Thermal Luxe

02/07/2025

✨ San Pellegrino Terme: A Happy Accident in the Italian Alps ✨

Sometimes, the best travel stories begin with a slip-up.

We forgot to book an extra night in Bellagio (rookie error), so we let the mountains decide. That’s how we ended up in San Pellegrino Terme, a hidden gem tucked in the Lombardy Alps, where thermal waters meet Belle Époque splendour.

If the name rings a bell, it should. This is the San Pellegrino, the mineral water that has graced countless European tables. But here, it bubbles straight from the source, infused with centuries of wellness rituals.

We checked into Resort Ninfea, because if you’re going to improvise, you might as well do it with a sauna and a thermal spa waiting to welcome you.

And just up the road? QC Terme San Pellegrino, a spa as grand as it gets. Picture: Art Nouveau frescoes, warm mineral pools beneath soaring ceilings, and that hush that settles when you’re soaking in history.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, that was the first time a friendly German gentleman decided to hop into the whirlpool bath stark naked with us. Apparently, it’s a thing.

A little serendipity. A lot of mineral magic. And the kind of detour (and cultural education) you never forget.

02/07/2025

✨ Two Days in Bellagio, Lake Como ✨

Turns out, living your best life looks a lot like this: a sun-soaked terrace in Bellagio, Italy, with a dog living his Mediterranean dream.

For two unforgettable days, we called the top level of Lake Como home. Guy set up his nomadic office on the rooftop (cue envy-inducing Zoom backdrops), while Dexter perfected his art of doing absolutely nothing in the Italian sunshine.

Italy and France truly top the list when it comes to dog-friendly escapes - and this trip was no exception. Think morning espressos overlooking the lake, lazy afternoons on the terrace, and that feeling you only get when you realise you wouldn’t change a single thing.

If you’re dreaming of a little luxury with your four-legged co-pilot, Lake Como delivers in spades.

🌿 Stay: Bellagio, top-level room with panoramic views.
🐾 Vibe: La dolce vita (with dog treats).
🌞 Highlight: Sunrise over the lake and Dexter living rent-free in paradise.

24/06/2025

The menu said “Menú Taúlla & Molino”.
12+ courses.
We said, “Bring it on.”

Taúlla isn’t just a restaurant. It’s a paprika-scented fever dream where culinary theatre and comfort food collide. Set inside a restored paprika mill (yes, really), this place redefines fine dining in all the right ways.

There was a dish that looked like coffee but tasted like Vietnamese soup.

There was a wine pairing so good we forgot to write anything down.

There was laughter. Surprise. Silence.
And at the end? A gift of paprika to take home. No fireworks. Just soul.

Murcia, you did us proud.

📍Taúlla, Murcia City
🔖 Save for your romantic dinner.

24/06/2025

Once upon a time, Roman soldiers came here to heal.
Now? You come here to exhale.
At first glance, Balneario de Archena looks like any luxe wellness retreat - but give it five minutes in those 52°C mineral-rich waters, and you’ll get it. This isn’t a spa. It’s a soft reboot for your nervous system.

Mud wraps. Saunas. Cold plunges. An igloo room. (Seriously, the igloo!)

And the kind of silence that makes your brain stop spinning for the first time in months.

It’s the kind of place where healing doesn’t scream with scented candles - it whispers through warm stone and still water.

📍Archena, Spain
📎 Save this for your next ‘get me out of here’ week.

24/06/2025

We nearly skipped it.
The wine. The valley. The drive.
It wasn’t Rioja. It wasn’t Ribera. It wasn’t famous.
But oh, it was phenomenal.

The Ricote Valley isn’t trying to impress anyone.
And that’s what makes it so damn unforgettable.

You’ll find 100-year-old Monastrell vines tucked into dusty corners of Jumilla and Yecla, soaking up the heat, delivering bottles with structure, spice, and soul.

No tourists. No inflated prices. Just bold reds, dry humour, and people who really love what they do.
This is the wine trail we’ll keep going back to - and telling too many people about.

🍷 Jumilla, Spain
🗺️ Tag your favourite wine wanderer.

24/06/2025

Ever looked at a view so still, it felt like the world hit pause?

That’s the Ricote Valley at dusk, golden, quiet, and wildly underrated.

No rooftop chaos. No selfie sticks. No check-in drama.

Just you. A glass of local wine. That mountain view. And a hush deep enough to reset your nervous system.

📍 Residencia Palm Springs, Archena - a luxury thermal spa stay tucked in the Ricote Valley.

Here, luxury whispers. Think private, peaceful, and designed for slow travel lovers.

🧖‍♀️ Save this for the next time you Google: “Where to stay in Murcia for a quiet getaway.”

18/06/2025

After a lifetime of thermal travels - from China & Japan to deepest darkest Peru - it was here, in southern Spain, that everything crystallised.

Balneario de Archena had it all: 2,000 years of ritual, breathtaking Murcian light, and the most spectacular hydrothermal circuit we’d ever experienced - steams, pools, icy igloo, and rapids flinging you joyfully from cave to cascade.

We were so captivated, we bought an apartment next door.

And so, Thermal Luxe was born - not just from a love of water, but from a desire to share the restorative, immersive magic of places like this. Welcome to our journey.

12/06/2025

Not every wound needs words.

Sometimes healing is quiet. Elemental. Found in the hush of steam rooms and the sting of cold plunge. In minerals older than memory. In traditions passed down through touch, water, and time.

At Thermal Luxe, healing isn’t a destination - it’s a return. To breath. To body. To belonging.

This is where you let go. Where stillness does the work. Where warmth rewrites the story.

12/06/2025

Ever stepped into a hot spring and felt like the world just...exhaled?

Welcome to Thermal Luxe – where travel slows down, your senses switch on, and the water’s always warm (emotionally and literally). From Japan’s misty onsens to Iceland’s raw, untamed pools - this is your passport to the world’s most soul-soothing spots.

We’re not here for rushed itineraries or back-to-back sightseeing. We’re here for steam, stillness, and stories. For the cultural roots of heat. The textures of tradition. The slow burn of places that stay with you.

Follow along if you’re craving more than just a ‘grammable getaway. Because this isn’t travel. It’s ritual.

12/06/2025