Weekend fitness getaways: from lodges to spas, the best spots near 11
big cities to work out, unwind and get healthy. (Ventureout)
Carole Jacobs
Gotta get away but only have a weekend to spare? Why waste time behind
the wheel -- or cruising at 32,000 feet -- when you could be working out
(or getting a massage!)? From Los Angeles to New York City, these seven
weekend fitness retreats are so close - but feel so far away. So skip
the redeye, grab your car keys and get ready for 48 hours of total urban
renewal.
NEAR BEST BEDS & DRIVE TIME
Los Angeles and San Diego Banning House Lodge, Two Harbors,
Santa Catalina Island, CA ($83;
888-519-7979, scico.com) 1-2 hr.
drive to Catalina Express ferry
($40-$43.50 round-trip, 45-90
min.; 800-481-3470, catalina
express.com)
Area info: Catalina Island Vistors
Bureau (310-510-1520, visitors
catalina.org)
San Francisco Claremont Resort & Spa, Berkeley,
CA ($299; 800-551-7266, claremont
resort.com) 1/2 hr. drive
Area info: (800) 847-4823, visit
berkeley.com
Seattle, Portland, OR, and Salish Lodge & Spa, Snoqualmie, WA
Vancouver, BC, Canada ($180; 800-2-SALISH, salishlodge.
com) 1 hr. drive from Seattle/
Vancouver; 3 hrs. from Portland
Area info: (425) 888-4440
Denver Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, CO
($129; 970-586-3371,
stanleyhotel.com) 2 hr. drive
Area info: Estes Park Chamber
Resort Assn. (800-44-ESTES)
Washington, D.C. and Nemacolin Woodlands Resorts & Spa,
Pittsburg Farmington, PA ($160; 800-422-
2736, www.nemacolin.com) 3 hr.
drive from D.C., 1 1/2 hrs. from
Pittsburgh
Area info: Laurel Highlands
Visitors Bureau (800-925-7669,
laurelhighlands.org)
Boston The Equinox, Manchester Village, VT
($199; 800-362-4747,
equinoxresort.com) 3 hr. drive
Area info: Manchester and the
Mountains Regional Chamber of
Commerce (800-362-4144,
manchestervermont.net)
New YOrk City The Inn at Lake Joseph,
Forestburgh, NY (The Catskills;
$170;845-791-9506, lakejoseph.com)
2 hr. drive
Area info: Sullivan County Visitors
Assn. (800-882-CATS, scva.net)
NEAR THE SCENE
Los Angeles and San Diego Step off the ferry to sunny,
smogless Avalon, a turn-of-the-
century resort town wedged
between the shimmering sea and
craggy cliffs. Check out the old-
time pier, art-deco Casino and
ginger bread-mansion B & Bs, then
hop the Safari Bus for a 2-hour
ride up into the isle's wild, no-
cars-allowed interior. The bus
stops at The Airport in the Sky, a
Spanish adobe with a dining room,
stone fireplace and outdoor
terrace, then barrels down to Two
Harbors village -- tinier than
many L.A. malls. The 1910 Banning
House sits on a windswept hill
overlooking both harbors and
golden mountains that tumble
helter-skelter to the sea. The
inn was owned by a late ship
captain whose ghost is said to
make periodic house calls.
San Francisco Set in the Berkeley Hills, this
1915 Victorian spa resort
overlooks the San francisco Bay
and skyline and combines European
grandeur and high-tech fitness.
Seattle, Portland, OR, and Located on a 268-foot-high
Vancouver, BC, Canada waterfall, the resort has deluxe
rooms with fireplace and
balconies plus a Japanese-style
spa and a hightech fitness center-
overlooking the falls and Twin
Peaks of TV fame (part of the show
was filmed here).
Denver This historic, sugar-white grande
dame with the red roof stands high
on a golden hillside below the
snow-dusted peaks of the
Continental Divide. Filled with
antiques and fireplaces, it's a
deluxe base champ that bears no
resemblance to that spooky hotel
in The Shinning. (The movie was
filmed in Oregon, not here!) The
Scenic Peak to Peak Highway climbs
past forests and lakes that mirror
the cathedral peaks of the
Rockies.
Washington, D.C. and Set on a bluff in the Laurel
Pittsburg Highlands, this 1,500-acre resort
has a hotel inspired by the Ritz
in Paris, a three-story luxury
spa. a high-tech fitness center
and spa cuisine restaurant with a
fresh juice and sushi bar, and a
rustic ski lodge with a year-round
chair lift and 10 ski runs.
Boston This white clapboard resort set on
1,100 rolling green acres in the
Green Mountains has a high-tech
fitness center, luxury spa,
tennis, golf, indoor/outdoor
pools, nature trails, sports
rentals, even a 4WD Land Rover
Driving School.
New YOrk City Trade the concrete jungle for
autumn in New York at this
Victorian inn tucked high in
serenity on a 250-acre private
lake, surrounded by thousands of
acres of hardwood forests that
blaze red to yellow in fall. Rooms
have antiques and Jacuzzis; suites
have cathedral ceilings, sundecks
and kitchens. As long as you're
going country, why not turn those
fresh-picked apples into a pie?
NEAR FITNESS & FUN
Los Angeles and San Diego Hike trails that coil to hanging
meadows and ragged cliffs and
peer down on remote, wave-
battered coves. Kayak or snorkel
at Two Harbors Dive & Recreation
Center (310-510-0790) or
mountain bike (Brown's Bikes,
310-510-0986) to crystal Emerald
Bay, Starlight Beach and Lands,
End, where a lighthouse still
blinks out to sea.
San Francisco Choose from 50 fitness and mind-
body classes at the spa (aerobic
dance, Restorative Yoga,
nutritional counseling); enjoy
tennis or golf, or bike to
Tilden Regional Parks Botanic
Garden (510-562-7275).
Seattle, Portland, OR, and Hike the misty trail to the
Vancouver, BC, Canada bottom of the falls past alpine
forests and stands of flaming
aspen, cycle past jakes and
meadows on Twin Peaks Scenic
Drive.
Denver See the best fall colors on guided
hikes with The Colorado Mountain
Club (970-586-6623); take a day
hike in nearby Rocky Mountain
National Park and ride the
Prospect Mountain tram for great
views (970-586-3675).
Washington, D.C. and Take a hike, work out in the gym
Pittsburg with a climbing wall, go mountain
biking or enjoy golf, horseback
riding, inline skating, tennis or
the outdoor ropes course. Gear
rental is available at the
resort's two sports centers.
Boston Hike and mountain bike trails up
Spruce Peak for aerobic leaf
peeping. Cycle past storybook
farms, under covered bridges
(brake for Ben & Jerry's).
Or canoe the Battenkill River
(info: 800-321-5268).
New YOrk City Canoe/kayak on the lake, hit the
heated pool, hike trails or cycle
rural back roads to U-pick farms
(apples, pumpkins, berries,
strawflowers) and Victorian towns
and the Bethel farm where the '69
Woodstock Festival was really
held. Can you believe Jimi Hendrix
slept here?
NEAR NIGHT MOVES
Los Angeles and San Diego Watch the sun sink into the water
from the captain's tower at the
lodge at Banning House; relax
before the stone hearth. Enjoy
fish and fish tales at the lively
Harbor Reef restaurant. You're not
a local until you've had Buffalo
Milk, a local drink made of vodka,
creme de cacao, banana liquor,
milk and whipped cream. Have more
than one and you may get a
midnight visit from the ghost.
San Francisco Unwind with shiatus, underwater
massage or in the flotation tank.
Enjoy California spa cuisine at
the Pavilion. Then head to
Berkeley's "U. District" for
clubs, fine dining and shopping.
Seattle, Portland, OR, and Ease into an outdoor Jacuzzi set
Vancouver, BC, Canada in natural rock near the falls for
a scenic soak, Get a seaweed wrap
or massage at the spa. Enjoy spa
cuisine in the 1916 dining room;
locals drive 60 miles for Salish's
alder-smoked salmon.
Denver Go to bed early so you can rise at
dawn for the specatacular drive
down "Oh-My-God Road" to Idaho
Falls, an historic town where you
can soak in hot springs.
Washington, D.C. and Get a hot-rock massage, a vitamin
Pittsburg facial or walk the Water Path.
Tranquility is essential for
resisting the resort's many
caloric temptations, which include
a tearoom, tavern, cafe, pizza
shop and even an ice-cream parlor!
Boston Still not tired? You can shop till
your drop in Manchester's designer
outlets. Or hit the fitness
center, and then unwind with a
massage. Wine and dine in three
historic dining rooms including
The Marsh Tavern.
New YOrk City Dine on gourmet fare in the
old-time dining room or catch the
cabaret at the Forestburgh
Playhouse. Located in a 128-year-
old barn, it's as off-Broadway as
it gets! Or stay in and cuddle up
in your canopy bed.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
