Teri Hatcher wines and dines in Napa
Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher likes to kick back in California’s Napa Valley, where she enjoys the excellent wine, cuisine and gorgeous setting of the Calistoga Ranch. The 46room resort is situated in a private canyon just outside the historic town of Calistoga on a 64hectare site that boasts ancient oak trees, majestic hills and its own lake. Singer Sheryl Crow, rapper/ actor Will Smith and his actress wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, have also stayed there.
For more than a century, Calistoga has been a natural source of thermal waters and mud baths to promote healthy rejuvenation of mind, body and soul. Calistoga Ranch continues that tradition of “ taking the waters” at its bathhouse with spa treatments and wellness services in a variety of tranquil indoor and outdoor settings. Even the open-air fitness facility takes full advantage of the rejuvenating setting as it looks out over peaceful Lake Lommel. Other amenities include a state- of- the- art fitness centre, a yoga deck, a pool featuring dramatic views of the resort’s private vineyard and oak groves, and 57 hectares of land dedicated to hiking and active pursuits. ‰ Lodge rates from $450 ( U. S.) per day; www.calistogaranch. com; 1- 800- 942- 4220.
Star- studded Aspen glitters year- round
Particularly in winter, Aspen is a who’s who of celebrity skiers schussing down some of Colorado’s best slopes. But even the rest of the year, there’s hiking, cycling, golf and plenty of incredible scenery to tempt stars such as Kate Hudson, Jim Carrey, Meg Ryan and Salma Hayek. A popular place for them to stay is the St. Regis hotel with its deluxe Remède spa.
Situated in Aspen, the St. Regis Resort offers exceptional and personalized service, something not just the rich and famous can appreciate. Celebrity chef Todd English is in charge of the kitchen at the resort’s Olives restaurant. Modelled after his popular eateries in Boston, Washington, New York, Tokyo and Las Vegas, Olives Aspen features his Mediterranean- inspired cuisine. ‰ Room rates from $500 ( U. S.) per night; www. stregisaspen. com; 1- 888- 454- 9005; www. aspenchamber. org
Jessica dives into the Cayman Islands
Into the Blue star Jessica Alba says her fave dive spot is the “amazing and beautiful” Cayman Islands. Before filming began on the recently released movie, she headed to the Caribbean isles to brush up on her diving skills, where she did wall dives and cave dives. She originally learned to dive at the age of 13 for the TV show The New Adventures of Flipper. Cayman is one of the world’s top dive destinations, with more than 40 dive operations and 200 dive sites marked with moorings. The warm, calm waters, 30 metre- plus visibility and extensive marine life provide a topnotch diving experience. Each island offers different diving adventures for divers of all levels, from novice to Nitrox and tek ( technical) diving. For example, on Little Cayman, Bloody Bay Marine Park has a dive site with a sheer coral wall that begins at six metres and plunges to more than 2,000- metres deep. On Grand Cayman, shallow reefs are filled with schooling and solitary fish, and small invertebrates. There’s also the World’s Best 12 Foot Dive at the unique Stingray City, where you can swim with the gentle animals. ‰ More info: Cayman Islands Tourism, www. caymanislands. ky/ canada; www. divecayman. ky; 416- 485- 1550. Cathy Stapells is a Toronto-based writer. She can be reached at cstapells@sympatico.ca.