Making the lifelong commitment of marriage is a big step for many and often comes at a time when other life changing shifts are being set into place. One change, often adopted by both the bride and groom, in the months leading up to a wedding, is a healthier lifestyle. In supporting the team effort of health and wellness you’re mutually embarking on, why not consider a wellness resort for your engagement trip?
Wellness resorts, once frequented by only fitness fanatics or those looking to lose some serious weight, now have offerings for every traveler and they’re even focusing a bit on romance. So if you’re an adventuresome sporty couple seeking outdoor activities, an over indulgent couple needing a little kick start to your pre-wedding slim down routine or a busy couple who crave a little relaxation and one-on-one quality time, these wellness resorts should certainly be on your Engagement Trip radar. And don’t forget, they’re all located in breathtaking natural settings, so towards the end of your trip, when you’re feeling rested and revived, what better way to commemorate your engagement than having your engagement photos taken right here, on location!
Cal-a-Vie Health Spa – Vista, California, USA
Couples looking to spend a rejuvenating engagement getaway together have unlimited options at the casually luxurious Cal-a-Vie Health Spa. Starting their mornings together on a rigorous hike in the hills above the resort followed by mid day golf and late afternoon pampering at the spa, are just the beginning of the activities fit for the fit pair.
For those wanting measurable results prior to their big day, Cal-a-Vie has one of the most extensive fitness offerings and state of the art facilities of wellness resorts internationally. Offering include spinning, numerous Pilates programs and resistance training, along with personal trainers to guide you through the latest fitness trends and nutritionists to provide you with knowledge to maintain your new healthy lifestyle long after your wedding day.
Romance and partnership can be infused into many of the activities, as Cal-a-Vie keep couples as a major focus, giving them the option of taking their spa treatments together in private couples areas, enjoying a private Jacuzzi while at the spa and unique evening activities like private chef cooking classes for those foodie couples.
The French Provencal style of each villa creates the perfect, cozy romantic setting to wind down together at night and the beds are so comfortable you may choose to stay in for a few extra hours one day.
The Body Holiday – Castries, St. Lucia
Any resort with a slogan “Give us your body for a week and we’ll give you back your mind” should instantly resonate with those couples who are stressed out and overworked, feeling the weight of wedding planning on their shoulders.
The Body Holiday lives up to it’s slogan by being one of the top rated wellness resorts internationally, yet with their setting on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, it’s a very relaxed approach to wellness. The idea is all inclusive wellness, so you and your future spouse can experience one treatment daily from a limitless spa menu of wraps, scrubs, massages, facials and aromatherapy while still having the rest of your day to do as you please, partaking in water sports, fitness activities or just lounging around with your sweetheart in the shade of a palm tree.
Brides-to-be wanting a little extra glow for their wedding day can also take advantage of The Body Holiday’s Skincare Clinic, where they offer microdermabrasion and a multitude of aesthetic facial treatments.
If you’re a couple in search of a more regimented plan, whether it’s de-stressing, weight management or detox, the BodyScience programs offer a DNA based solutions to achieving your goals.
Hotel Spa Thermae Sylla – Edipsos, Greece
If you’re one of those couples who can’t get enough of the European charm, Hotel Spa Thermae Sylla is a great choice as a destination for a little pre-wedding wellness. Located in the quaint seaside village of Edipsos in central Greece, this boutique hotel, with it’s expansive spa facility, exudes old world luxury from the marble lobby to the romantically whimsical guest rooms. The town of Edipsos also has historical ties to wellness due to it’s thermal waters dating back to ancient times.
Morning sunrise yoga, on Thermae Sylla’s private pier is a great way for you and your fiancé to reconnect with each other and with nature, taking in the clear blue sea that surrounds you or the Northern Evia pine covered mountains in the distance. Indoors at the spa, their Thermal Mud Balneotherapy Total Body treatment is what the spa is famous for, so a must try. The thermal mud’s healing qualities will help alleviate any aches or pre-wedding stress related ailments, leaving you feeling rejuvenated and your skin baby soft for weeks.
When you’re not resting, relaxing or being pampered, the town of Edipsos and the other nearby fishing villages along the coast are perfect for boating, enjoying watersports or just lingering over late afternoon lunches and seaside strolls together home. Sometimes proving that a breath of fresh air, vitamin D and a little love is the best solution for wellness.
Chiva Som – Hua Hin, Thailand
When we think of spas and wellness, Thailand almost immediately comes to mind, producing many of the top therapists the world over, as culturally it must be in their blood, while hospitality for the Thai people comes in a close second. Combining the art of Thai wellness with hospitality, Chiva Som is the best of the best in Thailand, making it an obvious choice when you and your future hubby are in need of wellness.
Chiva Som has set the standard for wellness retreats worldwide for years, and most of the clientele are repeat guests, returning to this peaceful beachfront resort on the Gulf of Thailand, for one of their beloved programs, like the Art of Detox, Inner Peace or Yoga For Life, not to mention the phenomenal, award winning spa cuisine, so popular with the guests that the resort chefs have created a cookbook of their healthy favorites.
As first time guests, couples can best experience a variety of daily spa treatments with different focuses and results, along with unlimited fitness and relaxation activities via the A Taste of Chiva Som retreat. If specific fitness goals are on your engagement trip agenda, the Fitness or Weight Management retreats can help you achieve those perfectly sculpted shoulders for your princess cut wedding gown, or get your groom into that slim fit Armani tuxedo.
Brides and grooms wanting extreme results, with a less romantic approach, can extended their stay at Chiva Som to include a visit to their medi-spa, Niranlada, which offers the latest in international cosmetic medicine with all US trained and board certified Dermatologists and Cosmetic Surgeons conducting the procedures. Whether you want a romantic de-stressing getaway with your spouse-to-be or a total body overhaul, Chiva Som can deliver both, all while being surrounded by the natural Thai paradise.
CREDITS
Article written by: Travel Expert, Amy Jarczynski, based on her original travels and documented on JetsetterGypsy.com