Find Your ‘Happy’ Place At These 9 Health and Wellness Inspired Resorts

While pristine beaches, beautiful views, and coconut flavored cocktails tend to be my favorite way of using my vacation budget, it’s not always the most productive use of my time off. There are alternative options for feeling refreshed, renewed, and inspired, minus the booze and hangovers.

Have you ever considered a health and wellness inspired vacation getaway to rejuvenate mind, body, and soul and to be your best self when you return to your business or office? Believe it or not, there are no shortage of unique vacation options out there to help you accomplish this goal.

BlackEnterprise.com has compiled a few top health and wellness options to consider as you plan your fall weekend vacation getaways.

Channel Your Inner Yogi at Casa Palopó / Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

With sweeping views of Lake Atitlán and its three majestic volcanoes, Casa Palopó is perfect for yoga enthusiasts seeking to escape the everyday and channel their zen. The cozy, seven-bedroom boutique hotel’s “Yogis in Atitlán” package includes daily breakfast at 6. Palopo offers one spa treatment per person in the privacy of their guest room terrace or Balinese-inspired boutique spa, round-trip airport transfers, and daily personalized yoga lessons overlooking Lake Atitlán. This month, Casa Palopó prepares to host its first seven-day “Detox Week” retreat, which includes spa treatments, healthy cooking demonstrations, and health professionals as guest speakers. For more information, e-mail reservations@casapalopo.com.

Shed A Few Pounds at the Biggest Loser Resorts / Chicago, IL; Malibu, CA; Ivins, UT; and Niagara, NY

The Biggest Loser Resorts: Season after season, millions of people have been inspired by the work of the contestants on the popular television show The Biggest Loser. The Biggest Loser Resorts, with locations in Chicago; Malibu, California; Ivins, Utah; and Niagara, New York, make visitors feel like a c

ontestant on the show and help them to start the journey toward the healthy, wholesome, fulfilling life they have been dreaming about. The resorts offer a structured system that combines camaraderie, exercise, education, nutrition, and relaxation. These elements are tailored in a way that helps guests achieve and exceed their fitness goals. With the support and guidance of the talented leaders at the Resort, guests will be empowered to make healthy choices for the rest of their lives. For more information about the resorts, including rates and locations, visit: http://www.biggestloserresort.com.

Achieve The Ultimate Zen at Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort / Curacao

Sprawled across Santa Barbara Plantation’s 27 acres of rare, natural preserve, this breathtaking property is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and focus on restoring your mental and physical energies. When not calmly enjoying the secluded stretch of white sand beach, guests can hike, bike, play tennis, or try their hand at a range of weekly fitness classes like the resort’s Aqua Tai Chi class. To take your complete wellness plan one step further, sign up for the resort’s new PIAI Health & Wellness Program in November. The program will teach you how to heal yourself by finding a balance with nature.

Experience an Aloha Awakening / Maui

Join the founders of Sacred Commerce and Cafe Gratitude for five days of inspiration, practice, and soul searching. Stay on their beautiful remote organic farm in East Maui just a block from the beach. Come and eat from the land and experience the beauty that Maui has to offer. Honestly, what could be better?

The five-day retreat package offers the following:

Yoga

Organic vegetarian meals fresh from the farm

Kindred spirit workshop

Wood-burning sauna

Detox

Day excursions to sacred beaches and the Haleakala National Park are optional

The next retreat will take place Feb. 4-9, 2015. For more information, visit:  www.eternal-presence.com

Take a Journey to Wellness at The Resort at Longboat Key Club / Longboat Key, FL

Celebrate your inner fitness goddess with The Resort at Longboat Key Club’s

 newest “Journey to Wellness” program – a series of four packages that guide travelers on their way to full rejuvenation and a healthier lifestyle. With farm-to-table meals, daily yoga, Zumba, and spinning classes at the Mind & Motion studio, personal training sessions, nutrition classes, spa treatments, and so much more, it’s a guilt-free vacation that will leave you feeling glorified instead of gluttonous.

Mix & Mingle at a Healthy Happy Hour at Sandpearl Resort / Clearwater Beach, FL

Grab your girlfriends and schedule a much-needed “spa mixer” at the Spa at Sandpearl Resort. Toast with champagne and light appetizers with a healthy happy hour designed for 10 or more guests to mingle and relax. Spa services in treatment rooms can include express hand massages, reflexology, polish changes, skin consultations, and meditation stations.

Put the Pedal to the Metal with Beach Cruisers at Jupiter Beach Resort / Jupiter, FL

Get your heart rate up while soak

ing up the low-key Jupiter lifestyle with Jupiter Beach Resort’s complimentary beach cruiser bicycles. Kickstart a relaxing four-mile trip to Blueline Surf & Paddle Co. for standup paddle boarding and kayaking; then go to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum for a 105-step climb to the top where you’ll catch a (literally) breathtaking aerial view of the Jupiter. Intracoastal.

Indulge in a Hydrothermal Experience at Westin Playa Bonita / Panama

Relax, refresh, and rejuvenate with a circuit of hot and cold water treatments designed to stimulate circulation and cleanse the skin at Westin Playa Bonita’s Sensory Spa by Clarins. Try soaking under the Raindance Rainmaker Experience Showers, where jets of water and air provide an invigorating massage for your scalp; or walk along the Pediluvio Foot Massage Stream to feel how the different pressure points on the soles of your feet affect the rest of your body and well-being. For more information visit www.westinplayabonita.com, or call 1.877.800.1690.

Get a ‘Healthy Hour’ Metabolism Boost at Sense Beach House / Miami

Tucked into the corner of 4th and Ocean Drive, Sense Beach House is offering a “Healthy Hour” in celebration of Women’s Health & Fitness Day on Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. During that hour, the hotel’s on-site restaurant, The Local House, will offer a handcrafted juice to boost the metabolism. The pineapple juice blend with ginger lime and a touch of cinnamon is the tastiest way to satisfy midday cravings without all the calories. Paired perfectly with the scenic rooftop pool deck, the limited edition juice ($12) will be served with a complimentary fruit plate upon special request.