What’s in a name? Not much, according to Juliet (‘A rose by any other…’ etc) but here it matters quite a lot. ‘Here’ is Camiral, A Quinta Do Lago Resort, a sprawling Catalan resort with the name Camiral taken from the ancient Roman road connecting France and Spain (which can still be followed through the forested estate) and the rest establishing its connection with sister property in the Algarve.

Before December 2022, though, it was known as PGA Catalunya. Even those with a vanishingly small interest in golf know what those three letters signify, and the resort’s Stadium Course, with its many lakes and testing bunkers, is renowned worldwide for both its calibre and difficulty. And it’s the venue for the 2031 Ryder Cup – enough said.

So why the shift away from PGA Catalunya? Because of an increased focus on wellness. Although the word ‘wellness’ is bandied around so much nowadays that its definition – ‘the state of being in good health, especially as an active pursued goal’ – is sometimes stretched thin. Not here. At Camiral, they agree with me, and in fact our whole group – of four women – that wellness is intensely personal. And situation-sensitive for that matter: trust me, wellness on an all-adult weekend looks very different from wellness on a holiday with young kids.

Rolling greens and soaring trees filled with chirping birds are a welcome sight after the 100km drive from Barcelona (comfortable, increasingly scenic – avoid by flying into Girona, 15km away), as are the hotel’s lofty-ceilinged, light-drenched, split-levelled reception and social areas. It’s a mere pad down a corridor to implant oneself in the stylish, understated Wellness Centre, run by Nuria Camin. A naturopath and therapist herself, she explains that this area of the hotel is somewhere between conventional spa and medical clinic. Wellness programmes run for a minimum of three nights and a maximum of seven (no month-long, Mayr or Lanserhof-style retreats here).

I’m fortunate (touch wood, salute magpie, throw salt) to be in decent health and do actively pursue it – maybe 70 per cent of the time – so my vision of Camiral wellness looks like great food, great wine, great company and sunshine, with spa treatments and high-tech experiences as a (large) cherry on top. For another in our group, a recent diagnosis means putting Camiral’s wellness programme front and centre, absorbing every ounce of goodness that can be eked out and conscientiously avoiding alcohol and sugar. Happily, Camiral’s programmes are thankfully compatible with both my and her approach. As Camin says, wellness is the antithesis of stress. “Arrive with your mind full, and slow down.”

Making this quite a lot easier are a PT, chef, reformer Pilates classes, individual or group yoga, hammam and treatments ranging from facials and massage to cryotherapy. About this, I am apprehensive, although positively thrilled compared to my fellow cryo-goer, who is terrified. We are briskly jollied in and kitted out: headband over ears, mask over mouth, oven-glove-like mittens, socks and trainers (these last two, model’s own). No time to dwell on the misty room we can see through the glass. A smiling member of staff loads up the video for Miley Cyrus’ Flowers on a tablet – I note that it is 3 minutes 22 seconds – as she briskly recounts the process. Step in, 30 seconds in the -60°C chamber, then you open that door and go into -110°C for 2.5 minutes.

I realise I have absolutely no frame of reference for what -60°C feels like let alone -110°C – I can well remember the 40°C+ scorching heat of mid-August Turkey, but in the other direction? The only thing that comes to mind is the penguin scene in one of Attenborough’s masterpieces, when they cluster together as biting winds lash their huddle. We take deep breaths as the door closes on us, dancing like reanimated puppets to keep warm and gabbling nonsense to distract ourselves from the stinging sensation that spreads down the backs of arms and thighs.

It’s over by the time Miley get to her 16th ‘Can love me better’. We’re exhilarated and, intensely relaxed as we sip ginger tea under blankets. My chamber-mate feels the benefits – it’s expected to help oxygenate muscles and skin, reduce body fat, treat inflammatory disease and reduce stress – from the one-off session more than I do.

Fuel next, in the form of a delightful and healthy meal – at the opposite end of the spectrum from our carb-heavy tapas lunch the following day at the Golf Club, which I enjoy with equal zest. This is prepared before us by the talented Bernat and has been designed by Camiral’s head chef (David Vives) and nutritionist (Mireia Cervera) to boost longevity. Obviously it can’t do that with one meal alone, but it’s a good reminder of how delicious simple, nutritious food can be.

A pea and tomato salad zhuzhed up with flower petals and mint; a chicken breast enlivened with purple potatoes, pine nuts and baby carrots; a very light ‘pudding’ in the form of prettily presented baked apple slices. Sated but not over-full, we retreat to the sauna; floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall glass means I can immerse myself in views of glorious greenery before my treatment.

Conventional spa though it is not, Camiral’s massages are top-notch. Close to full marks to Vanessa for a fantastic treatment; she seems to believe she will have failed if, by the end of the hour, my shoulders haven’t dropped an inch. No pre-amble, no easing me in; without even touching me, Vanessa waves a hand over my right shoulder, quietly declaring, ‘This is verrrry tight.’ Indeed it is. Nice touches: very warm bed, heated pillows/bolsters for recovering neck and back while legs kneaded and stretched and pulled and pushed, a towel used to stretch and turn my neck. Leg rotating and stretching plus tiny paper spa pants mean nothing is left to the imagination – I adopt a European mindset and try not to think about that…

My next wellness port of call is the oxygen chamber which is like a small tent, if the small tent was 30m underwater with a very comfy mat and pillow. Any sense of being trapped is eased by being able to see out through four little windows and popping ears do ease off – not painful, just a bit distracting. It’s hard to ascertain immediate benefits but I trust in the fact this has been medically proven to have them.

It may seem as though I’ve spent my whole stay wafting from treatment to sauna to restaurant and back again, but I do have a room and a gorgeous one at that; black wooden headboard and desk, natural furnishings, accents in a denim blue that extends to a beautiful artwork of tree rings. The presence of plastic toiletry miniatures is a bit of a surprise, given the big steps taken to reduce the hotel and wellness centre’s energy consumption (by an impressive 50 pre cent) and other great sustainability initiatives including the fact that the golf courses and gardens use 100 per cent recycled water.

There’s time for a restorative nap before we dine at Origin. Staff are delightful and so is the food; both trump an interior that is rather too well-lit for me – I actually prefer the décor of the more informal, all-day-dining Camiral Bistro. A delicious four-course tasting menu, with regional specialties such as marinated sardines, wild mushrooms, turbot, lamb with peas, mint and cumin, has three choices per course which pleases our group (one no sugar and no gluten, one lactose intolerant) no end. It’s the best cream of asparagus soup I’ve had, and the chocolate texture dessert has five equally good elements with clear jelly cubes cut as precisely as Lego bricks. The wine, if possible, is even better than the food; we retire satisfied and sleep-ready.

Our last morning is, for me, what wellness is all about. I feel energised enough, despite the excellent wines at Origin, to spring out of bed and go for a stroll to find the tranquil bird-watching area by a lake; the resort is home to about 50 different bird species. En route, I take in many of the spectacular behemoths listed on the hotel’s remarkable trees trails – hawthorn, stone pine, wild pear, grey willow ash, common olive – before a glorious, energising Navakarana yoga class. This is improved further by the adorable bunnies hopping around outside, merry birdsong and more beautiful greenery.

We end with another breakfast feast in the Camiral Bistro. I repeat my previous day’s indulgence with a three-course meal, comprising a hot course (the Spanish tortilla is great), a cold course (they have Mr Whippy-style frozen yogurt) and dessert. Yes, I am the only adult in the room patiently turning strawberries under the chocolate fountain for maximum coverage. This is what wellness looks like for me and I’m thrilled about it.

Rooms from £250 per night on a B&B basis, visit camiral.com