Apostoli Wellness Creators triumphs at the Global SPA Awards 2026
Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda and Almar Giardino di Costanza, designed by the studio led by Alberto Apostoli, receive two accolades.
The third edition of the Global SPA Awards – an international programme dedicated to spas, wellness centres, medical spas and high-end hospitality destinations – has just concluded. The awards recognise excellence not only in the range and quality of services offered to guests, but also in the ability to innovate within the sector, elevating and expanding industry standards.
Endorsed by Luxury Spa Edit™, a leading industry guide, and supported by a scientific committee of international experts, specialist journalists and an informed, engaged audience – with more than 85,000 public votes cast for the 2026 edition – the Global SPA Awards once again brought together the most outstanding operators across three macro-categories: Global, Regional and Country Winners.
It is within the Regional category, with the distinction Best Wellness Retreat, that Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda has triumphed. This five-star luxury property, set on the hills overlooking the lake in Gargnano and previously named by The Times – The Sunday Times as the “Best SPA in the World”, has been fully reimagined by Apostoli Wellness Creators in collaboration with the Lefay Resorts Project Team.
With panoramic views and set within an eleven-hectare private park, the resort is defined by a sensitive and seamless integration into the landscape. The use of natural materials, soft, neutral tones, carefully calibrated lighting in harmony with daylight, and extensive glazing all contribute to a complete permeability between interior and exterior. These deliberate design choices clearly express a generative design approach rooted in holistic wellbeing, shaping both the interior architecture and the sustainable strategies adopted in respect of the surrounding context and ecosystem. The resort features two restaurants, a lounge bar, suites across six distinct typologies – some with private saunas and whirlpools, extending up to 600 sq m – five independent Sky Pool Villas, and a 4,300 sq m spa. The latter includes an adults-only area, an infinity hydrotherapy pool, and wellness programmes informed by Classical Chinese Medicine and Western scientific research, forming the defining manifesto of Lefay’s distinctive offering.
In Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, Almar Giardino di Costanza Resort & SPA has been recognised in the Country category, receiving the Best SPA Resort distinction for its Almablu Wellness & SPA, entirely designed by Apostoli Wellness Creators.
Conceived as a multisensory journey exploring the classical, Arab and Norman cultures that have most profoundly shaped Sicily’s rich and layered identity, Almablu Wellness & SPA represents a new design horizon. Here, the wellness centre extends beyond its physical boundaries, engaging not only with the host architecture and its guests, but also acting as a vehicle for interpreting and enhancing the surrounding territory.
“We are extremely proud of the recognition received at the Global SPA Awards 2026. With Apostoli Wellness Creators, we have consistently pursued new design horizons and expressions capable of conveying wellbeing not only directly, but also indirectly,” comments Alberto Apostoli, founder of the studio. “Today, a wellness-oriented destination can no longer be defined solely by the services it offers or the technologies it employs. It must transcend the boundaries of the built environment, engage with its context, traditions and specificities; integrate consciously and respectfully with the environment and ecosystem; and act as a bridge between different cultures and identities. It is a powerful narrative device – one that also brings together hospitality, leisure and medical functions.”
The Global SPA Awards 2026 add to the recognition already achieved by both properties in 2025. In a single year, Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda received the OPAL Award (London), the LIV Hospitality Design Awards (Switzerland) and, as noted, was named by The Times – The Sunday Times as the “Best SPA in the World”. Almar Giardino di Costanza Resort & SPA completes this record, having also received the Paris Design Award last year.