These aren’t remote retreats but hotels that have your wellbeing at the heart of its front desk
Staying fit and healthy on the road has become easier than ever. The options for a #fitcation are plentiful and no longer limited to remote stays where a digital detox and only low-carb, gluten-free fare are mandatory. With so many hotels amping up their fitness and wellness offerings, there’s no excuse to lapse in your fitness goals, even while you’re on a holiday.
BEST FOR SURFERS
The Byron at Byron
Female surf retreats aren’t a new thing but learning to get gnarly in luxury (and in pristine waters) remains a rarity. The Byron at Byron in New South Wales, Australia offers an all-female surf retreat and also private lessons with Rusty Miller (former 1965 USA champion) and his daughter Taylor – they are the only surf coaches licensed to teach at the world famous Pass Beach known for its aggressive breaks.
When you’re not getting amped out on the water, the fi ve-star resort has a range of other distractions (aside from their top notch spa): daily yoga classes, farm-to-plate cuisine and activities like a gin distillery tour, whale watching, hot air balloon rides and exploring the world’s largest amethyst cave. Plus it’s surrounded by 45 acres of rainforest so you can do a forest bath at leisure. If this isn’t a #fitcation to die for, we don’t know what is.
Rooms from AUD$440 (S$438) per night. Visit www.thebyronatbyron.com. au/the-resort for more information.
BEST FOR COUPLES
Banyan Tree Spa Sanctuary Phuket
Don’t wait for a special occasion to get in your best shape together. Mesh both your fi tness and wellness needs at the intimate 12 all-pool villa Banyan Tree Spa Sanctuary Phuket. Here, there are 50 diff erent activities (sound meditation, Thai boxing, naturopathy, posture alignment, muay thay and more) across a range of wellness and fi tness programmes (Body Awareness, Mindful Practices, Optimal Fitness and Lifestyle Enrichment) to choose for your own personalised couple down time.
The Sanctuary Wellbeing programme off ers the option to mix and match activities or to pre-select from one of four goal- oriented categories — New Wellbeing, Balanced Fitness, Mindful Awareness and Urban Detox. As an added plus, there are cultural activities organised like an interactive cooking class with local youths or a morning cycle through a local neighbourhood, and did we mention the stay includes unlimited in-villa massages?
From 23,040 baht (S$960) per night. Visit www.banyantree.com/en/thailand/ phuket-spa-sanctuary for more information
BEST FOR TENNIS NUTS
Amilla Fushi and Finolhu Resorts
For some, there’s only so much sun, sand and snorkeling to be done and when you’re “marooned” on an island, distractions of a more active nature can be a saving grace. Tennis enthusiasts staying at the Amilla Fushi or Finolhu resort in The Maldives don’t have to miss their weekly match. The in-house tennis programme makes available current or former international ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) players – they’ve hosted current world number four Alexander ‘Sascha’ Zverev for a special exhibition match and tennis clinic – for more than just a hit and giggle on fl oodlit synthetic grass courts. Services go beyond a typical private lesson; they’ll organise an intensive program for the duration of your stay, train up budding players and if you fancy challenging a real pro to a super tie break (and win), you may walk away with an additional session.
From US$1,589 (S$2,186) per night for Amilla Fushi. The Idyllic Escapes package includes daily breakfast and dinner, daily 90-minute activity (tennis, yoga or Bodyism) wellness dinner and detox spa treatment for two.
From US$750 per night (S$1,031) for Finolhu . The Born To Play package includes daily breakfast afternoon tea and dinner, a Maldives experience, sunset cruise, jet lag spa treatment per guest and other extras.
Visit www.amilla.mv and www.fi nolhu.com for more information.
BEST FOR BARRE ADDICTS
JW Marriott
Vacations and work trips are the biggest culprit when it comes to upsetting a regular fi tness routine. Luckily, hotel chains are taking action and bringing exercise options in-house, quite literally. JW Marriott makes its Behind the Barre, a collection of in-room exercise videos, available across its Asia Pacific and North America properties. Designed specifically for a guestroom environment, the videos taught by professional ballet dancers from Chicago’s The Joff rey Ballet, run between two and four minutes each, and take guests through a full-body barre method that incorporates core strength and stretching exercise. As a bonus (and added motivation), its Singapore property holds barre classes every Wednesday from 5.30pm to 6.15pm at one of its two sky gardens. The view comes in handy after that upteenth plie.
From $328 per night. Visit www.marriott.com/jw-marriott/well- being.mi for more information.
TEXT CHARLENE FANG
