The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
FITNESS AND MOVEMENT
ROSA ALPINA
The view from your breakfast table, of a kids’ climbing wall built into the courtyard garden of this 170-year-old hotel, tells you how much emphasis Rosa Alpina puts on fitness. The skiing area (750 miles for all abilities) spans a Unesco World Heritage Site accessed by a cable car moments from the wood-panelled lobby. Escape from the crowds with the Mindful Skiing programme, where your lessons will have you skiing in “flow”, aware of your movements and surroundings. Après-ski continues the theme, with daily yoga and access to the “piccolo” world-class Aman spa that will smooth away any physical ruffles. Three-night Mindful Skiing package from €1,250pp, B&B, including ski and yoga lessons. rosalpina.it
THE BODYHOLIDAY
St Lucia
This all-inclusive, sun-drenched, fivestar resort has a swanky spa, an indoor/ outdoor fitness centre, and all treatments and activities factored in (because no one needs the stress of unforeseen
extras on a bill at checkout, do they?). Choose from as many as 40 activities, a daily 50-minute treatment, or time spent sweating it out on the 17-station fitness trail and in the treetop spinning studio. The Fusion Fitness programme combines beach workouts with T’ai Chi, bike rides and meditation, while yoga and Pilates programmes focus on getting to the core of post-lockdown tum. Health and Fitness Travel offers a seven-night all-inclusive programme from £1,815pp including transfers. healthandfitnesstravel.com; thebodyholiday.com
ARTAH RETREATS
Spain
What do you get when a former Canadian national swimmer and a Psycle London founder open a retreat in a 100-acre estate in the foothills of the Pyrenees? You get Artah, a dreamy sanctuary (far less intense than the Psycle London workout studios), where you can escalate, in a matter of days, to a level of health you hadn’t thought possible. Yes there are vigorous moments, such as three-hour hikes, deep tissue and detox massages (steel yourself) and plant-based dishes, balanced with facials, yoga, cooking demos, the peaceful pool, monastic decor and heartstirring views of rolling hills.
From £400pp per night including all food, fitness and activities. artah.co
MARBELLA CLUB
Spain
You wouldn’t rank Marbella as a wellness destination – but often, in spa land, it is the practitioners not the place that brings the results. Naturopathic support and personalised programmes tackle the big issues – stress, sleep, weight loss, fitness, post-natal and ageing, with a dedicated chef devising meals. The Pilates instructor and PTs are top drawer. It’s all about the new retreats, in particular Body Balance, which features a blend of fitness sessions (from yin yoga to Pilates), hiking, cycling and cookery. Take the brood, as there is a host of childcare options. Four-night retreats from €3,000 full-board, including all activities. marbellaclub.com