Lunch with a llama and other itinerary boosts
Wellness tourism is booming, and healthful food options, better gyms and results-oriented spas are now de rigueur.
But an array of hotels and resorts is taking the wellness concept even further by adding customizable, health-focused packages and services, often partnering with experts to create programs that inspire and challenge travelers.
Here are some that add adventure to itineraries or offer programs that adjust your diet, reduce stress, improve your physique or hone your running technique.
Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village and the California Health & Longevity Institute: When it opened in 2006, the Conejo Valley property was a pioneer medi-hotel that matched proactive wellness with pampering. The hotel created an opportunity to revive your mental and medical health in the lap of luxury with an in-house medical clinic, culinary and fitness centers and offices for dentistry, alternative medicine and life balance. Hotel guests have only to cross the lobby for comprehensive physicals, dermatology treatments or sessions with exercise specialists and dietitians. A therapeutic spa combines Eastern and Western techniques. The Jump Start Pack fitness assessment is $195; the Performance Evaluation is $550.
Info: 2 Dole Drive, Westlake Village, (818) 575-3000; www.fourseasons.com/westlakevillage, www.chli.com
Four Seasons Resort & Residences, Vail, Colo.: Readjust your attitude at altitude with a customized mountain wellness experience that can involve hiking, culinary lessons, outdoor yoga or climbing one of Colorado’s peaks. Llamas carry gear and Four Seasons’ chef prepared gourmet meals on a guided, two-day climb to the summit of Mount of the Holy Cross. Lunch with a llama begins at $200 for two guests; hiking and camping from $1,000 to $1,200.
Info: 1 Vail Road, Vail; (970) 477-8600, www.fourseasons.com/vail/
VeraVia Carlsbad: Mind, body and spirit are the focus of four-day to weeks-long programs at VeraVia, at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort. The luxury health and wellness programs address fitness, stress management, medical issues and weight loss, with customized treatments guided by medical and fitness assessments and supported by a nutritionist and behavioral therapists. A take-home guide and followup visits are included to sustain change. Packages begin at $3,850 per person for four days, all-inclusive.
Info: 7100 Aviara Resort Drive, Carlsbad; (800) 5271936, www.veraviafit.com
Le Guanahani, St. Barthélemy: At this St. Barth hotel, former model Estelle Lefébure offers wellness retreats based on her Orahe method that incorporates beauty, sports and culinary experiences. Three- and fiveday programs combine gymnastics, Pilates and yoga on a stand-up paddleboard and add special spa treatments and chef-prepared menus. Lefébure integrates mindfulness into the program’s principles of “eat, move, be.” The three-day program is $841 per person; five day is $1,303. Lefébure leads a special August session.
Info: Grand Cul-de-Sac, St. Barthélemy, French West Indies; (800) 216-3774, www.leguanahani.com/wellness
Benessere at the Biltmore, Coral Gables, Fla.: This historic hotel offers a new wellness program, Benessere (Italian for “well-being”). Offered year-round, the program can include fitness classes, spa treatments, wellness activities, workouts in the giant pool and cooking instruction at the Biltmore Culinary Academy. Themed, two-night travel wellness packages focused on detoxing, energy balance or boosting metabolism begin at $436 per night. Info: 1200 Anastasia Ave.,
Coral Gables, Fla.; (855) 3116903, www.biltmorehotel.com
Westin Wellness Escapes, Mammoth: As part of the Westin Well-Being Movement, the hotel chain is staging a series of well-being retreats focused on topics such as running, women’s health or strength training. At the Westin Monache Resort in Mammoth from Sept. 11to13, Olympic medalist Deena Kastor will kick off the Mammoth Running Escape, a mountain view-intensive immersion paired with gourmet meals. The Mammoth package is $1,500 per guest; second registrant, $1,100.
Info: 50 Hillside Drive, Mammoth Lakes; (760) 9340400, www.westinmammoth.com
Hotel Coral & Marina, Ensenada, Mexico: For four days and three nights in sessions now through November, guests at the oceanfront resort can combine hiking, yoga and training sessions with lectures and coaching on mental and physical wellness. The resort also offers access to wine tasting and exercise amid the vineyard vistas. Packages are $1,693.
Info: Km. 103 Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, No. 3421 Zona Playitas; (800) 8629020, www.hotelcoral.com