SpaFinder announce Readers’ Choice Awards 2012 winners

SpaFinder Wellness has announced the winners of the 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards, listing some of the top global spas. Now in its tenth year, the awards are based on votes cast by spa-goers the world over.

Comprising 27 categories, eight of these were new to this year. The Best Beach Spa, Best for Families, Best for Weddings and Best for Girlfriend Getaways & Bachelorettes classifications all appeared for the first time as part of the 2012 awards.

Known as the Crystal Awards, the six top honours went to the most voted-for spas in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North American and South America respectively.

Facilities that made it into this year’s Crystal Awards circle include Thailand’s famous Chiva-Som resort, the spa at the Oyster Box hotel in Durban, South Africa, the spa at the Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires and the Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in Australia.

Commenting on the awards, Susie Ellis, president of SpaFinder Wellness said: “Working your way to the top of a global industry crowded with tens of thousands of hotel, resort and destination spas is nothing short of an extraordinary feat. We salute all our 2012 winners, particularly those that have won awards for the first time.”

Spa–goers also cast their votes on the best spa in 44 different countries, with Lanserhof in Austria, Alto Atacama Desert Lodge & Spa in Chile, Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Germany and ESPA at The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo being among the country winners.

Taking home a number of the national awards, including for the spas at the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, the Four Seasons Hotel Prague, the Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh and the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris (which also won the Crystal Award for Europe), the Four Season hotel group was one of the most highly awarded this year.
 

For  a full list of winners, see: www.spafinder.com/rca