A worker hoses down the entrance to a hotel in Brighton southern England
A worker hoses down the entrance to a hotel in Brighton southern England January 6, 2015. Britain's economic recovery softened further as growth across services companies slowed sharply during December to its lowest level since mid-2013, a survey showed on Tuesday. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor Reuters/Luke MacGregor

New Zealand wellness resort Aro Ha has received global acclaim. It was ranked number eight in the list of Top 100 hotels and resorts in the world by the readers of reputed Travel magazine, Conde Nast Traveller. The Kiwi resort is the only Australasian property to make it to the Top 10 club.

Hailed as an "eco chic luxury retreat," Aro Ha is a 45-minute drive from Queenstown and is situated at the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Virgin Australia had ranked it as the second best wellness retreat in the world. There had been too many encomiums coming for the 1-year-old resort, reports Stuff.Co.Nz.

In his response, Aro Ha co-founder Damian Chaparro said he was thrilled by the accolades. "We are humbled and grateful for the recognition received in the first year of operation," he said. "At the end of each retreat we look into the glowing faces of our guests and see the profound results of our program. That glow is what we are all about."

Purpose Built

Located on New Zealand's south island, Aro Ha is a purpose-built, self-sufficient retreat that offers yoga, hiking, strength training, meditation, therapeutic massage and great vegetarian cuisine. Designed by local practice Tennent + Brown architects, the timber dwelling accommodates 32 guests at a time. It encourages group interaction, great views across the 21-acre site with its open terrace oriented to face Lake Wakatipu.

The resort makes an effort to combine ancient traditions associated to the region with modern technologies and is monitored by a state-of-the-art infrastructure management system, allowing efficient conversion of sun and water to energy. This off-grid power capability ensures the retreat has a minimum carbon footprint, according to Design Boom News.

Awards

Other awards recently received by the retreat include the Best New Property to Visit by Luxury Travel Magazine, Number 2 best Wellness Retreat in the world by Virgin Australia, Spa Finder 2014 Wellness Travel Award, AsiaSpa Baccarat Awards of New Spa of the Year, Destination Retreat of the Year and Spa Cuisine of the Year. The resort is unique in many ways--it produces over 90 percent of its power needs onsite, supports environmental education, uses New Zealand's first renewably sourced heating scheme and also grows a big amount of organic produce on-site.

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