March 29th, 2011
Celebrate Switzerland’s Lucerne Festival with “Spa & Sounds” Package
From Victoria Jungfrau Collections’ Palace Luzern
In conjunction with the renowned Lucerne Festival, Switzerland’s Palace Luzern is offering a two-night “Spa & Sounds” package, available for stays April 9-17. Designed to promote ultimate relaxation, the package combines five-star accommodations with massage, music, and a mobile device drop-off service!
While enjoying Balinese massages, and festival tickets for performances of those chart-toppers of the 17 and 1800s, Bach, Brahms and Mozart; the “Spa & Sounds” package is as much about what you WILL hear as what you DON’T HAVE TO hear – namely, the unsoothing sounds of your cell phone. Bringing new meaning to the term “hands-free”, included in the package is Palace Luzern’s mobile device drop-off service. Simply hand your phone over to the hotel’s concierge on arrival, they’ll be happy to answer any phone calls and relay your messages.
The annual festival has been in existence since 1938 and attracts a roster of major international orchestras, conductors and soloists to the Swiss city. View the complete program here.
The “Spa & Sounds” package costs 1764 CHF based on double occupancy ($1,922 USD at time of release) and includes the details below. Guests can book the two-night offering between April 9 – 17.
- Two night accommodations with views of Lake Lucerne
- Breakfast both mornings
- Tickets for evening of your choice to the Lucerne Festival
- One Balinese massage per person
- Roundtrip transfers from the Lucerne train station and KKL (festival location) in a Jaguar car
- Butler service
- Mobile “drop off service”
- Fruit and Swiss chocolate upon arrival
Don’t fret if you can’t make it this time; the offer will also be available in August for the Summer Festival and November for the Piano Festival (Prices may vary).
February 28th, 2011
Who doesn’t want that inherently French, effortlessly slim look? Swimsuit season is approaching, and La Réserve Ramatuelle has the best way to shed your “winter coat” (translation: that extra layer of flab that crept up on you when you weren’t looking) without fasting or quick-stepping through tires. The très français boot camp will have two sessions in April and two sessions in May. Set just outside of St. Tropez, La Réserve Ramatuelle is surrounded by quintessential Cote d’Azur scenery and nearly 360 degree views of the Mediterranean Sea – a great spot for hikes through the Cyprus trees and olive groves.
While strenuous, this boot camp is hardly roughing it, chéries! Walks through the Mediterranean countryside, spa treatments, and delicious (and healthy) local flavors cooked up by Chef Eric Canino will have you feeling svelte, not spent. Designed for groups of 4-8 people, it’s a great excuse to bring along some friends.
The Boot Camp is a five-day (four-night) program. Guests start with a medical assessment to measure physical aptitude. The next day, training kicks off with an hour-long yoga session and healthy breakfast before a guide leads a fast-paced walk through the hills and along the coast. While sure to get hearts pumping, the duration and pace of these walks is determined on an individual basis. After the walks, guests can relax for the rest of the day, enjoying a healing and rejuvenating spa program that includes balneotherapy, body wraps, and the La Réserve Better Aging body treatment. (This detoxifying, slimming, and draining treatment enables cellular regeneration while eliminating blockages and tensions in the body.) Guests can also add à la carte experiences such as beauty and body therapies exclusively crafted for La Réserve by La Mer.
Dates:
April: Sunday, April 3-Friday, April 8
Sunday April 10-Friday, April 15
May: Sunday May 1-Friday, May 6
Sunday May 8-Friday, May 13
Price: €3900, accommodation in a Deluxe room and full board
Example of a typical day’s activities – day 1
6:30am Yoga session (1 hour)
7:30am Breakfast
8:30am Morning Walk
1pm Lunch at the hotel
2:30pm Balneotherapy
3pm Body Wrap
3:30pm Jet shower
4pm La Réserve Better Aging body treatment
6:30pm Relaxation session
8pm Dinner at the restaurant
January 14th, 2011
With winter weather leaving faces dry and dappled with frown lines, Parrot Cay and Guinot have the perfect solution, “The Ultimate Facial Boost Experience.” This NEW exclusive offer is now available on the island. The program follows a three-tiered approach for a youthful, glowing complexion. The seven-night program includes three anti-aging Guinot Hydradermie Lift treatments, and a machine-based facial using new technology to treat both the skin and facial muscles for an immediate lifting effect – especially around the eyes, mouth, nose, and forehead.
Stress and fatigue can cause more wrinkles and lines than one likes, so the package also has a relaxing COMO Shambhala Signature Massage and complimentary daily group yoga and Pilates classes for a calming way to slow pesky signs of aging.
The third element of The Ultimate Facial Boost Experience is focused on diet. The resort’s custom-made COMO Shambhala Cuisine menus – available at both restaurants – are designed to maximize personal performance, addressing energy levels and blood-sugar imbalances. The menu has an emphasis on raw foods with dishes rich in living enzymes and essential vitamins and minerals. Guests can also cleanse their systems with detoxifying juices, broths, elixirs, vitamin boosts, and organic teas.
Inclusions:
- Three Hydradermie Lift Treatments (note this is the maximum number that can be taken in one week)
- Daily COMO Shambhala Cuisine breakfast
- Daily activities schedule (yoga, Pilates, and non-motorized water sports)
- COMO Shambhala signature massage (60 minutes)
- Seven nights in a Garden View Room, based on double occupancy
Rate: $5,169 per person, inclusive of government tax, service charge, and return airport transfer
December 20th, 2010
Come February, when winter’s cold has really outworn its welcome, jet down to Parrot Cay for a restorative Pilates Retreat. Already known for its amazing yoga retreats, the private isle is kicking off its new offering, continuing to be ahead of the curve when it comes to wellness. The retreat comes after the success of the resort’s mini-Pilates programs last year.
Elizabeth Feltman, instructor at the renowned Manhattan studio Erika Bloom Pilates Plus, is teaching this immersive program. With two classes each day, participants learn to set intention behind each movement for a true body transformation and form a great foundation for an active and balanced lifestyle. Feltman’s love of movement began with dance, and for the last 11 years, along with dancing and integrative nutrition, she has trained using Pilates to deepen her understanding of anatomy and kinesiology (the study of human movement).
While on the island, be sure to take advantage of the white sand beaches, healthy COMO Shambhala cuisine with an Asian flare emphasizing raw foods, and the very Zen COMO Shambhala Retreat and its host of Asian-inspired treatments. Daily group yoga classes are also available gratis!
Dates: February 2-7, 2011
Inclusions: (more…)
November 24th, 2010
Looking for a new work-out routine for the New Year? Think about following in the footsteps of the 50 teams that will be competing in the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge December 10-15 across the emirate.
The six-day trek consists of running, swimming, biking, kayaking, mountaineering and desert-skills orientation as four-member teams will travel from the Jebel Hafeet (the highest peak in the UAE) across the Rub’ al Khali (the world’s largest expanse of unbroken sand) and 80 miles of sea kayaking section to the finish line in Abu Dhabi. An added incentive besides obvious bragging rights and six-pack abs, winners will receive $40,000.
For those seeking to rest weary bones, a 90-minute drive back into the Liwa Desert is just the ticket! Visit the spa at Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara to massage out the kinks and enjoy the desert view. The spa features a heated marble Hammam with Jacuzzi shower and fountains designed to soothe and rejuvenate the body.
November 23rd, 2010
While the holiday season might mean last minute shopping trips and extended family gatherings for some, see how some of the Swiss will be celebrating for a lesson in true holiday R&R.
Where: Palace Luzerne, Switzerland
What: Another reason to move to Switzerland
Why: Swiss hospitality is extending its courtesies to local parents this Holiday season. The Goose ‘n Wellness package will pick-up Swiss moms or dads in a limousine for a day of spa pampering with an evening make-over for mothers and a ‘manly’ manicure for fathers, while hotel chefs prepare a traditional Holiday meal including roasted goose, mashed potatoes, and red cabbage. When ready to return home (we think it could be hard), the limousine will take refreshed parents home with the perfectly prepared meal back to an awaiting family.
When: December 24-26. 579 Swiss Francs per mother including wellness treatment, glass of champagne and Christmas dinner for four.
November 17th, 2010
Crystal Cruises generously offers a $500 – $1000 per person “Spend as you Wish” onboard credit to guests and while it may be tempting to splurge on one of their fine wines or off-ship explorations, be sure not to miss the extensive Crystal Spa and Salon onboard! The first Feng Shui-designed spas at sea feature a private, canopied sun deck and a luxurious dry float bed suite in addition to private treatment rooms, a fully-equipped gym, complimentary yoga and Pilates classes, and their innovative Walking no Water program.
Treatments range from a salt and ginger scrub to a couples massage and acupuncture. For a quick pick-me-up, the spa also provides haircuts, styling, pedicures and manicures. There’s no better way to enjoy vacation than with a little pampering (even better when it’s on the house)!
Check out this yummy spa menu plate from a recent Spa Day!
November 9th, 2010
Don’t know what to get your boyfriend’s mom? Or your best friend who already seems to have everything? COMO Shambhala’s Holiday Gift Boxes are the perfect present. They’re already beautifully packaged and are filled with signature essential oil blends crafted to calm, relax, detoxify, and rejuvenate. Each package comes with a small card explaining the step-by-step ritual to maximize the benefits of the simple but potent essential oils. Order soon – all orders before December 15 ship for free!
November 5th, 2010
Recent reports detail President Obama’s busy schedule preparing for his upcoming trip to India. Outside of delegation meetings and state dinners (will there be any crashers this go-round?), we have compiled a few things the President shouldn’t miss!
Need a quick pick-me-up between appearances?
President Obama will be in Mumbai November 6 and 7. May we recommend, Mr. President, visiting the ESPA Spa at The Leela Kempinski Mumbai as a spot for an instant pick-me-up after a day of demanding meetings. For the United States’ top executive, the Executive Stress Tonic treatment is suggested. An hour and a half of back, neck, shoulder, hand, arm, and scalp massage will relieve tension caused by hours hunched over a desk and long periods of time spend on a plane.
Looking to unwind after a jam-packed schedule (diplomatic, or otherwise)?
Park Hyatt Goa will instantly relieve stress and offers the perfect place to get a Presidential tan. A true escape, the resort was designed to replicate ancient Indian villages and is set amid 45 acres of lush beachfront gardens. The property is divided into five courtyards, each distinctive in theme, architecture, and landscape, creating a series of individual guestroom clusters within the resort, set apart from one another by lagoons, tropical gardens, bridges, and interconnected with cobbled village streets. The Sereno Spa offers daily yoga and meditation classes designed to reconnect the body and mind – something every leader and fellow traveler can appreciate. Sessions are designed to improve energy and creativity, steadiness of mind, improve breathing and lung capacity, and relieve fatigue in the eyes. As a final addendum, Park Hyatt Goa is also home to India’s largest swimming pool with water slides!
Escape the election fever…
After recent mid-term elections, the President might be feeling the urge to truly disconnect for a few days. Shakti’s Kumaon village experience in Uttarakhand provides the chance to take in the stunning mountain scenery and rich culture of the remote, unspoiled, and undiscovered North Indian state. Take in staggering views that include the snow-tipped twin peaks of Nanda Devi, India’s second highest mountain. Guests take daily walks through the forests of grey pine, cedar, and rhododendron, and overnight in village homes that have been gently retouched to include Western creature comforts. The nearby four-room retreat, 360˚Leti, is a true escape perched at an impressive 8,000 feet. It lives up to its name, with 360° panoramic views and floor-to-ceiling glass windows. There is no Internet, no cell coverage, and only solar power — a real opportunity to unplug. A 90-minute trek along a narrow trail to the hotel takes guests past waterfalls, brooks, and terraced hills lined with rice paddies and rows of wheat.
Appeal to the activists…
To increase those ever-important approval ratings, it’s crucial to reach out to a cross-section of interests. A trip to Sikkim with Shakti offers a sure-fire boost. This tiny, Northeastern India state finds itself sandwiched between friendly neighbors Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet, and is the least populous and second smallest in all of India. Sikkim is culturally and topographically not unlike its neighbors and the only state in India to share an open border with China (very global). Sikkim also offers a dose of natural beauty sure to perk up environmentalist curiosity. With over 4,000 plant species and 450 exotic orchids, virgin rhododendron forests, indigenous birds, 650 kinds of butterflies and endangered species like red pandas, snow leopards, and blue yaks, it’s as far from Pennsylvania Avenue as you can get. Catch views of Mt. Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest mountain, while passing fluttering Buddhist prayer flags on the trail to Rinchenpong Monastery. Explore this remote but enchanted land, learning about the region’s religious history and present day Buddhist and Hindu cultures as you go.
To experience a Presidential quick-trip…
As a traveling world leader, schedules rarely allow time for extended stays anywhere outside the Oval Office. Crystal Cruises’ 2011 World Cruise line up features two itineraries next March that visit India, with two overland excursions full of adventure and sightseeing. The Ajanta & Ellora Caves excursion explores the wonders of ancient India, following part of the Silk Road with stops at the famous Buddhist caves at Ajanta and the magnificent carved rock temples of Ellora, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. For the classicist, the Journey to the Fabled Taj Mahal excursion offers an overview tour of Delhi’s highlights, sunrise and sunset visits to the Taj Mahal, and a visit to Agra Fort. The two excursions can help split the 23-day Asia cruise, and provide your own version of Obama’s upcoming Asia tour!
November 5th, 2010
It’s a little less than a week away from the AsiaSpa Awards and we can’t wait for the results! Of the nominees, a couple of our favorites include:
COMO Shambhala Estate, Bali, Indonesia
Spa Retreat of the Year; Destination Spa of the Year; and Spa Cuisine of the Year
Anantara Spa, The PuLi Hotel & Spa, Shanghai, China
Urban Spa of the Year; New Spa of the Year
ESPA, The Leela Palace Kempinski Udaipur, India
New Spa of the Year
Anantara Spa, Anantara Bophut Resort & Spa, Koh Samui, Thailand
Spa Design of the Year; Men’s Spa Treatment of the Year: “Golfer Massage”
ESPA at Phulay Bay, Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Thailand
Spa Design of the Year
‘Bamboo Harmoniser,’ The Peninsula Spa by ESPA, The Peninsula Shanghai, China
Spa Treatment of the Year
The Peninsula Spa by ESPA, The Peninsula Beijing, China
Spa’s Therapist Team of the Year
The Peninsula Spa by ESPA, The Peninsula Tokyo, Japan
Spa’s Therapist Team of the Year
The Peninsula Spa by ESPA, The Peninsula Bangkok, Thailand
Men’s Spa Treatment of the Year: “Mankind”
Susan Harmsworth,ESPA International
Spa Personality of the Year
MSpa International, Thailand
Spa Academy of the Year
ESPA
In-Spa Training of the Year
Spa’s Therapist Team of the Year
Check back next week for the results. Moisturized fingers crossed!