Nothing says luxury at the end of a long winter quite like a nice soak in a therapeutic hot springs.
Avanti Destinations last week revealed new packages that offer that all-important mix of wellness and authenticity, including a two-night luxury retreat in Iceland, an onsen hopping package in Japan and thermal springs excursions in Chile and Panama.
In Iceland, Avanti now offers two hotels that provide premium access to the famed Blue Lagoon, which is usually booked far in advance. The options include the new 62-room Retreat at the Blue Lagoon, a five-star hotel that also has its own private spa and Retreat Lagoon for guest use, and the 35-room Silica Hotel, a four-star property just a 15-minute walk to the Blue Lagoon.
In Japan, Avanti is offering an onsen (hot spring) package in Kinosaki, a small town two-and-a-half hours by train from Kyoto that has been dedicated to the onsen tradition for more than 1,000 years. People walk the streets from bathhouse to bathhouse in robes supplied by the ryokans, traditional guest houses, where they stay. Bathing is communal, in gender-separate baths. Clothing, including swimsuits, is not allowed.
The package includes round-trip train tickets, accommodations in an authentic ryokan, breakfasts and dinners and a pass that provides admission to all seven bath houses in Kinosaki.
In Latin American, Avanti has also launched private day trips to Termas Geometricas in Chile and Caldera Hot Springs in Panama.
Termas Geometricas is a little more than 50 miles from Pucon in the forests of Villarrica Volcano National Park and has 16 geometrically-shaped geothermal pools and four swimming pools.
Panama's Caldera Hot Springs, where the water is heated by nearby Baru volcano, is a day trip from Boquete in Panama's Chiriqui province. Lunch and a tour of the town of Caldera is included in the excursion.
The packages are an addition to the entry passes Avanti already offers to thermal springs in Budapest and Baden-Baden, Germany.