Best resort spas
By Michelle Rae Uy
Ritual bathing area at the Waldorf Astoria Spa in Boca Raton Resort (Courtesy Boca Raton Resort and Club)
A day of pampering is almost a requirement if you want the ultimate relaxation during your family vacation. Better than lounging at the pool or simply sunning and falling asleep at the beach, a spa day or even just a 50-minute spa treatment is guaranteed to unknot those knots, cleanse your tired skin, and give your body an overall reboot.
We’ve been to a number of spas at some of the most family-friendly resorts, but some we love more than others. These five are perhaps our favorites:
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Club Med Punta Cana
Outdoor massage palapas at Club Med Punta Cana (Courtesy Club Med)
The Club Med brand owns the most family-friendly resorts in the world, and their Punta Cana resort in the Dominican Republic is no different. The resort boasts the fairly new Creactive by Cirque du Soleil, exclusive 5-Trident bungalows that are perfect for families with kids, and complimentary use of most water sports equipment. We adore the resort’s Club Med Spa best of all—the low-key facility uses L’Occitane products for treatments and has massage palapas in the quiet area of a private beach. If having a massage right on the beach while listening to the sound of the waves isn’t relaxing to you, then we don’t know what is.
Boca Raton Resort & Club
Waldorf Astoria’s classy Boca Raton Resort & Club exudes Southern Sophistication and has hosted many dignitaries over the years. But it’s also undeniably family-friendly and welcomes kids of all ages with its many amenities, which include Flowrider, watersport equipment, a kids club and family focused activities. One of the most special things about this beautiful property however is its spa. The Waldorf Astoria Spa is, for lack of a better word, amazing. It not only offers regular spa treatments and massages, it also boasts a stunning, very intricate Spanish-style bath where guests will be treated to an unforgettable and blissful 50-minute ritual bath.
CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa
Ohtli Spa plunge pool at CasaMagna Marriott in Puerto Vallarta (Courtesy CasaMagna Marriott)
The CasaMagna Marriott Resort in Puerto Vallarta is a lovely Mexican Hacienda-style property located right on the beach in Banderas Bay. The resort offers many family-friendly features like a massive beachfront pool and an annual turtle release program, both an easy sell to younger guests. The resort also boasts a beautiful and spacious spa, Ohtli Spa, that offers massages, facials, and hydrotherapy treatments. Try touch therapy Piña-Mango Firming, a relaxing massage that combines kneeding and acupressure with the delicious scents of pineapple and mango. If you have products left over from your treatment, they’ll even package it for you and let you take it home.
Aulani, Disney Resort & Spa
Outdoor rainfall showers at Aulani Resort (Courtesy Disney’s Aulani)
The kids might not care much about Aulani’s onsite spa, what with the plethora of attractions this Disney resort already offers including a waterpark, a lagoon, bonfire storytelling, movies under the stars, character breakfasts and many more. But it’s hard to dismiss Laniwai Spa. This Polynesian-inspired spa blends Hawaiian culture with undeniable luxury, and offers amazing treatments using the best products so that you come out of there feeling a new person. It also has separate room for teens to get their pampering done. Its best feature however is its outdoor garden, which has hot and cold plunge pools, a lounge area and several rainfall showers.
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Velas Vallarta
Outdoor massage area at Velas Vallarta (Courtesy Vallas Vallarta)
A family-friendly, all-inclusive resort also located on the shores of Banderas Bay in Puerto Vallarta, the vibrant Velas Vallarta features a tropical garden, several kid-friendly pools, restaurants that serve delicious international fares, and even resident peacocks roaming the property. It also prides itself on its many green initiatives. One thing that stands out at this property is its spa. The facility itself is quite small but it does offer single or couples spa treatments under a white canopy right on a jetty that juts out to sea so that you can hear the sounds of the ocean while being pampered.
Michelle Rae Uy contributed this to MiniTime. She is a travel writer based in Los Angeles and MiniTime’s Head of Content, who spends her free time on adventures and film photography.
