tire of the infinity pool – unlikely, but let’s go with it – you’ll either chance it on the rocky descent from the hotel straight into the sea, or you can zip to Cala Xuclar with its small beachside chiringuito (think informal bar with tapas bites), which is a five minute drive, or head into the family resort of Portinatx where there’s a choice of three beaches and various eating options, along with watersport hire. Pou de Lleo, Calo des Moltons, Es Portitxol and Cala d’Aubarca are also worth exploring. The cobblestoned UNESCO-listed streets of the 16th&nbsp;century Old Town is 25 minutes away (£65 in a taxi) and it’s very much worth losing yourself here for a day.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HOW MUCH?</h2>



<a href="https://www.turquoiseholidays.co.uk/?" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Turquoise Holidays&nbsp;</a>offers a Sea View Junior Suite from £670 per room per night including breakfast, based on travel 01 – 27 April 2023, and includes a 30% early booking discount. Airport transfers cost from £170 per private car each way. (Also, as an aside, Turquoise Holidays’ app is&nbsp;amazing&nbsp;– reminders on check in, flight times, any delays etc. Great service).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



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Good for:&nbsp;Romantic couples will lose themselves in that extraordinary sunset and the infinity pool’s ‘floating’ double beds. There’s definitely a sweet spot for spa breaks, whether that’s with your other half, your bestie or bigger group of friends (I’m definitely planning a return). Families are also welcome here, with younger children happy by the pool and teens catered for in the spa and nearby beaches.



Not for:&nbsp;Those who are expecting frenetic energy at every turn might be surprised at how quiet the north of Ibiza is – so unless you’re prepared to breathe deep and slow down, this might not be for you. Also worth noting if you have a disability that though there are several adapted bedrooms, the spa area isn’t accessible.



<a href="https://www.sixsenses.com/en/resorts/ibiza/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Six Senses Ibiza</a>,&nbsp;Carrer Camí de sa Torre, 71, 07810 San Juan Bautista, Illes Balears, Spain.&nbsp;Tel:&nbsp;<a href="tel:00%2034%20871%2000%2088%2075">00 34 871 00 88 75</a>.

Spa Hotel of the Month: Six Senses, Ibiza

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