Latest news with #Espa
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Ayana Villas Bali review: Honeymoon paradise with stunning ocean views
Perfect for: Honeymooners, couples looking to treat themselves, or any water babies who fancy a private pool in picture-perfect surroundings. First impressions: As soon as you're whisked through the gates of Ayana Bali you know you've arrived somewhere special. The staff at the Ayana Villas lobby are your first taste of the exceptional service you'll receive throughout your stay. The open-air reception looks over mirrorlike pools, and you're left itching to explore the manicured tropical grounds as you sip your tasty welcome drink. One of the exclusive perks for villa guests is priority buggy service anywhere within the resort (remember it is 90ha!), so you arrive at your intricately decorated front door in style. The room: Where to start with this room. I never wanted to leave. The One-Bedroom Ocean View Villa is 500sq m and has been newly refurbished to bring together modern design and luxuries alongside traditional Balinese elegance. Marble and wood are used extensively throughout the suite, which features a spacious, separate living area. Each villa features an inviting gazebo by the pool, while sliding glass doors open from the bedroom. So, naturally, I started each day with a morning swim just steps away from my bed. The king-size bed is incredibly comfortable, and there's even a pillow menu with 14 different options. Ayana Villas delivers luxury, privacy and sustainability in one cliffside package. Photo / Supplied Bathroom: The spa-inspired marble bathroom is almost bigger than my Auckland apartment. A standalone marble bath is in pride of place, and I'm welcomed by a flower bath on my first night. I soak in the petals and admire a glowing sunset. Between the bathroom and bedroom is a full-size dressing room and vanity area, with all the bathroom amenities you might have forgotten to pack. To keep the spa theme flowing, the Villas use luxurious Espa products, with pure natural ingredients. Facilities: If you can drag yourself away from your slice of tranquil paradise, there is so much to explore at the resort. By the numbers there's the 53-room award-winning Ayana Spa (featuring one of the world's largest hydrotherapy seawater pools); a secluded private beach (accessed via its own funicular with jaw-dropping views); an 18-hole golf putting course; two tennis courts; three well-equipped fitness centres and two kids' playgrounds that I wished I was small enough to clamber on. Expect flower baths, a pillow menu and Espa toiletries in Ayana's premium villas. Photo / Supplied There are also 14 swimming pools, with the two-level River Pool, designed to mimic a natural river, available exclusively to villa guests from 10am. Any earlier and you'll find other resort guests taking part in a photoshoot – it's the stuff of an influencer's dreams. Ayana Hospitality has its own app allowing you to easily check out everything on offer, book at the spa or restaurants, or liaise directly with your butler for a pickup. Food and drink: With more than 30 restaurants and bars on site, you're spoiled with the variety of cuisines on offer. The bars include a beach club, multiple rooftops, and a music lounge for night owls. As a villa guest, you get priority access to the resort's famous Rock Bar, set on the cliffside, where visitors line up for a prime sunset seat. The Rock Bar is perched on a cliff and offers priority seating for villa guests. Photo / Supplied In the neighbourhood: The four hotels at Ayana Bali already feel like separate destinations; however, if you do venture further afield, Jimbaran Village is nearby and you can join trips to revered spots like Uluwatu Temple. Sustainability: Since 2023, the resort has eliminated single-use plastic amenities from all guest rooms, reducing an estimated 52 tonnes of plastic waste annually. Further plastic reductions include using glass bottles for drinking water, transitioning to biodegradable wooden keycards, and serving takeaway meals in compostable paper-based containers. The resort also has its own farm, which uses organic methods and traditional eco-friendly practices. There are plenty of activities for guests as well, including farm-to-table dining experiences and educational activities about sustainable farming. With expansive villas, priority perks and cliffside views, Ayana is as relaxing as Bali gets. Photo / Supplied Accessibility: The Ayana team is well-informed about the accessible rooms and amenities on offer. Most of the restaurants are wheelchair accessible; however, there are a few that, because of their location – such as on the beach or with many steps – would be challenging to access for those with limited mobility. Price: The 1BR Ocean View Villa starts at $1585 per night. Contact: For more information visit New Zealand Herald stayed courtesy of Ayana Resort & Spa.
Fashion Network
10-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Fashion Network
THG's Espa brand opens spa at key Brussels hotel
THG's high-end beauty brand Espa has opened a luxury spa at the Corinthia Grand Hotel Astoria is Brussels. And on a super-luxury scale, we're told it's where 'sanctuary merges [with] opulence with wellness', as the Corinthia Spa promises a 'journey of rejuvenation and relaxation, set within the hotel's historic grandeur'. The 13,000 sq ft space features an organic design complete with marble accents, brass detailing, and warm oak finishes. The spa includes a retail boutique and café alongside 'carefully curated' changing rooms. The 'serene' Thermal Area features a vaulted ceiling that opens to the view of the Lap Pool and Vitality Pool while Heat Experiences allows guests to 'indulge in therapeutic thermal treatments' plus Ice Fountain and Experience Showers that offer contrast therapy. The new spa concept features Sisley Paris products, while Espa operates the spa's wellbeing pillar, offering aromatherapy experiences and a signature Espa City Recharge Ritual, available only at Corinthia Brussels. Daniel Golby, managing director at Espa, said: '[The] Corinthia Spa… is testament to our commitment to creating exceptional wellness experiences."
Wales Online
03-06-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
I found a way to get £55 'facial in a bottle' serum for £7.50 in LookFantastic's summer edit
I found a way to get £55 'facial in a bottle' serum for £7.50 in LookFantastic's summer edit The Summer Heroes Edit is priced at £45 yet valued at over £150, boasting savings of more than £100 Inside the LookFantastic Summer Heores edit for £45 It feels as though there's a new beauty box released every single week, with high street favourites often battling it out to offer the best value for money and most exciting, relevant and sought-after products. And this week, I've taken a peek inside LookFantastic's Summer Heroes Edit, which delivers a rather covetable haul of makeup and skincare for under £50. The edit is priced at £45 yet valued at over £150, boasting savings of more than £100. It not only balances indulgence and practicality, but also a great mix of higher end and more affordable brands too, ranging from Color Wow and Caudalie, to Iconic and Sol de Janeiro. Four of the six items are full-sized, meaning they'll see you right the way through the summer months and beyond, and as part of the set, each one works out at £7.50 apiece. It's pretty impressive, seeing as the featured ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Serum is worth £55 alone. READ MORE: Skin essential which makes you look 'lit from within' slashed by £20 at Boots READ MORE: Hand luggage bag that's the 'perfect fit for Ryanair' now has a massive 45% off LookFantastic's edits are often popular with shoppers - and for good reason - but there are some other beauty hauls that offer even better value when it comes to the average cost-per-item. ASOS recently launched their Luxury Travel Essentials Beauty Box for £40. It's worth £135 and contains eight products from top brands, including Elemis, Laneige, Sol de Janeiro and Elizabeth Arden, each averaging at £5 a pop. Then there's Boots' Get Holiday Ready Bag, valued at £124.50. The seven-piece edit is priced at £32, which means each item averages out at £4.57- making it slightly better value than ASOS, not to mention it's the cheapest of all three. Brands featured include Sol de Janeiro and Laneige, but also Milk, Bobbi Brown, MAC and more. But the LookFantastic set has been flooded with compliments from shoppers who ordered it. In fact, almost every review has been five stars, save for a single four-star rating. One shopper said: 'This box was worth it for the Espa and Color Wow products alone. Such a lovely little affordable luxury, any one of these items would be considered a 'treat' to myself usually." The ESPA and Color Wow products are what impressed me and many other shoppers the most Another added: 'Brought this box as I wanted to try the Espa serum, which is amazing. Have tried all the other products, which are equally as good. I love trying new products. Will buy a second one.' One said that the Sol de Janeiro cream was 'smaller than I expected', but still rated the edit five stars, adding: 'I love all the products especially the bronzing drops.' While a fourth penned: 'Amazing value box, I had to buy two. It's worth it for the Espa serum alone!' A personal favourite of mine was the inclusion of the Color Wow Pop & Lock High Gloss Finish, worth £22.50. Among its fans is Claudia Winkleman's stylist, Amy Short, who revealed she uses it on The Traitors' star to achieve her covetable shine. I've used the mini version for months and love how it effortlessly tames flyaways while adding shine without making my hair greasy, so the box made for a great opportunity to stock up on the full size. The products inside the box are worth a combined £150 The Caudalie Beauty Elixir is another must-have in my summer beauty arsenal. It's a fantastic multi-functional product that can be used as a toner, setting spray or midday refresh. Its spa-like botanical scent and skin-calming properties make it a staple that I find myself reaching for repeatedly throughout the day. The box's hero product, the ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Serum is ideal for anyone battling dry skin, made worse by the humid weather. It delivers hydration and radiance in a formula that feels like a facial in a bottle. It's no wonder multiple shoppers snapped up a second box for this product alone. Inside the LookFantastic Summer Heores edit for £45 No summer edit would be complete without a nod to the beach-body classic, Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. It is only a small tub, but it's the perfect size for traveling and the scent is insanely addictive. There's also Eucerin's Sun Face Pigment Control SPF 50 - a lightweight SPF that provides sun protection while sitting beautifully under makeup. The only product in the edit I wasn't sold by were Iconic London's Instant Sunshine Bronzing Drops. The button used to dispense the product had broken which made it tricky to use the product, and when I did manage to get some out, I found it way too dark for my skin tone. That's not to say that others wouldn't love it, though. A recap of what's in the Edit: Article continues below ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Serum 30ml (Full-Size) - Worth £55 Eucerin Sun Face Pigment Control SPF 50 50ml (Full-Size) - Worth £24 Iconic London Instant Sunshine Bronzing Drops 13ml(Full-Size) - Worth £22 Color Wow Pop & Lock High Gloss Finish 55ml (Full-Size)- Worth Over £22 Caudalie Beauty Elixir 30ml (Deluxe-Size) - Worth £18 Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream 25ml (Deluxe-Size) - Worth £10 While there are beauty boxes available at the moment that are more affordable or offer better value for money than the Summer Heroes Edit, what I will say about it as a beauty writer who has reviewed dozens of edits is that this one does feel like it's been really thoughtfully created with products that effortlessly slot into everyday routines and feel relevant to the time of year. The majority of items are full-sized, and those that aren't are perfect for travelling with, plus it's a really great opportunity to indulge in high-end, high-performance products at a fraction of the cost.
