Surf ‘n Spa
Las Olas Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Lodging: Charming Mexican villas, featuring cabana-style enclosed bedrooms and kitchenettes as well as drop-dead views of the shoreline, surf break, and sea can accommodate up to eighteen guests.
The Adventure: A surf safari only for women, Las Olas instructs wannabe surfer girls through an accelerated classroom-to-surf break program. Whether you’re a never-ever or an expert, the teachers, who are certified lifeguards, start you in gentle waves with performance longboards made specifically for women. Start the day with surf-specific yoga stretches before hitting the water. In the afternoon, there’s hiking, henna tattooing, beaded jewelry or candle making, whale watching, and just relaxing.
Soothing Spa: Therapists, themselves surfers, specialize in après-surf sports massage to release the knots and knuckles that develop from surfing. Weekly packages include one massage, but guests can book additional treatments.
Fueling Up: Las Olas doesn’t cook. Instead, they distribute a week’s worth of food cards, which you can use at a locally owned café as well as a variety of cantinas and family restaurants. Here “local” means fish fresh from just beyond the surf break, mangos from the neighborhood yard, and just-picked vegetables. The food varies from traditional Mexican cuisine and seafood to California-style veggie wraps.
Contact (707) 746-6435 or visit www.surflasolas.com
Costa Azul Adventure Resort Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Lodging: The vibe at Costa Azul is definitely laid back. There are no phones, televisions, or computers in any of the twenty-eight modest and rustic rooms. They all, however, offer outstanding views of the Pacific Ocean.
The Adventure: Costa Azul is one of the best-kept secrets on the “Blue Coast” of Mexico. Never tried surfing? Don’t worry, surf instructors will have you hanging ten in no time. And for those of you who prefer being under the water rather than on top of it, you can scuba dive (if you’re not certified, they’ll teach you in the pool) or snorkel the nearby Marietas Islands with manta rays and dolphins. Other activities, in addition to exploring coral reefs, include ocean kayaking, hiking and horseback riding in the jungle, mountain biking, and saltwater trophy fishing.
Soothing Spa: Book a Swedish massage, facial, or a natural indigenous mud bath that Mexicans have used for centuries as a cleansing ritual.
Fueling Up: The resort’s open-air restaurant offers authentic regional cuisine with a variety of fresh tropical fish. The coconut Mahi Mahi served with fresh vegetables is a popular entree, both healthy and delicious. On Friday nights, you can celebrate “Noche Mexicana,” a fiesta complete with an authentic Mexican buffet, Mariachi band, and a local dance troupe.
Contact (800) 365-7613 or visit www.costaazul.com
Surf Diva, The Lodge at Torrey Pines La Jolla, San Diego, California
Lodging: This is a surfing day camp, so you can stay anywhere. But if you’d like to learn to hang ten in luxury, book a room at The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla. This 175-room resort features jaw-dropping views of the Pacific Ocean and is next to a sage-filled state park and two famous golf courses.
The Adventure: Each day, you’ll join Surf Diva’s surf school on the beach for two hours of instruction. All you need to bring is a positive attitude and sense of adventure, they’ll supply board and wetsuit. Afterwards, head back to the Lodge for a Jacuzzi, steam, or sauna, or such additional activities as yoga, tai chi, golf, swimming, or hiking.
Soothing Spa: At Torrey Pines they do everything except carry you from the luxurious relaxation room into the treatment room. All forty-five treatments are outstanding, as is the two hour and twenty minute Signature Ritual, which begins with a warm hydrotherapy bath using the spa’s own lemongrass and sage bath salts, continues with a Vichy shower to exfoliate, and finishes with a personalized body massage with the spa’s Lemongrass Massage Soufflé.
Fueling Up: Don’t miss The Lodge at Torrey Pines’ award-winning restaurant AR Valentien. The tuna carpaccio makes a great appetizer and for dessert, order the warm banana coconut tartlet with caramel and walnuts. You’ll think you’ve died and gone to surf heaven.
Contact Surf Diva, (845) 454-8273 or visit www.surfdiva.com; The Lodge at Torrey Pines, (888) 862-0224 or visit www.lodgetorreypines.com
Go With the Flow: White Water Rafting
ROW (River Odyssey West) River Soul Journeys Salmon and Snake Rivers, Idaho
Lodging: You’ll be sleeping in a tent, but don’t worry, the guides set them up on either big sandy beaches or grassy meadows beneath tall pines. How often do you sleep out under a starry sky?
The Adventure: Raft the rapids of Idaho’s beautiful wild and scenic Snake and Salmon Rivers either by riding along while your guide rows or aboard a raft where everyone participates. Adrenaline junkies can shoot the rapids on inflatable kayaks. In a special program called River Soul Journeys, each rafting trip becomes a spiritual journey where you have the chance to rediscover your true self. When you’re not rowing down the river, there’s fly-fishing, hiking, early morning yoga, journaling, and meditation. River Soul Journeys offer both co-ed and women-only spiritual retreats.
Soothing Spa: While there are no massages or Jacuzzis, there are plenty of natural pools for swimming and floating.
Fueling Up: Wake up to the smell of fresh coffee along with pancakes and sizzling bacon, prepared by your guides. Lunch might be a picnic on a deserted beach and dinner will most definitely be served in an open-air dining room. Typical entrées include grilled Idaho trout, thick rib-eye steaks, and meat or vegetarian lasagna. Desserts, baked fresh in a Dutch oven, include double-fudge brownies, gingerbread, and pineapple upside-down cake.
Contact (800) 451-6034 or visit www.rowinc.com
September/October 2004
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