by Adrian Northrup & Julia Spiro
You’re a go, go, go kind of girl. You take care of yourself. From what you eat to daily exercise, you make sure your body is in good shape. In your free time, you like to pick up a game or two or go for a nice long run. You like to stay active even on vacation.
Or maybe you’re the other way.
You are a busy girl. You wish you took care of yourself and ate better. You need someone to force you into a steady workout plan. You’d like to work out and take care of your body. If only you could go away and have someone kick your butt into gear.
Here are some of Tango Diva’s picks for sports and fitness vacations.
Dunlavin, Ireland: The Rathsallagh Hotel
Women’s golf is on the rise, and there’s no better place to hone those golf skills than on the lush, green links of Ireland. The Rathsallagh is a luxury hotel converted from a 17th centure Queen Anne stable. Guests enjoy fine dining made from local foods, such as specialty cheeses and meats. Bedrooms are plush, country-style lux, with modern amenities and spacious bathrooms. Leisure activities include clay pigeon shooting, archery, fishing on local rivers, horseback riding, and walking on the nearby Wicklow mountains. But of course, the real draw to this stately hotel is its 18-hole Championship golf course, which is known as one of the finest in Ireland. For novices and experienced players alike, group and individual lessons are available from world-class coaches, and the hotel has a practice area as well.
For more information and to make a reservation, visit the Rathsallagh Hotel.
Aventure, Florida: Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa
If you want to get healthy in a serious way and avoid quickie weight loss traps, then Pritikin might be the right place for you. The Pritikin program is based on three main areas: nutrition, exercise, and mind-body health. The proven benefits of the program include weight loss, prevention of certain kinds of diabetes, improvement of all modifiable risk factors for heart disease, and lowering of cholesterol. Pritikin is set on the water and each of the 75 spacious and modern rooms have an ocean view or a balcony. Typical days include morning stretching, three healthy, gourmet meals, monitored exercise classes, a cooking class, medical lectures, nutrition workshops and seminars, and stress management classes. There is also free time for relaxation, nights out, or time spent at the spa, where everything from heart, circulation, and bone density testing to posture training, a variety of massages, and facials are offered. Guests leave with a tan, a smaller waistline, and a more educated view on health and nutrition that lasts a lifetime.
For more information and to make a reservation, visit the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa Web site.
Lauzerte, France: Camp Biche
If you’re going to do boot camp, why not do it in style? At Camp Biche in southwestern France, visitors live in luxury while getting kicked into shape. Activities includes a daily, extensive hike through the countryside, weight training, morning ab workouts, afternoon derriere workouts, yoga classes, and pilates classes. At the end of each day’s grueling workouts, guests enjoy a massage, the hot-water therapy spa, and the swimming pool. Camp Biche’s food motto is that guests should eat what they want and when they want it, but in moderation, so food from local farmers is served at all meals, as well as wine with dinner. Rooms are luxurious and decorated in a classic French style, but lack phones, internet, and television, so that guests achieve a maximum level of peace and tranquility. Camp Biche is co-ed, and about 85% of guests come alone.
For more information and to make a reservation, visit the Camp Biche Web site.
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