Travel can be exhausting, exciting and adventurous, but if you prefer wellness, peace and renewal, the world is full of retreats that will entice you with relaxation, beauty and pampering. Whether you are looking for medical or mystical, eastern or western, pleasure or pain, there is a perfect retreat waiting for you.
We are blessed here in Texas with several lovely options in our own backyard for a quick getaway or spa day. Originating in Tucson, Ariz., Hyatt has brought us Miraval Austin which rests on Travaasa’s former 220 acres in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, a sanctuary in Texas Hill Country overlooking Lake Travis. Activities include fitness, meditation, yoga, integrative wellbeing, equine, hiking, biking, and Austin-inspired offerings, such as hatchet throwing and archery. Culinary programming partners with farm-to-table experiences and their 10-acre Cypress Creek Farm featuring chickens, ducks, and honeybees.
Top spas in the U.S. draw visitors from around the world. Aja Malibu in California attracts those with a new age mindset. They focus on a different chakra each day of the week-long visits. The award-winning Canyon Ranch made its name in Tucson, and now as a worldwide leader in destination spa vacations can also be found in Lenox, Mass., Woodside, Calif., Las Vegas, and at sea on 22 luxury ships aboard Celebrity Cruises, Cunard, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas.
From the ultimate luxury of La Reserve in Geneva to the old-world elegance of Villa Stephanie in Baden-Baden, the world has you covered. Artists and authors flock to Schloss Elmau in the Bavarian Alps which has programs to nurture the mind and body with art, music, literature and political symposiums in addition to yoga, massage and hiking.
If you’re looking for a beachfront all-inclusive spa resort, Zoetry Wellness and Spa Resorts offers its Art of Life endless privileges in tranquil locations in Mexico, Jamaica and Punta Cana.
Reserve your dream vacation by contacting Lainey Melnick, the owner of the Westlake-area branch of Dream Vacations, 855-GR8-TRIP, www.855GR8TRIP.com, lmelnick@dreamvacations.com. Lainey has been a part of the Westlake community and an Eanes ISD parent for more than 20 years. She is the recipient of the 2018 Travel Influencer Award, 2017 Club Med Top Producer, and 2017 OPAL Award for Women, WTH Certified Spokesperson and serves on the Austin Women Invest to Elect Executive Committee plus the Westlake Chamber of Commerce Marketing Committee.