The chic sleep: Kurhotel Skodsborg, Denmark

The unique, simple allure of the seaside Kurhotel in Skodsburg, a 120-year-old ex-sanatorium turned health spa, lies in the health- and energy-boosting properties of hot and cold water. You’ll experience an array of therapies and treatments, from whirlpools and salt caves to the marvelous SaunaGus, where essential oils, such as eucalyptus, cedar and mandarin, are dripped onto hot coals and fragrant steam is waved around the room with a towel by your ‘Mist Master’ for a meditative half hour. After that, it’s time for a sprint down the jetty and a plunge into the bitter freeze of the Baltic.

Immersing yourself in icy water is the equivalent of shock therapy for the body and soul. Scientific evidence of the healing properties of cold-water swimming is still on the lean side, but anecdotes abound of its curative effect on both physical pain and mental illness. Wild winter swimming clubs are popping up everywhere, and to experience this activity is to understand why. Yes, there’s the instant rush of euphoria, but it’s the residual buzz of good health that’s so very addictive.

The variety of hot and cold treatments at Kurhotel are so much fun that it’s easy to spend the entire day careening between them. But for those who manage to tear themselves away from the spa, the hotel offers therapeutic and exercise classes galore, plus bicycle rides through the deer-filled estates of The Hermitage Hunting Lodge. Inspired by the vitality and glow of the predominantly Danish clientele, you’ll be lifting dumb-bells, bobbing in the sea and chopping wood in the glimmering forests of Dyrehaven.

Bedrooms are cool, airy and high-ceilinged, with balconies overlooking the sea. Originally the summer retreat of King Frederick VII, the building was redesigned as a sanatorium in 1898; with its long, two-story wings built around an elegant central courtyard, it still retains a majestic feel.