It is fair to say that VILA VITA Parc is the place to go in the Algarve to relax. It oozes luxury and perfection at every turn. Is this the best hotel resort in Portugal? Quite possibly! Our multi-generational family stay at this impeccable resort was blissful. The rooms, the food, the service, the setting, the everything were all superb. Given that the attention to detail everywhere else at this 5 Star Leading Hotels of the World member hotel was spot on, I was expecting the resort’s Vital Spa to come up with the goods too.
The VILA VITA Vital Spa is located near the centre of the resort and is housed in its own building. The Moorish decoration of this 12 treatment roomed spa is simply stunning. This spa is not your bog standard hotel spa that has been added on as an extra …. oh no ….. this is a spa to educate all other spas on how to spa …. or in fact how to optimise wellness through a holistic approach. The Vital Spa offers a mind blowing array of beauty and wellbeing treatments including facials, body treatments, cranio sacral therapy, osteopathy, physiotherapy, reflexology, Hypoxi and every kind of massage you could imagine.
My spa journey started in the luxurious relaxation area where I enjoyed a herbal tea, chilled out on a plush day bed before going on to use of the saunas, steam room, tepidarium and jacuzzi. This was the first time I had to myself since we arrived in Portugal and it was a welcomed relief to my body which was in need of a little me time.
Today, I was to have my first ever Thai Massage. The lovely receptionist had suggested that I make use of the tepidarium before my treatment to warm up my muscles and it was in this room that I was greeted by my therapist. I was a intrigued to try this therapy albeit a little nervous as to what it would be like. A little bit of fear was in place when I spotted the bar along the ceiling of the treatment room and I knew this would mean that at some point my lovely therapist would be using this while she walked on my back!
I was given some loose clothing to wear and my treatment began. Most massages I have experienced have involved me being in a comfy heated massage bed, relaxing music playing and invariably me wanting to fall asleep. It took a little bit to get used to this treatment being done on a padded mat on the floor and I realised very quickly that there would be no snoozing for this next hour. I am a bit of a question queen when it comes to trying new treatments and my lovely therapist explained the benefits really well. Throughout the Thai Massage she used her hands, feet and elbows to apply pressure to the acupressure points on my body’s energy lines. These release blocked energy and allow my body to restore balance and harmony. Bring it on!! I tend to hold a lot of tension in my shoulders and this was perhaps the part of the treatment I enjoyed the least …. but I knew it would make a great difference in the end. No pain …. no gain. Once I relaxed into the Thai Massage I began to understand why so many people adore this traditional massage.
The physical, mental and physiological effects of Thai Massage are extensive but for me immediately after the treatment I definitely felt like I was walking on air and in a slight haze as I walked back to my hotel suite. I slept amazingly that night. The effects of this massage continued into the next day where I felt a little tender but over all also had more energy and surprisingly felt chilled out …. not the normal feeling I get when I travel home from holiday and taking two flights with two children and two grandparents. This point was proved when my stepfather didn’t turn up a the agreed meeting point at Departures when our flight was called. It turned out that he had just decided to make his way to our flight without mentioning it to us ….. two security gates, twenty five minutes and several phone calls later I got a chirpy text from him to say that he was “on the plane … x”. I was calm, collected and was the lucky person who got to pass on this information to my mum …. who was understandably feeling anything but calm and collected. I think at this point she would have turned around and headed back to the peaceful VVP.
The sanctuary that is VILA VITA Parc is designed for luxury and throughout the resort there is this wonderful aura of calm. This is without doubt continued in the Vital Spa. Upon leaving I definitely think it has to be one of the best resort spas I have been too. This would be a perfect place for me to continue my #overhaul. I love the holistic approach of the award winning VILA VITA Vital Spa. The staff were awesome. The treatment range is one I could never tire of and I was actually stuck for choice. I was super impressed that they also have a selection of treatments for teenagers using Madara’s 100% Organic products. I have been a fan of Madara for a couple of years and wondered if they let non-teenagers have those treatments too!
