Well well well…four places to embrace a post-Covid reset
Aprés Ski…but not as you know it
Lefay dolomiti, italy
The Italian Dolomites are a place for exploring glaciers and waterfalls, zipping down snowy skin runs, discovering tiny mountainside churches and eating gooey cheese dishes. But a couple of years ago, in Pizololo, one of the chocolate box villages dotted across granite mountains, Lefay Dolomiti popped up, and changed the game.
Lefay Dolomiti is sister to the famous Lefay in Lake Garda, but more like its cool, chilled out younger sister who doesn’t take life too seriously. If you’re really dedicated to the wellness cause, this probably isn’t the place for you. But if you’re in search of a weekend away that makes you feel better, without forcing you to forgo the pudding menu, or you just want to pepper a few treatments and classes with your skiing... bingo!
Highlights of this mountain retreat include the gym, which unusually isn’t banished to the basement but has huge windows framing mountain views so mesmerising that you might find yourself doing 10km on the treadmill without even realising. And then there’s the spa, which is split up into four different spaces by energy type, where Green Dragon, for example, has a cauldron of bio-saunas for impulsive types, and Red Phoenix offers freezing and piping hot Kneipp pools designed to tackle anxiety.
This is a new kind of Apres Ski. So if you normally return from a ski trip feeling jaded by a week of hurling yourself down mountains and knocking back the Jaegarmeister, this could be the answer to your 2022 winter season prayers.
www.lefayresorts.com
Like the sound of this? Get in touch
People have been returning to this ranch for 77 years
Rancho la puerta, mexico
Mexico is on the naughty list right now. But it won’t be forever, and when we’re able to travel to Mexico again there’s no better place to find yourself (literally and figuratively) than at the Rancho la Puerta in Baja California, just a few miles from the USA border.
When the ranch first opened 77 years ago, it cost just $17.50 to pitch a tent and dinner was a casual affair eaten under a starry night. Things have moved on a bit since then, and the tents have been replaced by beautifully rustic chic casitas dotted on the hillside in between cacti. But the philosophy is the same - you come here to unwind, eat well and get well. There’s a cookery school where you can learn to make the dishes that the 95 year old Matriarch of the ranch has been serving up for decades - the Jalapeno frittata with courgette flowers and goats cheese deserve a special mention here.
La Puerta is huge, with 4,000 acres of nature and wildlife for you to rejuvenate in. Life is about balance - so after you’ve feasted on the homecooked gastronomic delights you’ll be thankful for the four swimming pools and eleven (yes that’s right, eleven) gyms. There is even a running track if the Tokyo Olympics has got you inspired.
Once you’ve worn yourself out exploring the ranch you can do all sorts of yoga, reformer Pilates and barre classes, where you can stretch and admire gorgeous views of the vineyards. And then, before the end of the day you can collapse in one of the three spas before nightfall. The treatments here are no thrills but they are a little bit magical, like everything else here - from the freshly plucked veggies on your plate to the scent of jasmine, rosemary and sage that is carried on the breeze across the ranch. And it's this that keeps people coming back, year after year.
Sound appealing? Get in touch
The gorgeous backdrop of Broughton Hall is the perfect place to roam free
REWILD YOURSELF, YORKSHIRE, uk
If you’re in need of a more immediate reset, I have the answer for you. From 18-22nd August, Balance Holidays are running a Rewilding retreat at one of Yorkshire’s finest estates and it's guaranteed to do the trick.
Whether you’re living in an urban jungle or out in the countryside space, we’ve been cooped up for 18 months. What we need is to learn how to roam free again, and there’s no better person to help you to do that than Tony Riddle, a renowned barefoot endurance athlete who knows alot about living without constraints (and shoes!).
Wondering what Rewilding yourself involves?!...Read on.
It means spending a long weekend at the beautiful old English estate Broughton Hall and taking part in nature immersive activities such as woodland walks, runs, wild swimming, forest bathing and tree climbing. It means taking a nap beneath the trees or wandering freely around the estate without your phone, and enjoying a few days of absolutely minimal artificial light. And it means kicking lockdown eating habits into the long grass with menus of meals cooked with locally sourced ingredients that your body will love you for.
If this sounds good, get in touch - you’ll thank me for it!
Swap skimpy bikinis for towelling robes and embrace the beach club vibes
SHA Wellness clinic, spainÂ
I totally get why you’re baffled that I’m recommending a retreat close to Benidorm as a restorative trip. But an amazing 40% of the people who put aside their preconceptions of the area and booked into SHA Wellness Clinic since it opened- including Kylie Minogue - booked a second trip within 18 months!
Intrigued?
SHA’s philosophy is all about helping busy people preoccupied with the stresses of everyday life (guilty!) to become CEOs of their own health. There are multiple reasons why you might want to wind up here. Many come here to kick start healthy weight loss, but other popular programmes include Sleep Recovery, Anti-Tobacco and the Stress Management programme designed to tackle burnout. As you’d expect, the approach is holistic - blending Eastern and Western Philosophies, and they achieve this with amazing effect.
There’s a definite beach club vibe - except guests are pottering about in white towelling robes rather than skimpy bikinis. And the warmth of the Spanish sun on your back really does help to make the whole experience more enjoyable, which is great, as taking the road to better health can, at times, feel more like a punishment than a reward.
This is not a one size fits all retreat. Each person is treated like an individual, with unique stress points and goals for their stay here. The result is that there’s a happy buzz about the place, with people swapping stories in the jacuzzi and socialising over dinner. Who knew this could actually be fun!?
Fancy an awesome trip with your favourite people? Get in touch
