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St. Lucia’s BodyHoliday Offers Three Yoga Retreats

St. Lucia wellness resort BodyHoliday, one of my favorite properties in the Caribbean, has unveiled the year’s lineup of Yoga Retreats. The weeklong programs, all led by the property’s wellness advisor Hollie Bailey, will include a range of yoga and meditation workshops, as well as spa treatments, and a hands-on cooking class. Participants will meet with Bailey at the beginning of their stay, or talk with a BodyHoliday specialist beforehand if they want to maximize their time at the resort, to plan the retreat and tailor it to the them. During the week, guests can attend a yoga workshop or nutrition talk every day, with classes covering areas like hatha yoga, anapana meditation, vinyasa and more. Outside of these central classes, the Yoga Retreats provide sunrise and sunset yoga sessions and a daily spa treatment (yes, one massage a day). After the program ends, the resort will also provide post-retreat support. Dates for the Yoga Retreats are October 5-12, October 12-19, and December 14-21. The all-inclusive cost is $4,830 per person. 

 

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Run the Alps

Great news from Doug Mayer, founder of Run the Alps. He has teamed with the highly reputable Swiss outfitter, Alpinehikers, to create two outstanding running trips to the Alps this summer and fall. With a fantastic network of trail and huts, and a long history and appreciation of running, Switzerland is a trail runner’s dream. Mountain runners have been weaving their way along alp paths for decades, and are practically exalted here. Be prepared to be greeted with an Allez-Allez! as you run by local farmers. If you opt for the summer trip, you’ll be eligible to participate in one of the most famous trail races in the world, the 31 km Sierre-Zanal, where you run along a high alp ridge to the remote village of Zinal. The fall trip will take you to the mountain towns of Zermatt and Grindelwald. Both trips are designed to accommodate a range of trail runners, from intermediate to advanced. You don’t need to be hardcore to have a great time. Run the Alps will have two guides and will offer a variety of opportunities throughout the trip to hike or take a break to soak in the stunning scenery. Expect easier options to be 6-8 miles with about 2000 feet of elevation gain and loss. Longer days will be planned for 15-20 miles with 3000 to 6000 feet of elevation gain and loss. Talk about a phenomenal experience! 

 
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Top 5 Adventures in Florida, Sea Kayaking the Great Calusa Blueway

This past month, temperatures in Florida have been unseasonably cold. Yet, mid-January is the time of year when the weather heats up and so does the outdoor activity. This week, I’m focusing on the Sunshine State, divulging my favorite adventures in the state. First up is sea kayaking the Great Calusa Blueway on Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast. Whether you’re an advanced paddler or a novice, you’ll savor the sheltered bays, remote islands, and hidden beaches on this 190-mile wet and wild corridor outside of Fort Myers. Choose to spend the day kayaking around Estero Bay or spend a night camping at the tip of Pine Island just north of Captiva Island. There are also inn-to-inn options. The highlight is the abundant sealife, including sightings of manatees, dolphins, and turtles. 
 

(Photo credit Cythia Gilbert from Kayak SW Florida)

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Top 5 Adventures in Florida, Sailing the Keys

With first rate charts and other navigational aids, the Florida Keys are an ideal cruising ground for all sailors, regardless of experience. The famously warm, clear waters of the Keys are a snorkeler’s paradise—shipwrecks and coral parks are plentiful—and secluded beaches number in the hundreds. If you crave terra firma, you can always stop at Key West for a nightcap at Sloppy Joe’s, a favorite hangout of writer Ernest Hemingway.  One full day’s sail west of Key West brings you to the Dry Tortugas, home to Fort Jefferson, which dates back to Civil War days. This is a popular sailing route. If you feel like you’re off the charts, anchor at any harbor and ask the nearest boater for directions. Thankfully, yachting is no longer a sport only for the affluent. Florida Keys Bareboat Charter Company in Marathon bareboat charters a 27-foot Catalina for a cost of $899 per week (7 days/6 nights). 
 

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FarewellTravels Now Offers Savings

Before you book your next jaunt, check out the savings on my friend, Susan Farewell’s website, FarewellTravels. You can save $500 on sea kayaking jaunts to Baja, $800 off the cost of a sailing trip along the spectacular Dalmatian Coast in Croatia, starting in Dubrovnik, and discounts at inns and resorts in northern Vermont, Maine, and the Greek Islands. Just trying to save you a few bucks!
 

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The Best Hotel Room in Boston

The new Envoy Hotel, which officially opened in September, is already receiving press for its wonderful rooftop bar. The best views of the Boston skyline are from the water and the way the Envoy is located, across Fort Point Channel in the burgeoning Seaport District, you feel as if you’re on the water looking back at the city. If you want to savor that breathtaking view by yourself or with a loved one, book the corner suite, Room 604, just below the rooftop bar. The floor-to-ceiling windows overlook Boston harbor and all the tall buildings that edge the water. The room is spacious and stylish, with an antique map of the city painted on the glass doors that lead to the shower, and a large flatscreen television hidden into the wall, offering the latest Netflix and Hulu shows. Best of all, those windows bathe the room in light. If you can break away from the view, grab a cocktail on the roof or downstairs in the restaurant. Some of my favorite restaurants in Boston are within easy walking distance of the property, including Row 34, Legal Harborside, Trade, Sportello, Blue Dragon, and Barking Crab, located right next door to the Envoy. As part of the Autograph Collection, you can use your Marriott points to book the room. You can also take a water taxi straight from the airport to the hotel. 

 
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Beach Yoga on Captiva Island, Florida

Guest Post and Photo by Amy Perry Basseches

A favorite activity of mine while in warm climates is the wonderful adventure of “beach yoga.” You do not need to be a yoga aficionado to enjoy it. All you need to like is the feeling of morning sun on your face, the sound of waves crashing in the background, the sight of birds flying overhead, and sharing a good laugh with others about how hard it is to balance on one leg in the sand, using only a small towel as a mat.
 
Ambu Yoga on Captiva Island is a great example. Founded by Yali Zawady several years ago, Ambu now has a studio at South Seas Resort, open to the public as well as to guests of South Seas, offering 2 to 4 classes a day, 7 days a week. But beach yoga is taught only on Saturday and Sunday mornings (as of now). 
 
According to Yali, “ambu” means water in Sanskrit, and represents the connection “between the flow of energy in our surrounding waters and the mind-body-spirit experience of yoga.” You live this fully on the beach.  In December, I brought my daughter, 2 nieces, a nephew, and my son’s girlfriend to class. At one point, Yali had participants  (around 30 people of all ages) stand in a circle and lean on one another for support during balance poses; that was a great time. We all wished there was more than one beach yoga class during our stay, but, alas, next year awaits. 
 
An important side note, Yali is from Santa Marta, Colombia. She says she first found yoga and self-inquiry at a very young age through meditation practices with her father in Colombia. Every year I look forward to connecting with her on Captiva. Her welcoming nature and calming voice are a respite from the hurly burly up North. She’s also been very helpful to me as I learn more about Colombia (my son lived there for 5 months; my daughter, my husband, and I all visited, at different times; and we’ve sent quite a number of ActiveTravels members on trips). 
 
Let ActiveTravels know if you’d like us to find a beach yoga class for you somewhere in your travels, whether on Captiva or elsewhere (for example, Martinique in late February or Panama in late April, with our friend Checka. Also know that Yali has offered advice to our clients headed to Colombia as well. 
 

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