Light, air, and water are the perfect ingredients for relaxation and recuperation on holiday. In our busy lives, we need moments to stop, rest, and just gaze at the horizon. Holiday time provides the opportunity to refocus on our health and wellbeing. We found all of these moments and more at Kurhotel Skodsborg in Copenhagen, one of the top luxury spa hotels in the city.

The hotel started as a sanatorium, founded in 1898 by Dr. Carl Ottosen, who studied health and physiotherapy in the USA. Before antibiotics, recovery from illness often relied on the body’s natural healing through rest and a healthy diet. Dr. Ottosen’s principles of light, air, water, nutrition, exercise, and rest are still part of the hotel’s ethos today, combining outstanding spa and fitness facilities with a professional health center. During our stay in early summer, my daughter and I reflected on how these principles are key to a healthy and relaxing holiday.

Water surrounds you, bathes you, and washes away your cares. As children, we splash and squeal in the pleasure of it. The spa at Kurhotel Skodsborg is a beautiful space to relax in water, with pools, relaxation rooms, various saunas, and a four-season water experience that left us giggling at the sounds of spring birds and autumn thunderclaps. There’s even a snow dispenser to recreate the authentic Scandinavian experience of running out of the sauna to roll in the fresh snow. We loved the delicate ornamentation by artist Marlene Bach, inspired by Moroccan hammam tile patterns and colored glass panels set into the glazed roof.

After your sauna, put on your toweling robe and walk to the private jetty where you can jump into the water and cool off with a yelp of pleasure. In winter, the tradition of a hot spa followed by a cold dip continues, and in summer, swimming lanes are set up in the sea for exercise. After our exercise class, I jumped in fully clothed while the Danish ladies around me stripped off to enjoy the chill water on bare skin.

I love being by the sea because of the soft light, the reflections on the water, and the wide skies as you watch the horizon. The sea is hypnotic and therapeutic, with a different aspect to enjoy in every season. Scandinavian summers are warm and spent amidst nature, and it’s no surprise that North Sealand, just north of Copenhagen, is a favorite summer spot for Copenhageners.

At Kurhotel Skodsborg, they make healthy choices easy with delicious menu options. Each day, a different Dr. Ottosen’s juice drink is available, made from fruit and vegetables pressed by a slow juicing method to maximize vitamins and minerals. You might get a performance-boosting combination of cucumber, celery, pear, and apple, or an anti-inflammatory mix of beetroot, apple, watercress, lemon, and ginger. These juices were created by top Copenhagen cocktail maker Gromit Eduardson to be both fresh and healthy.

The hotel also offers a healthy take on afternoon tea, served on elegant Georg Jensen china. Instead of scones with clotted cream and jam, you get thick slices of smoked salmon with paleo bread made from nuts and seeds, and a small pat of soft whipped butter. The cakes are less sweet, flavored with dark chocolate or fruit, and have a nutty texture. I loved the shortbread sandwiched with raspberry jam, like a sophisticated jammy dodger, washed down with fennel tea in homage to the liquorice-loving Danes. Tea with Georg is served in The Lounge, where you can relax on squashy velvet sofas.

Dr. Carl Ottosen wrote that “Man has more endurance when work is interchanged with rest,” and the chance to relax and catch up on sleep is one of the joys of being on holiday. Studies show that health and wellbeing are closely linked to the amount of sleep you get. The better we sleep, the more energy we have to exercise, leading to greater health and vitality. After a day or so at Kurhotel Skodsborg, I found the atmosphere so restful that I didn’t want to leave, even though there is plenty to see in the area.

My room, with its soft green décor, reflected the royal forest of Dyrehaven behind the hotel. From the balcony, I could watch a perfect white sail drift across the horizon. The white squashy sofas on the sunny roof terrace transported me to lazy days in a trendy Greek beach bar, and I discovered another terrace above the spa, perfect for sunbathing.

Wherever you are heading on holiday this summer, I hope you take the opportunity to relax, unwind, and enjoy a healthy holiday. Kurhotel Skodsborg is a contemporary Nordic spa hotel just north of Copenhagen in the North Sealand region. It’s located on the coast road beside the ocean, yet only a 30-minute train ride to the city center. The hotel has 80 rooms and suites, meeting rooms, and conference facilities. If you’re looking for a relaxing weekend destination, you’ll enjoy the extensive spa and fitness facilities, the private jetty for ocean swimming, the rooftop terrace with a sundeck, and the restaurant and lobby bar serving healthy Nordic cuisine and cocktails.