One of India’s best and only true destination spas, Ananda is a glorious hotel, clinging to a ridge in the Himalayan foothills. It resides in the former Palace Estate of the Maharaja of Tehri-Garhwal with the exquisite Viceregal Suite and various other beautiful public areas situated within the Palace itself. The rest of this magical hotel spa spreads out around the beautiful grounds and gardens. Ananda has been voted ‘World No. 1 Spa’ and ‘Best Overseas Spa Retreat’ by readers of Conde Nast Traveller and other publications, numerous times, and rightly so. The resort boasts unbeatable spa facilities, peaceful solitude and a chance to get back to nature, whilst surrounded by luxury.
The restaurant offers superb cuisine and dedicated spa menus which can be personalized according to the spa doctor’s recommendations. It has staggering views over the valley, and the nearby heated swimming pool is the perfect place to relax, in a climate that is ideal almost year round. The 74 bedrooms and suites in the main building are beautifully decorated in soft colors and each has a balcony or garden overlooking either the valley or the hotel grounds. The bathrooms are state of the art and one is unlikely to find a better valley view from a bathtub anywhere else in the world! The 2 and 1 bedroom villas are scattered around the grounds and are wonderfully spacious and private, with their own pools, living room and butler.
The exceptional spa is a haven of tranquillity, with 24 excellent treatment rooms, a gym, hydrotherapy facilities, and a team of highly qualified, multigenerational physicians of Eastern Medicine, healers and wellbeing practitioners who bring with them decades of specialized experience and knowledge to customize health oriented wellness programs that has paved the way for path breaking curative results. The open air treatment ‘room’ allows you to lie and be massaged whilst gazing straight out across the Himalayan foothills and the valley below! Being a fully dedicated ‘Spa’ rather than simply a ‘hotel with a spa’, Ananda integrates traditional Ayurveda, Yoga and Vedanta with international wellness experiences, Physiotherapy, Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture, fitness, emotional healing and healthy organic cuisine. There is also daily, expert instruction in both physical and ‘spiritual fitness’ - yoga, breathing, meditation and the ancient art of Reiki – all of which are very much associated with this particularly spiritual region of the Himalayan foothills. The yoga pavilion is a magical place to spend time in quiet contemplation, guided by some of the country’s finest teachers.
Aside from the unparalleled spa treatments that Ananda offers, it is also a place to come and relish the glorious mountain air and setting. The walking opportunities here are fabulous – following winding mountain tracks up into the surrounding hills, passing villages, schools, temples and all the time with sublime mountain views, hearing the happy sound of laughing children and bumping into locals going about their business. If wanting to venture out, only half an hour away is the nearby holy town of Rishikesh, (356m) which stands at the point where the wooded mountains of Garhwal rise abruptly from the low valley floor and the Ganges crashes onto the plains. It is one of the holiest places in India and the Aarti ceremony in the evenings is a must. Alternatively, experience the exhilarating fun of rafting on the Ganges or the joy of wildlife in the jungle at Rajaji Natiional Park.
Come here to restore your mind, body and soul by treating yourself to one of their exceptional and hugely varied wellness programmes. You’ll return a different person – rejuvenated, full of positive vitality and energy.
THEY HAVE SOME FABULOUS SUMMER OFFERS! For further information please contact Mahout on 00 44 7887758222 or info@mahoutuk.com or contact the hotel directly for rates on 0091 11 61210000, reservations@anandaspa.com and www.anandaspa.com
