Chiva-Som Hua Hin has been named No. 1 Destination Spa, Rest of the World, in the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards 2026. The beachfront wellness retreat in Thailand announced the accolade on 7 October, alongside a small celebratory offer for guests staying before the end of December.
Chiva-Som describes a setting of seven acres of tropical gardens, with 54 guest rooms finished in natural woods and local fine silks. It’s an appealing backdrop for a holiday devoted to your well-being: a coastal setting, plenty of greenery and a programme shaped around what you want to achieve during your stay.
The resort opened in 1995, giving this latest recognition more than three decades of history behind it. Its approach brings together spa treatments, holistic health, fitness, physiotherapy, aesthetic beauty and nutrition, with practitioners working around each guest’s individual goals.
A reader-voted award with a specific category
Condé Nast Traveller’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards are the 29th edition, with results determined by votes from its UK readership. Chiva-Som takes first place in the Destination Spa, Rest of the World category.
The resort’s announcement put the wider survey at more than 296,356 responses, covering readers’ travel experiences around the globe. That figure relates to the overall survey, while the spa accolade identifies Chiva-Som’s position within its own category. The results are published on Condé Nast Traveller’s website and will be celebrated in the November issue.
Krip Rojanastien, chairman and CEO of Chiva-Som, said: “As a reader-voted accolade, it is especially meaningful and reflects the trust our guests have placed in Chiva-Som over the years and their unwavering support, which is driven by a mutual sense of deep connection.”
Chiva-Som also lists recognition among the Top Destination Spa Resorts in the World in the 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards, and a Best Destination Spa in the World award in 2022. Those earlier accolades used different wording; the latest addition is specifically the 2026 Rest of the World category win.
Wellness shaped around your own goals
Each guest’s programme begins with an understanding of their individual aims, according to Chiva-Som. The resort then draws on its six wellness disciplines to tailor the stay.
Spa and holistic health sit alongside fitness and physiotherapy, with aesthetic beauty and nutrition completing the approach. You don’t need to begin by choosing from a long treatment menu; begin with the purpose of the trip.
Chiva-Som places its practitioners and wellness experts at the heart of that process. The resort says their understanding of each guest, and their ability to adapt the programme accordingly, are central to the experience. When enquiring, it’s worth asking how your priorities would translate into a daily programme and which disciplines would be most relevant to you.
The resort’s name translates as ‘Haven of Life’ in Thai, and founder Boonchu Rojanastien’s philosophy placed enjoying life at its heart.
Your programme is also intended to have relevance beyond the holiday. Chiva-Som describes its approach as helping guests find greater balance during their visit and in everyday life. A useful question for the team is which parts of your proposed programme could inform routines once you’re home, so that the planning considers both the retreat and what follows it.
Tropical gardens, local silks and space for treatments
Chiva-Som’s Hua Hin setting combines a beachfront location with seven acres of tropical gardens. The property has 54 rooms and suites, keeping the accommodation count relatively intimate while supporting a substantial range of wellness facilities. For readers drawn to a garden-and-sea escape, the setting is an important part of the appeal.
Natural woods and local fine silks bring warmth and texture to the guest rooms, which the resort describes as designed around serenity and privacy. Those details give the accommodation a Thai connection and a softer character than a purely functional wellness setting.
The facilities include an indoor bathing pavilion, water therapy suites and Jacuzzis, alongside 70 treatment rooms. Chiva-Som says it offers more than 200 treatments. Those numbers suggest plenty to explore with the team, although the personalised programme is the more useful way to navigate the choice: let your goals guide the questions you ask.
The combination of accommodation, gardens and dedicated treatment spaces gives the retreat several dimensions to consider when booking. Ask how the proposed schedule fits into your day, and how much time you would like to leave between appointments. The aim is to choose a stay whose pace appeals to you as much as its individual treatments.
A year-end stay with seasonal context
Chiva-Som’s final-quarter 2026 calendar is organised around the Earth element in Thai Traditional Medicine, alongside wellness sessions and seasonal events. It adds a timely layer for anyone looking at an autumn or December visit, particularly as the award-related offer applies to stays before the end of the year.
Our earlier coverage explores the resort’s Q4 wellness schedule, centred on Earth, and its seasonal events. It’s a useful next read if you’re choosing dates and want to understand the seasonal programme alongside the retreat’s year-round wellness approach.
Your preferred dates and personal programme are worth discussing together with the reservations team. The calendar gives you another consideration when planning the trip, while the tailored approach keeps your own priorities central. For a special-occasion wellness escape, that conversation can help you decide how you would like to spend the time you’ve set aside.
Rates and the award celebration offer
Chiva-Som’s announcement puts the starting nightly rate at THB 31,000++ per person, approximately £696. The quoted starting price excludes a stated 17.7% for service charge and VAT. Keep the per-person basis in mind when budgeting for a couple’s stay, and request the full payable rate for your dates and proposed programme.
Chiva-Som’s official booking site is the place to explore a stay and make an enquiry. Before confirming, ask for the programme inclusions alongside the accommodation price, so you can consider the holiday as a whole. The starting rate is a useful reference point; the details of your own booking are what you’ll want to work through with the team.
The award celebration offer gives guests a choice of one addition for stays before the end of December 2026. You can opt for extra flexibility around arrival and departure, subject to availability, or choose an additional meal at either end of the stay. It’s worth matching that choice to your travel timings when you enquire.
The three options are:
- Early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability.
- A complimentary additional lunch on arrival.
- A complimentary additional dinner before departure.
