Want to get away and get fit? Try one of these luxury spa resorts
"Bali" and "paradise": those words were once interchangeable, before rollicking pub crawls swept through Kuta, and gangs of "Eat, Pray, Love" devotees flooded Ubud. But miles from those bustling tourist meccas, atop a 520-foot cliff on the remote southernmost Bukit Peninsula, paradise still thrives.
Owned by jeweler Laurence Graff, Delaire is a new spa-lodge-restaurant on a 42-hectare working wine estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa, about 45 minutes from Cape Town. It may only have ten suites to speak of, but like the diamonds Graff sells from his 30 stores worldwide, the cut is expensive -- starting at $1,255 for a double -- and close to perfect.
As a yellow Porsche Carerra pulled into the graveled entrance of the Farmhouse Inn in Sonoma's Russian River Valley, an hour-and-a-half drive from San Francisco, a young couple in robes and slippers headed to the spa just steps away from their barnhouse suite. Four friends who had been eating s'mores around the fire pit in the garden the night before were now sunning themselves by the pool. In the guest services cottage, a woman scooped homemade body scrubs and bath salts into small containers to use in the BainUltra air-massage tub and steam shower in her room. Her partner, meanwhile, was mixing a drink at the Italian soda bar and snacking on trail mix.
Israel as a spa destination? This may be a common rejoinder if one ever talks about visiting the country for just that. But after touring ancient landmarks and eating falafel, some rejuvenation and a healthy diet may be exactly what's needed. We recommend Carmel Forest Spa Resort -- a sort of Canyon Ranch with its own synagogue that's about a 100-mile drive from Jerusalem's political and urban tumult.
In Japan, there's something in the water -- hot-spring water, to be exact -- that locals swear can transform one's skin. And now those healing properties that could once only be found in the volcanic hot springs can be experienced 6,000 miles west, at the Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel's Sensai Select Spa, in the snowcapped peaks of...Switzerland. The year-old spa -- the Japanese skincare company's first Select Spa -- and its tradition-based treatments are a welcome addition to the hotel's 60,000-square-foot wellness area, updating the historic 145-year-old property in Interlaken with a refreshing Eastern touch.
Miraval, Tucson
The new integrative program at Miraval in Tucson, called "8 Weeks to Optimum Health," starts with two in-depth medical consultations to identify what's getting in the way of making you feel good, whether it's weight, chronic disease or stress. This intel is then used to pair you with wellness experts and itineraries at Miraval to bring about change. The effort continues when you return home, with weekly check-ins that we found to be a key factor, as they are so thoroughly administered.
Located on Mexico's Riviera Nayarit, Remède Spa at the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort has revamped its menu to include three new signature rituals. The two-hour Sacred Nature Huichol ($330; starwoodhotels.com) peels off impurities and imperfections on the face and body using organic products, while the Citrus Supreme ($380), also two hours, infuses the skin with vitamin C. The 90-minute Ocean Pearl ($280) uses black pearls for antiaging. Hmm...
Even in Costa Rica, the country that practically invented the idea of ecotravel, Tabacón Grand Spa Thermal Resort stands out. At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Costa Rica's environmental minister highlighted the exemplary sustainability initiatives of this small retreat, tucked away high in the volcanic rainforests. The spa incorporates the naturally occurring hot springs, rich in minerals from the nearby volcano; at the hotel, water-conservation, electricity-reduction and nature-preservation programs are in full force. Tabacón is also the country's first five-star resort to be certified carbon-neutral.
Jalousie Plantation, St. Lucia
The majestic pitons -- two volcanic cones that tower nearly 3,000 feet above sea level on the island of St. Lucia -- is known as being one of the most awe-inspiring locations in the world. (Oprah even declared it the number one thing to see in a lifetime in 2005.) Now there is another reason to visit this unesco World Heritage site: the Rainforest Spa, which opened in December at the Jalousie Plantation, a 100-plus-acre property at the base of the Pitons.
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