Spa treatments are no longer limited to the confines of a dimly-lit treatment room. These days you can have your massage alfresco, in and under water, and, now, aboard a Venetian gondola floating in the waters off San Diego’s Coronado Bay. The Loews Coronado Bay Resort introduces Voga Voyage, a romantic spa experience brought from Venice to California. Couples can board a 33-foot Venetian-style gondola, equipped with massage beds and manned by two gondoliers (wearing traditional attire), for a 40-minute massage that begins with sunscreen application and ends with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, all while cruising the waterways of the Coronado Cays. It may lack the privacy of a standard treatment room but, as they say, whatever floats your boat. The Voga Voyage package includes an overnight stay at the waterfront resort, a couple’s gondola massage, and access to the spa’s excercise classes, sauna, steam rooms, and lounge. Packages rates start from $499 per couple. To book it, click here or call 619/424-4000.

Palm Beach is still an iconic nest for old money. But new developments in town and up the coast that favor a chic, laid-back style and (relatively) affordable prices are attracting a fresh, younger set. The waterfront Omphoy Ocean Resort (from $250/night), Palm Beach’s first new hotel in 18 years, debuted this May, next door to the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach on Ocean Boulevard. Breaking from the area’s prevailing style, the 134-room resort sports a trendy look with sharp, contemporary design. Expect a pool lounge (located on the street side of the property with a tall waterfall partition for privacy and to block out traffic noise); an inside bar and billiards room; and an oceanview restaurant with Latin fare by notable chef Michelle Bernstein. 

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Mexico may be getting a bad rap these days as the center of the swine flu epidemic, but the latest hotel opening on Riviera Maya is worth a stay nonetheless. Edging a protected nature reserve of freshwater lagoons, canals, and mangroves, five-star Banyan Tree Mayakoba echoes a traditional Asian village, except the perks it hides in its earthy-colored villas are contemporary to the rafters. Intimate and private, each villa comes with a spacious swimming pool; sun deck with loungers; a landscaped garden; and a hot tub or sunken bath. The décor is a seamless fusion of Mexican and Asian design, a balanced nod to the Phuket flagship of this Singapore-based hotel chain and the host country of their latest Banyan Tree opening. Mayan-inspired furnishings and black and white talavera bathroom sinks blend perfectly with the Far East-style courtyard design of each villa, enclosed with a verdant garden. Read the rest of this post »

Located in easy-going downtown Santa Fe, The El Dorado Hotel & Spa offers a chic stay ideal for anyone in search of some stress-free pampering.  Boasting a luxurious rooftop pool and Jacuzzi, a locally inspired spa and the top-rated Old House restaurant, you’ll find all you need to unwind at this posh desert oasis. Try the El Dorado’s Stress Relief package, entitling travelers to a free daily spa treatment with each night booked. Guests can choose between one 50-minute massage or facial at no additional cost, treatments regularly valued at $130. Rates for this special offer start at just $199/night through March 31 and $229/night from April 1-30.

The Roosevelt New Orleans, formerly a Fairmont property, has been closed since 2005 post Katrina, but it reopens under the Waldorf-Astoria banner this June. The old-timer, originally debuted in 1893 as the Grunewald, has undergone some $145-million dollar renovations (supposedly the largest private investment spent downtown since Katrina), restoring its historic public spaces and rooms to their original grandeur, as well as adding up-to-date amenities and modern improvements. Among the renewal plans, the hotel’s legendary nighttime fixtures, Blue Room and Sazerac Bar, will be spiffed up, and new highlights will include a fancy Guerlain Spa (I’m a fan; I recently reviewed the new Guerlian Spa at the Waldorf-Astoria New York), and Domenica restaurant with local celebrity chef, John Besh.

I confess. My subconscious neglect to pack my kicks for a beach vacation isn’t so subconscious. I hate working out. I just joined a fancy, over-priced gym and I can barely drag myself there twice a week, so why the heck would I want to torture myself on my much-needed time away? Well, thanks to our fitness-obsessed culture, the get-slim-quick trend has eclipsed the travel sector and programs like Bikini Boot Camp or health ranches and fitness spas are, in fact, quite popular (and fun?). And, while lazing about on the beach with a steady flow of cocktails is more my idea of a vacation, I recently decided to try a fitness program in Antigua: Vitality Week at Carlisle Bay. Read the rest of this post »