5 wellness tips for your vacation

Whether you want to maintain your healthy lifestyle on vacation or try new fitness and nutrition options on the go: It’s never been easier to make wellness a priority while traveling. From refreshing cryotherapy facials to superfoods to stimulate intestinal flora, wellness techniques are now offered in hotels worldwide. Take the opportunity to try it out, experience the benefits on your own body and recharge your batteries. Here are five focuses – mindfulness, superfoods, fitness, cosmetics and technology – for the most cutting-edge wellness practices and the best hotels to check them out at.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is now considered one of the most sought-after wellness practices: It’s all about living fully in the moment. It’s great for experiencing travel in a particularly intense way, slowing things down and fully enjoying your vacation destination.

Many hotels already offer programs with professional practitioners, as well as workshops on breathing, yoga and spiritual energy. For example, yoga classes at Pine Cliffs Hotel, a Luxury Collection resort in the Algarve with a focus on harmony for the whole body in private, individual classes, as well as soothing spa treatments. These personalized retreats are suitable for both beginners and advanced yoga practitioners.

Located in Cairo, Egypt, Marriott Mena House is surrounded by lush parkland overlooking the Great Pyramids – the perfect backdrop for meditation, open-air yoga or enjoying a soothing herbal tea in the shade of these ancient monuments. The hotel’s sumptuous Saray Spa also offers regionally inspired treatments such as sea salt baths, Dead Sea facials and a milk and honey bath for the whole body – so you can feel like Queen Cleopatra herself.

Other recommendations for mindfulness-minded travelers include the Sheraton Grand Hotel& Spa in Edinburgh, whose rooftop hydro pool offers fabulous views of the Scottish capital, and the JW Marriott Venice Resort& Spa, an island resort offering outdoor yoga and fitness workshops in idyllic gardens just a short boat ride from the treasures of Venice.

Superfoods

Healthy food can also be delicious

Eating healthy isn’t so easy with unfamiliar dishes to try and tempting room service on the go. But with many hotels now responding to increased guest demand for diverse dining options – from vegan and vegetarian dishes to superfoods to stimulate gut flora – there’s no need at all to abandon your own healthy eating habits on vacation.

On Dubai’s glittering waterfront, the Bounty Beets restaurant at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort& Waterpark for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering a variety of organic, gluten-free and vegan dishes: From bowls with acaI berries to sweet potato gnocchi.

At South Africa’s African Pride Irene Country Lodge, Autograph Collection in Pretoria, all of the hotel’s fresh dairy products come directly from its own farm, which is very welcoming to hotel guests. Here you can not only taste and buy the certified raw milk products, but also feed the cows and watch them being milked. During calf season (September to November), you even have the opportunity to be present at a birth. The hotel’s amenities also include a day spa, running trails and safari hikes in the nearby reserve.

Sourcing food locally not only has benefits for our earth, it also ensures delicious, fresh and nutritious meals and supports regional communities. Chefs at Hotel Cala di Volpe, a Luxury Collection hotel on the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, and at Hotel Marques de Riscal, a Luxury Collection hotel in northern Spain, have developed seasonal menus completely focused on the region. Included are fresh sea specialties and oil made from hand-selected olives: This rich and nutritious fare is good for your body and the environment.

Fitness

Jogging is a great way to stay in shape

Active and adventurous travelers will find that an unfamiliar city can be wonderfully explored with a combination of running and sightseeing. Many hotels are meeting the demand for “sightrunning” After, in that running-friendly concierges are included in the fitness offerings, as are bike tours and water sports options.

At The Ritz-Carlton in Vienna, the hotel’s own running concierge takes guests out onto the famous Ring, where they can take a 40-minute run past the area’s most significant landmarks: Among them, the State Opera House and the Museum of Fine Arts. This is a particularly active familiarization tour of the city and a great way to get to know it on a short visit – or use it as an opportunity to get a workout in before more sedate sightseeing.

In Tel Aviv, a gentler sightseeing experience awaits you on a bicycle. This is a great city for cycling, with 136 km of specially designated cycle paths and wide boulevards. On the waterfront, you can breathe in the fresh Mediterranean air on a bike ride along the promenade that stretches from the Sheraton Tel Aviv to The Jaffa, a Luxury Collection hotel. The concierges at both hotels will be happy to arrange bike rentals and sightseeing maps for you.

You want to see Cape Town from a whole new perspective? Take a kayak tour on the sea: get started close to the AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront, where Cape Kayak Adventures takes guests out on the water to explore the South African coastline of Table Bay and enjoy unforgettable views of Signal Hill, Lion’s Head, Table Mountain and the 12 Apostles. Stay at The Westin Cape Town with its Heavenly Spa by Westin and experience heavenly views of the bay from the infinity pool.

Cosmetic

Spa treatments are something everyone should treat themselves to

From Middle Eastern hammam treatments to natural Mauritian massage oil, a country’s cosmetic rituals reveal much about its culture and are always a rewarding experience.

Indulge in organic ingredients and regional cosmetics at Hotel Arts Barcelona in Spain, whose spa treatments use skincare products from Spanish luxury brand Natura Bisse, and at the W Verbier, where high-end cosmetics from La Prairie and Phyto 5 are on offer.

In Oman, the spa at Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton hotel, offers skin-cleansing treatments, including hotel-branded organic scrubs with locally sourced Arabic coffee, cardamom, raw sugar and rose oil.

In Mauritius, pamper yourself at Le Meridien Ile Maurice with body scrubs and massages using spices and oils from the island. Traditional Indian Ayurvedic rituals are also offered here, along with yoga and meditation workshops.

On a city break, it doesn’t hurt to take a little time for yourself. For example, at The Westin Grand Munich, where a full-body exfoliation and aromatherapy massages are part of the deluxe program, as are nourishing facials with hyaluronic acid: the perfect soothing remedy after a busy day in the city. Products can also be purchased at the hotel’s boutique so you can recreate your spa experience at home.

Technology

If you enjoy physical activity while traveling, you’ll be thrilled with the top-of-the-line cardio equipment available at a majority of Marriott hotels. Or try our state-of-the-art cryotherapy treatments at The Ritz-Carlton in Doha and The Ritz-Carlton in Bahrain – using sub-freezing temperatures to stimulate circulation and inhibit inflammation.

Fitness fanatics who don’t have a lot of time can use virtual workouts in the hotel room and stream workout exercises as needed on the TV or iPad in the room. At select Westin hotels, “live” high-performance indoor cycling classes are offered whenever it’s convenient and without you having to leave your hotel room.

Wellness plays a big role in many hotel apps. Users can book spa treatments over it, order fitness equipment, and even select preferences for the minibar in the form of healthy snacks and drinks. Try out these varied hotel offerings and maybe take home a new habit or two.