Le Blanc Spa Resort, Cancun, Mexico (Photo: Courtesy of Le Blanc Spa Resort)Le Blanc Spa ResortCancun, Mexico
Best for: Romantics, spa lovers
This lux, adults-only oasis brings sophistication to Cancun’s white-sand Caribbean Sea beaches. The 260 rooms come with customized touches like pillow menus and in-room aromatherapy, complete with 24-hour butler service. Three pools (two with swim-up, ocean-view bars), nightly entertainment, eight restaurants and bars, a fitness center (with personal training sessions included), and the Zen-inspired Le Blanc Spa are met by activities like scuba diving demos, beach volleyball, and yoga. Stay three nights or more for complimentary use of the spa’s hydrotherapy facilities, a massage, and resort credit of up to $1,500. High-season rates from $406 per adult, per night; www.leblancsparesort.com.
Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas (Photo: Courtesy of Sandals Resorts)Sandals Emerald Bay Great Exuma, Bahamas
Best for: Golfers, romantics
Set on a one-mile stretch of idyllic white-sand beach on Grand Exuma’s sparkling Emerald Bay, this 2010-debuted Sandals Resort (formerly a Four Seasons) features an oceanfront Greg Norman-designed championship golf course, a marina, and a Red Lane Spa. The 249-room property sprawls out over 500 tropical acres and features three pools, seven restaurants, sixtennis courts, and comprehensive watersports offerings like snorkeling and diving. Top-tier suites come equipped with personal butlers, to boot. All-inclusive rates are fairly comprehensive, but note that green fees, marina slip reservations, and spa treatments are extra. High-season rates from $835 per adult, per night; www.sandals.com.
Tips for Healthy Travel
Club Med Sandpiper, Port St. Lucie, Florida (Photo: Courtesy of Club Med)Club Med Sandpiper BayPort St. Lucie, Florida
Best for: Families, fitness buffs, golfers, spa lovers
Club Med’s 307-room Florida outpost offers a family-friendly escape touting golf, tennis, and fitness academies helmed by pro instructors, plus top-notch kids programs with a full-service nursery, water park, circus school, and more. Its setting on the sandy banks of the St. Lucie River is prime for kayaking, sailing, or paddle-boarding, while Atlantic Ocean beaches are just 20 minutes away. Fresh from a $28 million renovation, look, too, for the first L’Occitane Spa in the U.S., new this month (note spa treatments are additional). High-season rates from $220 per adult, per day; sandpiperbay.clubmed.us.
Travaasa Hana, Maui, Hawaii (Photo: Courtesy of Travaasa Destinations)Travaasa HanaMaui, Hawaii
Best for: Romantics, spa lovers
Formerly the iconic Hotel Hana-Maui, the rustically romantic Travaasa Hana was rebranded in June, and boasts 70 upscale cottages and suites with private lanais (some with private hot tubs), perched on a lushly landscaped bluff along Maui’s secluded eastern coast. Expect all-inclusive offerings like shuttles to Hamoa Beach, yoga, biking, and tennis, along with more unique lei making, hula, and ukulele lessons. The $125 daily resort credit, included in the rates, is best redeemed for treatments at the spa overlooking Hāna Bay (don’t miss the lava-rock whirlpool). High-season rates from $499 per adult, per night; www.travaasa.com/hana.
Beaches Turks & Caicos, Providenciales (Photo: Courtesy of Beaches ResortsBeaches Turks & Caicos Providenciales, Turks & Caicos
Best for: Families
This massive 615-room all-inclusive Caribbean resort comes with generous inclusions, a prime spot on gorgeous Grace Bay, and a bevy of family-friendly features. Expect plenty of land and watersports offerings, including snorkeling and scuba outings; a water park; Sesame Street-themed activities and shows; kids’ camps; and teen and tween-friendly programming. Family-friendly suites (the Italian Village units are among the plushest) come complete with master bedrooms and bunk bed accommodations for the brood, while a staggering 16 restaurants, 12 bars, and 6 pools ensure an experience to suit all tastes. High-season rates from $680 per adult, per night; www.beaches.com.
Excellence Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (Photo: Courtesy of Excellence Punta Cana)Excellence Punta CanaPunta Cana, Dominican Republic
Best for: Romantics
This adults-only, all-suite resort unfolds on dreamy, palm-dotted Caribbean shores with classic colonial-style architecture, two large pools, a top-notch fitness center and spa (boasting a new hydrotherapy area), eight no-reservations-required restaurants, several bars, a casino, and a nightclub, plus, a generous roster of activities. Sign up for snorkeling, scuba, or water polo, or sharpen your skill set with Spanish, dancing, or cooking lessons. The 452 suites come with private balcony or patio and jetted whirlpool tubs; splurge on one with a rooftop terrace for the utmost seclusion. High-season rates from $224 per adult, per night; www.excellence-resorts.com.
Couples Tower Isle, Ocho Rios, Jamaica (Photo: Courtesy of Couples Resorts)Couples Tower IsleOcho Rios, Jamaica
Best for: Golfers, romantics, seclusion seekers
Fresh from a sweeping $35 million makeover, this storied couples-only resort (once a playground for ‘50s Hollywood glitterati) showcases art-deco exteriors and 226 retro-chic guestrooms. Rates include access to six eateries, four bars, three pools, beach butler service,tennis courts, a fitness center, a Zen-inspired spa, ample watersports (inclusive of reef snorkeling, water-skiing, and scuba), and even a private island. Golfers will delight in complimentary rounds at the nearby championship course, while special extras include a sunset catamaran cruise or excursions to picturesque Dunn’s River Falls. High-season rates from $350 per adult, per night; couples.com/tower-isle.
Cayo Espanto, Ambergris Caye, Belize (Photo: Courtesy of Cayo Espanto)Cayo EspantoLocation: Ambergris Caye, Belize
Best for: Romantics, seclusion seekers
No more than 18 discerning guests are accommodated at a time at this exclusive private-island retreat, with just seven villas boasting personal Caribbean-fronted pools, private docks, iPad 2 loaners, and impeccable on-call butler service. One superlative over-the-water bungalow boasts glass-floor views of the swirling fish below (in place of a pool). Daily gourmet meals are custom-tailored to guest preferences, while activities incorporate world-class fly-fishing, sea kayaking, sailing, and more. Do tack on a reef snorkeling excursion, with the property situated just minutes from the world’s second-longest reef (additional fee applies). High-season rates from $698 per adult, per night; www.aprivateisland.com.
Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, The Maldives (Photo: Courtesy of Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru)Banyan Tree VabbinfaruVabbinfaru, The Maldives
Best for: Romantics, seclusion seekers, spa lovers
For an exquisite slice of off-the-beaten path paradise, make way for the Maldives’ 48-villa Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, nestled on the white-talc sand beaches of the island of Vabbinfaru. Thatched-roof villas tout Indian Ocean views, teakwood four-poster beds, and private walled gardens with outdoor showers and jetted tubs. All-inclusive activities comprise the fitness center, stargazing, and educational sessions (including daily stingray and turtle feedings) at the on-site marine lab. Watersports offerings from canoes to catamarans and water skis to wake boards are additionally available (some with additional fees). The Spa Indulgence package upgrade also allows for daily treatments in their award-winning Banyan Tree Spa. High-season season rates from $1,020 per adult, per night; www.banyantree.com.
Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia (Photo: Courtesy of Southern Ocean Lodge)Southern Ocean LodgeLocation: Kangaroo Island, Australia
Best for: Foodies, romantics, spa lovers
The exclusive 21-suite lodge cantilevers along a secluded cliff, tracing Kangaroo Island's rugged coastline – a region popularly regarded as Australia’s Galapagos. Luxury guestrooms boast Southern Ocean-facing floor-to-ceiling windows and private outdoor terraces. Foodies delight in the resort’s epicurean edge, anchored on the island’s bountiful seafood, sheep milk products, and honey, while spa lovers can book à la carte treatments highlighting Aboriginal massage techniques infused with local ingredients like pink clay and eucalyptus. Rates include enriching island experiences like sea lion and kangaroo encounters or guided visits to nearby natural attractions. High-season rates from $1,028 per adult, per night; www.southernoceanlodge.com.au. LINK
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