One of my favorite urban spas is the Ummelina International Day Spa on Fourth Avenue in Seattle. Its Asian-influenced décor, soothing complimentary foot baths, tea offerings, incredible shower rooms and attentive aestheticians make any visit a treat. Now Ummelina has moved to the country — wine country. I can’t wait to check out the new…
The Aerie Resort & Spa is one of the loveliest destinations on Vancouver Island. Located 30 minutes from British Columbia’s capital city of Victoria, the resort rises 1,500 feet above the Pacific Ocean, and its mountainside setting is serene any time of year. The resort was recently named as Travel + Leisure magazine’s Best Hotel…
One of my favorite gifts is a getaway. In this case, think spring and summer! Hastings House Country House Hotel on Salt Spring Island and the Wedgewood Hotel & Spa in Vancouver have paired up to lure food lovers for a decadent three-night getaway at two of my favorite hotels. It’s simply called the Town…
Autumn and early winter are ideal times to cozy up in the Pacific Northwest. Whether poking around the shops and galleries of the small, artsy seaside town of Langley or watching the waves roll in on the wild side of Vancouver Island, snag a long weekend and chill. Here are six inns and lodges that…
If you’ve just won the Lottery, have inherited a bundle from Uncle George, or just happen to have a surplus of cash and love luxury travel, consider splurging a bit at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London’s stylish Knightbridge district. Their $40,000 package includes: • A two-night stay in a suite that accommodates up…
Sometimes a story really needs pictures. And in the case of Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, I’ve decided that more is better. Salt Spring is the largest and most populated of BC’s Gulf Islands. But don’t let that fool you. With only 12,000+ permanent residents, you’re not going to feel crowded. It’s a bucolic paradise,…
Walk into the Oxford Hotel in Denver’s Lower Downtown (“LoDo”) and take a step back in time. Settle into the legendary Cruise Room bar and be transported back about 70 years to the Art Deco era when architectural lines were clean and cocktails were classic. Leave the bar and cross into the grand lobby to…
The Raffles Resort Canouan Island, located on Canouan Island in the heart of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean, is set on 300 acres of a 1,200 acre private estate. The resort features three secluded white sand beaches, all surrounded by one of the world’s largest coral reefs. The new Raffles Resort is set around…
Sweet, savory, spicy or fruity: Canadian spas have come up with treatments that tease the taste buds, but work from the outside in to heal, polish and nurture your skin: • At Summit Lodge’s Taman Sari Spa in Whistler, B.C., the Royal Javanese combo includes a head-to-toe Javanese massage, Lulur herbal/spice body scrub, scalp massage,…
Winter is still with us and it’s not too late to escape for a much-needed wellness getaway. Hotel Hana-Maui, located at the end of the famed Hana Highway on Maui, is offering an inviting Wellness Escape package. The package includes three nights’ luxury accommodations; daily breakfast for two in the dining room; four 60-minute standard…
The pleasure of having heavenly massages has been bestowed upon me several times. Among those are beachfront massages in Thailand and Jamaica as well as spa packages in numerous locations throughout the states. All have been nice, but there is one massage that stays foremost in my mind. Tobacon Hot Springs in Costa Rica. I…
Note: This is the final article in a week-long look at Czech Spas. For the really “tired and poor huddled masses,â€? there is a fantastic sounding Velichovky Spa’s Wellness Week for Women Program offered to those who believe that “to invest in their health is to invest in their well being and happinessâ€?… (Hey, can’t…