Travelling solo – a new singles’ hotel in Crete
In need of sun and travelling solo? A new singles' hotel in Crete offers trips that are about as far from the booze-and-bazouki 18-30 crowd as you could get, says Rhik Samadder
London’s top five peaceful escapes
When it all gets too much, flee the mayhem with a walk on canal or forest paths, or shut the world out in a flotation tank, advises Dixe Wills
Crowd-free places: My perfect London day out by the author of Quiet London
For calm contemplation in busy London, artist Siobhan Wall's suggests peaceful galleries, an art bookshop, a life drawing class – and a visit to William Blake's grave
Fangotherapy – a mud spa near Venice
Being encased in mud wasn't John Brunton's idea of a relaxing weekend, but trying fangotherapy in a Roman spa town near Venice changed his mind
A juice detox at a spa in Spain
A juice detox at a chic new Spanish spa may be an extreme way to get a bikini body, but Merope Mills left slimmer and feeling full of energy
Panama: a hot holiday destination?
It tops lists of hot destinations for 2012 and is sold as the ideal introduction to Latin America, so Gemma Bowes went to Panama to see if it lives up to the hype
Walk this way: tips on seeing landscapes in a new light
Tristan Gooley, the 'natural navigator' on using heightened awareness to engage more fully with your surroundings
Scotland for the soul: a relaxation retreat in the Highlands
Kate Edgley heads to the Highlands for a new retreat that strips life back to the simple pleasures of being creative in the midst of one of the UK's last great wildernesses
A gondola massage in California
You won't catch a Venetian doing it, says Katie Wood, but in Coronado Bay off the Californian coast couples can have a massage in a gondola
Healthy holidays: learn to breathe better in Lanzarote
Better breathing is said to reduce anxiety and boost your immune system. Frances Stonor Saunders gets a lungful of inspiration in Lanzarote
A shamanic detox in Sussex
OK, she saw visions of Peter Andre in Tesco. But an ayahuasca detox in the Sussex countryside left Stephanie Theobald feeling mentally and physically rebooted
A Swedish island holm of your own
Having a whole Swedish island to himself gives Dixe Wills the chance to chill out, get close to nature … and pretend to be lord of the manor
Just the two of us: holidays for single parents
His first holiday as a single parent was daunting for Jamie Kastner, but after a week he and his three-year-old son were the happiest couple in Jamaica
Readers’ tips: Spas and hot springs
The best places to chill out in warm water - from Moorish splendour to coastal New Zealand
Breaks to make you feel great
Want to get healthy, stretch and tone, or go all out to get seriously fit? Whatever your targets, Gemma Bowes and Rachel Dixon have the perfect break for you