A Guide to the Best Healthy Holidays by Jill Starley-Grainger
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Core Strength / Hard Core
Cape Town, South Africa
Bad back, posture problems, jelly belly? Sort it out with on a South African getaway with renowned Pilates instructor Steve Jordan. But it’s not just Pilates on offer. Daily activities mean you can explore the region to the max, with a rip up Table Mountain, boat trip to Seal Island, overnight safari in a lion park and a Stellenbosch vineyard tour. And that’s all included in the basic price, along with seven sessions of Pilates.
What’s more, improvement of muscular and skeletal problems is guaranteed within three Pilates sessions. This is one of the most amazing ways to see the Western Cape of South Africa, and at the end of the week, you’re muscles will be longer and leaner, your stomach and back will be vastly improved and you’ll be walking straighter and feeling wonderful.
Digestive Diagnosis
Near Innsbruck, Austria
Sort out your tummy troubles in the midst of the Austrian Alps at Park Igls health retreat. They specialise in the modern Mayr method, which aims to sort out digestive health problems with a combination of diet and exercise. A medical team will discuss your digestive and health issues, then prescribe a week-long nutrition and exercise programme, taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings. The metabolism and detox module includes medical checks, diagnostics, medical consultation with a doctor and daily group sessions.
Make a Splash
Red Sea, Egypt
It’s island hopping – with a twist. You get yourself from A to B with nothing but a swimsuit and goggles to help you on your way. But don’t worry. Boats will be pootling along nearby in case you get knackered, and swims are usually around four kilometres a day in total, so it’s not too tough. On SwimTrek’s Red Sea holiday, you’ll explore the Egyptian islands using nothing more than the front crawl or breaststroke. Walk from the sandy shoreline into the shallows, then plunge into the depths for some genuine wild swimming.
At the end of the week, not only will you have had a truly unique holiday experience, but you’ll most likely have toned up and feel more fit than you have in ages. The only requirement is that you can swim the front crawl or breaststroke to a reasonable standard. Those who need swimming lessons or who lack confidence can do one of SwimTrek’s weekend sessions in the UK.
Stretch and Ski
Samoens, France
Avoid sore muscles and add some interest to your snowbreak with a yoga-ski getaway in one of the Alps’ hippest new lodges. Go by train, and you’ll very little-eco guilt, too, because the stunning La Source is a model of ethical design and responsible tourism. Start your day with yoga before the pistes, then cool down with some stretching afterwards to prevent the build-up of lactic acid, which causes post-workout muscle soreness.
Ski lessons are available for beginners to off-pisters, and you’ll be eating top-quality organic vegetarian food all week. You can also book shiatsu, reiki and tai chi on site. End your day soaking in a wood-fired hot tub under the stars in the midst of the snowy Alps.
Purification Vacation
Phuket, Thailand
Give your system a quick clean-out and a dose of winter sun on a five-star detox in Thailand. At the luxurious Six Senses Evason Phuket, the three-day purification programme aims to give you a boost with a mixture of diet, exercise and holistic therapies. For the first two days, you’ll eat specially created light meals of fruit and vegetables, then the third day is entirely a juice and soup diet, given at frequently throughout the day.
Exercises, activities and spa treatments are tailored to your particular needs, whether it’s weight loss, resolving muscular or digestive issues or coping with exhaustion or physical ailments. As one of the world leaders in luxury spa breaks, you can be sure the therapies will be fantastic, and the setting on the beaches of Phuket is stunning. Perfect for an annual pick-me-up.
Surf and Turf
Near Montezuma, Costa Rica
Improve your physical fitness on a learn-to-surf holiday, and boost your feel-good hormones, too, by helping preserve this beautiful stretch of coastline. This back-to-basics break isn’t for luxe lovers – there’s no phone, electricity or hot water, rooms are dormitory style, and meals are mostly of the rice-and-bean variety – but it might be just the thing to get you a new perspective on life.
The setting couldn’t be more idyllic, bang in the middle of a tropical paradise. The week includes two surf lessons, two session of assisted practice, then supervised surfing the rest of the week. In between, you’ll be doing ecological projects to help save the local wildlife and environment.
Holistic Holiday
Mallorca, Spain
Find your inner balance on a Getting to Know Ayurveda four-night break. Situated in the countryside, you’ll stay in a beautifully renovated 13th-century finca hotel. Immerse yourself in the Ayurvedic way of life, with Ayurvedic breakfasts and Tridosha dinners, Ayurvedic teas, consultation with an Ayurvedic specialist and two Ayurvedic spa treatments for three days. During the day, you can either explore the surrounding countryside or drive to some of the island’s least-known beaches 18km away. The goal is to help you regain energy, harmonize and balance your body and mind. Weight loss is also often achieved.
The 10-year-Younger Trip
Caribbean
cruise Hop on the Norwegian Spirit in New Orleans for a seven-day Caribbean cruise, and return a week later lighter and smoother. The on-board spa provides Botox and Restalyne for wrinkle reduction, Perlane to plump lips and remove crow’s feet and grooves around nose and mouth. A 60-minute acupuncture treatment is said to hep with weight loss, and there are dedicated cooking-light chefs to provide low-calorie meals for those that want them. Book sessions with a personal trainer if you want to tone up, or just make the most of the ship’s fitness facilities. Stops on the cruise include Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico, Santo Thomas de Castilla in Guatemala and Belize City.
Horsing Around
The Gower, Wales
Sitting down might not seem the best way to get fit, but learning to ride a horse, or going out on day-long treks if already know how, gives a fantastic work-out, especially of the core muscles, and you will burn the calories without even realising it. Make friends with your trusty steed on day-long rides, then share a bottle of wine in the evening with the friends you made that day, all by a cosy log fire in Parc-le-Breos House, a spacious Victorian hunting lodge. If your muscles are aching after a day in the saddle, book one of the on-site massage sessions. Weekend riding packages are available, too.
Ballroom Bliss
Torquay, Devon
Tired of watching celebrities learn to glide like Astaire and Rogers, while you sit on the sofa, wishing could do it? Get moving with the tango, folk dance or foxtrot on a dancing holiday at a three-star hotel. Lessons are in the morning, with afternoon tea dancing, and a post-dinner boogie. Dancing is an excellent workout, using a wide range of muscles all over the body, and it boosts your mental agility, too, as you try to remember the steps. After four days, even those with two left feet will no longer be shy about hitting the dance floor.
Roll with it
Camber Sands, East Susses
Cycle those calories off on a self-guided break through the quiet lanes and flat terrain of Kent and East Sussex. Roll through the natural beauty of Romney Marsh, quietly gliding past wildlife, or head to historic Rye for a bouncy ride over the cobbled streets. Two-wheel along the coastline, past vast beaches and salt marshes aflutter with birds.
Then choose a scenic spot for a picnic lunch, provided by The Place at the Beach guesthouse, your home for the two-night break. They’ll also provide you with bicycles, helmets, a selection of planned routes varying from 10 to 42 miles in distance, and catering for cyclists of all abilities, although you must be comfortable riding on roads with cars. Routes can be easy or tough, but go for the harder ones if you want to shed a few pounds.