spas - Blogs - Tripatini
2024-03-29T02:09:07Z
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Choose a Spa Holiday in Portugal to Revitalise Your Soul
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/portugal-spas-wellness
2024-02-28T12:52:57.000Z
2024-02-28T12:52:57.000Z
Sanctuary Spa Holidays
https://tripatini.com/members/SanctuarySpaHolidays
<div><p><a href="https://www.sanctuaryspaholidays.co.uk/images/MainPackages/europe-spa-breaks-vidago-palace.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://www.sanctuaryspaholidays.co.uk/images/MainPackages/europe-spa-breaks-vidago-palace.jpg?profile=RESIZE_930x" width="750" alt="europe-spa-breaks-vidago-palace.jpg?profile=RESIZE_930x" /></a><br />Are you considering a special place where you can combine the tranquillity of pristine surroundings and the luxury of a spa retreat? If it is, then consider <a href="https://www.sanctuaryspaholidays.co.uk/portugal-spa-holidays" target="_blank">booking spa holidays in Portugal</a>.</p>
<p>Portugal is eminent for its peaceful countryside, where you can find some of the breath-taking sceneries. Not to forget its lip-smacking and delicious cuisines, and rich history to know more about this place. The good climate, provincial diversity, the tranquil beaches, the hospitable people, good food, and everything else make Portugal the choicest place to visit.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Algarve's Interesting Attractions</strong></span></p>
<p>The beauty of Southern Portugal is beyond words. The major lure of the Algarve is its immaculate natural beauty principally speaking, you cannot miss out on the waters and fine golden beaches. There are several distinguished spa resorts known to offer relaxing retreats to their guests.</p>
<p>Envision starting your diurnal with a refreshing yoga session overlooking the bewildering Atlantic Ocean. Following this you can take a refreshing swim and a revitalizing massage that integrates local sea salts and essential oils. Algarve spa holidays serve those seeking tranquillity and equilibrium with treatments that combine aspects of traditional and modern wellness methods.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Central Portugal's Magnetism</strong></span></p>
<p>With Portugal spa holidays, travellers can find enlightening diversity. Every moment spent amid the tranquil spa havens is worth it. Most of the spas are in the centre of Portugal. The spa experiences are closely associated with the surrounding environment, with local foods such as olives and honey used freely in treatments. In areas such as the Centro de Portugal, thermal springs offer a natural spa experience where you may take a lead in the curative qualities of the mineral-rich waters.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Madeira: The Island Spa Paradise</strong></span></p>
<p>The isle of Madeira, known as the "Pearl of the Atlantic," has a sub-tropical climate. The copiousness of striking flora to allure one and all. It is the perfect backdrop for a spa holiday that feels like an island escape. Indulge in “thalassotherapy treatments” using fresh seawater or experience the healing effects of “volcanic hot stone massages”. Madeira's spa resorts often feature outdoor treatment areas where you can enjoy the remarkable ocean views while being pampered by skilled therapists.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Savour Portuguese Flavours</strong></span></p>
<p>Enjoying the regional cuisine is a must for any spa holiday, and Portugal's delectable cuisine is a highlight of the trip.</p>
<p>Fine wines, fresh seafood, and fragrant herbs are some of the delectable treats that await you. Many spa resorts also provide healthy dining options so that you can pamper your body with nourishing meals while relishing regional flavours.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>A Holistic Programme for Happiness and Health</strong></span></p>
<p>A specialized travel service operator offering Portugal spa holidays provide tailored options for guests, with a focus on adopting a comprehensive approach to your well-being rather than just offering specialized treatments. Numerous resorts provide extensive wellness programs, including classes on exercise, mindfulness, and nutrition advice. With knowledgeable professionals to assist you at every turn, you may tailor your spa vacation to concentrate on detoxification, stress relief, or even anti-aging.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Embrace Nature and Culture Together</strong></span></p>
<p>Portugal provides an excess of entertaining activities for vacationers. These activities are to enhance your vacation in addition to its spa services. For instance, you can stroll through the beautiful countryside, reconnoitre the medieval castles, or visit the charming vineyards that are popular in this part of the world. A spa vacation in Portugal is undoubtedly the best way to enjoy this beautiful location because it offers a fine balance that lets you interact with the natural world and the culture while soaking in the goodness of the wellness programs.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Conclusion</strong></span></p>
<p>Portugal spa holidays offer an escape from everyday monotonous life, thus providing you with a sanctuary where you can relax, unwind, recharge, and reconnect with yourself. So why wait? Plan your itinerary now. Pack your bags and set out on a beautiful journey to experience the ultimate relaxation and rejuvenation in the heart of Portugal. Happy journey!</p>
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Shaping the Future : A Look at the Rising Stars in the Hospitality Industry Awards
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/hospitality-industry-awards
2024-02-10T06:39:48.000Z
2024-02-10T06:39:48.000Z
Hospitality Awards
https://tripatini.com/members/HospitalityAwards
<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12378061097?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>The <a href="http://hospitalityawards.org/">Hospitality Industry</a> is evolving, and it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve. In this blog post, we'll explore the emerging trends and rising stars that are shaping the future of hospitality. From innovative technology to changing consumer preferences, we'll delve into the forces driving this dynamic industry forward. Join us as we uncover the key players and strategies that are redefining the landscape of hospitality.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>The Evolution of Hospitality Industry</strong></span></h2>
<p>The hospitality industry has a long and vibrant history, with its roots dating back to ancient times. Over the years, it has evolved and adapted to changing societal, technological, and economic landscapes. This section will explore the key milestones and transformations that have shaped the hospitality industry into what it is today.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Rising Trends in Hospitality</strong></span></h2>
<h3><strong>Wellness and Health-focused Offerings</strong></h3>
<p>With an increasing focus on health and wellness, hotels are incorporating specialized amenities such as fitness centers, yoga classes, and healthy dining options. Some establishments are even offering in-room wellness features like aromatherapy, meditation guides, and wellness-focused mini-bars. This trend aligns with the growing demand for travel experiences that promote physical and mental well-being.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>The International Spa Awards</strong></span></h2>
<h3><strong>Explore the Growing Trend of Spa and Wellness Offerings in the Hospitality Sector</strong></h3>
<p>In recent years, there has been a remarkable surge in the integration of spa and wellness offerings within the hospitality industry. The global trend toward holistic well-being has prompted hotels and resorts to enhance their amenities by incorporating luxurious spa facilities and wellness programs. This evolution reflects the heightened consumer demand for rejuvenating experiences during their travels, leading to the emergence of the International Spa Awards as a platform that recognizes and celebrates excellence in spa and wellness services within the hospitality sector.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>World Titan Club</strong></span></p>
<p>World Titan Club is an exclusive community for CEOs, GMs, Marketing Heads, and Directors to connect and collaborate. It serves as an entrepreneur club that provides a platform for top-level professionals to share insights, network, and foster growth. With specialized segments like the CEO Club, GM Club, and <a href="https://worldtitanclub.com"><strong>Entrepreneur Club</strong></a>, members can engage in tailored discussions and events that cater to their specific roles and interests. Joining this dynamic network can be a pivotal move for your career, offering unique opportunities for learning, mentorship, and strategic alliances.</p>
<h3><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>International Travel Awards: Recognizing Excellence in the Hospitality Industry</strong></span></h3>
<p>The International Travel Awards hold significant value in the hospitality industry as they serve as a beacon for recognizing excellence and innovation. These awards not only acknowledge outstanding contributions but also inspire organizations to continuously improve and elevate their standards, ultimately enhancing the overall guest experience. The accolades garnered from the International Travel Awards propel hospitality establishments to strive for unparalleled service, thus shaping the future of the industry with a focus on exceptional guest satisfaction and unparalleled experiences.</p>
<h3><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>International Dining Awards: Shaping the Future of Hospitality</strong></span></h3>
<p>Exceptional dining experiences play a pivotal role in shaping the future of hospitality, as they have evolved into a defining factor for guests seeking memorable stays. The International Dining Awards highlight the significance of extraordinary culinary offerings in influencing guests' perceptions and experiences. As the hospitality industry continues to elevate its dining standards, these awards serve as a catalyst for establishments to innovate, create, and deliver exceptional gastronomic adventures, thereby shaping the future landscape of hospitality through the art of fine dining.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>International GM Awards</strong></span></h2>
<p>Hospitality industry thrives on effective leadership that sets the tone for exceptional guest experiences and operational excellence. The International GM Awards stand as a testament to the pivotal role of leadership in shaping the future of hospitality.</p>
<h3><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Importance of Effective Leadership</strong></span></h3>
<p>Effective leadership in the hospitality industry goes beyond traditional management responsibilities. It encompasses the ability to inspire, innovate, and adapt to ever-evolving guest expectations. A skilled general manager (GM) can steer their team towards delivering unparalleled service, fostering a culture of warmth and professionalism.</p>
<h3><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Impact on Properties</strong></span></h3>
<p>The International GM Awards celebrate the exemplary leadership of general managers and their profound impact on their respective properties. Recognizing their efforts not only boosts morale within the organization but also sets a benchmark for others to emulate. It contributes to elevating service standards, employee satisfaction, and overall guest satisfaction, thereby shaping the future of the industry.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Hotel Awards</strong></span></h2>
<p>In the competitive landscape of the hospitality industry, hotel awards play a significant role in recognizing and celebrating excellence. Hotels strive to excel in various categories to earn prestigious accolades that signify their commitment to providing exceptional experiences for their guests. Let's delve into the various categories of hotel awards and their significance in defining excellence in the industry.</p>
<h3><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Distinction in Service Excellence</strong></span></h3>
<p>Hotels that prioritize delivering outstanding service often vie for awards that recognize excellence in customer service. These accolades not only honor the dedication of hotel staff but also serve as a testament to the hotel's commitment to creating memorable guest experiences. This focus on service excellence elevates the standard for the entire industry, inspiring other establishments to prioritize exceptional hospitality.</p>
<h3><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Culinary Innovation and Dining Experience</strong></span></h3>
<p>Awards celebrating culinary excellence and the overall dining experience hold substantial significance in the hospitality sector. Hotels competing for these accolades showcase their devotion to providing guests with extraordinary gastronomic journeys. Such recognition not only spotlights the culinary talents within the hotel but also contributes to the overall reputation and desirability of the establishment.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Golden Entrepreneur Awards </strong></span></p>
<p>Golden Entrepreneur Awards is a prestigious recognition that celebrates outstanding achievements in entrepreneurship across various industries. It honors the resilience, innovation, and leadership of business owners and management teams, serving as a testament to their unwavering commitment to excellence. As an entrepreneur, this award signifies the pinnacle of success and recognition for your dedication and hard work in driving your business forward. The <a href="https://goldenentrepreneurawards.com/">Entrepreneurship Awards</a> encompass a diverse range of industries, providing a platform for all entrepreneurs to showcase their remarkable contributions and accomplishments. This distinction serves as a catalyst for further growth and development, propelling recipients to new heights of success and influence within their respective sectors.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Conclusion</strong></span></h2>
<p>The future of hospitality is undoubtedly being shaped by the rising stars in the industry. With their innovative approaches, commitment to sustainability, and focus on creating exceptional guest experiences, these emerging leaders are paving the way for the next generation of hospitality. As technology continues to play a pivotal role in reshaping the industry, these rising stars are poised to leverage its power to drive growth and transformation. By embracing diversity, fostering creativity, and staying attuned to evolving consumer preferences, these trailblazers are setting new standards and redefining the very essence of hospitality. As they continue to make their mark, their influence will undoubtedly shape the future landscape of the industry for years to come.</p></div>
Why Do You Need a Detox Vacation?
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/detox-vacations-wellness-travel
2023-12-04T08:02:03.000Z
2023-12-04T08:02:03.000Z
Sanctuary Spa Holidays
https://tripatini.com/members/SanctuarySpaHolidays
<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12308335901?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Human beings are exposed to various types of toxins in their daily life. It can come from the foods, atmosphere, or cosmetic products. Our body has a natural cycle of eliminating toxins. All the organs present in our body work together to eliminate all those unwanted things that our body does not require. So, if our body can remove those toxins naturally, why the detox treatments are so popular nowadays?</p>
<p>The process of detoxification or cleansing the body from the outside only supports the organs and systems in their jobs. If you are exposed to a higher percentage of toxins while living in a polluted city, have a very stressful life, or party too hard you need to give your body the support to detoxify. At the outset, understanding and doing the detox process for yourself can be a bit intimidating. So, start with a detox retreat.</p>
<p><strong>What is a detox vacation?</strong></p>
<p>It can be called a detox vacation when you move away from the chaotic, noisy busy schedules of life and spend some time in a calm and peaceful atmosphere. In addition, you must follow healthy food habits and activities under the guidance of professionals. Professionals are people who are knowledgeable about their line of work and hence provide the right guidance throughout your vacation. The <a href="https://www.sanctuaryspaholidays.co.uk/detox-holidays">detox vacation packages</a> include different programs guided by experts to provide you with the opportunity for complete rejuvenation and relaxation. The personalised programs are curated to bring you the best.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.sanctuaryspaholidays.co.uk/images/SubPackages/africa-spa.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://www.sanctuaryspaholidays.co.uk/images/SubPackages/africa-spa.jpg" alt="africa-spa.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Do you need detoxification?</strong></p>
<p>Unless you already stay in a calm place surrounded by nature away from the hustles and bustles of city life and grow your food, you must go for a detoxification programme. It can be a life-changing decision. Indeed, in those few days, you cannot remove all the toxins from your body that have accumulated for so many years, but it can be the beginning of a healthier life. Moreover, a detox tour can be enlightening and provide you a better perspective of life that brings you close to nature.</p>
<p><strong>What are the benefits of a detox vacation?</strong></p>
<p>Any detox retreat refreshes your mind. In addition to that, from detox holidays you can expect</p>
<p><strong>Increase energy</strong></p>
<p>Detoxification is an energy booster. Our body is relentlessly fighting to fight the bacteria, viruses, and diseases and trying to flush the toxins out. In doing so, all the energy is used up, leaving behind very little to do any activities. The detox process helps to gain a lot of fresh energy to try new things.</p>
<p><strong>Healthy beautiful skin</strong></p>
<p>Toxins are nothing but impurities in the body. These impurities appear on the surface of your skin as pimples, clogged pores, or blackheads, making it dull. Even cosmetic products cannot bring back the glow and improve skin health. Detoxing can help to remove those acne and achieve clear skin.</p>
<p><strong>Stronger Immunity</strong></p>
<p>Toxins are flushed out from our body by the Lymphatic system. Through detox, you can clean that system of organs and tissues. Once cleaned, the system can carry out its task of fighting diseases in a much better way.</p>
<p><strong>Weight Loss</strong></p>
<p>Weight loss is another prime reason behind the immense popularity of detox vacations. As most toxins are located in the fat cells, once they are flushed out, the metabolism power of those cells increases. Hence, the process of losing weight begins.</p>
<p>While these are some positive effects often observed once you start detoxing, the results may differ for you. Each body functions differently, and understanding how detoxes will work for you is very important.</p></div>
6 Beautiful Benefits of a Spa/Wellness Vacation
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/spa-wellness-vacation-benefits
2023-09-22T05:30:13.000Z
2023-09-22T05:30:13.000Z
Sanctuary Spa Holidays
https://tripatini.com/members/SanctuarySpaHolidays
<div><p><a href="https://www.sanctuaryspaholidays.co.uk/images/Gallary/sha-wellness-spain-holidays.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://www.sanctuaryspaholidays.co.uk/images/Gallary/sha-wellness-spain-holidays.jpg" alt="sha-wellness-spain-holidays.jpg" /></a><br />Wellness holiday is quite a common term in the travel industry. Wellness covers every aspect of our well-being and healthy ways to life, like physical rejuvenation, mental well-being, and spiritual upgradation. When all these- mind, body, and soul are balanced, you can expect a better time spent and return back home to a more enjoyable life. And what better way to uplift your mind, body, and soul than to <a href="https://www.sanctuaryspaholidays.co.uk/europe-spa-holidays" target="_blank">take a spa holiday</a> or break?</p>
<p>People often expect that the spa holidays will provide them a break from the stress and tension of mundane life, which is right. After all, it provides you with a getaway to relax and unwind. A spa vacation is not all about treatments and health, it's also about exploring the beautiful locales where most spas are located to provide an unforgettable experience. But along with that booking a spa vacation has numerous other benefits:</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Health Benefits</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>Stress buster</strong></p>
<p>The serene atmosphere and beautiful surroundings where most of these spa resorts are located have a therapeutic effect on the body, senses, and mind. The relaxing places reduce stress and thereby all the health problems that may arise from it. Stress is not a matter of joke. Chronic stress can lead to several health problems like heart issues, hormonal problems, depression, sexual dysfunction, poor hair and skin, digestion problems, and many others. In this fast-paced life, we are so accustomed to living with stress that we completely forget how it feels without it. Spa breaks are thus useful as they ensure that our body and mind are refreshed.</p>
<p><strong>Rejuvenate your body</strong></p>
<p>Well-trained professionals offer massages that help to restore muscles, joints, and skin. There are huge varieties of treatments available, and it is possible to tailor them according to your requirements and taste.</p>
<p><strong>Dealing with respiratory conditions</strong></p>
<p>Spa breaks are better for people suffering from respiratory conditions. A sauna bath or steam room helps to open up the clogged air passages and soothe one suffering from asthma or cough congestion.</p>
<p><strong>Improve your sleep</strong></p>
<p>In most of the spas, there are special treatments to improve the quality of sleep. Regular treatments offered in spas like massages and therapies improve sleep, but if they fail to better your condition, therapists will work with you and devise a plan to improve your sleep quality.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Mental Well Being</strong></span></p>
<p><strong>Mind Relaxation</strong></p>
<p>Stress not only affects the physical well-being of a person, it also has a significant effect on your mental wellness. In today’s busy life, people are trying to juggle between work and the commitments of daily lives. That creates some level of stress and tension in the life of every person. So, it is essential and wise enough to take some time off now and then to relax. It will give you the energy to deal with stress when you return to your regular life.</p>
<p>A spa break offers the perfect opportunity to relax, calm down, and enjoy some well-deserved pampering. It allows staying disconnected from phones and other electronic devices for a while. You will leave the spa digitally detoxed feeling relaxed, stress-free, and refreshed.</p>
<p><strong>A Break for Your Brain</strong></p>
<p>Everything about a spa, starting from the location, is meticulously designed to offer peace of mind and soul. It allows our busy buzzing brain to take a break. With a spa vacation, you will realize that nothing is pressing that needs to be done immediately, which enables you to relax in the true sense.</p>
<p>The nature of a spa holiday is to make you feel relaxed and reinvigorated so that you can return to life with a refreshed and rejuvenated feeling. Therefore, you must take such a vacation often to recharge yourself.</p></div>
The Top 10 Things to Do in the Maldives
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/top-10-things-to-do-in-maldives
2022-06-14T02:40:00.000Z
2022-06-14T02:40:00.000Z
Emmie
https://tripatini.com/members/Emmie
<div><p> </p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009536283,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009536283,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9009536283?profile=original" width="750" /></a><strong><br /> <br /> </strong></p>
<p>If there were ever a paradise on earth, the <strong>Maldives</strong> would be it. Lying in the lap of nature’s exquisite beauty, this archipelago of 26 atolls and nearly 1,200 islands and islets in the <strong>Indian Ocean</strong> several hundred miles southwest of <strong>Sri Lanka</strong> and <strong>India</strong> has become one of the world's most popular travel getaways. This country is famous for its pristine waters, clean sandy beaches, luxurious resorts, exciting leisure activities, and lip-smacking cuisine. There are myriad exciting things you can do on a dream Maldives holiday, and here are ten of the best:</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Scuba Dive in the Crystalline Waters</strong></span></p>
<p>With so many paradisical atolls and reefs, it's no surprise that diving is one of the top activities in the Maldives, whether on independent dive outfitter excursions, liveaboards, or dive resorts. Cave and wreck diving are specialties here, and in addition to myriad colorful corals and some 1,100 species of fish, you can spot the likes of manta and other rays, reef and various other sharks, and giant marine turtles.<strong> <br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:14pt;">Snorkel the Reefs with Sea Turtles and More</span><br /> </strong></p>
<p>If you're unwilling and unable to dive the deeper depths, there are plenty of lagoons and other shallows surrounding the archipelago's 2,500-some reefs - certain of which offer "extras" like manta rays and marine turtles. There are plenty of exursions offering snorkeling off boats, as well as a number of resorts with "house reefs" on which guests can snorkel at their leisure.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Surf Your Heart Out</strong></span></p>
<p>So many islands naturally offer tons of surf breaks, and here too you can access them from resorts and guest houses or take boat excursions to others which are more out of the way. One especially popular spot is <strong><a href="https://cinnamondhonveli.com-maldives.com/" target="_blank">Cinnamon Dhonveli</a></strong> resort in the <strong>North Malé Atoll</strong>. There's something for all skill levels, and the peak surfing season is March through November (especially June through August).</p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009537273,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009537273,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9009537273?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Relax on the White-Sand Beaches</strong></span></p>
<p>Soft, white powder lapped by clear turquoise waters and backed by palms and lush vegetation - this more than anything else is what brings visitors to the Maldives. And of the hundreds of options, among the standouts are on tiny <strong>Mudhhoo Island</strong> (notable expecially for its glowing bioluminescent plankton at night), castaway <strong>Fulhadhoo Island</strong>, <strong>Maafushi Island</strong>'s <strong>Bikini Beach</strong>, <strong>Vabbinfaru Island</strong> (especially great for fabulous snorkeling from the beach, and <strong>Rasdhoo Island</strong>, with one of the country's largest strands.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Check Out these Beautiful Islands from the Sky<br /> </strong></span></p>
<p>Whether via seaplane tours or parasailing/paragliding, you'll find that the Maldives are just as magical from aloft as at ground level. Perhaps even more so, taking in the many clusters of emerald green fringed by brilliant white sands and surrounded by crystalline waters in various shades of blue and green.</p>
<p><strong><span style="font-size:14pt;">Cast a Fishing Line</span><br /> </strong></p>
<p>The Maldives are packed with angling options, including shore fishing, deep-sea charters, and night fishing from traditional <em>dhoni</em> fishing boats. Popular species include tuna (especially yellowfin), wahoo, grouper, marlin, and the most prized of all, giant trevally, ranging up to a whopping 80 pounds.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Enjoy Exotic Sunsets and Sunrises</strong></span></p>
<p>Most of the Maldives' expanse is ocean, and the islands are exceptionally close to the water - the lowest-lying country on earth, in fact - and so there are more water and salt molecules in the air to scatter the setting and rising sun's light, meaning exceptionally glorious reds, pinks, and oranges no matter where you are in these islands.</p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009536855,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009536855,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9009536855?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Relax Your Body with a Spa Treatment<br /> </strong></span></p>
<p>These islands are packed with standalone spas as well as luxury resorts with extensive spa facilities, offering Balinese and Thai massages, Ayurveda, and various other relaxing and rejuvenating treatments. Top resorts according to <strong>Tripadvisor</strong> include <strong><a href="https://ayada.com-maldives.com/" target="_blank">Ayada Maldives</a></strong>, <strong><a href="https://www.hurawalhi.com/" target="_blank">Hurawalhi Island Resort</a></strong>, <strong><a href="https://www.joali.com/" target="_blank">Joali Maldives</a></strong>, <strong><a href="https://www.luxresorts.com/en/maldives/hotel/luxsouthariatoll" target="_blank">LUX* South Ari Atoll</a></strong>, and <strong><a href="https://www.sunsiyam.com/sun-siyam-iru-veli/" target="_blank">Sun Siuam Iru Veli</a></strong>.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Relish Authentic Maldivian Cuisine<br /> </strong></span></p>
<p>Also known as Dhivehi cuisine, the exotic local menu is characterized by mild spiciness, sometimes a light touch of sweetness, and an overall exotic flavor. There's some notable Influence from India and Sri Lanka, and foodstuffs are drawn especially from <span style="color:#202122;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:#ffffff;display:inline;float:none;">coconuts (meat and milk), fish (especially skipjack tuna) and starches such as rice, sweet potato, cassava, and taro. Then of course there are the plentiful tropical fruits and juices. Popular dishes include <em>garudhiya</em> (fish soup) as well as vegetable, seafood, and chicken curries. </span> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Go Island Hopping</strong></span></p>
<p>Various islands have different things to offer - some glitzier, others more castaway, yet others especially notable for enjoying local culture - and you should definitely visit several during your stay, via seaplane, <em>dhoni</em>, sailboat, or speedboat.</p>
<p><br /> <br /> So what are you waiting for? <a href="https://www.specialholidays.com/exotic-luxury-holiday/tours/luxury-maldives/" target="_blank">Book a trip to the Maldives</a> for the holiday of a lifetime!</p></div>
A Tale of Two Marriotts (Boutique Florida Gold-Coast Hotels)
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/marriott-hotels-gold-coast-florida
2015-08-17T14:39:37.000Z
2015-08-17T14:39:37.000Z
Steve Mirsky
https://tripatini.com/members/SteveMirsky964
<div><p><a href="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/singerislandexterior2.jpg"><img class="wp-image-5225 aligncenter" src="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/singerislandexterior2.jpg" alt="singerislandexterior2" width="676" height="469" /></a></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-3">When exploring Florida's coastline, there are definitive contrasts between the sugar-soft sands of Clearwater Beach; historic streets of St. Augustine; and the ever hip South Beach, shaped by Art Deco architecture, galleries, and clubbing. <a href="http://myflacoast.com/gold_coast/">Florida's Gold Coast</a>, a special stretch from Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale is defined as much by waterfront mega mansions as by small walk able towns anchored by beach front parks perfect for pickup volleyball and reveling in the wide open Atlantic. <br /> <br /> In recent years, <a href="http://www.marriott.com/marriott-hotels-resorts/travel.mi">Marriott</a> has successfully captured the best of this region by developing boutique hotel experiences on Palm Beach's Singer Island and Pompano Beach.</span></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/singerislandroom.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/singerislandroom.jpg?width=610" width="610" class="align-center" alt="singerislandroom.jpg?width=610" /></a></p><h3><a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pbisg-palm-beach-marriott-singer-island-beach-resort-and-spa/"><br /> Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island</a></h3><p><br /> <span class="font-size-3">Separated from the mainland by a narrow stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway, Singer Island is at the apex of the Palm Beaches' renowned exclusivity. Here you get protected dunes flanking wide ultra swimmable beaches remarkably free of tourist oriented commercial development. Built in 2007 overlooking a private beach complete with a snorkeling reef just offshore and copious sandbars at low tide, this 21-floor 193 room all-suite Marriott has Vegas stature and attentiveness all tucked into nature preserve tranquility. <br /> <br /> The lobby's vaulted ceilings, marble floors, and large plate glass windows flood the space with sunlight and palm-studded views. Doorways throughout lead to two vastly different pools - one an Infinity lap-style and the other a grotto lagoon complete with water slide, two-story waterfall, and zero entry "beach" access. Big screen "dive-in movies" are shown here every Friday night.</span></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/singerislandbathroom.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/singerislandbathroom.jpg?width=610" width="610" class="align-center" alt="singerislandbathroom.jpg?width=610" /></a></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-3">Suites range from 800 to 2,100 square feet, with living rooms at the center opening onto private balconies, most with ocean views. Marble bathrooms with deep soaking tubs and separate showers are perfect for luxuriating upon reaching your surf and sun limit. In-room washer/dryers seal the deal for extended stays and families. They're also outfitted with fully equipped kitchens, complete with dishwashers, to complement three popular on-site dining options - so you really don't need to summon the valet for off-property excursions when it's time to eat. Choices span an exclusive five-seat "Kitchen Table" experience at <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotel-restaurants/pbisg-palm-beach-marriott-singer-island-beach-resort-and-spa/3800-ocean/5011550/home-page.mi">3800 Ocean</a> to fresh-made margaritas and Mexican specialties at Lagoon Cantina.</span></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/singerislanddining.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/singerislanddining.jpg?width=610" width="610" class="align-center" alt="singerislanddining.jpg?width=610" /></a></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-3">3800 Ocean is where prime oceanfront views are only matched by the dishes coming out of the “collective kitchen” helmed by executive chef Dean Max. Inspired by the personal influences and cultural backgrounds of each chef, their combined talents are unleashed on the area's rich bounty, creating a daily-changing menu featuring dishes like Florida orange-soy-glazed grilled cobia and grapefruit-roasted half chicken. The bar at 3800 Ocean's Lounge, fondly known as "artisan cocktail central," is lined with jars of fresh garnishes, limes, and other fruits just waiting for the blender</span>.<br /><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/singerislandtikibarandgrill.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/singerislandtikibarandgrill.jpg?width=610" width="610" class="align-center" alt="singerislandtikibarandgrill.jpg?width=610" /></a></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-3">After paddle boarding, kayaking, or snorkeling courtesy of on site rentals, Caribbean beach shack-style Reef Tiki Bar serves up Pacific Rim-inspired eats and drinks like the resort’s signature Coconut Island Breeze, which comes in a fresh cracked coconut. Listed among <em>Condé Nast Traveler</em>’s "Top 100 U.S. Resort Spas," <a href="http://www.marriott.com/spas/pbisg-palm-beach-marriott-singer-island-beach-resort-and-spa/si-spa/5137725/home-page.mi">SiSpa</a><span> offers treatments inspired by </span>the ocean's natural healing powers, like "Voyage of the Si Chakra Experience" and "Replenishing Sargasso Seaweed Experience." Heated marble beds and a private outdoor Jacuzzi kick up the relaxation factor to heavenly.<br /> <br /></span></p><h3><a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/fllpm-fort-lauderdale-marriott-pompano-beach-resort-and-spa/">Marriott Pompano Beach Resort and Spa</a></h3><p><br /> <span class="font-size-3">Named after the Florida pompano, a small fish frequenting local coastal waters, the town of Pompano Beach is also well known for its Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park, fishing off Pompano Pier and eateries like <a href="http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/restaurants/the-fish-shack-a-locals-only-seafood-spot-in-pompano-beach-6919063" target="_blank">Fish Shack</a> and <a href="http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/location/blue-willys-barbecue-6376445" target="_blank">Blue Willie's BBQ</a>.</span></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/pompanopool.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/pompanopool.jpg?width=679" width="679" class="align-center" alt="pompanopool.jpg?width=679" /></a></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-3">It is here that Marriott constructed two hotel towers in 2013, one from the ground up, the other a complete renovation of a former condominium complex. Beyond maintaining the site's stunning views and beach front access, Marriott was able to avoid current zoning restrictions that no longer allow such close proximity to the ocean. The resulting 219 rooms (194 guest rooms + 25 suites) are situated on a mile-long sandy stretch between Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse and Pompano Pier. One- bedrooms, 16 Executive Oceanfront Suites, and the 750-square-foot Presidential Suite <span>with a king bedroom and separate living room, all feature...</span></span></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/marriottpompanobeachbedroom.jpg"><img class="wp-image-5221 aligncenter" src="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/marriottpompanobeachbedroom.jpg" alt="marriottpompanobeachbedroom" width="687" height="477" /></a></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-3">...modern art using driftwood and photos of local scenes, as well as private balconies, marble baths, free in-room WiFi, and no-fee valet parking. Upon settling in, you'll feel the magnetic pull of the ocean, two heated outdoor pools, hot tub, and beach cabanas along with jet skis and surf boards awaiting your thrill-seeking proclivities.</span></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/pompanobeachactivities.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/pompanobeachactivities.jpg?width=610" width="610" class="align-center" alt="pompanobeachactivities.jpg?width=610" /></a></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-3">Paying homage to Prohibition-era legend William Frederick McCoy, an in-depth photo exhibit of Roy and his partner Gertrude Lythgoe on a wall inside <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotel-restaurants/fllpm-fort-lauderdale-marriott-pompano-beach-resort-and-spa/mccoy's-oceanfront/5409243/home-page.mi">McCoy’s Oceanfront</a> offers a mini history lesson showing these rum-runners bootlegging cases of rum just offshore from Bimini. The drinks menu extends this<a href="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/pompanofish.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/pompanofish.jpg?width=324" width="324" class="align-right" alt="pompanofish.jpg?width=324" /></a> speakeasy mileau into your glass with cocktails like "Giggle Water" (Crop organic cucumber vodka mixed with fresh lemonade). Seasonally inventive dishes include fresh breaded Florida pompano or house made gnocchi with Florida rock shrimp and saffron. Outdoor patio seating overlooking the pools adds another dimension of social space under the open sky and swaying palms.</span></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-3">Sister spa to Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island, Marriott Pompano Beach's SiSpa is configured a bit differently, with four treatment rooms connected to a relaxation lounge with private curtained-off recliners overlooking floor to ceiling dune and ocean views. It is here you learn that no perk is better than being asked if you would like a glass of champagne after your massage is complete.</span><a href="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/sisparelaxationroom.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/sisparelaxationroom.jpg?width=610" width="610" class="align-center" alt="sisparelaxationroom.jpg?width=610" /></a></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-3">Just in case you're inspired to make it official with your significant other, the resort’s 3,000-square-foot rooftop Ocean Terrace is a wedding favorite outfitted with fire pits and sweeping ocean views.<br /><br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align:center;"><em>Photos courtesy of Marriott International. Coverage made possible by participating in a sponsored visit.</em></p><p style="text-align:center;"></p><p style="text-align:center;"></p></div>
Relax! Start off every Costa Rica vacation with a massage
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/relax-start-off-every-costa-rica-vacation-with-a-massage
2015-07-25T00:33:57.000Z
2015-07-25T00:33:57.000Z
Shannon Farley
https://tripatini.com/members/ShannonFarley
<div><p><b><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008977288,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="600" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008977288,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9008977288?profile=original" /></a>Vacation</b> … we dream about it when we’re working. <b>Time to relax</b>, to unwind, to stop the “fast-paced rat race” and just enjoy.</p><p><b>But how many of us find ourselves finally on vacation and not really relaxing</b> out of our frenetic pace until mid-way through or nearly the end of our holiday?</p><p>There is <b>no better quick entry into that unstressed relaxation mode on vacation than getting a massage or spa treatment</b>. It really is amazing how 60 or 90 minutes of making your muscles and body relax can instantly produce those feelings of bliss and well-being. I recommend <b>getting a massage the day after arrival on vacation to soothe travel-weary muscles</b>.</p><p>With so many things competing for our attention <b>in our accelerated lives, it's</b> <b>easy to fall into being tired, stressed, anxious or exhausted</b>; yet it’s harder to take the time to counteract all of that with something positive like the healing benefits of massage.</p><p><b><a href="http://www.massagetherapy.com/learnmore/benefits.php" target="_blank">Massage therapy benefits</a> you</b> by relaxing tight muscles, easing stress, increasing circulation, releasing toxins, and benefiting your whole body in positive ways. It can <b>boost your health and keep you feeling full of vitality</b>.</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008978666,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008978666,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="423" alt="9008978666?profile=original" /></a></p><p><b>While on <a href="http://www.lecameleonhotel.com/blog-category/338-explore-the-magical-south-caribbean-coast-of-costa-rica.html" target="_blank">vacation in Costa Rica</a>, take time for a massage</b>. Your body will thank you, and you’ll feel much more refreshed to fully enjoy your downtime.</p><p>When <a href="http://www.enchanting-costarica.com/costa-rica-2/10-things-expect-costa-ricas-southern-caribbean-coast/" target="_blank">visiting the Costa Rica Caribbean Coast</a>, take advantage of the <a href="http://www.lecameleonhotel.com/puerto-viejo-costa-rica-spa.html" target="_blank">spa services</a> at <b><a href="http://www.lecameleonhotel.com/" target="_blank">Hotel Le Caméléon</a>,</b> <b>on</b> <b>Playa Cocles just past <a href="http://www.lecameleonhotel.com/area.html" target="_blank">Puerto Viejo</a></b>. The <b>upscale</b> <a href="http://www.lecameleonhotel.com/hotel.html" target="_blank">Costa Rica boutique hotel</a> features <a href="http://www.lecameleonhotel.com/rooms.html" target="_blank">modern rooms</a>, beautiful tropical architecture, a gourmet restaurant, and the <b>fantastic</b> <a href="http://www.lecameleonhotel.com/restaurant.html" target="_blank">Costa Rica Caribbean beach club La Sula Sea Lounge</a> <b>on Playa Cocles – one of the <a href="http://www.enchanting-costarica.com/costa-rica-2/prettiest-beach-by-puerto-viejo-costa-rica-is-playa-cocles/" target="_blank">prettiest Costa Rica Caribbean beaches</a></b>. Le Caméléon has been awarded the prestigious <b><a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1212465-d1200494-Reviews-Le_Cameleon_Boutique_Hotel-Cocles_Puerto_Viejo_de_Talamanca_Province_of_Limon.html" target="_blank">TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence</a> for 2015</b>.</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008979094,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="600" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008979094,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9008979094?profile=original" /></a>Professional therapists offer <b>spa services using 100% natural products</b>, such as <b>local organically-grown cacao for a chocolate body therapy and massage</b>, and cured smooth bamboo from the region used in a <b>relaxing bamboo massage</b>. See the full <a href="http://www.lecameleonhotel.com/images/lecameleon_menu_spa.pdf" target="_blank">Le Cameleon Spa Menu</a>; English is on the second page.</p><p><b>Hotel Le Caméléon</b> <b>also offers</b> <a href="http://www.enchanting-costarica.com/activities/yoga-in-puerto-viejo-costa-rica/" target="_blank">yoga</a> in private yoga classes or yoga studio classes in Puerto Viejo, and <b>customized Pilates classes</b>.</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008850453,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="600" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008850453,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9008850453?profile=original" /></a></p><p><b>How to get to Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica</b></p><p><b>Daily 30-minute flights to Limon from San Jose on <a href="http://www.natureair.com/limon-flights.aspx?gclid=CIquqOrLjsICFZPm7Aod9g0Ajg" target="_blank">Nature Air</a> or <a href="http://crc.flysansa.com/en/destinations/Limon" target="_blank">Sansa Airlines</a></b> make it easy to get to <a href="http://www.lecameleonhotel.com/area.html" target="_blank">Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica</a>. From Limon, it is a <b>short drive</b> less than an hour <b>to Puerto Viejo and Playa Cocles.</b> The drive from San Jose to Puerto Viejo is approximately 4.5 hours.</p></div>
Best Spa in Rio de Janeiro - the Fasano Spa
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/the-best-spa-in-rio-de-janeiro-renata-de-abreu-spa-at-the-fasano
2017-05-29T11:30:00.000Z
2017-05-29T11:30:00.000Z
lauren quinn
https://tripatini.com/members/laurenquinn
<div><p class="p1"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009162900,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009162900,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-full" alt="9009162900?profile=original" /></a></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /> Hidden deep inside another one of French designer Phillipe Stark’s hotels is the Spa at the Fasano Hotel. This hotel, built with core materials such as wood, glass and marble overlooks life-guard stand Posto 8 on Ipanema Beach. With its spirit of sophisticated casualness- in Havaiana flip-flips or Kenzo espadrilles- you will fit in no matter what your footwear. </span></p><p class="p2"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Albeit it is a warm 77F (25C), autumn is full swing here in Rio de Janeiro. I enter the lobby of this beachfront property after a morning of boutique shopping around the colorful streets of Ipanema. Ipanema is much more than just a trendy beach it is a neighborhood of surfers, professionals, foreigners and designers. </span></p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009163661,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009163661,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="640" class="align-full" alt="9009163661?profile=original" /></a></span></p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Ipanema also hosts some of the city’s most unique Brazilian boutique shops. Specializing in swimwear, post-sun cocktail attire and flirty dinner wear, shopping here will take you directly into that tropical spirit. Brazilian designers are known for their use of color and light fabrics. But this does not mean that they skimp on quality of fabric or a high level of design. The look and feel of these high-end boho shops mirrors an afternoon spent shopping in Santa Monica, Le Marais or Soho. </span></p><p class="p2"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The lobby is grounding, with its heavy woods and bouquets of tropical flowers. I hesitate for a minute to grab the essential late-morning vacation cocktail at the sea facing bar, before heading up the the first floor for my deep-tissue massage. But I resolve to wait until post-rejuvenation for that well deserved drink at the roof-top bar.</span></p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009163867,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009163867,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-full" alt="9009163867?profile=original" /></a></span></p><p class="p2"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The Spa at the Fasano blends seamlessly a touch of the Orient with the classic sophistication of 1960s Copacabana. As I enter, I am greeted at the reception by a large smiling Buddha statue and a reception host eager to please. She calls me by my name, as if they have been expecting me (always a good touch!), and shows me the dressing room to put on my robe and slippers.</span></p><p class="p2"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Upon changing, I am offered a tea in the waiting lounge and asked to choose the scent of my massage oil and the type of music that I would like playing. The lounge feels like a high designed living room, with leather chairs, architectural books and large bronze vases holding dried eucalyptus. I opt for chamomile, lavender and mantras (in that exact order) and enjoy the moment until I am called in.</span></p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009164262,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009164262,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-full" alt="9009164262?profile=original" /></a></span></p><p class="p2"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The massage room has all the essentials an experienced spa go-er looks for: clean luxurious sheets, a comfortable face rest, a strong leg bolster, candlelight and calm feel. My masseuse entered and kept one hand on me at all times, clearly trained in the art of deep tissue. The 50 minutes passed all too quickly, as it always does. And at the end, I was invited to take my time getting up and getting ready. </span></p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009165683,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009165683,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-full" alt="9009165683?profile=original" /></a></span></p><p class="p2"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">There are a variety of services available. Although I tried only one, I mentally penciled in a future Ayurvedic massage and a hydrotreatment on the hotel’s rooftop in the exclusive vichy shower room. One detail to be adored that truly makes this spa stand out, is its commitment to sustainability. It works with the environment, which is not the case in most Brazilian establishments. Its use of bamboo fiber uniforms and recycled plastic Havana flip-flips are just a small example.</span></p><p class="p2"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Feeling fresh, surprisingly light and full of energy, I rode up to the roof top on the 8th floor. Next to the infinity pool, is your quintessential upscale beach bar. Think: blue and white striped outdoor sofas, a wooden bar with shiny barstools, a view over the entire beach and VIP seats for the famous sunset behind the iconic Dois Irmãos mountain range. </span></p><p class="p2"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">I waffled between a crisp cold coconut water, served directly in the coconut and a glass of champagne. I once read in the <em>New York Times</em> that one must stay hydrated after a massage to clear the lactic acid in the muscles, so who I am not to order both?</span></p><p class="p2"></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009166057,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009166057,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-full" alt="9009166057?profile=original" /></a></span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />The hotel staff came over to see how I had enjoyed my massage. These are the little details that truly proves why the Fasano is the choice hotel for guests such as Madonna, Beyoncé and Rihanna. As I took a minute to enjoy the vibrant view, I noticed French Vogue was also there that day and was doing a small photo shoot. The energy on that rooftop felt like you were both a part of something interesting and yet your personal space was not impeded in any way.</span></p><p><span class="s1"> </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1">I felt carefree after my delightful afternoon at the Fasano Day Spa. I most definitely will return. </span></p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1"><em><span class="s1">For more on luxury Brazil travel, contact <strong><a href="http://www.bromeliario.com" target="_blank">BROMELIA - A RIO TRAVEL CONCIERGE</a></strong></span></em></p><p class="p1"></p></div>
5 Spectacular Spa Towns of the Czech Republic
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/5-spectacular-spa-towns-of-the-czech-republic
2017-03-29T22:58:13.000Z
2017-03-29T22:58:13.000Z
David Paul Appell
https://tripatini.com/members/DavidPaulAppell16
<div><p><a href="http://love2fly.iberia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/L2F-Feb-16-pic-Czech-Republic-Karlovy-Vary-Pavel-Kosek-shutterstock_110384783.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://love2fly.iberia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/L2F-Feb-16-pic-Czech-Republic-Karlovy-Vary-Pavel-Kosek-shutterstock_110384783-640x425.jpg?width=640" width="640" class="align-center" alt="L2F-Feb-16-pic-Czech-Republic-Karlovy-Vary-Pavel-Kosek-shutterstock_110384783-640x425.jpg?width=640" /></a></p>
<blockquote><p><span><br /> “I walk on, once again, down these corridors, through these halls, these galleries, in this structure of another century, this enormous, luxurious, baroque hotel…”<br />
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<p>That line, from French director <strong>Alain Resnais</strong>’ 1961 film classic <em><strong>Last Year at Marienbad</strong></em>, reintroduced many in the West to the magnificent <strong>Belle Époque</strong> spas enjoyed by the European élite in <strong>Bohemia</strong> (which then became the <strong>Czech Republic</strong> between World Wars I and II) before it fell under the shadow of Nazi Germany, then the Soviet Union. When democracy returned after the 1989 fall of the <strong>Berlin Wall</strong>, these <strong>Czech spas</strong> became popular with a more democratic travelling public, and gradually modernised and capitalized on the growing trend for spas and wellness, whilst resolutely preserving their Old World ambiance (and, in many cases, style of spa treatments, which is more “medical” then you might be used to). Here are the top five:</p>
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<h3><span><strong><a href="http://www.frantiskovy-lazne.cz/" target="_blank"><br /> Františkovy Lázně (Franzensbad)</a></strong></span></h3>
<p><br /> Founded in 1793, the least internationally well known (and perhaps quietest) of the triangle of spa towns about two hours west of <strong>Prague</strong>, named after Austria-Hungary (and the last Holy Roman) Emperor <strong>Franz II</strong>, who by the way was also king of Bohemia in the early 19th century. The main attraction is its dozen mineral springs of carbonated water, touted as beneficial to the cardiovascular system (especially blood pressure and circulation), as well as rheumatism and bodily inflammation; mud treatments (the world’s first) and peat pulp baths are also big. There are other attractions, as well, such as a water park in town and nearby ecotourism options and an impressive old castle.<br />
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<p><span><strong><a href="http://www.karlovy-vary.cz/en/" target="_blank"><br /> Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad)</a></strong></span></p>
<p><br /> Another of the <strong>West Bohemia</strong> <strong>spa triangle</strong>, a half hour east of Františkovy Lázně, the country’s most famous spa city – indeed, one of the most famous in Europe – was, the story goes, founded when the entourage of King Karel (Charles) IV discovered its mineral springs in 1370. Much of what you see of KV’s spa-resort section (as opposed to the regular city), however, is 19th-century <strong>Art Nouveau</strong>, <strong>Belle-Époque</strong>, and such, with the crown jewel being the <strong>Grand Hotel Pupp</strong>, including an elegant casino; originally founded as <strong>Saxony Hall</strong> in 1701; and redone as neo-Baroque in 1907 (you may’ve seen it in the 2006 <strong>Queen Latifah</strong> movie <em><strong>Last Holiday</strong></em> and/or the reboot of the <strong>James Bond</strong> flick <em><strong>Casino Royale</strong></em>). As with the other towns, summer is the most popular season (and here there are festivals to help it along, such as July’s glamorous <strong>Karlovy Vary Film Festival</strong>). KV is also known for the country’s most popular tipple, a juniper-based liqueur called <strong>Becherovka</strong>.<br />
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<h3><span><strong><a href="http://lazneluhacovice.cz/spa-wellness/" target="_blank"><br /> Luhačovice</a></strong></span></h3>
<p><br /> Near the city of <strong>Zlin</strong> in the <strong>White Carpathian Mountains</strong> of the Czech Republic’s second main region, <strong>Moravia</strong> (and a 1½-hour drive from Moravian capital Brno, 3½ hours from Prague), this charming town is less famous outside the country. But it’s been known for its curative waters since at least 1669. Most of the architecture visible today is early-20th-century Art Nouveau, early modernism, and classic Alpine-chateau style. In addition to taking the waters for digestion; bathing in them for skin and joint problems; and mud treatments; another particular speciality here is inhalation therapy for respiratory issues.<br />
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<p><a href="http://love2fly.iberia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/L2F-Feb-16-pic-Czech-Republic-Mariansk%C3%A9-L%C3%A1zne-singing-fountain-Pavel-Kosek-shutterstock_16852009.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://love2fly.iberia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/L2F-Feb-16-pic-Czech-Republic-Mariansk%C3%A9-L%C3%A1zne-singing-fountain-Pavel-Kosek-shutterstock_16852009-640x429.jpg?width=640" width="640" class="align-center" alt="L2F-Feb-16-pic-Czech-Republic-Mariansk%C3%A9-L%C3%A1zne-singing-fountain-Pavel-Kosek-shutterstock_16852009-640x429.jpg?width=640" /></a></p>
<h3><span><strong><a href="http://www.marianskelazne.cz/en" target="_blank"><br /> Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad)<br />
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<p>Nestled among wooded hills of the <strong>Slavkov Forest</strong>, this is another famous spa town filled with a serene feel and genteelly grandiose architecture of the 19th century, when it attracted emperors, kings, and celebrities including <strong>Chopin</strong>, <strong>Edison</strong>, <strong>Goethe</strong>, <strong>Twain</strong>,and <strong>Wagner</strong> (today it seems to specialize in older Germans from across the nearby border). Grande dame hotels here include the <strong>Grandhotel Pacifik</strong>, the <strong>Bohemia</strong>, and the <strong>Nové Lázně</strong>. One local favourite is the “<strong>Singing Fountain</strong>“, with a sound and light show in front of one of the colonnades.<br /> <br />
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<h3><span><strong><a href="https://www.aurora.cz/en" target="_blank"><br /> Třeboň</a></strong></span></h3>
<p><br /> Just under a couple of hours’ drive south of Prague, here the flavor is decidedly <strong>Renaissance</strong> – closer to most other historic Bohemian towns and cities than the Belle-Époque beauties of the West Bohemia spa triangle above. Set amid fish ponds where carp have been raised for centuries, there’s just one spa here, called <strong>Lázně Aurora</strong>, set in a park on the west side of town (and it’s just 41 years old). Medically, it specialises in treatment of disorders of the musculoskeletal system, rheumatic illnesses, and post-injury/post-op conditions, with a lot of peat baths and wraps; there are also weeklong or weekend relaxation/wellness programmes. Other sights include a Renaissance chateau and other lovely nearby towns such as <strong>Jindřichův Hradec</strong>.<br />
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<p><span class="font-size-1"><br /> photos | <a id="portfolio_link" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-224434p1.html" name="portfolio_link">Pavel Kosek</a>, <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-224434p1.html">Pavel Kosek</a></span></p>
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Sky's the Limit at the Sheraton Hotel Spa in Tel Aviv
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/spa-in-tel-aviv-s-sheraton-hotel
2016-10-28T22:04:11.000Z
2016-10-28T22:04:11.000Z
Harvey frommer
https://tripatini.com/members/Harveyfrommer
<div><p><a href="http://spareviewmag.com/2012/02/the-sky%E2%80%99s-the-limit-at-the-spa-in-tel-aviv%E2%80%99s-sheraton-hotel.html/fish-spa" target="_blank"><img src="http://spareviewmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/fish-spa-300x200.jpg?width=300" width="300" class="align-left" alt="fish-spa-300x200.jpg?width=300" /></a><span class="font-size-1"><em>by Myrna Katz Frommer & Harvey Frommer </em></span></p><div class="mceTemp"><p><br />“My mother is Riki Opolski, the famous Israeli,” said Adam Opolski when we met him in the streamlined and sparkling <a href="http://www.cielospa.co.il" target="_blank">spa</a> on the ground floor of <a href="http://www.sheratontelaviv.com" target="_blank">Tel Aviv’s Sheraton Hotel</a>. “She always worked in hotels so I knew them from the time I was born.”</p><p><br />Unlike most of his contemporaries, Adam, who is still in his 20s, decided not to go off to India after his army stint, but to open his own spa instead. “I’m not part of the hotel; I rent this space,” he said. But they give me customers, and I give them customers. So it pays on both sides.</p><p><br />“The most interesting treatment we have in this spa is the fish pedicure” (left), the soft-spoken self-starter told us. “We have this big tank that holds 450 fish that come from the north of Israel. They’re called <em>gara ruffa</em>; they’re small, brown and gray, and they don’t have any teeth. Women will come here and put their feet in the tank, and the fish will swim over to them. They do this naturally; they dart around very quickly and suck the dead skin off the women’s feet. If the women put their hands in the water, the fish will come to their hands. Wherever you put your hands or feet, the fish will find you. I don’t have a tank big enough to hold a whole body, but if I did, they’d cover the whole body.</p><p> </p><p>“The <em>gara ruffa </em> are only about three centimeters to start with, but over five, six months, if they eat enough dead skin, they can grow to ten centimeters. If there’s an infected toenail they won’t touch it. An open wound, they ignore it. They only clean the dead skin.”</p><p><br />We tried it out, putting a hand instead of a foot into a tank. And as Adam said, all these little fish rushed over and began eating away at the skin around our fingernails. It was a funny feeling, a ticklish sensation. But not unpleasant.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s this guy from the north who grows these <em>gara ruffa</em>,” Adam told us. “He sells them to malls. You can go to a cinema in a Tel Aviv mall, and you’ll see people sitting in a row with their feet in tanks of water getting the treatment before they go to the movies.</p><p><br />“Here at my spa, we clean the tank, empty out the water, put in fresh water every day. We let the fish clean the feet for 20 minutes. Then we follow it with a 10- to 20-minute massage with cream all over the legs.”<br /><br />Adam’s spa also offers a full scale of spa treatments: manicures, pedicures, facials, massages. Next to the fish pedicure, the most sought-after treatment is the Turkish bath, the Hammam, a huge wet sauna.</p><p><br />“I have this big Russian man — he is the best,” said Adam. “You lay down on a marble slab, and he cleans your body with a big brush, using salt from the Dead Sea. He puts cold water on the body, takes this big eucalyptus whip and slaps the body with it. It doesn’t hurt at all; it’s fun. Then he puts a big blanket of soap all over the body. And then there is a big massage, pulling, stretching for 40 minutes. It’s very popular.”<br /><br />The oxygen facial is also very popular. It follows a regular facial with a mask which allows oxygen to penetrate the skin, clean and stretch it a bit. “It takes 90 minutes, and you’ll come out looking younger,” Adam assured us. “The cost is around $250; it’s very popular with women from the States.”<br /><br />Ninety percent of the products used in Adam’s spa are from the Dead Sea, particularly the Minus 417 brand, the Dead Sea being 417 meters below sea level, the lowest place in the world.</p><p><br />Next year Adam plans to add a salt room, where all the surfaces will be covered with salt, to his spa. “You stay in this room, and a small machine will take salt from the walls and put it into your body. If you smoke or have asthma, this will be a wonderful treatment.</p><p><br />“When I opened this spa, I wanted to call it Adam – after me,” he said. “But that name was already taken by another spa. So I decided to call it <em>Cielo</em> which is Spanish for sky. That is my limit.”</p><p></p></div><div class="addtoany_share_save_container addtoany_content_bottom"><div style="line-height:32px;" class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list a2a_target"></div></div></div>
The Lodge at Woodloch, a Top Resort in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/logde-at-woodloch-poconos-pennsylvania
2015-07-12T21:07:29.000Z
2015-07-12T21:07:29.000Z
Wayne and Judy Bayliff - Photojournalists
https://tripatini.com/members/The2WriterscomPage
<div><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/46-25-118-119-119-p1000875.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/46-25-118-119-119-p1000875.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="46-25-118-119-119-p1000875.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p><br /> If you were lucky, you went to a terrific summer camp when you were a kid. Well, now you are all grown up, and your luck is holding up – because we have found the adult luxury equivalent of your bygone summers. So come with us and relive those halcyon days of yesteryear at the Lodge at Woodloch in Hawley, Pennsylvania.<br /> <br /> <strong>A Region of Kids' Camps and Adult Resorts</strong></p><p><br /> We found the Lodge at Woodloch during our writing swing through luxurious vacation destinations in the northeast Appalachians, which include the Pocono, Adirondack, Catskill, and Berkshire Mountains. Our travels took us to New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/33-30-17-62-p1010603.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/33-30-17-62-p1010603.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="33-30-17-62-p1010603.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>We stayed mainly at exclusive B&Bs, so a full-blown woodsy, all-adult resort and health retreat, was a nice change of pace.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/30-055-055-055-p1000803.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/30-055-055-055-p1000803.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="30-055-055-055-p1000803.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>Just like our childhood memories of summer camp, the Lodge at Woodloch has hiking and biking trails aplenty, along with camp fires, a lake for fishing and boating – and advanced amenities like delicious wellness-centric meals, vegetable gardens, an orchard, and a first-rate health spa.</p><p></p><p><strong>A Biofilic Experience</strong></p><p></p><p>The developers of the Lodge at Woodloch believe that all vacationers who have an interest in the Lodge at Woodloch have a special connection with nature, and an affinity for other life forms. The developers take this belief very seriously, and everything at Woodloch supports their conviction.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/12-44-39-179-img_5369.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/12-44-39-179-img_5369.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="12-44-39-179-img_5369.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p><strong>Elegant and Exclusive</strong><br /> <br /> All the amenities we will mention (and more) are for the pampering of a relatively small number of discerning guests. There are just 57 guestrooms in the entire resort.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/16-48-53-193-img_5383.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/16-48-53-193-img_5383.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="16-48-53-193-img_5383.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>This refuge truly defines the height of America’s health-conscious aristocracy.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/20-56-196-img_5386.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/20-56-196-img_5386.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="20-56-196-img_5386.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>The lodge building fits perfectly with the natural environment, and has just the right number of secluded niches for those seeking quiet relaxation.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/22-66-206-img_5396.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/22-66-206-img_5396.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="22-66-206-img_5396.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>The sleeping rooms are well furnished and mindfully decorated to blend with the forest just beyond each guestroom door. We also noted that the spacious quarters elegantly avoid being trendy or thematic.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/37-31-23-68-p1010609.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/37-31-23-68-p1010609.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="37-31-23-68-p1010609.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p><br /> <strong>The Food<br /> <br /></strong> We ate all our meals at the TREE restaurant and bar, so named because of the exquisite views from the floor-to-ceiling viewing windows, featuring – what else – trees.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/14-47-187-img_5377.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/14-47-187-img_5377.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="14-47-187-img_5377.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>If you are a devoted foodie, this all-inclusive resort is for you.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/17-49-54-194-img_5384.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/17-49-54-194-img_5384.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="17-49-54-194-img_5384.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>There are food-prep demonstrations, cooking classes, wine tasting, and an array of lectures for those interested in learning about the advantages of preparing, cooking, and eating proper foodstuffs.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/38-30-75-p1010616.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/38-30-75-p1010616.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="38-30-75-p1010616.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>The in-house chefs have also one-upped the concept of “farm-to-table” dining, with their “table-to-farm” experience where a delicious meal is prepared and served in one of the resort’s three vast gardens. Really different, and great fun</p><p>!</p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/23-06-025-025-025-p1000773.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/23-06-025-025-025-p1000773.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="23-06-025-025-025-p1000773.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>The resort’s menu is unique and chock-full of tasty healthy treats; check out this breakfast <a href="http://is.gd/vfVTlb">menu</a>.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/40-19-077-078-078-p1000826.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/40-19-077-078-078-p1000826.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="40-19-077-078-078-p1000826.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>Here’s a photo of a succulent buffalo burger with mushrooms.<strong><br /></strong></p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/43-22-091-092-092-p1000840.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/43-22-091-092-092-p1000840.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="43-22-091-092-092-p1000840.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p><strong>The Garden</strong><br /> <br /> We were privileged to spend some time in the resort’s gardens, where much of what is used in the kitchen is grown. Chock full of produce goodies, the garden boasts currants, mint, rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, and a large assortment of plants and herbs.</p><p></p><p>Since our visit, we have learned that the resort has added an orchard. Two acres and 65 trees will bring a bountiful harvest of apples, pears, peaches, and plums to be enjoyed by the guests.</p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/42-21-084-085-085-p1000833.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/42-21-084-085-085-p1000833.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="42-21-084-085-085-p1000833.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p><strong>Pollination</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>You have undoubtedly heard about the decline in U.S. bee colonies. Well, the Lodge at Woodloch took steps to insure their 100,000 bee population would continue to grow.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/39-33-34-79-p1010620.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/39-33-34-79-p1010620.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="39-33-34-79-p1010620.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>They sought, and obtained, a certification as a Pennsylvania "Pollinator-Friendly Property." These people are serious about natural symbiosis.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/36-070-071-071-p1000819.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/36-070-071-071-p1000819.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="36-070-071-071-p1000819.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p><strong>The Trails and Lake</strong><br /> <br /> The resort’s grounds quickly envelop you in their beauty.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/41-20-082-083-083-p1000831.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/41-20-082-083-083-p1000831.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="41-20-082-083-083-p1000831.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>Our morning at the Lodge was spent walking some of the nature trails in this pristine 150-acre wilderness.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/29-12-046-046-046-p1000794.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/29-12-046-046-046-p1000794.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="29-12-046-046-046-p1000794.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>We ended up at the private 15-acre lake and decided to try our hand at fishing.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/28-10-034-034-034-p1000782.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/28-10-034-034-034-p1000782.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="28-10-034-034-034-p1000782.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>All the equipment we needed was available in the "Lily Pad" lake shed, located just a stone’s throw from the water.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/26-28-12-57-p1010598.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/26-28-12-57-p1010598.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="26-28-12-57-p1010598.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>A couple of casts, and <em>voilà</em> – success.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/35-15-066-066-066-p1000814.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/35-15-066-066-066-p1000814.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="35-15-066-066-066-p1000814.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>We caught several small but spunky bass, which we quickly returned to the water after thanking them for participating in our holiday. </p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/09-25-165-img_5355.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/09-25-165-img_5355.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="09-25-165-img_5355.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p><strong>The spa</strong><br /> <br /> The focal point of the indoor experience at the Lodge at Woodloch is the spa, with its 27 treatment rooms and an extensive array of customized body treatments, massages, and facials.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/07-39-15-155-img_5345.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/07-39-15-155-img_5345.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="07-39-15-155-img_5345.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>We could not photograph the occupied treatment rooms, but did manage to get images of the beautifully appointed changing rooms and the Aqua Garden’s hydro massage waterfall.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/03-16-35-img_3835.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/03-16-35-img_3835.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="03-16-35-img_3835.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>What a spectacular way to relax after a massage – and we did just that!</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/02-56-13-32-img_3832.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/02-56-13-32-img_3832.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="02-56-13-32-img_3832.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>Guests are invited to luxuriate in saunas, steam rooms, and whirlpools, as well as separate male and female fireplace lounges for the ultimate in introspective relaxation.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/10-35-175-img_5365.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/10-35-175-img_5365.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="10-35-175-img_5365.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p></p><p>This spa and wellness center is a destination in its own right.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/32-16-61-p1010602.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://the2writers.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/32-16-61-p1010602.jpg?width=600" width="600" class="align-center" alt="32-16-61-p1010602.jpg?width=600" /></a></p><p><br /><strong>If You Go</strong><br /><br /></p><p>The Lodge is nestled in the far northeast corner of the scenic Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, in what is known as the Lake Region. It is a scant 95 miles from NYC and many major airports.</p><p></p><p><strong>For more information</strong></p><p></p><p>This four-diamond resort incorporates an unparalleled level of sophistication in serene luxury. There are so many delightful aspects, that it would be impossible to present them all in this short article. An impressive <a href="http://www.thelodgeatwoodloch.com/awards-accolades/">list</a> of awards, too – a true standard of excellence achieved by few vacation destinations in America. Whether you go to the Lodge at Woodloch for revitalizing, relaxation, nurturing, detoxing, a taste of good old fashioned nostalgia, or just an outing in the woods, this is the place to be. If you can, give yourself permission to enjoy a special vacation at the Lodge. You will not be sorry.</p><p><br />We suggest you explore the resort’s extensive website <a href="http://www.thelodgeatwoodloch.com">www.TheLodgeatWoodloch.com</a>. </p><p></p><p>PS – if you are looking for a family resort, look no further than nearby <a href="http://www.woodloch.com/">Woodloch Pines Resort</a>. We did not have time to drop by, but we were told it may be an even better place to reflect on those still remembered summers at kid’s camp – because it has - kids.</p><p></p><p><br /> <br /> <em>"Get out there, but be prepared."</em></p><p><em>Whenever we travel, we are protected by <a href="http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/">Allianz Global Assist</a> travel insurance.</em></p><p><em>You can plan your trips with <a href="http://maps.google.com/">Google Maps</a>.</em></p><p><em><br /> <br />The opinions expressed in our articles are the journalists’ alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any entity.</em></p><p><em><br /> Copyright © 2015 <a href="http://is.gd/gyUqn8">Visit</a> great vacation destinations with Wayne and Judy Bayliff</em></p><p><em><a href="http://is.gd/Hk96vS">Photos</a> © 2015 Judy Bayliff</em></p><p></p></div>
Bohemian Rhapsodies Outside Prague
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/bohemia-czech-republic
2015-05-19T14:00:00.000Z
2015-05-19T14:00:00.000Z
José Balido
https://tripatini.com/members/JoseBalido
<div><p><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/View_over_%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD_Krumlov_in_2012.JPG/800px-View_over_%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD_Krumlov_in_2012.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/View_over_%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD_Krumlov_in_2012.JPG/800px-View_over_%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD_Krumlov_in_2012.JPG" class="align-center" alt="800px-View_over_%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD_Krumlov_in_2012.JPG" /></a></p>
<p><br /> It’s true that <strong>Prague</strong>, with its ravishing Old Town, bangin' nightlife, and other allures, is enough to hold any visitor spellbound for an entire vacation and then some. But much of the essence of the Czech Republic flows from the cities, towns, and countryside outside the capital. Many visitors don’t make it out here, but there are some marvelous rewards easily reachable in day trips or overnights (in some cases you can even fit two spots in a single day, since they’re fairly close together). Here's just a quick selection of the highlights, and just from this country’s <strong>Bohemia</strong> region (the country also has another side, <strong>Moravia</strong>, which I'll be covering in a future post). <br /> <br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://www.c-budejovice.cz/en/stranky/welcome-page.aspx" target="_blank">České Budejovice</a> </strong>The Czechs are of course famous for their <strong><em>pivo</em></strong> (<strong>beer</strong>), and this south Bohemian city has been known for its brewing since the 13th century (in fact, its name in German is <strong>Budweis</strong>. Yes, this is where <strong>Budweiser</strong> (which has to be labeled <strong>Budvar </strong>in the USA) comes from, and you can visit the brewery, as well as enjoy knocking around the evocative Old Town, with a mix of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque that will remind you of Prague (a premier local landmark is the 16th-century <strong>Černá Věž</strong> (“<strong>Black Tower</strong>“).<br /> <br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://www.ckrumlov.info/php/turista/?lang=en" target="_blank">Český Krumlov</a> </strong>Also in south Bohemia, picturesquely tucked into the bend of the <strong>Moldau River</strong>, one of this country’s “museum towns” par excellence (top) has even been granted UNESCO World Heritage status. The main “sight” is its Gothic/Renaissance castle complex, the second-largest in the Czech Republic, with unique features including a wonderfully preserved Baroque theatre. There are also a couple of museums (including one devoted to Austrian artist Egon Schiele, who lived here for a time), and a bit of an adventure tourism scene in local nature (including the nearby <strong>Šumava National Park</strong>). But mostly it’s just a cool place to hang out these days amid historic surroundings, with a lively restaurant and pub scene, as well as various festivals. </p>
<p><br /> <a href="http://www.zamek-jindrichuvhradec.eu/en/" target="_blank"><strong>Jindřichův Hradec</strong></a> Yet another south Bohemian gem, and one beneath the tourist radar, JH has small-town charm, a large Renaissance castle with lovely 14th-century frescos; a Gothic palace; and in the city history museum, ensconced in a former Jesuit seminary, the world’s largest mechanical nativity scene (nearly 1,400 figures), assembled over six decades in the 19th century.</p>
<p><a href="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3246/2524120369_7383ab1c2f_z.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3246/2524120369_7383ab1c2f_z.jpg" class="align-center" alt="2524120369_7383ab1c2f_z.jpg" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.karlovy-vary.cz/en/" target="_blank"><strong><br /> Karlovy Vary</strong> </a> You might know it as <strong>Karlsbad</strong>. About an hour’s drive west of Prague, it’s one of Europe’s brand-name spa towns, its historic zone a gracious collection of Belle-Époque hotels, restaurants, cultural institutions, and assorted other buildings which grew up in the 19th century around a number of hot springs (and the warm <strong>Teplá River</strong>) that are still a draw today. The most famous is the <strong>Grand Hotel Pupp</strong> (above, which you may have seen in the 2006 remake of the <strong>James Bond</strong> flick <strong><em>Casino Royale</em></strong>). There’s a well known international film festival in July, and you must try the potent local herb liqueur, <strong>Becherovka</strong>.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Sedlec-Ossuary.jpg/180px-Sedlec-Ossuary.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Sedlec-Ossuary.jpg/180px-Sedlec-Ossuary.jpg?width=180" width="180" class="align-right" alt="180px-Sedlec-Ossuary.jpg?width=180" /></a><a href="http://www.kutnahora.cz/?lns=en" target="_blank">Kutná Hora/Sedlec</a></strong><a href="http://www.kutnahora.cz/?lns=en" target="_blank"> </a> With roots in the 12th century, central Bohemian Kutná Hora is pleasant and notable for its historic architecture (fetching enough to merit UNESCO World Heritage Status) such as the impressive <strong>St. Barbara’s Church</strong>. But what any visitor should especially not miss is a visit to Sedlec, the small town right next door. Near the also noteworthy <strong>Church of Our Lady</strong>, you’ll find the <strong>Cemetery Church of All Saints</strong>, whose most fascinating feature is beneath it: an ossuary chapel where everything is constructed out of human bones (and no, here the shin bone is not necessarily connected to the thigh bone). Quite a sight, it is.<br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://www.marianskelazne.cz/en" target="_blank">Mariánské Lázně</a></strong> If you haven’t had your fill of Belle-Époque spas after Karlovy Vary, not far off, this town (known in German as <strong>Marienbad</strong>) with a 100 mineral springs, is another beautiful example (if, as I recall from my last visit, a bit on the sedate side). Yet a third spa town along very similar lines in the same area is <strong><a title="Františkovy Lázně" href="http://www.frantiskovy-lazne.cz/" target="_blank">Františkovy Lázně</a></strong>.<br /> <br /> <strong><a href="http://www.pilsen.eu/tourist/" target="_blank">Plzeň</a></strong> Here’s another place whose German name might ring a bell. “Pilsen” is the country’s fourth largest city, a couple of hours west of Prague, where bottom-fermented lager – now most of the world’s beer – was invented in the mid-1800s. The <strong>Pilsener Urquell</strong> brewery’s interesting tour ends with a tasting straight from the oak barrels. The rest of town starts with the huge main square, presided over by the <strong>Cathedral of St. Bartholomew</strong>, with the country’s highest tower and splendid countryside views; architecture fans will appreciate the sgraffitto and other Renaissance detail. Other must-sees include the <strong>Patton Memorial</strong>, paying homage to American soldiers who liberated the city in World War II, and the interactive <strong>Techmania Science Center</strong>.<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.taborcz.eu/EN/" target="_blank"><strong>Tábor</strong></a> Some 90 minutes’ south of Prague, perched on a hill over Central Europe’s largest manmade lake, the 15th-century old quarter here is compact and charming. Named after the biblical Mount Tabor, the town was notorious for its Reformation-era religious freedom and experimentation — and the efforts to stamp them out in the so-called Hussite Wars. But its best-known attraction is under your feet; after exploring “up top” and perusing the <strong>Old Town Hall</strong>’s Hussite museum, climb down the steep steps to a warren of damp tunnels once used for storing food, making beer, holding prisoners, and hiding from attacks; a half mile is open to visitors.</p>
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<p><em>More information: <a href="http://www.czechtourism.com/home/" target="_blank">CzechTourism.com</a>.</em></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-1"><em>images | <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_over_%C4%8Cesk%C3%BD_Krumlov_in_2012.JPG" target="_blank">High Contrast</a>, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tofufah/2524120369/sizes/z/" target="_blank">Tofufah</a>, <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sedlec-Ossuary.jpg" target="_blank">Chmouel</a></em></span></p>
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Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness in Bath, England
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/bath-england
2014-11-17T16:24:03.000Z
2014-11-17T16:24:03.000Z
Keith Kellett
https://tripatini.com/members/KeithKellett
<div><p>I had to pick my time carefully to visit the city of Bath. I wanted to go before the bulk of the tourists came, but after the rush of Christmas crowds around the many shops. But, that’s the way it’s always been, for visitors have been coming to Bath since before the Romans came, over 2,000 years ago.</p><p> </p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008888289,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008888289,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="158" class="align-left" alt="9008888289?profile=original" /></a>Bath is the only place in Britain with natural hot springs. They aren’t of volcanic origin; they are heated by water passing over the limestone of the nearby Mendip Hills. Ask any American soldier … he uses the same principle in the heat packs used to warm up his field rations.</p><p> </p><p>The waters flow at 13 litres a second, at a constant temperature of 46ºC (115ºF) and contain 43 different minerals. So, in addition to a refreshing soak, they’re also medicinal, whether bathed in or drunk.</p><p> </p><p>In the Pump Room, I tasted some of the water … and wished I hadn’t. It was slightly warm, and tasted as if someone had boiled up a handful of old pennies in it. Of course, I only tried it out of curiosity, rather than need. I wasn’t suffering from any illness or disorder, so can’t say whether it’s curative or not!</p><p> </p><p>What I’d come to see was the building that draws most visitors to Bath. The Roman baths weren’t just for getting clean. They were a place for discussing business, gossiping or just hanging out and meeting friends. The baths usually consisted of a <i>tepidarium,</i> or warm room, a <i>caldarium</i> or hot room, followed by a plunge in a cold pool. Some baths had a <i>laconium,</i> providing a dry heat, like a Scandinavian sauna.</p><p> </p><p>Normally, fires tended by slaves provided heat … but here was naturally-heated water, with the bonus of a plunge in the curative waters.</p><p> </p><p>While the 18th-century Georgians dug the foundations for what we see today, they uncovered several Roman <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9296590689,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}9296590689,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="304" class="align-right" alt="9296590689?profile=original" /></a>artefacts. From these, a good idea was obtained of what the baths looked like. They were built next to a temple dedicated to their goddess, Minerva, as well as to the British goddess Sulis, to whom the springs were held sacred. An illustration of the old British proverb that ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’!</p><p> </p><p>Sadly, the Romans didn’t leave their tradition of cleanliness. A Roman emperor once said that he took a daily bath because he didn’t have time to take more. A thousand years later, Queen Elizabeth I, who ruled England from 1558 to 1603, is said to have taken a bath once a month … whether she needed it or not!</p><p> </p><p>Some Britons didn’t take a bath at all. The springs remained open, though, for those who wished to drink the waters.</p><p> </p><p></p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008888697,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008888697,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="320" class="align-left" alt="9008888697?profile=original" /></a>Until the mid-20<sup>th</sup> Century, most houses didn’t even have a bathroom. The usual method of bathing was to fill a portable iron tub with hot water in front of the fire. This happened once a week, usually, although coal miners could bathe at the end of every shift, receiving an allowance of coal to heat water for this purpose.</p><p> </p><p>Although I never lived in a house without a bathroom, my grandparents did. Showers weren’t usual till the 1980s. Fortunately, I have a bath and a shower … and my philosophy is ‘a bath for relaxing; a shower if you just want to get clean in a hurry’</p><p> </p><p>But, the tradition of the communal bath hasn’t quite caught on here yet. But, with the introduction of the jacuzzi and sauna in some places, maybe it will?</p><p> </p><p>Maybe we’ll even go back to bathing as the Romans did?</p><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9296591652,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}9296591652,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="298" class="align-center" alt="9296591652?profile=original" /></a></p></div>
Holiday Inn's Tea Spa in Cha'am, Thailand
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/check-out-holiday-inn-s-tea-spa-in-cha-am-thailand
2012-04-06T13:57:38.000Z
2012-04-06T13:57:38.000Z
Sandra & John Scott
https://tripatini.com/members/SandraJohnScott
<div><p style="text-align:center;"><br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008690884,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008690884,original{{/staticFileLink}}" height="202" alt="9008690884?profile=original" /></a></p><p>South of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand, the Holiday Inn Regent Beach Resort offers days of lazing in the sun and walking on the beach but the best relaxing can be had at the hotel’s Tea Tree Spa. Pamper yourself with one of their therapies that will relax the body, soothe your soul and lift your spirits. Their Tea Tree Signature treatment offers the ultimate experience creating a new zest for life. An exfoliation will cleanse and leave your skin ready to receive the maximum benefits of one of their aromatherapy massages during which hot stones will be applied to your back releasing heat and energy to your muscles. A mini facial completes the session.</p><p> </p><p>Check out their double treatment rooms with private steam bath and alfresco bathtub. Special packages include a variety of massages and body rubs. Try their back and shoulder massage along with their jasmine rice scrub or Thai clay body mask. Trained staff also provide manicures and pedicures plus hydrating facials. Hydrotherapy includes milk and herbal baths. Special treatments are available for men including facials. For a quick treatment check out the massage hut by the beach. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.examiner.com/destinations-travel-in-national/relax-at-the-holiday-inn-s-tea-spa-cha-am-thailand-1" target="_blank">http://www.examiner.com/destinations-travel-in-national/relax-at-the-holiday-inn-s-tea-spa-cha-am-thailand-1</a></p><p> </p></div>
The only Spa in the Wildnerness, adjoining a wildlife Park.
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/the-only-spa-in-the-wildnerness-adjoining-a-wildlife-park
2013-07-12T16:36:21.000Z
2013-07-12T16:36:21.000Z
Duma Afrika Treks and Safaris
https://tripatini.com/members/DumaAfrikaTreksandSafaris
<div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="font-size-3"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><a href="http://dumaafrikatreks.com/" target="_blank">Kenya</a> is original home of Safari. It is among the best wildlife safari destination in the world. Kenya is home to the only wildlife park near the city. We are soon becoming the Kenya is original home of Safari. It is among the best wildlife safari destination in the world. Kenya is home to the only wildlife park near the city. We are soon becoming the only country with a geothermal Spa resort adjoining a national park. Ever thought of a Spa Safari? Hells gate national park in Kenya will be a sought destination for wellness, beauty and Spa holidays. The surrounding area of Olkaria is source of geothermal power in Kenya. The power generating company, KENGEN is looking at tourism opportunities in the area. They are putting up a spa resort that will be operational from next year. The spa will adjoin the Hell Gate national park. This is the real <a href="http://dumaafrikatreks.com/safari-ideas/wellness-and-spa-holidays/" target="_blank">Spa safari</a><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008776268,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008776268,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9008776268?profile=original" /></a> that you can take. The surrounding area too is a hive of activity. Lake Naivasha which is few minutes away is an attraction by itself. Activities here include boat rides,</span> <strong><span style="font-family:Calibri;">nature walks</span></strong><span style="font-family:Calibri;">,</span> <strong><span style="font-family:Calibri;">bird watch</span></strong> <span style="font-family:Calibri;">and </span><a href="http://dumaafrikatreks.com/naivasha-horse-riding-safari/" target="_blank">horse riding.</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family:Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family:Calibri;">The Kenya Spa resort will feature open air lagoons with warm temperatures. The facility will use brime water that has unique healing and medical contents. There will also be steam and Sauna rooms. To top up, there will be food restaurants. This makes it a complete Spa safari complex. It is the first ever natural Spa resort in Kenya.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="font-size-3" style="font-family:Calibri;"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-3" style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri;">The facility will also have an information center on how geothermal power is tapped. The first phase of the facility will not include accommodate. However in the next phase and future the resort will be an all inclusive facility</span></p></div>
Awaken your senses at Marquis Los Cabos Resort in Mexico
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/awaken-your-senses-at-marquis
2011-01-05T03:41:41.000Z
2011-01-05T03:41:41.000Z
Beverly Burmeier
https://tripatini.com/members/BeverlyBurmeier
<div><a href="http://stripedpot.com/2011/01/04/awaken-your-senses-at-marquis-los-cabos-resort-in-mexico/">http://stripedpot.com/2011/01/04/awaken-your-senses-at-marquis-los-cabos-resort-in-mexico/</a></div>
Spend It Like Beckham: Why Men Need Spas, Too
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/spend-it-like-beckham-or-why-men-need-spas-too
2012-12-28T14:00:00.000Z
2012-12-28T14:00:00.000Z
Kaleel Sakakeeny
https://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny
<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008748467,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008748467,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="384" alt="9008748467?profile=original" /></a></p><p>Back in 2004, the movie <em>Cellular</em> featured a character -- a cop -- who was about to retire. Was he going to spend his newly-found free time hunting, fishing, or traveling the world?<br /> <br /> No. He was going to open a day spa.</p><p>That character was way ahead of his time. Spa treatments for men were popular back in 2004, but today, in 2012, <strong>men comprise 30% of all American spa go-ers</strong>, says Lynne McNees, president of <a href="http://www.experienceispa.com/" target="_blank">ISPA, the International Spa Association.</a> “We’ve been tracking men’s visits to spas, and they’ve been pretty consistent over the past 10 years,” McNees adds. According to her, spa revenue as a whole is up 4.5% over last year, with spa revenue in 2012 maxing out at $13.4 billion.</p><p>Like women, men want relaxation, McNees says, and they particularly like massages because they help them to manage their stress. “But,” she says, “They also want spa visits to help them be more flexible for their golf game, or to improve their basketball game.”</p><p><strong>As a result, says McNees, spas have become increasingly competitive in their desire to attract male clients</strong>. She says that some spas offer specific men’s packages, and, along with doing that, usually change the aromatherapy scent to a more masculine fragrance. Spas, to entice men, also custom-select magazines displayed in the waiting room and also the programs shown on TV, to attract male clients.</p><p><strong>There are just six men-only spas in the United States.</strong></p><p>These include <a href="http://nickelspanyc.com/newyorkspa/" target="_blank">Nickel Spa for Men in New York City</a>, The Grooming Lounge in Washington, D.C, and GQ Barber Lounge in Denver.<br /> <a href="http://www.gqbarberlounge.com/" target="_blank">GQ Barber Lounge’s</a> website describes itself as “a friendly sanctuary where men still rule. It’s your music. It’s your channels on the screens, and your magazines in the lobby.” <strong>The spa’s motto is “Real men smell great,”</strong> and its “performance haircuts” start at $38. The website also has a reading room with grooming tips and stories on style icons such as athlete’s David Beckham and Ryan Lochte – and their hair.</p><p>Sir Spa in Chicago, another male-only spa, bills itself as “where men get their go.” The facility includes a grooming club room with a 50-inch flat-panel TV, and services that include massages, abdominal wraps, a Sir Scrub full-body exfoliation, airbrush tanning, and a hot towel treatment with deep-pore cleansing and extractions that sounds suspiciously like a facial.</p><p>Yet another way a male-only spa can set itself apart is to offer amenities containing alcohol.<br /> <a href="http://kapalua.com/spa/kapalua-spa" target="_blank">Kapalua Spa at Kapalua Resort on Maui</a> offers a beer bath to men. </p><p>Meanwhile, the <a href="http://www.thehotelhershey.com/" target="_blank">Spa at The Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pa</a>., offers a Gentleman’s Whiskey Body Scrub as well as a Gentleman’s Whiskey Facial. On its website, the spa explains that the treatment begins with a drinkable shot of whiskey, and includes a facial cleansing with the malt extract found in Scottish Whiskey, plus an anti-aging mask.<br /> <br /> Cheers!<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.tripatini.com/profile/DebbiKarpowiczKickham" target="_blank">Debbi Kickham</a>, who co-authored this article, is the author of the travel bestseller The Globetrotter’s <a href="http://www.GorgeousGlobetrotter.com" target="_blank">Get-Gorgeous Guide</a> and owns <a href="http://www.MarketingAuthor.com." target="_blank">Maxima Marketing</a> in Westwood, Mass.</p><p></p><p>Image/courtesy massagemag.com</p></div>
When in Seattle, Relax at the Vida Spa
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/when-in-seattle-relax-at-the-vida-spa
2012-12-26T13:24:17.000Z
2012-12-26T13:24:17.000Z
Sandra & John Scott
https://tripatini.com/members/SandraJohnScott
<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008745456,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="312" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008745456,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="9008745456?profile=original" /></a></p><p>When in Seattle, Washington stay at the luxurious Pan Pacific Hotel and after a day of work or sightseeing head across the courtyard to the Vida Spa to <em>revitalizes your external sense of well-being while restoring your internal sense of vitality and energy. Each treatment is as unique as your needs. So your body, mind and spirit can all be brought into perfect harmony. Vida offers</em> 17 treatment rooms, three couples treatment rooms, four side by side pedicure lounges and two manicure areas. Vida’s guest lounge has a soothing fireplace and luxurious chaise lounges that can comfortably seat up to 25 guests. Guests can also enjoy the spa’s therapeutic infra-red saunas and large jetted hot tub.</p><p>Because every guest has unique needs, Vida offers a range of traditional body therapies, wraps, exfoliations and facial treatments, each providing a unique way to restore energy and promote well-being. In addition to offering traditional spa treatment such as, classic and hot stone massage, body wraps and facial, many of Vida’s treatments are based on the principles of Ayurveda, a 5,000 year old system of holistic Indian medicine. According to this philosophy the key to a long and healthy life is achieving a balance between body, mind and spirit.</p><p> Choose from a selection of luxurious treatments. The Ayurvedic Massage is a unique massage that applies generous amounts of warm sesame oil over the body with extra attention to the head, neck and scalp. This technique optimizes the body’s systems, mobilizes joints and enhances tissue suppleness. After the Ayurvedic massage you are cocooned in our west coast cedar steam cabinet. A deeply aromatic sensation enhances by herbs customized to your dosha cleanses and detoxifies your system. A dry flour brushing of your entire body stimulates and exfoliates your skin to prevent re-entry of toxins. Each treatment is individually designed to create the perfect treatment for each guest. <em>Live well. Live long. <br /> <br /> For more information check www2.panpacific.com/en/Seattle.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/when-seattle-relax-at-the-vida-spa" target="_blank">http://www.examiner.com/article/when-seattle-relax-at-the-vida-spa</a><br /></em></p><p> </p></div>
Tips for Destinations Seeking Medical Tourism
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/medical-tourism-destination-advice
2015-11-10T00:04:00.000Z
2015-11-10T00:04:00.000Z
Peter Tarlow
https://tripatini.com/members/PeterTarlow
<div><p><img src="http://love2fly.iberia.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/L2F-May-15-pic-medical-tourism-sfam_photo-shutterstock_228912493.jpg" alt="medical tourism surgery sfam_photo shutterstock_228912493" /><br /> <br /> <br /> Tourism and health have taken on two new meanings. Health tourism can be broken down into two components, people who travel to a particular spot for medical reasons, such as cancer centers or for specific operations such a coronary bypass, and people who travel to a location for medicinal reasons such as rest and relaxation. Medicinal tourism caters not to the sick but to those who seek new levels of wellness. Examples of medicinal tourism are spa or centers that cater to non-essential cosmetic re-makes such a weight loss. Medical tourism of the hospital variety differs from medicinal tourism (the spa variety) in that it aims to serve those who are accompanying an ill person and often does not seek repeat business. Medicinal tourism on the other hand seeks repeat business and hopes that its clients will return on a regular basis.</p><p></p><p>Spa tourism has been around for thousands of years. In ancient times places such as northern Israel and Rome attracted visitors from the much of the known world. Across the millennia then spa tourism has provided visitors with non-invasive therapies, opportunities to improve physical fitness. In the modern world spas also provide their guests with weight-loss treatments, special cleansing diets and a variety of mineral and thermal skin treatments. Many spas also often massage and yoga classes as other ways to improve health and to de-stress.</p><p></p><p>Both of these separate phenomena are often classified as “medical tourism” and although their raisons d'être are very different, they also share many tourism similarities. Medical tourism also has the added advantage that it can provide essential services to the local population at the same time that it is helping the local economy. To help you consider if medical tourism is a good choice for your community consider some of the following ideas.</p><p></p><p><span>-Determine what health factors make your community unique.</span> Saleable health factors can include exceptionally clean air, unique waters with minerals, quiet settings, or any other natural phenomenon that would provide the person with a form of health benefits that are unique to your community.</p><p></p><p><span>-Make sure that your medical personnel understand the importance of good bedside manner.</span> In the world of medical tourism physicians, nurses, and therapists are more than medical professionals. They are also part of the tourism industry and their patients are also “clients”. That means that it is imperative to train medical tourism workers not only in their particular medical field, but also provide them with a clear understanding of customer service and the tourism product. How they treat their patients may well determine a patient's willingness to return.</p><p></p><p><span>Merge your tourism offerings with the local ambiance.</span> Medical tourism is about creating psychological and physical harmony. Make sure to offer a wide variety of options, but at the same time, be careful to honor the place in which your tourism is located and integrate local culture and foods into your medical tourism site.</p><p></p><p><span>Make your hospitals tourism friendly.</span> Hospitals are often seen as places in which to get sick rather than to get well. Hospital tourism means integrating not only the patient with the local community but also the whole family. During the patient's recovery phase, provide the patient's family with day trips that stay connected to the hospital in case of emergency. Develop special brochures for out-of-towners who are visiting sick friends and relatives. Remember that these are people who are in your community due to a love one's illness. They need excellent customer service, ways to relieve tension and still feel that they are close to loved ones.</p><p></p><p>Make sure that your medical tourism meets industry standards. Medical tourism is in an existential sense different from many other forms of tourism in that involves the health and well-being of a guest. Make sure to meet all standards, do not advertise what you cannot deliver and make sure that people understand the risks involved. The bottom line is that while foreseeability is essential in all forms of tourism it is especially important in the area of medical tourism.</p><p></p><p><span>Take the time to get your medical tourism right!</span> Terms such as medical tourism, spa tourism and wellness tourism are often used so loosely that no one is sure what these terms mean. Be truthful in your advertizing; say what you offer and what you do not offer so that the customer is absolutely clear about the experience s/he is purchasing. Also be certain that resources, such as water, (as used in spas) are tested on a regular basis so as not to turn a medicinal tourism experience into an illness acquired experience.</p><p></p><p><span>If doing medical tourism; make sure that you create partner agencies.</span> One of the problems in the area of medical tourism is what does a patient do after s/he has returned home and has a problem. Good medical tourism centers can provide 24 hour/7 day a week medical hot lines, but often a patient needs more than a phone. Make sure that medical records are sent home in the local language or in a language that the local doctor can read. Establish partner hospitals around the world and make sure that medical prescriptions can be filled in the customer's country.</p><p></p><p><span>Deal with the insurance problems before not after.</span> Many visitors in both medical and medicinal tourism may want to use a local insurance plan. Be sure to list in your literature payment structures and whose insurance your institutions can accept. There is nothing less pleasant than having a fight over money when it comes to health and these disputes often cause visitors to have a negative reaction to the host community and not just the health provider. Make sure that health providers understand that they are an essential part of the community's economic health and what they do or fail to do reflects on the whole community.<br /> <br /></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-1"><em>photo: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-228912493/stock-photo-in-the-operating-room-during-surgery.html?src=6aEcihs0ZlLh4G-Kh6uhpg-1-8" target="_blank">sfam_photo/Shutterstock</a></em></span></p><p></p></div>
Maya Spa Secrets of the Yucatan: Chocolate, Tequila and Lots of Sweat
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/maya-spa-secrets-of-the-yucatan-chocolate-tequila-and-lots-of
2012-06-08T20:11:46.000Z
2012-06-08T20:11:46.000Z
Iberostar Hotels & Resorts
https://tripatini.com/members/IberostarHotelsResorts
<div><p><a href="http://passportto.iberostar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Temazcal-ceremony-at-Iberostar-Playa-Paraiso-spa-complex.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://passportto.iberostar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Temazcal-ceremony-at-Iberostar-Playa-Paraiso-spa-complex.jpg?width=845" width="845" class="align-center" alt="Temazcal-ceremony-at-Iberostar-Playa-Paraiso-spa-complex.jpg?width=845" /></a></p><p><em>by <a href="http://www.tripatini.com/profile/DavidPaulAppell" target="_blank">David Paul Appell</a></em><a href="http://passportto.iberostar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Temazcal-ceremony-at-Iberostar-Playa-Paraiso-spa-complex.jpg"><br /> <br /></a> On my most recent visit to Iberostar’s ginormous Playa Paraíso <strong>spa facilities</strong> on Mexico’s <strong>Riviera Maya</strong> below Cancun, I decided to take a more in-depth look at the modern, elegant spa used by guests at all five resorts here. Situated at the back of the quaint town-plaza-style resort shopping center, it’s an impressive two-story affair open 365 days of the year, with 25 shower-equipped treatment rooms, each of which is identified by a mysterious-sounding Maya name (don’t worry, they’re also numbered!); a large saltwater pool; a battery of <strong>hydrotherapy </strong>whirlpools of different temperature; and good-size <strong>wet and dry saunas, </strong>as well as the usual hairdresser and mani-pedi services. But what really sets this spa facility apart is what’s right out back: a pair of low, round, domed cement structures reminiscent of a Navajo hogan or a Mongolian yurt. These are <em>temazcales</em>, Maya sweat lodges, available with 48 hours’ advance reservation and presided over by native shamans (see above). Spa receptionist <strong>Pablo Soberano</strong>, 29, was kind enough to both show me around the place and sit for an interview.<br /> <br /> <strong>Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from, and how long have you been doing this?<br /></strong> I’m from Chiapas and moved to Cancun 10 years ago. I started my Iberostar career working as a spa valet.<br /> <br /> <strong>What are the spa’s most popular treatments?<br /></strong> No question about it: the <em>envoltura de chocolate</em> (chocolate wrap), which is wonderful for hydrating the skin while smelling rich and chocolaty (sorry, it’s not edible!). It’s especially popular with women, while for the guys, I guess it’s no surprise that we get more demand for the tequila wrap, which is both hydrating and reinvigorating (and no, we don’t pour a bottle of booze over you – it’s based on distilled essence of tequila). As for massage, the most popular is deep-tissue.<br /><br /><strong>Is the temazcal also fairly popular?<br /></strong>To a certain degree, yes, but it does require more setup and organization, as we have to make arrangements to bring in the outside shaman; because of that, we generally aim to get a group or at least a couple. But we’ve had people who’ve found it a life-changing experience, they’ve not only come out physically invigorated, but also spiritually, thanks to the shaman’s chanting. The usual session is about two hours, broken up by cold showers right outside, but it depends on the time of year, the weather and temperature.<br /><br /><strong>We’re all stressed out these days. What do you recommend to clients who want to de-stress?<br /></strong>We get that all the time. We recommend that our stressed clients start out with some hydrotherapy in the various pools, followed by a deep-tissue massage. It always makes my day when I see a client leave the spa looking refreshed, like a new person.<br /><br /><strong>What do you like most about your job?<br /></strong>Like I said, seeing our clients leave the spa glowing and relaxed, and sometimes downright transformed. That, plus the contact with so many different kinds of people every day, learning a little bit about them and their lives. I truly love my job, and am looking forward to sticking around for a long time to come.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em><span class="font-size-1">This post is adapted from one that originally ran on our blog <a href="http://passportto.iberostar.com/" target="_blank">PassportToIberostar</a>.</span></em><br /><br /></p></div>
Leukerbad, Switzerland: Top Dining, Spa and Outdoors Lovers' Paradise
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/leukerbad-top-dining-spa-and-outdoor-lovers-paradise
2015-09-07T11:30:00.000Z
2015-09-07T11:30:00.000Z
Steve Mirsky
https://tripatini.com/members/SteveMirsky
<div><p><a target="_blank" href="http://gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/leukerbad2-225x300.jpg"><img class="align-left" src="http://gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/leukerbad2-225x300.jpg?width=225" width="225" alt="leukerbad2-225x300.jpg?width=225" /></a></p><p>High above the
<a href="http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/rhone-valley-ch-vs-rhone.htm">Rhone Valley</a>, I tried not to look as the bus driver deftly navigated the monstrosity around hairpin turns ever climbing. But there’s a thing about precipices where only a 2 foot high metal guardrail separates you from a vertical drop hundreds of feet into a rock encrusted ravine…it’s terrifying but ever so scenic! In this way, terror and enthrallment propelled my journey ever upward…how far was anybody’s guess…through the clouds? At 4593 feet, I reached
<a href="http://www.leukerbad.ch/en/welcome.cfm">Leukerbad</a>, a Swiss village remarkably nestled in a valley of its own surrounded by peaks reaching even further to the sky.</p><h4>Spa Culture</h4><p><br /> Best known as the largest spa resort in the Swiss Alps, spa culture really took root in Leukerbad during the 1500s although the history of thermal springs in Leukerbad dates back to Roman-Helvetian times. Despite avalanche destruction, public baths (Volksheilbad), a proud tradition still in place today was established in 1556. Water fed by glacier melt from the Torrent filters 3000 meters in the Torrent massif before emerging as thermal water in Leukerbad, the largest outflow being in the St. Lorenzquelle town square. Centuries ago people were already aware of the therapeutic effects of thermal water making what was then an arduous journey along a mule trail to relax and recuperate in the mineral springs. To this day, 3.9 million liters flow from these springs feeding 30 thermal pools at 51 degrees Celsius which are then cooled to 34-36 degrees Celsius for optimal soaking. 4 Spa facilities are open to the public at all times. 2 of my favorites are the
<a href="http://www.lindner.de/en/LHAT/">Linder Alpentherme</a> wellness temple featuring both an indoor & outdoor thermal pool, a Roman-Irish bath, and a Valais sauna village while the
<a href="http://www.burgerbad.ch/en/welcome.cfm">Burgerbad</a>, the largest thermal spa resort in the Alps has 10 pools with amenities like slides and wading</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/burgerbad.jpg"><img class="align-right" src="http://gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/burgerbad.jpg?width=275" width="275" alt="burgerbad.jpg?width=275" /></a></p><p>pools for the children. You’re in luck if you happen to be visiting when the Burgerbad hosts their monthly in-spa champagne breakfast complete with floating trays as you soak in the mineral baths. This unique feature actually originated out of necessity in the early days when doctors prescribed day-long soaks to their patients.</p><h4>Top Dining</h4><p><br /> Leukerbad is all about healthy eating with many dishes made using local ingredients like black nose lamb, alpine herbs, mountain rye, and seasonal vegetables. High above the village on the Gemmi Pass,
<a href="http://www.gemmi.ch/en/highlights/mountain-hotel-wildstrubel/panoramarestaurant/">Restaurant Wildstrubel</a> and its accompanying Hotel caters to the outdoor enthusiast with quick and hearty meals prepared from scratch. Views from the dining areas, especially out on their cliff side patio majestically showcase Leukerbad far below with the Valais Alps defining the horizon. I was able to visit the kitchen to see just how the staggering variety of Rosti plates along with fresh baked pastry are prepared.<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RD1dajE9Lco?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><p>At the moment,
<a href="http://www.lessourcesdesalpes.com/index.html">Hotel Les Sources des Alpes</a> is Leukerbad’s only 5-star hotel although manager Pierre Berclaz would like to see that change in the future. “Competition at this level would actually be good for business because it attracts more discerning visitors expecting higher-end amenities and exacting service." To a certain extent, that’s already happening with the
<a href="http://51degrees.ch/">51 Degree project</a> which promises 30 residential suites, many of them with their own in-room spas. But no matter where you’re staying in the village, you can enjoy this hotel’s regal experience by dining in the on site
<a href="http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/restaurant-la-malvoisie.html">Restaurant La Malvoisie</a> specializing in French Fusion dishes although the chef's talents particularly shine through in spur of the moment creativity like arranging a drink mixed table side from scratch.<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rHmPdRmqh9U?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe></p><h4>Great Outdoors</h4><p><br /> Surrounded by all this high altitude terrain, prime opportunities for skiing and hiking simply can't be missed. <a href="http://www.torrent.ch/en/welcome.cfm">The Torrent
</a> Ski area alone boasts over 50 km of trails reaching as high as 8563 feet with the most challenging descent of 3035 feet. An added bonus is spectacular views of the surrounding Valais peaks towering over 13123 feet. At times it can be difficult to focus on the terrain underfoot without gaping into the distance.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/wildstrubel-300x225.jpg"><img class="align-left" src="http://gastrotraveling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/wildstrubel-300x225.jpg?width=300" width="300" alt="wildstrubel-300x225.jpg?width=300" /></a></p><p>Towering 7710 feet over Leukerbad, the
<a href="http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/gemmi-pass-the-steepest-stretch-on-the-mountain-train.html">Gemmi Pass</a> offers a wide range of excitement from high alpine ski tours, 11 miles of cross country ski trails, groomed winter hiking trails, toboggan runs, and extensive snowshoe trails. Other activities include whizzing down the mountain on monster scooters and paragliding.</p><p>A steep (almost vertical at times) gondola ride wisks you from the village of Leukerbad to the Gemmi Pass where you’ll have ample mountain views from the Wildstrubel restaurant’s sun terrace before hiking along the shores of Lake Dauben to Kandersteg. The terrace was recently extended with a dizzying new viewing platform. The steel construction juts out 32 feet over the edge while its open grid flooring and diagonal glass walls afford incredible views of the valley below. And for the more adventurous, the steepest via ferrata (steep mountain path equipped with fixed cables, ladders, and bridges) in Switzerland awaits.
</p><blockquote><em>Photos courtesy of Steve Mirsky and Leukerbad Tourism. Videos courtesy of Steve Mirsky</em></blockquote></div>
Berkeley and the Claremont Resort & Spa Provide the Perfect San Francisco Sojourn
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/berkeley-and-the-claremont-resort-and-spa-provides-the-perfect
2012-04-16T16:32:10.000Z
2012-04-16T16:32:10.000Z
Nicholas Kontis
https://tripatini.com/members/NicholasKontis
<div><p><a href="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-20112.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6183" alt="" src="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-20112.jpg" width="1024" height="768" /></a></p><p> </p><p>Getaway at the Claremont Resort & Spa</p><p>Sometimes, we all need an escape from the big city. Cross the Bay Bridge from San Francisco and enter another world. The home of the University of California at Berkeley is more than just a college town. For a perfect getaway head to the Claremont Resort and Spa in the Berkeley Hills, but actually situated in Oakland, on the Oakland, Berkeley boarder.</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-2011.side-view-front.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6186" alt="" src="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-2011.side-view-front.jpg" width="1024" height="768" /></a></p><p> </p><p>The historic hotel opened in 1915 and is known as one of the top ten spas in the U.S. and a great place to relax and rejuvenate. Unwind at the Claremont pool. Treat yourself to a lavender massage. Be pampered by the gracious Claremont Staff.</p><p> </p><p><img alt="" src="http://www.paragonrestaurant.com/public/images/home.jpg" width="625" height="500" /></p><p> </p><p>Dine at the Paragon Restaurant and catch a sunset with spectacular views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-2011.Pool_.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6188" alt="" src="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-2011.Pool_.jpg" width="800" height="600" /></a></p><p> </p><p>Spend your day relaxing by the pool surrounded by the Berkeley Hills</p><p></p><p>TWO BERKELEY MUST EATS</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-2011-Zacherys-Pizza.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6189" alt="" src="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-2011-Zacherys-Pizza.jpg" width="1024" height="768" /></a></p><p> </p><p>Zachery's Pizza is a slice of heaven on Earth. The Berkeley-Oakland, Chicago Pizzeria serves some the best deep dish pizza this side of Chicago. 100% employee owned. Zach's has been serving up both deep dish and thin crust pizza since 1983. So good even this native San Franciscan is willing to the short jaunt for a taste of "Pizza Nirvana."</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-2011-Zacherys-Pizza-Deep-Dish.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6190" alt="" src="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-2011-Zacherys-Pizza-Deep-Dish.jpg" width="800" height="600" /></a></p><p> </p><p>De-licous , Try the deep dish, Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom. I've died and gone to pizza heaven.</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-2011-ICI-Ice-Cream.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6191" alt="" src="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-Aug-2011-ICI-Ice-Cream.jpg" width="1024" height="768" /></a></p><p> </p><p>Also right down the road from the Claremont is another East Bay treat. Pay a visit Ici (ee ss) Ice Cream. As Ici is to ice cream what Zachery's is to Pizza. Handmade, certified organic ice creams, sorbets, candies, cookies and more for your sweet tooth. Worried if your ice cream is fresh? Need not to worry at Ici. The line goes half way up the block. If you’re not an ice cream person, you will be after a visit to Ici. Try the Brandied Cherry ice cream , or take a nostalgic trip in time and order a tasty root beer float.</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-and-the-entrance.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6194" alt="" src="http://trip.worldtravellist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Claremont-Nick-and-the-entrance.jpg" width="800" height="600" /></a></p><p>A heated pool surrounded by trees and foliage, a relaxing massage, a spectacular view of the San Francisco skyline as the sun sets over the Bay with a rib eye and a glass of Chateau Montelena Cabernet. Award winning pizza and ice cream.</p><p> </p><p>By Nick Kontis , Founder of the World Travel List , <a href="http://trip.worldtravellist.com">http://trip.worldtravellist.com</a></p><p>Nick Kontis started out as a world traveler at an early age traveling back and forth between California to Greece every summer. But it was a back packing trip around the world at age 24 that proved to be a life changing experience. After traveling by car, train, , plane, bike and, boat around the world, it would be this trip of a lifetime that would lead to a life as a travel entrepreneur and world traveler. Nick has been on both radio and television. Featured on Arthur Frommer’s television show, and referred by Lonely Planet writers. Frequently mentioned as the “father of around the world airfares” Arthur Frommer once said, “If Jules Verne were alive today he would use Nick to go around the world in 80 days.” Nick and his various travel companies have sent over 10,000 people taking their dream trip through airfare discounts of as much as 50% off the airlines published fares. Now Nick promotes travel through his World Travel List and ‘Trip Rambler’ by World Travel List. Having traveled to over 80 countries Nick hopes to inspire others to travel the world.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div>
Experiencing Perfect CHI, the Spa at Malaysia's Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/perfect-chi-in-malaysia
2012-03-14T13:38:50.000Z
2012-03-14T13:38:50.000Z
Sandra & John Scott
https://tripatini.com/members/SandraJohnScott
<div><p style="text-align:center;"><br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008688885,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008688885,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="266" height="190" alt="9008688885?profile=original" /></a></p><p>The beautiful Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort just outside of Kota Kinabalu has an incredible spa. CHI, the Spa at Shangri-La draws inspiration from the origins of the Shangri-La legend, a place of personal peace, enchantment and well-being. CHI offers a unique spa design concept. It is a stand-alone "spa village" connected to the hotel via a private causeway. Each of the eight villas has its own herbal steam room, spacious relaxation area and private changing room. A private yoga pavilion with a deck extending out over the South China Sea offers spectacular sunset views. Traditional Borneo treatments on the spa menu are plant-based in nature, energy aware and reflect the multi-cultural heritage of the region.</p><p> </p><p>The award-winning CHI follows traditional Chinese philosophy, <em>"chi"</em> or <em>"Qi"</em> - the universal life force that governs wellbeing and personal vitality. For people to maintain good health, it is believed that <em>"chi"</em> must flow freely within the body.</p><p> </p><p>Consider the spa’s “Paradise Found” package, an indulgent experience that includes Relaxation Aroma Bath Therapy, Revitalizing Essential wrap, CHI Balance Signature Massage and CHI Facial. They offer a full menu of wellness massages, body scrubs, body wraps, facial treatments, along with hand and foot care. Enjoy their complimentary group yoga and Tai Chi lessons or schedule a private lesson for a modest fee. For more information check <a href="http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/kotakinabalu/tanjungaruresort">www.shangri-la.com/en/property/kotakinabalu/tanjungaruresort</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.examiner.com/destinations-travel-in-national/experiencing-perfect-chi-the-spa-at-shangri-la-tanjung-aru-resort" target="_blank">http://www.examiner.com/destinations-travel-in-national/experiencing-perfect-chi-the-spa-at-shangri-la-tanjung-aru-resort</a> </p></div>
Get Rid of Jet Lag in the Quan Spa at Hong Kong's SkyCity Marriott
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/get-rid-of-jet-lag-at-the-quan-spa-at-hong-kong-skycity-marriott
2012-02-20T18:08:14.000Z
2012-02-20T18:08:14.000Z
Sandra & John Scott
https://tripatini.com/members/SandraJohnScott
<div><p></p><p style="text-align:center;"> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008678894,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008678894,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="278" height="248" alt="9008678894?profile=original" /></a></p><p>After a long flight to Hong Kong take the free shuttle to the SkyCity Marriott just a few minutes from the Hong Kong airport on Lantau Island. Make an appointment at the Marriott’s Quan Spa for a Foot Reflex Massage to get the circulation back in your legs after the long flight. Have a great meal in one of their fine-dining establishments and a good night’s rest then reserve one of the spa’s other therapies. Then you will be ready for all that Lantau Island and Hong Kong have to offer.</p><p> </p><p>Quan Spa knows that through the ages, the search for an elusive elixir to eternal youth and vitality can be found in a simple and abundant natural element – water. Water is the source of all life, the answer to our quest for a life of health, wellness and energy. For the ultimate rejuvenating experience try their Renew Treatment, a total body therapy that begins with a Pacific Rainshower Ritual that gently scrubs and messages under soothing jets of the Vichy Rainshower. After the refreshing and renewing shower, chose either an Aroma Fusion Massage or one of their 60-minute facials.</p><p> </p><p>The Quan Spa offers a full menu including massages, body warps, body scrubs, face therapies, waxing, and special treatments for children, along with hand and nail therapies. Quan Spa at Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel, located at the city’s international gateway, Hong Kong International Airport. It provides locals with a haven of escape from the frenetic pace of urban life and visitors with the opportunity to recover from or prepare for, the effects of long distance travel. Quan’s core philosophy of health through water is now delivered with active organics to make Quan truly, your source of rejuvenation.</p><p><a href="http://www.skycitymarriott.com/">www.skycitymarriott.com/<br /><br /></a><a href="http://http//www.examiner.com/destinations-travel-in-national/get-rid-of-jet-lag-at-the-quan-spa-at-hong-kong-skycity-marriott-s" target="_blank">http://http://www.examiner.com/destinations-travel-in-national/get-rid-of-jet-lag-at-the-quan-spa-at-hong-kong-skycity-marriott-s</a><a href="http://www.skycitymarriott.com/"> </a></p></div>
Easy Thailand Travel: Chiang Mai
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/easy-thailand-travel-chiang
2013-05-01T11:30:00.000Z
2013-05-01T11:30:00.000Z
Judy Wells
https://tripatini.com/members/JudyWells
<div><p>Chiang Mai, Thailand, is known for its elephants, tigers, resorts, parasols, temples, hill tribes and mountains.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:13px;">So what's in it for Levelers? All of the above and more.</span></p><p><i><font size="2"><br /> Old city gates</font></i></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S838G5bv4XI/AAAAAAAABFs/CEK-FRa6CkI/s1600/IMG_3365.JPG" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S838G5bv4XI/AAAAAAAABFs/CEK-FRa6CkI/s320/IMG_3365.JPG" border="0" height="240" width="320" alt="IMG_3365.JPG" /></a></p><p>Start with Chiang Mai which means "new city" despite its being 700 years old. Once capital of the Lanna ("a million rice fields") Kingdom and center <span style="font-size:13px;">of Buddhism in northern Thailand it is now the country's second largest. </span><span style="font-size:13px;">For many years it was accessible only by river or elephant. A railway </span><span style="font-size:13px;">line wasn't finished until the late 1920's.</span></p><p></p><p><b><font color="#CC0000">Tip:</font></b> Arriving by plane today is a breeze. Although you will have to walk down the stairway and across the tarmac, the airport is blissfully small <span style="font-size:13px;">and no long hikes are required to get from the plane to your luggage to </span><span style="font-size:13px;">a car and driver.</span></p><p></p><p>A short drive gets you to the heart of Chiang Mai. The city is in a river valley and thus flat, though ground and pavement are often uneven. Stop before you gawk.</p><p></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S838Zx-Cv0I/AAAAAAAABF0/Aj7wrJMsDJk/s1600/IMG_3544.JPG" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S838Zx-Cv0I/AAAAAAAABF0/Aj7wrJMsDJk/s320/IMG_3544.JPG" border="0" height="240" width="320" alt="IMG_3544.JPG" /></a></p><p>English is not as prevalent as in Bangkok but you won't have much trouble getting around. Most visitors come via tours or book them once they <span style="font-size:13px;">arrive and prices are reasonable.</span></p><p></p><p><i><font size="2">Shangri-La</font></i></p><p></p><p><b>Hotels in Chiang Mai</b></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S838rlyfWBI/AAAAAAAABF8/DHtbhgASWkU/s1600/IMG_3686.JPG" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S838rlyfWBI/AAAAAAAABF8/DHtbhgASWkU/s320/IMG_3686.JPG" border="0" height="240" width="320" alt="IMG_3686.JPG" /></a></p><p><font size="2"><i>RarinJinda Wellness Spa &amp; Resort</i></font></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S83_D-FFpNI/AAAAAAAABGM/G72XmeTI1qM/s1600/IMG_3209.jpg" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S83_D-FFpNI/AAAAAAAABGM/G72XmeTI1qM/s320/IMG_3209.jpg" border="0" height="320" width="240" alt="IMG_3209.jpg" /></a></p><p><i><font size="2">Four Seasons</font></i></p><p>They range from small, no stars but clean to elegant, architecturally dramatic resorts. I stayed at the beautiful <b>Shangri-La,</b> which is in the heart of the city with an ATM across the street and the popular night market three blocks away. Also downtown is the <b>RarinJinda Wellness Spa Resort</b> with a delightful wellness spa and elevators to facilitate going from one floor to another.</p><p></p><p><b><font color="#CC0000">Warning:</font></b> The <b>Ratilanna Hotel</b> has a lovely spot on the river as well as a spa and a huge pool but I can't recommend it to Levelers because of the many sets of stairs. Also <span style="font-size:13px;">afflicted with stairs is the</span> <b style="font-size:13px;">Four Seasons Resort</b> <span style="font-size:13px;">outside of Chiang Mai but the ambiance and the cooking school are worth the effort (20 steps to the stairs).</span></p><p>Wherever you stay, there are a variety of fascinating and nearby side trips to take.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><b>Temples and monks</b></p><p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAj2WRG_UI/AAAAAAAABT8/CR6MkyYWtLo/s1600/IMG_3467.jpg" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAj2WRG_UI/AAAAAAAABT8/CR6MkyYWtLo/s200/IMG_3467.jpg" border="0" height="200" width="150" alt="IMG_3467.jpg" /></a>Don't miss the main temples, most within easy and flat walking distance from the market (which you also do not want to miss; very photogenic)).</p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAkFmrdsxI/AAAAAAAABUE/2pV_2HhtLCI/s1600/IMG_3440.jpg" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAkFmrdsxI/AAAAAAAABUE/2pV_2HhtLCI/s320/IMG_3440.jpg" border="0" height="320" width="240" alt="IMG_3440.jpg" /></a></p><p></p><p>It's easy to appreciate the devotion to detail in these interesting structures and to photograph it because they are blissfully free of<br /> tourist throngs.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAkWvhBx_I/AAAAAAAABUM/dTMOMb50aXU/s1600/IMG_3468.jpg" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAkWvhBx_I/AAAAAAAABUM/dTMOMb50aXU/s320/IMG_3468.jpg" border="0" height="320" width="240" alt="IMG_3468.jpg" /></a></p><p>After you have toured the most interesting temples - and there are many - find out what a Buddhist monk's life is like and why it's chosen at the <span style="font-size:13px;">Lanna Campus of Mahamakut Buddhist University.</span></p><p></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAkkp4P45I/AAAAAAAABUU/xmduhHF7uMY/s1600/IMG_3487.JPG" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAkkp4P45I/AAAAAAAABUU/xmduhHF7uMY/s320/IMG_3487.JPG" border="0" height="240" width="320" alt="IMG_3487.JPG" /></a></p><p>The innovative program <b>Monk Chat</b> allows visitors to meet young monks and learn about their religion and practices while giving the young men an opportunity to practice and <span style="font-size:13px;">improve their English.</span></p><p></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAktrgzMJI/AAAAAAAABUc/C5K2M2lG4c0/s1600/IMG_3483.jpg" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAktrgzMJI/AAAAAAAABUc/C5K2M2lG4c0/s320/IMG_3483.jpg" border="0" height="320" width="240" alt="IMG_3483.jpg" /></a></p><p>I spent about 20 minutes talking to Psra Sam, a young novice, about his background and activities, a very interesting experience.</p><p></p><p><b><font color="#CC0000">Warning:</font></b> Novices and monks are not allowed to be touched by any female so be careful. No hugs or handshakes from normally demonstrative Americans please.</p><p></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAlAH6rFyI/AAAAAAAABUk/hYWP0X-qNBU/s1600/IMG_3557.jpg" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAlAH6rFyI/AAAAAAAABUk/hYWP0X-qNBU/s320/IMG_3557.jpg" border="0" height="320" width="240" alt="IMG_3557.jpg" /></a></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><b>Pachyderm love</b></p><p>I dare you to visit <b>The National Thai Elephant Conservation Center</b> and not fall in love with these remarkable beings. I say beings because their actions and emotions so often mirror our own.</p><p></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAlL9EYpwI/AAAAAAAABUs/8r8RKIdZ00U/s1600/IMG_3580.jpg" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAlL9EYpwI/AAAAAAAABUs/8r8RKIdZ00U/s320/IMG_3580.jpg" border="0" height="320" width="240" alt="IMG_3580.jpg" /></a></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAlYA1_hlI/AAAAAAAABU0/tvbANmivRzE/s1600/IMG_3630.JPG" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/TIAlYA1_hlI/AAAAAAAABU0/tvbANmivRzE/s200/IMG_3630.JPG" border="0" height="150" width="200" alt="IMG_3630.JPG" /></a></p><p>Take a ride, watch them swim and play in the lake, paint pictures that you can purchase, show off their logging skills and see how elephant poo<br /> paper is made. No joke. It's neat - and sanitary - stuff!</p><p></p><p><b><font color="#CC0000">Tip:</font></b> There are several opportunities in the Chiang Mai area to get up close and personal with elephants, but I recommend this one. It is less<br /> touristy, your money goes to support responsible practices and the<br /> experience is far superior to the tourist traps most tours favor.</p><p></p><p></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S83_ehfh_NI/AAAAAAAABGU/SlnlLk8WZIo/s1600/IMG_3149.jpg" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S83_ehfh_NI/AAAAAAAABGU/SlnlLk8WZIo/s320/IMG_3149.jpg" border="0" height="320" width="240" alt="IMG_3149.jpg" /></a></p><p></p><p><b>Parasols and tigers</b></p><p>Photographers will have a field day <b>Bor Sang</b>, known to all as Parasol Village, because that's the major product. Either as a cottage industry supplying the basic structures or in a<br /> "factory," where the finished products are created in an assembly line <span style="font-size:13px;">or sorts, the colorful images are addictive to picture takers.</span></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S83_szEi7pI/AAAAAAAABGc/iR6i9XKPXNY/s1600/IMG_3153.jpg" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S83_szEi7pI/AAAAAAAABGc/iR6i9XKPXNY/s320/IMG_3153.jpg" border="0" height="320" width="247" alt="IMG_3153.jpg" /></a></p><p>Who knew how complex these familiar objects could be?</p><p></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S83_7HeUZaI/AAAAAAAABGk/eIaxtgrUzZE/s1600/IMG_3185.jpg" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S83_7HeUZaI/AAAAAAAABGk/eIaxtgrUzZE/s320/IMG_3185.jpg" border="0" height="320" width="240" alt="IMG_3185.jpg" /></a></p><p>Then we lunched at <b>Tiger Kingdom</b> where visitors can pet tigers and have fish eat their feet.</p><p></p><p>No joke. We drive in, walk up some stairs to the main building and its restaurant and there are enclosures separated by electrified wires.<br /> Inside are tigers - sleeping, wading in a pool, using a huge tree trunk <span style="font-size:13px;">as a scratching post - and people, tourists posing with the tigers and </span><span style="font-size:13px;">photographers taking their pictures.</span></p><p></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S84AJDTY0EI/AAAAAAAABGs/BC9Ohs9WlLs/s1600/IMG_3186.JPG" style="clear:left;float:left;margin-bottom:1em;margin-right:1em;"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S84AJDTY0EI/AAAAAAAABGs/BC9Ohs9WlLs/s320/IMG_3186.JPG" border="0" height="240" width="320" alt="IMG_3186.JPG" /></a></p><p>Does the phrase Siegfried and Roy come to your mind? It did to mine. I know big cats, like a lot of smaller ones, sleep about 18 hours a day and <span style="font-size:13px;">when well fed don't bother to hunt, but I had to wonder what kind of</span><br /> lotus blossoms these felines were fed.</p><p></p><p>There's a sliding scale of cost - about $10 to go inside with the tigers for 15 minutes to about $28 to have a professional photographer take 50-100 <span style="font-size:13px;">shots to record your interactions with the beasts and download them to a </span><span style="font-size:13px;">CD - if you're interested.</span></p><p></p><p class="separator" style="clear:both;text-align:center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S84AVp93TvI/AAAAAAAABG0/in3sFyNTVOQ/s1600/IMG_3191.JPG" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em;"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_STyCJu_36Lg/S84AVp93TvI/AAAAAAAABG0/in3sFyNTVOQ/s320/IMG_3191.JPG" border="0" height="240" width="320" alt="IMG_3191.JPG" /></a></p><p>Then there are the flesh-eating fish. Fish "spas" are the big thing in Chiang Mai these days. You sit on a bench and put your feet into tanks <span style="font-size:13px;">of the garra species of what look like minnows that procede to nibble </span><span style="font-size:13px;">away the dead skin and, according to the hype, rejuvenate the skin and </span><span style="font-size:13px;">make healthier, happier feet. This costs about $5.</span></p><p></p><p>My pals and I resisted temptation but one colleague tried it later at the night market and said it was great.</p><p></p><p>Good for him. I couldn't keep Siegfried and Roy from flashing through my consciousness.</p><p></p></div>
Mud, Stones and Seaweed: Washington State's Chrysalis Inn and Spa
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/chrysalis-inn-washington-state
2016-05-06T11:00:00.000Z
2016-05-06T11:00:00.000Z
Allen Cox
https://tripatini.com/members/AllenCox
<div><p><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008536684,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" style="float:right;" />This first in my series of blog posts about extraordinary places and experiences in the Pacific Northwest aptly features common elements found on any Northwest beach—mud, stones and seaweed. But these elements are rarely put to such elegant use as by the pros at Chrysalis Inn and Spa with its exhaustive menu of treatments.<br /> <br /> <b>Mud.</b> Check in and schedule a favorite among Chrysalis guests—the Rhassoul Mud Ritual—the ancient ultimate in pampering and head-to-toe beautification from the Middle East that will have even your hair follicles sighing "ahhhh!" You'll be aromatherapied, lotioned, hosed, slathered in imported Moroccan mud, baked like a clay pot, cracked open, hosed again and massaged.<br /> <br /> <b>Stones.</b> Perhaps you simply wish to get stoned during your stay. The Chrysalis' Hot Stone Massage will put you in the pamper zone with trails of hot basalt rejuvenating both body and spirit.<br /> <br /> <b>Seaweed.</b> If you came to the Northwest to sample the bounty of the ocean's lush garden, but don't have sushi in mind, the magic combo of seaweed and heat applied in the Oceanic Detox Wrap will jumpstart your metabolism and have you feeling as fresh as a kelp forest.<br /> <br /> The Chrysalis' handsome marriage of beach lodge and artisan chic permeates every plank, beam and art piece throughout this boutique property, from the cozy lobby to the spa, restaurant and wine bar, and luxury rooms. Access to a shoreline trail and pedestrian pier is right outside the front door and, within strolling distance, you'll find a wide selection of restaurants and shops in the restored vintage Fairhaven Village. (Hungry? Try Flats, one of the best tapas bars outside Spain.)<br /> <br /> <b>More about Fairhaven:</b><br /> Fairhaven Village, one of the Northwest's original Victorian towns, now incorporated into Bellingham, is the southern terminus of the Alaska Ferry. Many passengers embarking or disembarking at Fairhaven find the Chrysalis Inn and Spa to be a welcome beginning or end to their Alaska adventure.<br /> <br /> <b>When You Go:</b><br /> Chrysalis Inn and Spa, <a href="http://www.thechrysalisinn.com" target="_blank">www.thechrysalisinn.com</a><br /> Flats Tapas Bar, <a href="http://www.flatstapas.com" target="_blank">www.flatstapas.com</a></p></div>
Medical Tourism in Costa Rica
https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/medical-tourism-in-costa-rica
2012-09-04T12:30:00.000Z
2012-09-04T12:30:00.000Z
Danny Solano Alvarez
https://tripatini.com/members/DannySolanoAlvarez
<div><p style="text-align:justify;"><span style="font-size:8pt;"><em><a href="https://www.clinicabiblica.com/images/noticias/hcb-msalud-0320.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="https://www.clinicabiblica.com/images/noticias/hcb-msalud-0320.jpg?profile=RESIZE_930x" width="750" alt="hcb-msalud-0320.jpg?profile=RESIZE_930x" /></a>Clínica Bíblica</em></span><br /><strong><br /><br />Costa Rica</strong> has a longstanding tradition of attracting holidaymakers around the world. Most of them have a craving for green, relaxing and adventure. However, people have recently discovered the undeniable fact that <strong>it has also become much more </strong>than an ecotourism destination.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">This country is nowadays a location where you can find proficient consultants than can provide you with high quality medical care at a small portion of cost than other places (e.g. United States, Canada and Europe). Year after year one can see the increasing number of tourist who comes here to get health services. Whilst in the developed countries there is a rise in medical care costs and a decrease in the medical coverage, the concept of travel and surgery has skyrocketed. In Costa Rica you can find <a title="Health tourism" href="http://www.valledoradotours.cr/en/what-to-do/health-tourism.html" target="_blank">excellent tour operators</a> that can give you a hand with finding the best facilities and surgeons.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">One important thing to highlight is that, in this case, good price doesn’t mean bad service. The ticos have an excellent reputation linked to the professionalism of their <strong>well-trained physicians and inexpensive procedures</strong>. Being well informed about the merits of your medical tourism destination options is the key to choosing the best location in which to be treated. You must consider many factors: the number of procedures performed by the staff; the number of English speakers in the team; the place where you will stay; sightseeing and comfort of your companions; the transit time; and the atmosphere of your recovery; etc.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Costa Rica’s geographical proximity to the US and Canada and relative inexpensive cost of elective surgeries plus its ecotourism opportunities has made the <strong>medical tourism a growing industry</strong>. Cosmetic surgery in Costa Rica can be at one third or one fifth of the cost of the same procedure overseas. All of this can be reached in an average four-hour flight.</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">Even though you can get different procedures in this Central America country, it is known for reconstructive and cosmetic surgeries. The most recognised are <strong>face lifts, tummy tucks and "smart lipo</strong>."</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;">One important factor in someone’s recovery process is scenery and in that respect Costa Rica is just plain tops, a tropical paradise. In fact you can’t make yourself an idea of how wonderful it looks like unless you see it yourself. That is why we invite you to visit our country and have a look by yourself. You will feel better by just <strong>breathing the local air</strong>!</p>
<p style="text-align:justify;"><br /> <em>by Andrés</em></p>
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