.png)
How to Choose the Perfect Hotel for a DIY Wellness Retreat
- Alice
- Aug 20
- 9 min read
If you were booking an organised wellness retreat, most of the decisions would already be made for you.
The location. The hotel. The food. The activities. The yoga classes. The spa treatments. Quite possibly even what time you're expected to get up in the morning.
And while that can be lovely and sometimes exactly the thing you're looking for, it's also one of the reasons I've become increasingly interested in creating your own DIY wellness retreat instead, because you get to decide what your version of rest actually looks like.
Maybe you want three days of massages, saunas and fluffy dressing gowns. Maybe you'd rather find a beautiful boutique hotel, take a stack of books and barely speak to anyone. Or perhaps your perfect retreat involves morning walks, long breakfasts, swimming, journalling and an early night.
There isn't really a right way to do it. But there is one decision that can completely change how the trip feels: where you stay.
Because after spending far too much time researching hotels - something I seem to be exceptionally good at losing several hours to (!) - I've realised there's a huge difference between somewhere that calls itself a wellness hotel and somewhere that will genuinely give you the space to switch off. And surprisingly, the hotel with the biggest spa isn't necessarily the one I'd choose.
Here's what I'd look for instead...
Start With How You Want To Feel
Before opening a hotel booking site, I'd actually start here. Not "Where do I want to go?" but "How do I want to feel while I'm there?"
Do you need complete peace after months of feeling overwhelmed?
Do you want countryside walks, early nights and somewhere beautiful to sit and read?
Do you want sunshine, a pool and absolutely no timetable?
Or are massages, facials, saunas and spa treatments a big part of what you're craving?
Your answer changes the type of hotel you're looking for. Someone wanting a proper spa hotel experience probably needs something very different from someone whose idea of wellness is a peaceful terrace overlooking the sea and nobody asking them for anything.
And that's really the advantage of creating your own retreat - you're not buying somebody else's version of wellness, you're building yours.
Don't Automatically Search For A "Wellness Hotel"
This was one of the things that stood out to me when I started looking into DIY wellness retreats. Searching specifically for a wellness hotel can bring up some incredible properties. But it can also bring up some incredibly expensive ones too!
And you don't necessarily need a hotel offering sound baths, detox menus and six different types of yoga to create a restorative few days away. I'd widen the search.
Try looking at things like:
wellness hotels
spa hotels
adults only hotels
boutique hotels
countryside hotels
beachfront hotels
hotels with yoga classes
hotels with a swimming pool
hotels near walking trails or nature
A peaceful boutique hotel with 20 rooms, a lovely garden and breakfast included might actually suit your retreat far better than a huge wellness resort. The hotel doesn't need to provide the entire retreat, it just needs to give you the right environment to create it.
Pay More Attention To Location Than Facilities
I think I'd put this above almost everything else.
You could find the most beautiful hotel imaginable, but if it's beside a busy road, surrounded by nightlife or requires a taxi every time you want to go somewhere, it might not create the escape you're picturing.
For a DIY wellness retreat, I'd look for somewhere with at least one of these:
countryside or mountain views
easy access to walking routes
a beach nearby
gardens or outdoor space
a quiet village or small town
somewhere you can wander without needing to organise very much
Think about what you'll actually do once you're there. If your imagined retreat involves morning walks, slow coffees, reading outside and watching the sunset, the hotel's surroundings could matter far more than whether its spa has seven different types of sauna.
Look At The Spaces You'll Actually Spend Time In
This is something I don't think we always pay enough attention to when choosing hotels! I'll happily spend twenty minutes comparing bedrooms and bathrooms and then barely notice whether there's anywhere nice to sit during the day. And for a wellness break in particular, I'd look carefully at the rest of the hotel too.
Does it have a garden?
A peaceful pool area?
A terrace?
Balconies?
Comfortable lounges?
Quiet corners where you could sit with a book or journal?
If you're travelling somewhere warm, those spaces might be where you spend most of your trip. And if the whole idea is to rest and recharge, being able to do absolutely nothing somewhere beautiful is actually quite an important hotel feature.
Decide How Important The Spa Really Is
There's a difference between wanting a spa retreat and wanting a relaxing hotel where you happen to book a massage.
If treatments are central to your retreat, then choosing a proper spa hotel makes sense.
I'd check for things like:
massage and facial treatments
sauna or steam room
indoor or outdoor pools
hot tubs
relaxation rooms
thermal circuits
yoga or fitness classes
But I'd also look into what's actually included. A hotel might advertise a beautiful spa, only for you to discover that access costs extra or certain facilities are part of a separate spa package.
Likewise, another hotel might have a much smaller wellness area but offer exactly what you're going to use: a pool, a sauna and the option to book a massage.
For me, atmosphere would probably beat a huge treatment menu.
An Adults Only Hotel Can Be Brilliant - But Check What "Adults Only" Means
An adults only hotel can be a really good option for a DIY wellness retreat. These hotels are often designed around a quieter style of travel, with calmer pool areas and fewer of the facilities aimed at family entertainment.
But I wouldn't automatically assume adults only equals peaceful!! Some are designed around nightlife, DJs and cocktails which might be exactly what somebody wants. But it probably isn't what I'm looking for if the goal is to switch off.
I'd check photographs, recent reviews and the hotel's entertainment schedule before booking. And I'd specifically search reviews for words like:
quiet
peaceful
noise
relaxing
music
That usually tells you far more than the marketing description.
Smaller Hotels Can Sometimes Make Better Retreat Hotels
I'm increasingly drawn to the idea of using a boutique hotel for a DIY retreat. There's something appealing about a smaller property where breakfast isn't being served to several hundred people and you don't have to walk through a gigantic resort every time you want to find somewhere quiet.
A smaller hotel might give you:
fewer guests
a calmer atmosphere
more personal service
more character
peaceful communal spaces
beautiful gardens or terraces
It can also make the trip feel a little more special without requiring an official wellness package.
Of course, there are fantastic large wellness resorts too - I just wouldn't assume bigger means better.
Choose A Room You'd Actually Like To Spend Time In
Normally, I'd say you're going on holiday to explore, not sit in your hotel room.
A DIY wellness retreat is slightly different. You might genuinely want to spend half an afternoon reading in bed. You might have a slow breakfast on your balcony. You might journal, nap, meditate or simply sit somewhere quiet without feeling guilty about "wasting" your holiday.
So I'd look beyond whether the room photographs are pretty.
Check for:
A balcony or terrace.
A bath if that matters to you.
A comfortable chair or sofa.
Natural light.
A view you'd actually enjoy looking at.
Air conditioning if you're travelling somewhere warm.
A desk to journal or set up a small altar on.
This is also one occasion where I might spend slightly more for the room with the beautiful view rather than automatically choosing the cheapest category. Because if you're deliberately planning to slow down, the room becomes part of the experience rather than just somewhere to sleep.
Think About Food Before You Arrive
You definitely don't have to live on green juice and salad for three days to call something a wellness retreat. But equally, you probably don't want your relaxing weekend to involve searching Google Maps for somewhere to eat every few hours.
I'd check:
whether breakfast is included
what kind of breakfast is available
whether there's a restaurant at the hotel
whether other restaurants are within walking distance
whether the room has a fridge or kitchenette
whether dietary requirements are easily catered for
For me, wellness would mean having good food available without having to think too hard about it. Your version might be completely different. Again, that's why DIY retreats work so well.
Read The Reviews Differently
I don't just look at the overall rating when I'm researching hotels, I search the reviews for the things that matter to me. For a DIY wellness retreat, I'd search terms like:
quiet
noise
spa
pool
breakfast
beds
relaxing
peaceful
walk
busy
Because a hotel's website might describe somewhere as a tranquil sanctuary but someone who stayed there last week might mention the building work next door. That's the sort of thing I want to know before I've paid.
Don't Assume More Expensive Means More Restorative
This is possibly my favourite thing about researching hotels! Price doesn't always tell you very much about how much you're going to enjoy staying somewhere.
A luxury wellness resort might be incredible, but a smaller boutique hotel overlooking the sea could give you everything you genuinely wanted from the trip:
Space.
Quiet.
Sunshine.
A comfortable bed.
Good food.
A pool.
Somewhere to walk.
And absolutely nothing you have to do.
That's why I think it's worth deciding what matters first and looking at price second.
Otherwise, it's very easy to get distracted by infinity pools, marble bathrooms and photographs of somebody meditating dramatically on a platform over the ocean.
And Once You've Found The Hotel? Don't Automatically Book The First Price You See!
This is the other part of hotel research that I've become slightly obsessed with and talk about all the time!
Choosing the right hotel is only half of it - how you book that hotel can make a surprisingly big difference to what you pay.
I've been doing a lot of like-for-like hotel comparisons recently, looking at exactly the same hotel, dates and room type through publicly available booking sites and comparing them with member hotel pricing. Sometimes the price difference isn't especially exciting. But sometimes it really is.
And that's why, once I've found a hotel I like, I don't automatically assume the first price I've found is the price I need to pay.
I'd compare:
the hotel's own website
one or two major hotel booking sites
any loyalty or member rates available to you
travel membership pricing
One of the memberships I've been using for these investigations is Travel Advantage, which gives members access to discounted hotel rates around the world. And if I've learned anything from all the hotel research I've been doing, it's that the publicly available price isn't always the only price worth checking! And what I particularly like about using this approach for your retreat is that you don't have to choose a cheaper hotel just to make it affordable, you can more often than not find the hotel you actually want for less.
Want To Check (And Book) The Hotel You've Found?
If you've already got a wellness hotel, spa hotel or boutique hotel in mind, you can use my free Travel Advantage Guest Pass to browse available hotel pricing and compare it with the public prices you've already found. Have a look at the numbers yourself and decide whether it's useful for the trip you're planning.
My DIY Wellness Hotel Checklist
If I were choosing somewhere for my own retreat today, these would probably be my priorities.
1. A peaceful location
Somewhere that immediately feels separate from everyday life.
2. Beautiful surroundings
Countryside, sea, mountains, gardens - somewhere I'd actually want to sit and look around.
3. Comfortable outdoor space
A pool, terrace, balcony or gardens.
4. A room I'd happily spend time in
Especially if I'm planning slow mornings, reading or afternoon naps.
5. Easy food options
Because logistical stress rather defeats the object.
6. Some kind of wellness element
That might be a full spa, yoga classes or simply the option to book a massage.
7. Things to do without having to organise very much
Walking, swimming, reading, exploring a nearby town or sitting by the sea all count.
8. Reviews that repeatedly mention peace and relaxation
Possibly more useful than the hotel's official description.
9. A price I've properly compared
Because finding the right hotel doesn't mean you have to pay more than necessary for it.
Want To See The Kind Of Differences I've Been Finding?
I've been comparing public hotel prices with Travel Advantage member pricing in destinations I'd genuinely consider for slower, restorative trips (The Maldives and Portugal for example) and theres' been some big surprises!
The goal here though isn't to find the cheapest wellness retreat - it's to create the one you actually want - and see whether you can pay less for it.
Comments