Napa Valley, CA: The Yoga Boot Camp Retreat

Yoga. There's simply nothing like stretching, breathing, meditating, and focusing on your inner-core. Forgetting to remember. Aligning oneself with peace. And, since most members of our trusty staff at Jaunt love their yoga (and their wine), we recently thought, 'Hey, wouldn't it be great to do a yoga retreat in Napa?'


After careful consideration, this Napa Valley Yoga Boot Camp caught our eye.















It's a 4 day - 4 night upscale "Napa Style" Boot Camp Training Program at a Private Vineyard Residence Estate in the beautiful Wine Country of Northern California. Consistently rated as one of the "Top Ten Travel Destinations" in the world, the vineyard country climate and relaxing atmosphere is the perfect place to shape up your Body and have fun doing it Napa-style.

Morning hikes through the vineyards, aerobics, yoga, hatha, power, pilates, swimming, and yes, massage, The Napa Yoga Boot Camp is an all Inclusive package, offering only the freshest, healthiest foods. Meals are personally prepared by an in-house Gourmet Chef where you'll learn the hottest tips of diet, supplementation, and fitness. 'Experience a spiritual journey you'll never forget!' they say.

We believe 'em.

Camp is limited to 10 women per session so, as they say, get with "The Program" and book your training dates early in advance.

www.NapaValleyYogaRetreats.com

Boot Camp Series: Bespoke Bali - A Yoga Retreat

COMO Shambhala Estate, Bali

It’s not that I don’t like working out and living a free-radical life, it’s just this... I don’t like thinking about all the effort it's going to take before I actually do.

That’s why I like yoga. I can take it at my own pace. There's no judgment, it’s not too loud, not too long, and not too stressful. More importantly, I don’t have to listen to bad techno or watch sweaty people pushing weights or huffing and puffing around me. A peaceful exotic setting doesn’t hurt either.

Welcome to Wellness.
Bali-style.

And practice yoga on the base of the River Ayung.

Do you (and everyone else who depends upon your wellness) a favor.
Check out COMO Shambhala Estate at Begawan Giri, Bali.

The Hotel’s flagship wellness resort recently launched five (yes, FIVE) new Wellness Programs.

We decided to focus on COMO Shambhala Estate because it was established as one of the world’s leading residential health retreats. Opened only two years ago, it's owned by the award-winning holistic health company, COMO Shambhala; providing the best possible environment to start a new lifestyle. When extreme luxury is married with an extremely beautiful natural setting, you really can't go wrong. The Estate's motto: 'to deliver a deeper experience than the typical fly-and-flop resort while fostering a more nurturing approach than the current spread of high-end destination spas.'

To give you an idea of their amenities: Private spa suites with attached therapy rooms, state-of-the-art health facilities, private butler service, organic food, private sun deck and fresh pools, indoor and 'jungle' gyms, a climbing wall (wuuhhu!!), a Pilates studio, an infinity-edged lap pool with views of the forest beyond and a Hydrotherapy Pool where chlorine-free water is funneled using bio-energy water treatment systems from the local spring, known as The Source.

We likey.
No, we loveyyyyyy.


As the story goes, The Estate’s location is predicated upon the existence of The Source, a natural spring on site that has long been revered by locals for its healing properties. Water from The Source fills Kedara (Sanskrit for ‘Water Garden’). Sounds almost surreal, doesn't it? Then you remember... this is Bali, not Baltimore. Anything is possible.

Engage with the local Balinese landscape during your pursuit of better health, artistry and culture abound. Mountain bike, climb, raft, do pilates, yoga, or a little outdoor circuit training, it will undoubtedly change your perspective on life for at least a week and the months following.

All packages include accommodation (prices based on double occupancy), meals (cuisine is organic and nutritionally rich), return airport transfers, The Estate’s daily schedule of activities, services of a Personal Assistant (!!), and the use of the steam, sauna and 25m lap pool.

Here are the Programs:

CLEANSING PROGRAM
This powerful, but safe program allows you to cleanse your body of toxins accumulated through bad diet and polluted environments. Angelenos and New Yorkers, take note.

GET FIT PROGRAM
Designed to get you back on track and back in shape, motivating you to enjoy a new sense of fitness and good health. The program includes a wellness consultation, fitness assessment, 60-minute massage, 60-minute personal training, and guided biking and trekking.

Costs from $2,103 per person for a 5-night program.

REJUVENATION PROGRAM
This program combines the beneficial effects of beauty and spa treatments with healthy eating and positive thinking.

STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Designed for those who feel the need to make positive lifestyle changes to combat the pressures of the busy modern world.

AYURVEDIC PROGRAM
Ayurveda addresses the root cause by enhancing toxin catabolism and by balancing the five elements of body and mind to bring about wellness.

Here's a sample itinerary of the AYURVEDIC PROGRAM:

· Accommodation
· Breakfast, lunch and dinner (including standard beverages)
· Wellness consultation
· Ayurvedic treatments*
· 60-minute therapeutic Yoga
· Complimentary return airport transfers
· Participation in The Estate’s daily schedule of activities
· Complimentary use of the steam, sauna, and 25metre lap pool
· Services of a Personal Assistant

More specific inclusions depend on whether you choose a three, five or seven, night program. Rates vary anywhere from around $1,400 for three nights in a spectacular Garden Room to around $15,000 for an Estate Residence for a week. Programs are designed to deliver simple, well-priced combinations of meals, treatments, and activities.

What we like best?

You can follow workouts with a massage at the base of The Source.
You can chill out on this Garden Villa sundeck:


Norma Gray, Activities Manager, also serves as an instructor for private training during the Get Fit Program and she’ll check in with you to make sure you’re feeling perfectly relaxed and fit. She even emails guests on the program an exercise routine they can continue at home.

Too bad she can't email Bali.
Need we say more?

See you on the banks of the River Ayung.

www.comoshambhala.bz

Boot Camp Series: Amansala's Bikini Boot Camp

Amansala's Bikini Bootcamp: Tulum, Mexico

The second in Jaunt Magazine's 'so nice it's naughty' Boot Camp Series, this one is bound to give you the vacation you desperately need. Add a stunning setting, eco-chic digs, chemical-free fresh food, and a Bikini-tastic agenda that will get you in gear for that balanced body right in time for summer. The best part? It won't break the bank and you can do it alone, with friends, or a lover.

Imagine staying in Pablo Escobar’s old beachfront pad on the Mayan Riviera’s Caribbean with Melissa and Erica, two ex-New Yorkers with a flair for substance and style. Now, imagine an ocean brighter than Jude Law’s baby blues, a creative relaxing vibe, a bit of indulgence, and a naturally-fulfilling yoga bikini boot camp.

Did you imagine it?

Good.

As the site says, “Amansala was the name of Melissa’s small import company selling interesting items collected on her world travels. Taken from the two Sanskrit words ‘Peace’ and ‘Water.’ It was while Melissa toyed with the idea of starting a traveling spa, that she finally decided to create a fixed location in one of her favorite places in the world... Tulum, Mexico. After years of traveling throughout Southeast Asia and experiencing the best and the worst hotels, she wanted to create a place where people could come solo - or with their partners or friends - and have an adventure where they would meet other like-minded people, eat good healthy food, be on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and it would feel more like staying at a friends beach house than a hotel.”

I’m here to say this… my good friend at OK! Magazine swears by the place so... I’m next.

Erica, who had been working in Public Relations & Marketing in NYC, was ready for a change so when Melissa suggested she join her in her latest adventure, the two girls packed up and left the city behind. They set out for Mexico, and together, they created Amansala and Bikini Boot Camp on the beaches of Tulum, Mexico.


With beautiful white flowing fabrics, mosaics, eco-bohemian style and the comforts of staying at a plush friend’s pad in the Caribbean, Amansala is all about getting back-to-basics… in paradise.

2 hrs south of Cancun, Tulum is famous for the Mayan ruins and a relatively undiscovered paradise with pristine beaches and clear turquoise waters that will remind you to give thanks and BREATHE.

Says a recent visitor, “One of my greatest memories with Amansala was eating grilled shrimp and sipping fresh pineapple juice, barefoot on a sandy beach, surrounded by candles, a starlit sky and a small group of good company.”

Days start with a beach or jungle powerwalk followed by a combination of body sculpting, power ab sessions or pilates, and end with yoga and meditation. In between there are excursions to the nearby jungle for swimming and snorkeling in fresh water swimming holes (cenotes), visits to Mayan ruins, pampering with beach side massages, salsa lessons, Mayan Clay Treatments, plenty of agua di limon and sunshine.

Sample Itinerary
8:00-9:00 Silent Beach Walk

9:15-10:45 Exercise In Motion

10:45-11:30 Beach Body Sculpt

11:30-12:30 Free Time & Spa Services
 (yipppeee!)
12:30-1:30 Low fat, low calorie Lunch

2:00-5:00 Hike to the freshwater swimming holes (cenotes)

5:00-6:00 Gentle Yoga
 (Ommmmm....)
6:00-7:00 Meditation
7:30-8:30 Candlelight dinner

8:30-9:30 Salsa Lessons (Aye Dios Mio!)

The low fat diet consists of all local fresh food like just caught grilled fish, mangos, jicima salads and other yummy low cal selections that leave you satisfied, yet feeling lighter and cleaner.

The price for all of this back-to-basics Caribbean coast meets Mexican retreat fabulousness?
A reasonable 
$1675 plus tax and service for a grand total of $1954

($700 extra for a private room: with tax and service $818)

Price Includes:

Accommodations
All meals

2 massages

A Mayan clay treatment

All classes, activities, excursions

Designed to help people feel good about themselves and their bodies, this is the part we like best: “There is no pressure to participate in any of the activities and there is no competition. Guests are encouraged to set their intentions, become more aware of how they feel and pay attention.”

Ditto. And sign me up!

I detest pressure, but could totally use a Bikini Boot Camp escape... in paradise.
Couldn't you?

Running weekly starting NOW!

www.amansala.com

Boot Camp Series: SkyLab's Life Change Camp

Pismo Beach, California (c) Sheri Zimmerlin

Jaunt doesn't like to focus too much on the physical form (nor covet the well-toned or emaciated bodies of today’s hottest celebs), but we do think health and wellness go hand-in-hand with a sexy, well-maintained physique. We also think, what better way to achieve your bootilicious goals then with a breathtaking sea-side escape?

The first in a special Jaunt series, we'll highlight the best body and soul boot camps from around the world. Just three hours north of LA in Pismo Beach, California, today's sexiest trainer (and reality star) will snap your ass into shape and guide you into a new more fit - and fulfilled - phase of life.


Jackie Warner, star of Bravo’s Workout and owner of Sky Sport & Spa in Beverly Hills, has not only developed the best abs in LA, but she's also earned herself a solid reputation as an entrepreneur and fitness professional. Well-informed on issues of biological psychology, with a particular interest in the effects of nutrition and physical training on brain function, Ms. Warner holds certifications from the International Sports Science Association (ISSA) and the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA).

In conjunction with Decadent Health, LLC (www.decadenthealth.com), Sky Sport and The Dolphin Bay Resort, she's now offering a week long chance to finally get your ass in gear.

SKYLAB'S LIFE CHANGE CAMP
SkyLab's Life Change Camp just might be the life-changing experience you desperately needed. Forget applying to The Biggest Loser, during this all-inclusive intense retreat, you'll live, eat, and workout with Jackie Warner, celebrity trainer and star of the hit Bravo TV show. She’ll teach you, train you, tone you, inspire you, and give you the discipline and motivation to lose weight... for good. In addition to breaking your sugar addiction, you'll sweat and work like never before, all under the ever-present and constant watch of Jackie and her team of trainers.

WHEN
May 31-June 7, 2008
Late August 2008

WHERE
Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa

Perched atop dramatic bluffs on California’s Central Coast, the luxurious oceanfront accommodations overlook Shell Beach, one of California’s most beautiful vacation spots. Located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Dolphin Bay features 65 one and two-bedroom residences, as well as several large penthouse units, and is within minutes of historic landmarks, white-sand beaches, wine country, boutiques, and championship golf courses. With a variety of outdoor activities like bicycling, hiking, kayaking, surfing, and exploring the numerous tide pools, you'll never be at a loss for something physical to do. Plus, the weather is great year-round.

The property’s spa, La Bonne Vie, is another welcome retreat from the hectic and often crowded LA city spas. Signature treatments include the “Effect,” a cellulite reduction and body contouring treatment that utilizes Dermosonic® technology, a combination of ultrasound and noninvasive subdermal therapy to act on the circulatory causes that lie underneath the always-dreaded cellulite. The resort's Lido Restaurant serves up coastal wine country cuisine made with market-fresh produce, just-caught seafood, and locally raised meats and poultry under a specially commissioned grand chandelier fashioned out of my favorite... Italian Murano glass.

Pst... after you're done breaking a sweat, the nearby Edna Valley boasts a slew of excellent wineries.

GETTING THERE
Only 3 hrs from LA, it’s a simple drive up the coast. Four major airlines also fly into the San Luis Obispo airport – US Air, United, American, and Delta. In true celebrity style, a complimentary shuttle will whisk you from the airport to Dolphin Bay.

PRICE
Sorry, but rock hard abs and a solid life change sometimes come with a hefty price.

May 31-June 7, 2008 ($7,000/single and $6,000/double)
Late August 2008 ($8,000/single and $7,000/double)

Includes:
• Accommodations
• All meals and snacks
• Twice-a-day workouts with Jackie and staff
• Daily yoga
• 30-minute massage
• Group Therapy sessions
• Nutrition counseling
• Cookbook
• Yoga guide
• DVD of Jackie's workout
• SkyLab hat and bag
• One-of-a-kind Swag Bag filled with amazing product samples

Typical Day:

7:00 am to 9:00 am - A two-hour, butt-busting workout
9:15 am to 10:30 am – Shower and one of Jackie's personal energy shakes (ingredients delivered right to your room)
10:30 am to 11:45 am – Discussion of good nutrition and the chemistry of weight loss
11:45 am to 12:45 pm – Lunch
12:45 pm to 2:15 pm – Seminar on healthy eating and weight loss
2:30 pm to 4:30 pm – Another two-hour, butt-busting workout
4:30 pm to 5:15 pm – Yoga and stretching
5:15 pm to 7:00 pm – Free time
7:00 pm to 8:15 pm – Dinner
8:30 pm to 10:00 pm – Nightly counseling session to discuss the emotional roadblocks to losing weight and keeping it off.

Each group is limited to 50 people per session. All bookings are based on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To sign up:
www.jackiewarner.com or www.decadenthealth.com and fill out online registration form.
You can also call Kimberly Day of Decadent Health at 301-633-4010

For more on Dolphin Bay:
www.thedolphinbay.com