Fern Tree's healing treatments
are concocted from natural ingredients.

Every May, Conde Nast Traveler releases its Hot List, a collection of the best new hotels, spas, restaurants, and nightspots. Check the Daily Traveler every day for a new post from this year's list.

Despite its gargantuan size (68,000 square feet), Fern Tree Spa in Montego Bay has the feel of a much smaller place. Many treatments were designed by "spa elders," a term that evokes gray-haired soothsayers but really just means those steeped in Jamaican remedies, traditions, and indigenous ingredients. Elders prescribe a wellness plan of therapies in private consults--or guests can create their own: Our correspondent eased into a soothing Jamaican Bush Bath ($55), then revved up with the Jamaican Green Coffee Envelopment ($195), which uses Blue Mountain coffee to perk up fatigued skin. You could literally get lost on the spa grounds, with its labyrinth that includes a yoga studio, a pool, and a sculpture garden (massages, $115).

Tel: 866-648-6951

Further reading:
* Hot List 2008
* The Jamaica Guide