Healing Holidays Named Condé Nast Traveller's "Best for Wellness" in The Top Travel Specialists 2027

Of all the specialists on Condé Nast Traveller's hand-picked list, one name stands alone in the wellness category: Healing Holidays.

Wellness has never been more sought after, and never harder to navigate. Ayurveda or anti-ageing? A medical fasting clinic in Bavaria or a Himalayan sanctuary? Thousands of spas now promise transformation, and a beautiful website cannot tell you which ones truly deliver.

It is with great pride that we share that Healing Holidays features in Condé Nast Traveller's The top travel specialists to know right now, published on 2 November 2026 and setting out the magazine's recommendations for 2027. This is the editors' hand-picked "little black book" of the travel specialists who matter most. Among safari fixers, ski experts, villa finders and regional insiders, one entry carries the words Best for: Wellness. It is ours.

For more than two decades, since Frances Geoghegan founded Healing Holidays in 2004, our approach has stayed the same: visit every spa and wellness resort first-hand, nurture long-standing relationships with the finest therapists, and recommend only what is right for the person travelling. To see it recognised in these pages is a moment we are delighted to share. Here is what Condé Nast Traveller said, why a wellness specialist belongs in a travel list at all, and what it means for your next retreat.

Which travel specialist does Condé Nast Traveller recommend for wellness holidays?

Condé Nast Traveller recommends Healing Holidays. In its 2027 recommendations, The top travel specialists to know right now, it is the only specialist labelled "Best for: Wellness". Founded by Frances Geoghegan in 2004, Healing Holidays is described as "the leading authority in the most booming corner of high-end travel", with key destinations in Middle Europe, Southeast Asia, India and the Indian Ocean.

Key takeaways

• "Best for: Wellness" label. Healing Holidays is the only specialist with this label in Condé Nast Traveller's The top travel specialists to know right now
• Michelin-guide comparison. The magazine calls a Healing Holidays listing "a wellness equivalent to the Michelin guide as well as a tour operator".
• Four wellness focuses singled out. Ayurveda, anti-ageing, emotional healing and fasting. Healing Holidays also curates medical spas, detox retreats and more.
• Four key destinations. Middle Europe, Southeast Asia, India and the Indian Ocean..
• Selected on merit. Every spa is tested first-hand, and none pays to be featured.

What Condé Nast Traveller says about Healing Holidays

In its 2027 recommendations, Condé Nast Traveller gives Healing Holidays its own entry, labelled Best for: Wellness. This is the full text, as published:

A global explosion of interest in wellness has meant it can be hard to keep up with where to go for a health fix. But whether it's spiritually adjacent Ayurveda, anti-ageing, emotional healing or lab coats and fasting, it's a solid bet that Healing Holidays will offer the best of the best trips. Founded by Frances Geoghegan in 2004, it's become the leading authority in the most booming corner of high-end travel – thoroughly testing all spas and wellness resorts for quality, and using decades-old contacts to secure the best rates and the best therapists for clients. A listing with HH is a sign that a spa has made it, joining names like VivaMayr or Ananda in the Himalayas – making it a wellness equivalent to the Michelin guide as well as a tour operator.

Source: Condé Nast Traveller, "The top travel specialists to know right now", 2 November 2026.

Three phrases worth savouring

Within a few lines, Condé Nast Traveller captures what we have spent more than twenty years building. Three phrases say it best.

• "The best of the best trips."
  From spiritually adjacent Ayurveda to anti-ageing, emotional healing and fasting, the editors recognise the full spectrum of what we do. And these are far from the only journeys we curate: our expertise also extends to medical spas, detox retreats and many more. Each one is chosen with care, and you can discover them all in our retreat collection.
• "Thoroughly testing all spas and wellness resorts for quality."
   We never recommend a place we haven't experienced ourselves. Our team visits, tests and returns, and spas earn their place on merit alone, never for payment.
• "A wellness equivalent to the Michelin guide as well as a tour operator."
   For us, this is the most meaningful line of all. A listing with Healing Holidays tells you a spa has made it, in the company of names such as VivaMayr and Ananda in the Himalayas. And because we are also your tour operator, we take care of every detail of your journey.

Why this recommendation matters

1. One name in the wellness category

The list is broad: all-rounders, regional specialists, special-interest operators and villa fixers. Wellness is a discipline of its own, and on this list one specialist holds the "Best for: Wellness" label. When a title as respected as Condé Nast Traveller chooses a single name for the category, it gives travellers a clear, trusted answer. We are honoured that the answer is Healing Holidays.

2. The human touch in an age of AI

The editors open their list with a conviction we share: in an age of Web3, artificial intelligence and "vast warehouses of digital information", travellers need specialists more than ever. Wellness may be the clearest example. A brochure cannot tell you whether a programme will suit your sleep, your burnout or your recovery. A specialist who has stayed there, and knows the therapists by name, can.

3. Selected, never simply listed

A directory lists. A specialist selects. Every spa and wellness resort we offer has been assessed for quality, which is why Condé Nast Traveller likens us to a guide as well as a tour operator. For you, that means less risk, less research and a more graceful route to the right retreat.

4. Access that is hard to find alone

The magazine highlights our "decades-old contacts to secure the best rates and the best therapists". In practice, that means help with availability, the right practitioner for your goals and the right room at the right resort. At the highest level of wellness travel, where the finest therapists and rooms are in constant demand, these relationships make all the difference.

5. A recognition built over time

This honour builds on a remarkable 2026. In October, Healing Holidays was named World's Best Wellness Specialist in the Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards 2026, with a score of 98.76 (read the press announcement). In the same year, Frances Geoghegan was named world's top wellness travel specialist in Condé Nast Traveller's previous Top Travel Specialists list, for 2026. Two different recognitions, one from readers and one from editors, now point to the same name.

Healing Holidays awards: a decade of recognition

The Condé Nast Traveller recommendation for 2027 is the latest chapter in a long record of recognition. Here are the key honours.

World's Best Wellness Specialist, Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards 2026
Healing Holidays scored 98.76 and remains the only wellness travel specialist in the magazine's list of the world's best tour operators. That is true this year and at any point in the past ten years. There is no jury behind this award. It is decided by the travellers themselves: thousands of Condé Nast Traveller readers rated companies between 1 April and 30 June 2026, and the score is the average of those ratings. Readers also singled out our address book for accommodation, which is the key to the most coveted spas, clinics and sanctuaries in the world. Read the full announcement.

UK's Best Wellness Travel Specialist, Condé Nast Traveller 2026
Condé Nast Traveller called us "the leading authority on wellness travel". It praised our hands-on approach of testing every spa and retreat personally before recommending it, likened to the vetting behind the Michelin Guide. Read the announcement.

Frances Geoghegan, World's Top Wellness Travel Specialist 2026
Our founder was individually named number one on Condé Nast Traveller's Top Travel Specialists list. Read the announcement.

World's Best Wellness Travel Specialist, Readers' Choice 2025
Condé Nast Traveller readers also voted us their Best Wellness Travel Specialist in the World in 2025. Read the announcement.

Where Healing Holidays specialises: the key destinations

Condé Nast Traveller names four key destinations. Each is a true wellness heartland:

• Europe: medical spas, fasting clinics and longevity programmes. Browse wellness retreats in Europe and our guide to the best MAYR clinics.
• Southeast Asia: holistic and integrative sanctuaries in Thailand, Indonesia and beyond. Explore Southeast Asia.
• India: the birthplace of Ayurveda, from yoga and Ayurveda retreats in India to our pick of the 5 best Ayurveda retreats.
• The Indian Ocean: restorative island escapes in the Maldives, Mauritius and beyond.

The retreats the editors singled out

The CN Traveller entry names the four pillars of our work:

And these are far from the only journeys we curate: our expertise also extends to medical spas and detox retreats, each chosen with the same care and first-hand knowledge.

How a stay with Healing Holidays comes together

The right retreat is rarely the most famous one. It is the one that understands you: your health, your history, the pace you need and the way you want to feel when you return home. Some guests arrive exhausted and in need of deep rest. Others come with a clear goal, such as a medical check-up, a fresh start for their metabolism or a reset after a demanding year. Our role is to listen first, then to find the place, the programme and the people that suit you best.

1. Tell us what you need.
    Better sleep, lasting weight loss, recovery from burnout, support through menopause or a longevity check-up. Perhaps you want a gentle Ayurvedic reset, or the rigour of a medical clinic with a doctor-led programme. Share your health goals, your preferences and the level of comfort you expect, whether that is a serene sanctuary in the mountains or a refined spa resort by the sea. Everything you tell us shapes what follows.

2. Speak to someone who has been there.
   Our team only works in wellness and only recommends places they know first-hand. They have walked the treatment corridors, tried the programmes and met the therapists. They can tell you how a clinic feels at seven in the morning, which suite is the quietest and which doctor you will want to see. Meet our wellness experts.

3. Receive a shortlist you can trust.
    It is carefully selected and wholly impartial, because spas appear on merit alone, never for payment. We match each retreat to your needs, from medical expertise and treatment philosophy to setting, season and style, so you can choose with confidence rather than sift through endless brochures.

4. Arrive knowing every detail is looked after.
    From therapist requests and treatment preferences to the choice of room and the small touches that make a stay feel personal, we take care of the arrangements so that your only task is to begin. Your wellbeing is the priority from the first conversation to the day you return home.

Speak to a Healing Holidays expert

FAQs

1. What did Condé Nast Traveller say about Healing Holidays?

Condé Nast Traveller lists Healing Holidays as Best for: Wellness in The top travel specialists to know right now. It calls us "the leading authority in the most booming corner of high-end travel" and compares a listing with us to the Michelin guide for spas.

2. Is Healing Holidays the only wellness specialist on the list?

Yes. Healing Holidays is the only specialist on the list with the "Best for: Wellness" label.

3. Who founded Healing Holidays?

Frances Geoghegan founded Healing Holidays in 2004. She was also named the world's top wellness travel specialist by Condé Nast Traveller in its previous list, for 2026.

4. Which destinations does Healing Holidays specialise in?

Condé Nast Traveller lists Middle Europe, Southeast Asia, India and the Indian Ocean as our key destinations. We also work with spas and retreats in other regions; see all our destinations.

5. What types of wellness retreats can I book?

The magazine mentions Ayurveda, anti-ageing, emotional healing and fasting. We also offer detox retreats, yoga, medical spas, weight loss, mindfulness, thalassotherapy and more.

6. How does Healing Holidays choose the spas and retreats it recommends?

We test spas and wellness resorts for quality, and our team only recommends properties they have experienced themselves. We never accept payment to feature a spa, so places appear on merit alone.

7. What does "a wellness equivalent to the Michelin guide" mean?

It means that a listing with Healing Holidays signals a spa has met a high standard, in the way a Michelin entry does for restaurants. Our role is also practical: as a tour operator, we book the whole journey for you.

8. What awards has Healing Holidays won?

Healing Holidays was named World's Best Wellness Specialist in the Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards 2026 (score 98.76) and UK's Best Wellness Travel Specialist in 2026. It also won the Readers' Choice title in 2025, and Frances Geoghegan was named World's Top Wellness Travel Specialist 2026.

9. What is the difference between the Readers' Choice Awards and the Top Travel Specialists list?

The Readers' Choice Awards are decided by Condé Nast Traveller readers, whose ratings are converted into a score. The Top Travel Specialists list is the editors' hand-picked selection, where Healing Holidays holds the "Best for: Wellness" label for 2027.

10. How do I plan a wellness holiday with Healing Holidays?

Contact our team with your goals, dates and budget. A specialist will recommend a shortlist of retreats and look after the booking.