Forget fat camp: today’s good-for-you trips can still feel luxe. Everyone deserves a break, but wouldn’t you prefer to return from your holiday both restored — and a little bit lighter?
Jungle and Water Sports:
Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort
Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort sits above one of the best national parks for surfing in Costa Rica. Visitors can dive, swim, paddleboat and ride the waves within close proximity to Flamingo-Coco, one of the world’s best diving destinations. Costa Rica is also a popular yoga destination, and the property offers complimentary yoga mats for guests to gather chi and get their vinyasa on at the beach or in the privacy of their rooms. The hotel has a gorgeous Onda spa with sweeping views of the Culebra Bay and nine treatment rooms (three outdoors and tucked into tree canopies) with clay wraps, beach sand scrubs, facials, and massages to soothe your muscles and tighten your body. For more on-land adventure, Andaz Peninsula Papagayo offers impressive state-of-the-art cardio and training equipment in their Fitness Center at the Sanctuary. The hotel is also close to ziplines soaring above the Costa Rican jungle, golf & tennis clubs and the Palo Verde, Arenal Volcano, Rincón de la Vieja and Barra Honda National Parks for adventure and hiking. papagayo.andaz.hyatt.com
Desert Adventure:
Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North
If you’re looking to sweat it out, head to the Sonoran Desert. Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North can be found at the base of Pinnacle Peak, close to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Guests flock to the resort for hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and rock climbing excursions. Professional guides bring hotel guests on canyoneering trips past waterfalls and into tight spaces for romps involving vertical rappels and plenty of adrenaline. Book a Half-Day Mountain Bike Tour with Arizona Outback Adventures during your stay and get a trule insider’s desert mountain biking tour through the stunning Sonoran. Back at the Four Seasons, the 24-hour Fitness Center features a movement studio with sprung floors for aerobics, spinning and yoga classes, in addition to an exercise room overlooking Pinnacle Peak. fourseasons.com/scottsdale
Four Seasons Scottsdale Troon North
Mountain Life:
The Fairmont Banff Springs
The Fairmont Banff Springs, located a mile high in the Canadian Rockies in Banff National Park is an idea location for mountain recreation. In 1888 hot mineral water was piped down from Sulphur Mountain to Banff Springs, and the Banff Springs Hotel (coined a “Castle in the Rockies”) opened. Whether you’re venturing to Banff in warmer or cooler months, there are plenty of activities to get your body moving around the property. Winter sporting activities include skiing and snowboarding at three world-class ski resorts (Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Resort), ice skating, ice-climbing, canyon ice-walks, curling, hockey, dog-sledding, ice-fishing, tobogganing and snowshoeing. In the summer, guests get into tennis, golf, hiking, whitewater rafting, cycling, mountain biking, canoeing, horseback riding and wildlife tours. The 38,000 square foot Willow Stream Spa is the ultimate Rocky Mountain retreat, offering steam rooms, saunas, eucalyptus inhalation rooms and 23 treatment areas including a couple’s room with a deep Japanese soaking tub. Hit the fitness center or do some laps first thing in the Rocky Mountain morning and then soak those working muscles in the outdoor whirlpool with a view. Take advantage of the Fairmont Fit program, which provides Reebok workout apparel and shoes, an MP3 player and a yoga mat with stretch band deliverable directly to your room. fairmont.com/banff-springs
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A Kiwi Dream:
Wilson’s Abel Tasman in New Zealand
In 1844, the Wilson family built a home inside the Abel Tasman National Park on New Zealand’s South Island. Later (in 1977), the family began offering a series of tours throughout the park. Today Wilson’s offers single or multiple day adventure “breaks,” featuring hiking and kayaking up, down and around the 24 miles of the park’s picturesque coastline. Each trip is designed for a combination of relaxation and adventure, with plenty of opportunities for exercise and starlit walks. Guests stay at one or both of the beachfront lodges (Meadowbank Homestead or Torrent Bay Lodge) where healthy local food is prepared daily. Explore the Marine Reserve and visit the seals on Tonga and Pinnacle Islands from your kayak. The combo of immersion in the lush New Zealand setting combined with drifting off at night to the lulling sound of the waves provide the perfect balance of exercising the body and calming the mind. /abeltasman.co.nz
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Last modified: August 16, 2019
