Anantara will expand into the Seychelles in Q4 2020, following a rebrand of the iconic Maia Luxury Resort & Spa by architects Bill Bensley and Lek Bunnag. Located on Mahé, the largest of the Seychelles islands, Anantara Maia Seychelles Villas will consist of a 30-villa resort complemented with a luxury spa, set amongst 30 acres of forest garden. Located in the resort’s fragranced gardens, the Anantara Spa will be home

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has opened a new luxury resort and spa in Japan, expanding its luxury Asia Pacific portfolio into the historic mountain region of Nikko. Nikken Sekki led the architecture for the overall project, while rooms and public spaces were designed by Layan Architects + Designers. The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko, showcases a new spa designed to be an urban sanctuary of wellness inspired by the abundance of natural revitalising

Maslina Resort has opened on the Croatian island of Hvar, inspired by local healing traditions and nature. Croatian architect Tomislav Alujevic, interior designer Léonie Alma Mason and landscaper Thomas Seconde were responsible for the project, working with Melany Martinez Thomas, founder of consultancy, Spa and Wellness Collective on the spa. Located near Stari Grad, the 53-key resort is surrounded by olive groves and terraced vineyards, stretching across two hectares of

Following approval to build a £250mn wellbeing resort in Manchester, Therme Group has revealed plans to develop and expand its concept in other major UK cities. “Our aim is to ensure that a Therme Group wellbeing resort is within easy reach of 90 per cent of the UK population,” commented Therme UK COO, James Mark. The development plan includes projects – with a similar concept to Therme Manchester – in

Austrian developer Josef Kleindienst’s US$5bn mega-resort project, The Heart of Europe, in Dubai is on track to complete phase one of construction, despite COVID-19. The Heart of Europe is claimed to feature the world’s first floating underwater spa as well as 15 unique hotels and resorts spread across six islands designed to showcase European culture, heritage and lifestyle experiences through architecture, events and new technology, such as the world’s first

Architecture practice Johannes Torpe Studios has unveiled the first glimpses of the Buda Resort; a luxury spa resort located in the Visegrad Hills of Hungary and inspired by the spiritual symbolism of its setting. Situated 50km north of Budapest in a hilly landscape surrounded by forests and the Danube River; the vision for the 210-room resort is to offer a holistic retreat which fosters a greater sense of unity between

Ekies All Senses Resort, Halkidiki, Greece, has undergone a redesign and expansion project inspired by an ascetic vibe and its proximity to Mount Athos – home to 20 monasteries under the direct jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Resort owner, Alexandra Efstathiadou, worked in collaboration with Athens-based Agarch + Architects and Fytron Landscape Design, to create ten brand new suites and renovate five existing rooms. The team drew on

Peppas N Architects, Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) and Constantina Tsoutsikou are working together to create Royal Senses Resort & Spa Crete for Troulis Royal Collection, with a design inspired by the Cretan heritage. The aim has been to go above and beyond a typical luxury family resort while combining Crete’s rugged landscape and the character of its people with a cosmopolitan style. "The landscape’s rough beauty creates a wonderful juxtaposition

Hart Howerton have designed a new resort for Jamaica's 400ac (162ha) luxury Half Moon property called Eclipse at Half Moon, which is described as "a celebration of authentic Jamaican culture reflecting its surrounding natural beauty." The Eclipse resort joins the existing Founders Cove at Half Moon and Rose Hall Villas at Half Moon resorts at the Salamander Hotels & Resorts -managed location between Montego Bay and the Caribbean Sea. The

Oppenheim Architecture are creating an environmentally sustainable eco-resort in the Bahamas that is aimed at providing a secluded retreat for guests while helping them to develop a deeper connection with nature. illa Bimini will cover 40ac (16ha) along a 9,000ft (2,750m) stretch of coastline on Rockwell Island and is described as "a holistic community where every element is designed to blur the boundary between architecture and the landscape". The design

Wellbeing developer Therme Group has been given to the go-ahead to build a £250m ($325m, €287m) wellbeing resort in Manchester, UK, aimed at addressing the need for physical and mental wellbeing for all. Expected to open in 2023, Therme Manchester will cover an area of 28ac (11ha), with a 65,000sq m (700,000sq ft) main building that will house wellbeing facilities, a waterpark and botanical gardens. It will be designed by

Six Senses has confirmed its desert resort and spa in the Arava Valley, Israel, designed by Plesner Architects, will open in June after ten years of design and planning. Located in the Negev Desert, Six Senses Shaharut will be a modern reinterpretation of nomadic structures, reminiscent of the Nabataean community which occupied the area over 2,000 years ago. The resort’s design preserves the unique characteristics of the site, integrating with

Hotel group General Hotel Management (GHM) has revealed details of The Chedi Kudavillingili, its first resort in the Maldives, which will open later this year. The mixed-use resort development, which is part of a global expansion plan by GHM, will be located on a coral island and will have a Maldivian aesthetic to its architecture by Group X and interiors by URBNarc. It will feature 63 island-based villas and 36

Hotel group General Hotel Management (GHM) has revealed details of The Chedi Kudavillingili, its first resort in the Maldives, which will open later this year. The mixed-use resort development, which is part of a global expansion plan by GHM, will be located on a coral island and will have a Maldivian aesthetic to its architecture by Group X and interiors by URBNarc. It will feature 63 island-based villas and 36

FUGU Hospitality has installed a nine-bubble village of accommodation at the Alpin D’Hôme hotel in the Alps resort of Les Orres, France, providing a cosy, low-impact and close-to-nature place for guests to stay. FUGU was established in 2011 to provide bubble structures for events and launched its FUGU Hospitality subsidiary last year to rollout bubbles designed for habitation. Among the potential uses it suggests are home or hotel living spaces,

Europe's first Legoland Water Park – and the first to open in a non-Legoland destination – will open at the Gardaland resort close to Lake Garda, Italy, on 28 May. The park, which was announced last year, will cover 15,000sq m (160,000sq ft) and will be constructed, in part, from millions of Lego bricks. Aimed at families with children, it will be home to several different themed lands, as well

The Haritha Villas + Spa resort in Sri Lanka has opened a new spa set into lush vegetation on a hilltop site with views across the surrounding jungle. The 3,500sq ft (325sq m) Jungle Spa, which specialises in Ayurvedic treatments, has three treatment rooms spread across two levels and claims to fuse elements of the surrounding nature within all its treatments. Additional facilities include a Vichy shower, sauna, steam room,

Anantara has debuted in Malaysia with a resort featuring traditional low-rise Malay-style buildings with ocean-views and a signature Anantara Spa. The 108-key Anantara Desaru Coast and Villas resort is located in Johor and surrounded by tropical gardens. Among the accommodation options are 13 stand-alone villas inspired by traditional kampong houses that are situated around a lagoon, five family residences with private infinity pools and 15 private beachfront residences – the

COMO Hotels and Resorts is gearing up to reopen their Cocoa Island private island resort in the Maldives on 9 January following a seven-month refurbishment. “The Maldives has become a highly competitive market,” said Olivier Jolivet, COMO Group’s CEO. “Luxury hotel companies keep raising the ante, from building ‘reclaimed islands’, to tunnelling out underwater wine cellars. Sometimes we forget that nature is powerful, and simplicity has a very important role

Kerry Hill Architects have designed a spa and wellness resort on a mountainside in Hokkaido – their fourth resort in Japan for hotel operator Aman, following the opening of Aman Kyoto. The Aman Niseko resort is to be an all-season retreat situated among the mountain, forest and river surroundings of Mount Moiwa. It is designed to take advantage of the setting by framing the forest and mountain scenery from inside

Plans have been announced for a vast zero-carbon resort to be built by the Red Sea in northwest Saudi Arabia as part of the Vision 2030 programme, which is aimed at reducing the kingdom’s dependence on oil and developing public service sectors. Set to open in 2030, the 31.4sq km (12.1sq mi) mixed-use development project, called AMAALA, will range across three different locations – called Triple Bay, The Island and

Anantara has launched a resort in the in southwest Tunisian Sahara Desert with Moorish-inspired architecture and interiors that celebrate the region's design culture. The 93-room Anantara Tozeur Resort features a variety of accommodation types, including Deluxe Sahara View Rooms, One and Two-Bedroom Villas and clusters of Pool Villas in landscaped courtyards. Two private three-bedroom Royal Villas each provide 800sq m (8,600sq ft) of indoor living space with an open-plan lounge,

Retail and leisure destination developer Intu is creating an €800m ($886m, £679m) resort on Spain's Costa del Sol, designed by WATG and Broadway Malyan, that will feature eight distinct neighbourhoods, each offering a different experience for visitors. Located in Torremolinos, Intu Costa del Sol will cover 2.5 million sq ft (235,000 sq m) and will incorporate 1.5 million sq ft (142,000 sq m) of retail space, 20+ leisure operators, 70+

Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos (SMA) have created a branched, undulating design for Chablé's planned Sea of Cortez spa resort that blends with the natural landscape and gives guests both privacy and ocean views. Located on the Baja California Peninsula just north of La Paz in northwest Mexico, the resort will cover an area of 64,900sq m (698,700sq ft). The site is set on the coast between two hills in a sparsely

Hotel operator Aman has opened a third resort in Japan that has been designed by the late architect Kerry Hill and his team to capitalise on its lush forest surroundings. The 26-room Aman Kyoto, announced in February, is situated in a hidden garden close to Kinkaky-ji Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, near the centre of the prefecture. The 80ac (32ha) Aman Kyoto site comprises 72ac (29ha) of permanent forest

Winstanley Architects & Planners and LandDesign have created a masterplan for a 821ac (332ha) resort in Puerto Rico with a focus on health, wellness and sustainability. Ponce Paradise, located between the existing city of Ponce and the Caribbean Sea, will combine a new town with a wellness offering, a canal quarter, a beachfront and a preservation area. Infrastructure such as a micro-grid and a farm-to-table agricultural program will help to

Pullman ’s Maldives Maamutaa Resort will open two villas with underwater bedrooms this November, allowing guests to see the island’s vibrant marine life up close during their stay. The resort, designed by Blink Design Group with interiors by Miaja Design Group, opened at the end of September and is spread across 18 hectares of landscaped garden in the Gaafu Alifu Atoll. It has 122 villas that are either beachside or