The European resort with 37C thermal pools and nearby cheese festival

REMEMBER Eighties movie Cocoon? About a bunch of elderly folk rejuvenated by an alien life force in a swimming pool.

Well, visit beautiful Tuscany and you can try it out for yourself.

After an exhausting start to the year, I was DESPERATE for a minibreak — something that would leave me revived, gently sun-tanned and raring to go for summer 2024.

Not like my usual Ibiza trips, which render me a broken, hungover carcass.

Enter the incredible Terme di Saturnia, a 5H hotel on the outskirts of Italy’s hilly, verdant Tuscany, which basically promises the elixir of eternal life. Sort of.

Nestled in the foothills of the medieval town of Saturnia, the countryside estate — with stunning 18-hole championship golf course — has a pretty unique USP — its thermal pools.

Magical colour

With a sprawling central lagoon, it is a watery mass of glorious cerulean and cobalt blues — and it’s like staring at a gently lapping Instagram filter all day long.

Thanks to the sulphur and algae contained within the 37.5C heated waters, a dip is said to boost digestion, exfoliate the skin, detox the liver (needed in my case), aid the respiratory system and, the pièce de résistance, offer anti-ageing properties.

No wonder we spotted guests (from four to 84) wallowing in these waters, bobbing gently on rubber noodles, for hours on end.

For those with an interest in the natural world, raindrops from the slopes of Mount Amiata are filtered through rock fissures, enriched with minerals, which then gush through the surface at speeds of 500 litres per second into the constantly replenished pools.

As the water descends, it cools down and the sulphur crystallises, making the water bright and clear and giving it its magical colour.

Bits of algae, which I initially mistook for duck poo, float on the surface.

These can be rubbed into the skin, leaving you foetal-soft. Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch — and the trade-off for returning home to the UK approx 20 years younger is a slightly strange smell of boiled egg everywhere. That’ll be the sulphur.

Also, word of warning: Don’t wear any jewellery in the water. My Tiffany silver ring is now a fetching shade of copper. Still, shows this stuff must be doing something.

When not Cocooning myself, I joined guests — most of whom marauded around the resort all day in their hotel-provided white, fluffy robes — in the spa for a couple of fabulously luxe facials and a hot olive oil massage. Bliss.

Terme di Saturnia also offers a range of wellbeing programmes for anyone wanting to shift a few pounds or get fit.

That wasn’t my goal, so I enjoyed an array of Tuscan delights in the hotel restaurant, 1919.

Breakfast — my make or break for any hotel — was also the greatest spread I’ve ever enjoyed.

A daily fresh fruit and veg stall meant you could start the day with a smoothie or juice of choice, and a resident chef made omelettes, pancakes and eggs any way to order.

Frankly, it was hard to drag ourselves away.

But we gamely visited organic vineyard La Maliosa for some wine-tasting, with a tour of the 165-hectare fields, resplendent with olive trees, horses (although, alas, one horse got bitten by a snake during our visit, and died) and donkeys, as well as the farm’s resident three dogs.

Caterina, our lovely guide, was passionate about wines, and we were shown around the cellars and left to try the produce.

The wines were down the hatch before we’d even sampled the accompanying charcuterie board.

An experience I will genuinely never forget

The following day, we walked to the area’s crowning glory, and a must for would-be influencers everywhere — the hot springs.

Used by the Romans for some R&R, these six-tiered pools featured waterfalls (I fell down one) and overlooked the rolling hills of Tuscany.

An experience I will genuinely never forget.

On our last night, fuelled by Campari spritzes (the locals’ cocktail of choice), we went on a hike to the quaint, ancient town of Saturnia just in time to watch the sun set. Again, it felt utterly magical.

Fully rejuvenated

We had a wonderful dinner at a local joint, L’oste in Piazza, overlooking the market square. Two courses and a local Viognier cost around £60 for two.

Slightly incongruously, a DJ was playing some thumping tunes, coinciding with the town’s famous cheese festival, which we picked our way around after.

Despite the endless cheese, fine wines and one especially memorable salted chocolate caramel pudding, we managed to hit the hotel’s gym most days.

It should be noted that Terme di Saturnia staff — especially marketing manager Federica Bucciotti, who was on hand 24/7 to attend to any guest whim — were incredibly friendly and welcoming.

No demand was too much, and they pride themselves on offering a home from home.

But then again, perhaps you’d expect that from a resort affiliated with the official Leading Hotels Of The World group.

Would I go back again? In a heartbeat . . . now a fully rejuvenated heartbeat.