Experiencing Thalasso at Crete's Aldemar Royal Mare Hotel and spa

All life started in the sea and I think I might just have fused back with it. In the past 24 hours I've been jet-hosed with sea water, jacuzzi-ed in sea water, wrapped in seaweed mud and cleansed with a seaweed facial mask. Oh yes, and I've been in the sea. Just paddling mind, though the temperature here in Crete is 27 degrees, the sea in May hasn't yet warmed up to its toasty temperatures of July and August.

I've come to the Aldemar Royal Mare in Crete to sample the Thalasso treatment for which the five star hotel spa is famous, listed among the 10 best Thalasso centres in the world. Thalasso therapy is a technique employing the healing properties of seawater, algae and seaweed, hence my new-found affinity with all things marine.The spa is spread over three light-filled floors and feels more like an upmarket private clinic than traditional spa - all gleaming blue and white tiles rather than water features and whale song. As well as the usual team of therapists and masseuses, the staff also boasts a doctor and dietitian, while bepoke packages include 'Wellness', 'Body Lipo control' and a 5-day slimming programme. They all follow a prescribed course of daily spa treatments, personalised diet and fitness regimes, and have the option of personalised gourmet menus back at the hotel.

So, would you come on a holiday to lose weight?

Well it would certainly be a novel alternative to putting it on! I get a taster (ha!) of the slimming package during my 4-day visit to Crete (with a flying time under 4 hours it's a perfect long weekend destination). First there's a meeting with the dietitian who attaches me to a nifty little gadget which measures my body fat, muscle mass, calcium levels, hydration and water retention, BMI and basic metabolism. All of which tells me, in a couple of minutes, that I should lose 3kg, increase muscle strength by 5%, drink more water and have my calcium levels checked. My muscles are in danger of dozing off from inertia and by waking them up I can boost my metabolism by a third, which means I will burn an extra 500 calories every day without doing anything! I know by patting my middle that it's time to shift some of the 'protective' winter fat I stored up in fear of the world suddenly running out of Cadbury's Creme Eggs but a gadget that spells it out for me is the final push to do something about it.

I start with a powerful detoxifying jet shower directed at my body, at God knows how many miles per hour, by a lady standing five feet away. It's a huge boost to my circulation and probably sloughs off a fair bit of dead skin with it. Then I go to the beautiful 'Aqua Royal' treatment room, which houses what must be one of the biggest jacuzzis in the world, a vast pool in a light-filled room, each section fitted with a varying assortment of jets to work on a different body part. To get some sense of what it's like, imagine the most intense jacuzzi experience you've ever had, then double it! After my prescribed 40 minutes in the Aqua Royal I feel I've been set upon by a team of crack Thai masseuses.

Next it's a jet bath loaded up with slimming essential oils where I'm cocooned for a luxurious half an hour in private, a slimming seaweed body treatment which is so relaxing I nod off and a firming body massage. I also leave with a weekly diet plan to help me shed that pesky 3kg. And I'm so blissed out in the Cretan sun I can actually imagine doing it. And then I'm back by my private pool for the afternoon ...

There are of course more traditional spa elements in the Royal Mare as well - many guests just want a nice uncomplicated facial or massage. The 'Zen Zone' has the water features, burning candles and quiet relaxation areas that are more in keeping with a traditional spa experience; downstairs there's a hammam with steam room and also a sauna. There's also a gym and indoor pool.Though as most people here are staying in the hotel which boasts a whole collection of public and 'sharing' pools, nobody seems to bother with the indoor pool. Which is great as I had it to myself one morning (the fresh water in my own private pool, shared with just four other rooms in a garden outside my private patio, was a little bit chilly in May - the indoor pool is heated). Many of the hotel rooms and suites have similar arrangements, with pools shared by other rooms in the garden enclosures - as well as two large public pools in the hotel grounds, one with neighbouring jacuzzi.

And then of course there's the sea, right at the far end of the lovely landscaped resort. This stretch of Blue Flag beach is reserved for hotel guests, a beach restaurant overlooks the waves and a man in a large beach hut offers water sports - from sea kayaking to surfing and from wind-surfing to that sport where you get towed along by parachute behind a boat. There was even paddle-boating, which looks sedate and genteel in the Serpentine in Hyde Park, but much more of an adventure in the lively Aegean Sea.

I liked the fact you could take a slimming or fitness programme or just laze on the beach - or in fact combine the two. Though there are plenty of restaurants, most buffets include healthy sections with oil and fat-free food choices. I ran on the beach every morning before breakfast and I'm not a runner - I would rather chew my own arm off than go running in the morning back at home. But I like the slightly fitter more energetic version of myself I have become in Crete.

More information

Aldemar Royal Mare is a 5-star resort in Hersonissos, 23km from Heraklion airport with regular flights from the UK. Visit the hotel website at www.aldemarhotels.com, phone 302897027200 or email rm@aldemarhotels.com. Specialist tour operator Classic Collection Holidays (www.classic-collection.co.uk freephone 0800 008 7288 or 01903 823088) offer flexible duration packages to the hotel. Prices for 4 nights in June, including return flights from Gatwick to Heraklion, transfers and bed and breakfast accommodation, start from £639 per adult, saving £48 per person. Thalasso spa treatments and pre planned programmes are an additional cost and can be pre booked before travel or in resort.

Take a look at last month's spa review - SHA in Spain