As the year winds down, your clients may be looking forward to a fresh start in 2016, beginning with health and wellness. Here are five notable travel options they may be interested in when starting the year off right.
The Latest Health and Wellness Offerings Out of Hawaii Island
Hawaii Island offers a range of wellness opportunities, from yoga classes to peaceful activities.
The recently introduced bamboo massage at the Spa Without Walls at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii, incorporates bamboo stalks and essential oils into a deep tissue promoting circulation and relaxation.
Meanwhile, the Beach Club at Mauna Kea Beach Hotel offers a variety of outdoor and wellness activities for hotel guests, including "Rise and Shine Hatha Yoga," stand up paddle boarding lessons, a "Sunset Canoe Paddle" and four- and six-man Outrigger Sailing Canoes.
Clients looking to try something new can participate in "Flo-yo" (Floating Yoga) at The Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii, practiced on a stand up paddle board. The activity demonstrates the benefits of building strength through balance and resistance, and is meant to incorporate a fun workout with the sensation of walking on water.
Additionally, Kokolulu Farm and Cancer Retreats in Hawaii provides year-round educational retreats for cancer victims, while KapohoKine Adventures offers the "Nohona Hawaii" program, designed to teach the importance of respecting the aina (land) for visitors interested in the island's wellbeing through the environment's rejuvenation. Activities include ziplining, trail cleaning and planting.
For families, Kalopa Nature Trail offers an easy hiking trail through the rainforest, and is home nearly 25 different native species of trees, shrubs, and vines along the path, along with secluded spots nearby to enjoy a picnic. Also for hiking, the 1.2-mile Kipukapuaulu loop trail at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park leads through a stretch of rainforest, with views of rare plants, birds, insects, and trees.
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Widening the Wellness Concept in Mexico
Wellness, fitness and mindfulness are all on the minds of hoteliers and developers in Mexico, especially on the Riviera Nayarit where new product offerings are expanding.
Twelve new Wellness Suites were introduced in late October at the AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit, which now has 1750 square foot suites with amenities including exercise bikes, in-room massages, special pillows and LED lights, as well as sleep-inducing aromatherapy. Personal Spa Concierges are also available.
The Grand Velas’ sister property, Casa Velas, also unveiled two new Wellness Suites in November.
Todos Santos, a centuries-old fishing and farming town located on the Pacific Coast of Baja California Sur, has seen a growing interest of the wellness concept. Aside from serving as an artsy surf haven for North American visitors, other attractions include beach yoga, indigenous healers and meditation teachers.
Also soon to open is the new “mindful living village” of Tres Santos, which will house an oceanfront boutique beach hotel, beach club, residences and shops. A town-to-beach trail, organic farm and farm-to-table restaurant are also in the plans.
Less than an hour from the Los Cabos Airport, the Austin, Texas-based Liz Lambert and the Bunkhouse Group will operate the boutique beach hotel, which will have a modernist Mexican design, and will be family-friendly.
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Whale Sharks and Wellness Bring Visitors to Cancun
Adventurous and thrill-seeking clients looking to stay fit during the upcoming year should check out Mexico’s Caribbean Coast.
Casa Las Tortugas, a boutique eco-property on Holbox Island, offers whale shark swims, kitesurfing lessons, windsurfing, horseback riding, kayaking and fishing, but also reaches out to those looking for serenity and relaxation.
The five-day Eat, Love & Yoga package includes a standard room for two, daily breakfast and lunch, four individual morning yoga sessions and one spa treatment at its Agua Spa and Yoga Center. Also, the property’s organic restaurant, Mandarina, uses produce and herbs from the hotel’s own farm, with fresh fruit and seafood sourced locally.
An emphasis on wellness continues to influence larger brand offerings as well.
AMResorts has expanded its luxury wellness footprint with the launch of Zoëtry Villa Rolandi Isla Mujeres, while Palace Resorts is marketing to the wellness-conscious as well.
Palace’s wellness concept at its signature property, Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort, offers swim-up accommodations in the Sunrise section of the property, along with other perks including aqua-spinning classes with a private instructor, Wellness Suites with aromatherapy, herbal teas, hydrotherapy salts and natural soaps. The suites are also stocked with an "Awe Sports Kit," which includes a yoga mat, jump rope and dumbbells. Minibars feature vitamin-infused beverages and juices, and a menu healthy and gluten-free options is available around-the-clock via complimentary room service.
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New Wellness Program From The Peninsula Hotels
The Peninsula Hotels launched “Peninsula Wellness," a new global program rooted in the wellness techniques and traditions of Thailand, on April 1.
Centered at the Peninsula Wellness Centre at The Peninsula Spa in Bangkok, the new program includes a tailored experience for guests across The Peninsula Hotels with spa therapists at the Wat Pho Temple, the home of Thai Massage.
The Peninsula Wellness program includes:
- A Signature Royal Thai Massage, developed with Wat Pho, across all Peninsula hotels
- Exclusive Sleep Ceremony for Stressed Travelers
- An Ambassador of Beauty for Biologique Recherche
- Introducing Sattva by Simply Peninsula
- Healthy dining choices from Naturally Peninsula Cuisine
- A Global Centre of Wellness Excellence
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Le Guanahani in St. Barth's Unveils New Wellness Program
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Le Guanahani in St. Barth's is offering a new program called Wellness Weekend, in partnership with transformational health and lifestyle expert Amy McDonald.
The program is meant to underscore the resort's commitment to health, mindfulness and wellness, and will be led by renowned yogi and meditation expert Dave Romanelli from February 4-7, 2016.
The three-night winter Wellness Weekend aims to offer a refreshing and immersive experience for guests of Le Guanahani, including a three-part online meditation series to prepare participants at home. Once onsite, Romanelli will guide guests through sensory-inspired meditations based on his "Meditate ON" series. The program will emphasize the importance of slowing down, awakening the senses, and filling one's mind with positivity, passion, and peace.
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