This year has been a toughie, especially when it comes to travelling. Those long-awaited trips were no more, or at least postponed until a later date, we all got a little bit bored of our four walls and started to crave any other view than the one outside our very windows. With our mental well-being suffering too it was all we could do not to spend all our cash on far-flung trips to get us away, but alas, travel restrictions (and the virus, of course) got in the way of that too.
There is no denying that being able to get out and about and travel makes a person feel more whole and there may very well be a different style of vacation that awaits the next time we head off on an adventure. Having said that, a holiday really is the best medicine for many ailments in life and we are always looking for ways to make ourselves better, so whether that comes in the form of a wellness break to recharge, an adrenaline-filled adventure trip or a golf getaway, we will be booking.
With a host of professionals in the know out there, we shine a light on Vacayou, the online travel agency dedicated to scouring the globe to find some top-notch wellness and health holidays designed to take the hassle away of searching for yourself and arm you with a trip that will leave you feeling thoroughly replenished.
Whatever wellness means to you – scaling a mountain top, bathing in a lagoon or getting up close with animals at a ranch – they have you covered, so we’ve rounded up some of our favourite holidays in some fantastic destinations for when you feel ready to head out into the world again.
Health and fitness retreats
For a truly restorative break is there anything better than heading off somewhere that emanates peace, tranquillity and natural beauty to get you into a healthier mode once again? We don’t think so, and that’s why we love the selection of health and fitness retreats up for grabs.
How about heading off to the Dolomites in Northern Italy for a seven-day luxury wellness program that incorporates morning mountain hiking, a nutritional plant-based diet, yoga and massage? Connecting with nature through outdoor activities is a big selling point for this trip and those daily walks will afford you memorable views of waterfalls, Alps, meadows and the jagged peaks of the Dolomites, while staff are dedicated to helping you transform physically, mentally or spiritually – whatever you feel you need.
Perhaps the natural wonders of Utah are calling, and you are looking to create a lasting change and the tools to take with you through life? Head to The Retreat at Park City and let your healthiest and most authentic self come to the fore. This trip includes after care programmes to ensure you take what you’ve experienced and learned home with you from seminars, life coaching and fitness instruction at the retreat.
Koh Samui in Thailand is another top pick from us, and the Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic spa resort offers a great place to focus on your goals, whether this is centred around sleep enhancement, fitness, detox and rejuvenation and the like. The location centres around a cave where Buddhist monks previously headed to for meditation and a spiritual retreat, and promises a holistic wellness experience. Where do we sign up?
Golf getaways
If you think restoration lies on the golf course, then how about heading to Virginia in the U.S for a play and stay experience at the AAA 4-Diamond Lansdowne Resort and Spa to get your golfing fix? Leave all of those daily distractions behind and luxuriate in the natural surroundings with unlimited golf on the resort’s two championship courses before dining on some traditional fare and residing in the deluxe accommodation. Top-notch golfing experiences are complemented with tennis, hiking, biking, paddle boarding, a gym, spa and adventure sports so expect an all-round experience here.
Whether you’re a beginner at the game or like to think you have what it takes to challenge Tiger, Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, West Virginia is sure to please. The Arnold Palmer Signature Course sits among gorgeous natural surroundings of tranquil lake waters and the state’s rolling mountains, within 1,900 acres of park grounds. There are also hiking and biking trails to explore and 26 miles of lake shoreline so you can be sure of a restorative retreat here.
Active holidays
If you are suited to being a little more active on holiday, then you’ll be thrilled with the selection of trips up for grabs that will invigorate and therefore, hopefully, provide you with a more restful sleep too.
We love the sound of the Hotel and Spa Resort Järvisydän on Lake Saimaa in Finland. Guests can head to the Lake Spa to partake in the wellness experience before enjoying dinner at Restaurant Piikatyttö and Wine Cellar and a stay in either one of the scenery suites or hotel suites. But we promised something a little more active here, didn’t we? How about a canoeing trip to Kaarnetsaari Island, stand up paddle boarding on the lake or snowmobile tours to the Porosalmi forests? However you choose to spend your time, you can be sure that the surroundings will be stunning here.
For an entirely unique holiday, how about heading to Patagonia in Argentina for an all-inclusive running adventure with Vacation Races? Taking place in February 2021, runners will partake in daily 5-10k trail runs or hikes on lake shores, sand dunes, in the mountains and through the Andes on this nine-day trip. Experience a day hike on Perito Moreno glacier, a 10k run on the banks of the Rio Negro and crossing the Chile and Argentina border through three bodies of water in one day. There is so much more to see and do on this trip, so if you love being adventurous in a beautiful setting then this is the one for you.
What about something else?
There are so many other dedicated types of trips you can book to get you in a healthy mental and physical or at least kick start that journey, and the holiday itself of course affords you that break you so desire. Whether it’s a spiritual tour of yoga and wellness in Western India, Michelin-starred cooking classes combined with a hiking tour in Italy, sailing the Greek Islands on a luxury yacht or taking a diving trip off the coast of Mexico, it’s high time you treated yourself to that vacation that is going to restore your well-being to its best.
