Heavenly stays: 10 of the best monastery breaks in Europe

From frugal retreats to luxury escapes, these convents and monasteries offer peace and spectacular locations for all faiths

To Big Sur, with love: a monastery stay on the northern California coast

High above the Pacific, a hermitage offers a world without distraction, where silence, serenity and joy reign supreme

‘We were inspired, recharged and nourished by nature’: readers’ favourite wellness trips

From mindful walking in the Yorkshire Dales to a Buddhist retreat in Japan, our tipsters have found inner peace and rejuvenation all over the world

How I learned to meditate in Herefordshire

At a centre in the Wye Valley our writer puts aside her initial doubts and learns how silence and focusing on the breath can quieten the mind and boost wellbeing

Relax, revive, refresh: 30 of the best spa hotels and retreats in Europe

From luxurious urban escapes to holistic getaways and indulgent country breaks, here’s our pick of the very best spas

Happy new you! 10 of the best UK wellbeing retreats for 2025

Get the year off to a positive start by booking a restorative break. We pick the best wellness retreats, with yoga, swimming, walking and more in pretty settings from the Highlands to Essex

My voyage of good cheer around Finland – the world’s happiest country

With clean air, vast green spaces and more saunas than cars, Finns have plenty of reasons to be cheerful

Like a luxury spa – for £20: where to enjoy Britain’s Turkish baths revival

In 1900, there were 600 Turkish baths in Britain and Ireland. Today, only a handful survive. We enjoy a revived hammam in Newcastle and take a look at 10 more around the country

I was way out of my depth at the yoga workshop – but at least I wasn’t bleeding like my neighbour

I’m nearly 50 and my hobby is sitting. Why did I decide to attempt a strange version of the handstand, writes Emma Beddington

Medical tourism is booming. But is it a price worth paying?

The number of people flying abroad to have cosmetic procedures is higher than ever, but are the risks too high?