Travel

BEAUTIFUL RETREAT TREATS

Nourish, Preserve, and Flourish. Haramara Retreat

Aaaahhh…. Rest! The BN team is so ripe and ready for this week’s theme!

Today we’ve rounded up some of the most beautiful places in the world to take a rest. These retreats are focused on giving your mind, body, and soul a break from your everyday busy life --- giving you time to unwind, relax, and recharge.

Photo: Nourish, Preserve, and Flourish. Haramara Retreat

Haramara Retreat, located on 12 wild acres edged by the sea, just outside Sayulita, Mexico, is a perfect place to pull the plug. In fact, you can’t plug in here because there’s no electricity available for guests. Instead, enjoy the open-air spa, endless yoga, inspired meditation, and trails through the lush jungle that surrounds you there. The food is lovely, fresh, and healthy. Considered one of the top 10 yoga retreats in the world by Yoga Journal, and a luxurious favorite respite by Vogue Mexico, Hanamara gives the idea of taking a rest a beautiful new meaning.

Photo: Courtesy of Golden Rock Retreat

The Golden Rock Retreat shines overlooking the spectacular bay on the eastern tip of Bali, with the Lombok Volcanoes sprouted in the distance. Granted, it’s hard NOT to relax when you’re in Bali, Golden Rock takes it to a glorious level. Here, everything is designed to “deeply cleanse your body, restore balance to your blood and nervous system, and re-energize your entire being. The programs, and the staff who lead them, are knowledgeable and supportive. They encourage you to “allow yourself to let go of anything that stands in the way of your optimum health and happiness.” They offer a “full spectrum healing process,” using both ancient traditional and modern therapies. Immerse in yoga, meditation, chi gung. Connect with Balinese spiritual ceremonies. And, if you’re feeling moved, go for a scuba dive in the gorgeous waters of this Indonesian paradise.

Photo: Tammy. Post Ranch Inn

The minute you step onto the property of the Post Ranch Inn, perched on a 1500’ cliff high above the Pacific Ocean in Big Sur, you begin to release your cares into the sea breeze. It’s one of the prettiest places on earth, not just because of its special location, but because of its beautiful organic architecture. You can stay in a treehouse, nestled unobtrusively in the redwood groves or a wildflower meadow-topped cliffhouse dug into the cliffside, and gaze at the gasp-inducing view of the sea or the mountains.

Look up at the condors circling lazily overhead in the afternoon and at the boundless stars at night. Beyond typical retreat treats like yoga instruction and massage, both of which are among the best you’ll ever experience, Post Ranch offers, shamanistic services, including illumination, soul retrieval, divination, and fire and drum ceremonies. We’ve enjoyed some of our favorite meals ever at Sierra Mar, the restaurant cantilevered over the cliff, dining on locally grown wild and cultivated fruits and vegetables, fresh harvests from the sea below, and local artisinally crafted foods. It’s our go-to nirvana. Seriously.

Photo: Jdbaer100. Les Sources de Caudalie

A nice glass of Bordeaux is a good relaxation starter, for sure. But grapevines do a lot more for you at Les Sources de Caudalie, a magnificent spa retreat set among the vineyards of Château Smith Haut Lafitte, a Graves great growth, in Martillac, Bordeaux, France. Here, you are treated to unique vinotherapy treatments designed to slow the aging process. Wraps and massages include grape extracts, rich in polyphenols, which are said to strengthen your blood vessels, enhance circulation, and even chase cellulite away. Just as you might choose a varietal wine to sip, you might select a Cabernet scrub or a Merlot wrap. You can soak in grape-ified mineral-laden waters from the springs bubbling up from the ground below.

Photo: Courtesy of Golden Days In Italy. Grotta Giusti

Rest underground in the natural cave and underground hot lake at the Grotta Giusti Spa in the Tuscan hills in Italy. Luxuriate in the natural springs and trip out in the cutting edge wellness center, where you can enjoy an excellent array of body treatments, detoxification programs, breathwork, mud therapies, and other body and mind-melting delights. Gorgeous old world architecture, glorious views, and fabulous food will keep you happy while you rest here.

Enjoy a week of beautiful rest this week on BeautifulNow, with fresh posts every day, including new ideas about rest in in Arts/Design, Food/Drink, Mind/Body, Place/Time, Nature/Science, and Soul Impact.