Travel
Pampered Pilates
Just forty miles north of San Diego, Cal-a-Vie Spa feels worlds away. Situated on 200 acres of rolling hills dotted with olive trees and lush with lavender, the property seems to have jumped right out of an Italian Renaissance painting. Its rustic architecture, including a reconstructed 400-year-old French chapel now used as a meditation center, fits so naturally into the landscape that it’s hard to imagine a time when the 20-year-old spa wasn’t there. The serenity created by this union with nature makes Cal-a-Vie a unique place in which to connect with one’s own nature.
It’s easy to see why guests—including celebrities like Paula Abdul, Kathleen Turner and Kirstie Alley—keep coming back. But the tranquil setting isn’t the only thing that draws people in. In fact, the calm and quiet belie the serious butt-kicking workouts Cal-a-Vie is famous ...Streams of Consciousness
Laced with castles, villages, and vineyards, the lengthy, winding shorelines of Germany’s Rhine and Moselle rivers are places of exceptional beauty.
A bicycle bell clangs, and I swerve my own bike swiftly to the right of the trail to avoid a collision. Clearly, I should be paying more attention to the route in front of me, especially given the fact that the path drops off on my side into a deepish river. Being surrounded by nature, however, never fails to put me in a contemplative state of mind—and the presence of water nearly always enhances that effect, sending me spinning off into daydreams. I suppose the wine tasting earlier today may also be a factor, though I prefer to think that any sense of intoxication I’m experiencing is purely the result of the scenery.
Here in Germany’s wine growing region, the steep slopes dropping to the water’s edge ...Be Enveloped in the Land of Enchantment
New Mexico has a way of enveloping you. It wraps your body and spirit in an oversized blanket, and almost forces you to surrender to the natural healing energy found here. Every night the sky opens up to a glittering display of stars, while the arid landscape, rust-colored earth, and native plants seem to dance beneath the glowing light. Once you’ve been here you understand why so many flock to New Mexico in search of healing and health. It isn’t just that there are world-class spas here; it’s that the entire environs is nurturing from the earth to the plants to the people.
When Auberge Resorts announced their first New Mexico property, Encantado, spa-goers like myself were intrigued. Auberge Resorts are renowned for their wine country spas, their almost seductive spa therapies, and equally enticing settings. How would this translate to the arid setting of Santa Fe? ...Soaking in the Seaweed
I am in the west of Ireland, immersed in a seaweed bath at the Spa of Delphi Mountain Resort, slithering around in rubbery green strands of kelp. The salty odor reminds me of my childhood at Bailey Beach in Rowayton, Connecticut, where I would try to pop the seaweed during low tide. I didn’t care for the smell then, but here, it doesn’t bother me. It’s part of the healing properties. I lay back in the steamy water and stare out at a perfect view of the velvety green hills of Mweelrea ...Green Ski & Spa
Vail, Colorado
Stats: 5200 acres of skiing
Lifts: 31
Activities: Downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, shoeshoeing, dog sledding, ice skating
When two young Swiss men conceived of Vail Mountain nearly fifty years ago, they never could have imagined that their dreams would become the largest ski resort in the U.S. (Or that lift tickets would eventually fetch nearly $100 a day. In 1962, the price was $5.) When Vail Mountain opened in 1962, the Lodge at Vail also opened, serving the influx ...
