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Canyon Ranch Sets Sail

2009-07-03 By Linda Tatten

Pampering at Sea 
 

Oceania Cruises’ will be offering the Canyon Ranch SpaClub on their ships. The Marina is set to debut in 2010, offering the following:

– 16 massage, body and skin-care treatment rooms.
– a gym and weight room with more than 50 pieces of cardio
– a pool, whirlpools and a Thermal Suite.

The ship will also offer Canyon Ranch Spa Cuisine

The ships sail with a maximum of only 684 guests and an international staff of 400. They feature teak, custom stone and tile work. You dine on beautiful Villeroy & Boch china and silver and crystal.

This is a great getaway to relax and be pampered!  

Filed Under: Spa's

All Spa’s Are Not The Same

2006-05-02 By Linda Tatten

As part of my Spa Certificate Course, I went to Utah and experienced two very different Spas…someone had to do it!

RED MOUNTAIN SPA – FIRST STOP www.redmountainspa.com

I went with a friend; we drove from Las Vegas Airport, about 2 hours, to the Red Mountain Spa, arriving at dinner time. After only having airplane food – no more need be said – we were hungry and wondered what a Spa dinner would be like! The food was wonderful and the Canyon Breeze Restaurant became a favorite place for meeting new friends and hearing about their adventures of the day. The Dinner Menu lists 12 entrees and there were daily specials. The salad bar (lunch and dinner) was very good and two soups – hot or cold. The friendly wait staff even asked if we wanted bread, with butter or oil. They also had a bar, if you wanted wine with dinner.

I will always remember the view from our (basic but nice) room, as we went out in the morning – the wall of red mountain stretching out in front of us, what a way to start the day! The view here is special, wherever you go, there are the beautiful Red Mountains surrounding you. .

They have a Hiking Program, with three different levels. I did Trekker 1, with some paved road walking and some trails. My friend did Trekker 2, with a variety of trails including some rock and uneven terrain. They have a Trekker 3; my guide said it was for people who run 5 miles before breakfast! I liked my Trekker 1.

Some of the other Adventure Programs are Rock Climbing, Kayaking, Geo-caching, Orienteering and Biking. Adventure Racing is one of the fastest growing sports, it combines trekking, land navigation, mountain biking, kayaking, and rappelling. Red Mountain is having their first Adventure Racing Camp in November.

While my friend was Rock Climbing, I was at the Spa, doing research on their services…always thinking of my clients! After a busy day of Trekking, Stretching and Pampering, it was time for an evening swim, under the stars. Life as it should be!

In addition to the Adventure Program and Spa Treatments, they offer many different kinds of classes – Cardiovascular Workouts, Muscle Strengthening, Flexibility Classes, Fitness Workshops, Wellness & Relaxation and they have a gym with all new equipment. They also offer excursion to Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. We had a car and went on our own to Zion National Park; it was an easy drive and beautiful scenery.

Who goes to the Red Mountain Spa? This spa was voted Best Spa for Men, because it’s considered an Adventure Spa. About 1/3 were men, there were families, friends traveling together and a large group of singles. Size of the Spa 174 guests, 210 employees.

The Red Mountain Spa was a wonderful experience…please give me a call with any questions. 1-800-710-8041 or 508-460-1816

GREEN VALLEY RESORT & SPA – SECOND STOP
www.greenvalleyspa.com

We packed the car and took one last look at the incredible view, then off to the Green Valley Resort & Spa. It’s only 4 miles away, but had a totally different look. The Red Mountains were replaced with green landscape and 10,000 Roses. We drove up to a Spanish style building and check-in. We were taken to our beautiful room, called a suite. Our suite included a private patio across from the pool, an enormous bath with oversized tub, a sitting area, Starbucks coffee, CD Player, VCR, fax machine and popcorn w/popper. – which we tried. We had a fireplace between the two four poster beds, and each bed had its own TV and remote. The beds had special mattresses and bedding – and lots of pillows, the kind of bed you have to climb up into…this is so popular you can buy the bedding and have it shipped home. We would return at night to find the beds turned down and a gift and poem/story on our pillows… a nice touch. One night it was a Teddy Bear..

There dinning room has a more formal feel then at Red Mountain, the menu is limited, more conducive to wait loss…and no wine. They have the Color of the Day, if the color is red, then the plates and rims of the glasses in the dinning room are red, as well as the floral arrangements on the tables. In the Spa treatment area, the special baths are colored with the Color of the Day. (Red: for physical strength, Blue: A heart remedy, Green: Energizer and Indigo: A sleeping potion for peaceful dreams and visions). They have wonderful treatment names – Cleopatra’s Rejuvenating Bath, Rapunzel’s Secret Hot Oil Treatment and Seven Heavens Aromatherapy. They have a Relaxation Room, with flowers and ferns; music and books; interesting art and mirrors. Visually there is a lot to see, yet it’s very calming. This is where you wait for your spa treatments.

They offer meditation classes and have a labyrinth, based on a labyrinth found in the 13th century cathedral in Chartres, France.

Most of the people I spoke with, seemed to be there for spa treatments and relaxation, not as much for the out door activities. There was more of a feeling of pampering and quite time. There was a group of young women celebrating a birthday, one of those big birthdays, rather then doing a party, her husband paid for her and her friends to have a Spa weekend!. Spa size: 45 guests, 100 employees

They do have two special programs:

Tennis – The Vic Braden Tennis College is located here, with 14 outdoor courts and 4 climate controlled indoor courts. 13 Automated ball machine lanes, Video Analysis Center and Color Coded Strategy Court. Award Winning Tennis – Top 5 Best Tennis Programs in the U.S., Top 50 Greatest Tennis Resorts in the U.S. and the Top 25 Best Tennis Camps in the U.S. – Tennis Magazine.

Golf – Green Valley Golf Learning Center, America’s newest and largest indoor golf facility complete with hitting stations, indoor chipping, putting green, private video and analysis room

After a memorable week of Spa Research, it was back to Boston…so little time, so many spas! Please call with any questions 1-800-710-8041 or 508-485-5723.

Filed Under: Linda's Travel Notes, Spa's

Maya Tulum Wellness Retreat and Spa

2006-04-29 By Linda Tatten

Hello!

I thought you might enjoy reading this report, from my friend – travel writer and spa lover- about her new spa adventure. Thinking about going to a spa, give me a call and I will help you find the right one for you – do you want to meditate, be active or just relax?

Sit back and imagine the possibilities…

Linda

Connie Walsh
Spa/Resort Review

Maya Tulum
Wellness Retreat and Spa

You may not think that daily yoga lessons, killer margaritas and sun-rise meditation would be compatible components of a vacation, if so, you’d be wrong. I’m here to tell you that you can have it all at Maya Tulum, a wellness retreat and spa on Mexico’s beautiful Yucatan Peninsula.

The journey began with an email, one cold November afternoon, from my good friend and fellow spa aficionado. “How about it?” she asked, including a link to Maya Tulum’s web site showcasing an idyllic setting. To the tune of the accompanying new age music, I checked out their all-inclusive 5-day Mind-Body-Spirit package. It promised meditation, massage and more…mmm…mmm…mmm. We’ll take two.

Three weeks later we were in Cancun airport availing ourselves of the transfer included in the much more of our package and after an hour’s drive south we arrived.

Hola! Maya Tulum – as pretty as its pictures. The sight of the forty thatch-roofed cabanas nestled into the tropical gardens and along a gorgeous beachfront was better than advertised. We were shown to our cabana, just steps from the beach and were delighted! Its marble floors, white limestone walls and sparse furnishings were minimalist but not in that new designer hotel fashion – just simple and nice. An enclosed outdoor shower was a pleasant surprise that we really enjoyed – a modest one-with-nature, and all.

Cocktails anyone? After scheduling our first treatment, hot stone massages for us both, we strolled down the beach in search of a margarita. We discovered the large round, open-air cabana that serves as the resort’s restaurant and bar and there-in, the killer margaritas. They did not disappoint and the fresh guacamole to go with – to die for.

The all-inclusive package includes three meals a day with the option of a buffet or ordering from the menu which they describe as “basically vegetarian with seafood”. The breakfast choices of fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal and eggs, including the de rigueur Rancheros and world-class French toast provided the fuel for the morning’s activities, like a pedicure on the beach – ahhhh. The menu also includes a nice variety of starters and salads, pasta entrees and lots and lots of fresh fish. There’s a half-decent wine list. And oh the view!

Maya Tulum has been somewhat of a Mecca for serious yoga enthusiasts and followers of high-profile teachers, like the guru, Baron Baptiste who regularly teaches there. During our visit, two yoga groups were in residence. One of whom was a friendly crowd of aging hippie chicks with a few male counterparts – I counted seven long, gray ponytails in all. The other was a rather serious, more holistic-than-thou group of 30-somethings who kept to themselves. Our fellow guests included couples, small groups of friends and interestingly, a number of singles.

The Yoga instruction was one of the things that attracted us to the resort and it was indeed first-rate. We generally opted for a ninety-minute morning session and the small size of the group (usually six or so) allowed for individual attention and modifications. In short, challenging but not intimidating. ‘Cause if you can only do a half shoulder stand that’s all you can do. The studio itself is a large open air cabana and the fragrant ocean breezes and sound of the pounding surf made the whole experience, well, so much more spiritual – not to denigrate my classes back home at the gym in the strip mall. And s swim in that gorgeous ocean was the perfect ending to our mornings.

Maya Tulum offers an extensive menu of spa services, including some more esoteric offerings, like Shirpdhara (Third Eye Therapy), essentially an hour of warm oil dripping on your forehead (we demurred) and a number of Mayan specialties. Which to choose? I considered the Yoot Keen, a deep belly message which promised a readjustment of my internal abdominal organs but begged the question, what if my organs didn’t need readjusting? I decided on the Mayan Clay Massage and padded barefoot after my therapist to one of the small open-air huts that serve as treatments rooms.

It was divine, essentially Swedish style but with warm mud massaged head-to-toe and then a sort-of gauzy wrap. An hour later and vertical, I was licking my lips, figuratively and literally and to my astonishment my upper lip was twice its size. What happened? Was it an allergic reaction? A bonus topical collagen treatment? It turned out that a mosquito had come between me and my mud. Honestly? I still rate it as one of my top-ten spa treatments and I remained so blissful through dinner that I wasn’t even tempted to snarl “what are you lookin’ at”, to the woman at the next table who starred at me all evening. I decided she was probably just jealous.

When we returned home, we pronounced it the most relaxing vacation we had ever had. Maya Tulum has no TVs, radios, internet or even newspapers and it was the first time I ever went “cold turkey”. Days that began with sunrise mediation or a walk on the beach followed by swimming, yoga and a pampering spa treatment, found us in bed by 9 PM nodding over our books.

Maya Tulum really is a retreat and may not be for everyone. It’s a bit rustic and the service level could be better, friendly enough but there are language and communication issues. But if you’re looking for a true get-away in a palm trees and sunshine environment you should definitely consider it. And if you practice yoga or would like to explore it, you should go!

Namaste.

When to go- Maya Tulum is open year-round, but the best season is November.- April

Cost- $705 – $905 per person for the 5 night package (based on double occupancy) Includes: roundtrip transfers, 3 meals per day, 1 spa treatment and 1 excursion. 7 day packages available. Rates vary with season and with choice accommodations.

Accommodations- Simple but comfortable; spring for the ocean front cabanas if available/

Filed Under: Spa's

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