Wellness Reboots :: Four Vacations That Are All About Self-Care
A decade ago, wellness travel meant a hotel with a spa. And while we all love the massage therapists, smoothie-bar mixologists, and trainers who transform trips into spells of bliss, wellness travel is now so much more. We craft experiences that are deeper and more meaningful. And integration after the fact is key.
Even travel that isn’t focused on improving your wellbeing can offer health benefits.
“The benefit of travel is having meaningful experiences that build into our personal biography – and then sharing those stories with others,” says Todd Kashdan, George Mason University professor of psychology and co-author of The Upside of Your Dark Side. “Data shows that within the first four to five weeks after a vacation, you see an increase in job engagement; an increase in low-energy positivity throughout the day – contentment, serenity, tranquility; and a decrease in burnout.”
Nourish your best self with these getaways. And give yourself time and space to rest. Rest is rebellion.
for the mind
In New York’s Hudson Valley, 36-room Troutbeck sprawls on 250 acres of land, encompassing meadows, wooded trails, two creeks, tennis courts, and a garden house – an atmosphere that has long attracted writers and naturalists (Mark Twain and Henry David Thoreau among them).
Last fall, the hotel expanded its appeal with the opening of The Barns. The Tall Barn, with 27-foot ceilings, offers meditation classes, rise-and-shine yoga, and mindfulness sessions, while the 3,500-square-foot Long Barn features a gym and treatment rooms for acupuncture, massage, and gua sha facial treatments (facial massage with a jade stone), all designed to relax the mind.
Premier Wellness Travel clients receive breakfast daily, a $100 dining credit and more.
For the Body
Look for living green walls and a lobby farm stand inside 1 Hotel South Beach, a stylish nod to nature. Salvaged driftwood and glass terrariums bring the outside into its 425 rooms, while local Florida food can be found at Plnthouse and Habitat.
Unwind in the spa, on 600 feet of prime sand, or at the 30,000-square-foot rooftop pool area, South Beach’s largest.
Reset body and mind through Mind & Movement wellness offerings, including challenging fitness classes, or grab a complimentary bicycle to ride along the promenade, then visit town in the complimentary house car.
Indulge in a selection of holistic treatments, services and classes meant to nurture the mind, body and spirit, based on a heartfelt connection with nature.
Premier Wellness Travel clients receive breakfast daily, a $100 dining credit and more.
For the Soul
Where better to seek peace than in Bhutan, whose “gross national happiness” index famously informs daily life.
Amankora comprises five lodges across the country, each built to meld with its environment, including Amankora Punakha, surrounded by rice terraces, and Amankora Bumthang, where visitors can join local monks in prayer.
During the pandemic pause, the hotel planted several acres of sustainable crops to support local communities and staff. Doors reopened in March, and travelers can now visit monasteries and hike to ancient cliffside temples.
Premier Wellness Travel clients receive breakfast daily, a $100 resort credit and more.
The Med-Spa Makeover
Anyone who’s spent the past months trying not to notice their own laugh lines during Zoom calls might consider checking into a full-service operation, such as the 104-room SHA Wellness Clinic in Alicante, Spain, for anything from tooth whitening to detox to Botox. After the headache that was 2020, we say: Treat yourself.
Holistic, personalized programs run the health gamut, from weight loss, detox, and sleep recovery to genetic testing and antiaging treatments. Guests can join healthy-cooking classes, get acupuncture or reflexology sessions in the wellness area, or meditate on the Sunrise Terrace.
Premier Wellness Travel clients receive breakfast daily, a $60 daily treatment credit and more.
This article originally appeared on Virtuoso.com, under the title Wellness Reboots: Four Vacations That Are All About Self-Care, updated on July 7, 2021, and written by Samantha Falawee. Reproduced with permission.