Easy in Estonia

Estonia isn't the most obvious place that springs to mind as a spa destination, but then a few years ago nobody would have thought of it as the place for a stag weekend. Then look what happened, it was dubbed the 'new Prague'.

But why should boys have all the fun in the Baltic country that's just under three hours from the UK? The capital Tallinn, with its lovely medieval Old Town and the plethora of inexpensive bars and clubs that have fuelled the stag trade, is a great place for a leisurely girlie weekend break or a big night out.

And when it comes to chilling out, Estonia has an altogether very different side thanks to the growing number of spas that have opened in recent years.

Estonia has always had a spa tradition, but outsiders have not really known about it. In fact the locals love saunas so much that they have built them into buses, floating rafts and even the cistern of an old fire engine! There's a floating sauna called Puha Muristus, or Holy Moses, on the River Navesti in Soomaa National Park and many Estonians have portable barrel-shaped wooden saunas that they take along on their travels through the country.

After a night out in Tallin, and a few sore heads the next morning, the prospect of clambering into a wooden tub didn't sound like a barrel of laughs and some rather more luxurious pampering and relaxation was the order of the day.

We were heading to Saaremaa, the largest of Estonia's western isles. Package holidays are available combining a city break in Tallinn with some spa time or you can just indulge in a spa weekend, in which case it can be easier to fly via Stockholm.

That said, the drive from Tallinn through densely forested countryside was a pleasant one and after a couple of hours we stopped off at the resort town of Haapsalu, lined with quaint wooden houses. For a coffee break with a difference go to the Epp Maria art gallery where yummy home-made cakes and snacks can be enjoyed against the backdrop of diverse artwork by three generations of the very talented family.

The town made a name for itself as sea mud cure resort back in 1825, so if you've got more time to spare you can get into the spa mood with a treatment en route.

An hour down the coast we reached Virtsu for the 30-minute ferry ride to tiny Muhu island. Linked by a causeway to its big sister, it's the natural stepping stone to Saaremaa but some people don't get further than Padaste, a luxurious and romantic converted manor house hotel that also has a spa.