There are not, to my knowledge, places actually called “Recovery Spas”, but if you’re like me, you know what it means intuitively. First let me tell you what a recovery spa is not:

• A recovery spa probably does not exist in Las Vegas. Or probably not in any other city filled with noise and bright lights.
• A recovery spa is probably not a part of a chain with commercial elements to its décor.
• A recovery spa is definitely not ugly, noisy, dirty, or any other adjective that elicits stress.

So what is a recovery spa?

• A recovery spa is a place where when you walk out the front door, you find yourself still in a place of peace and serenity.
• A recovery spa might be privately owned, rustic, quiet, beautiful, and health oriented.
• A recovery spa makes sure that guests get the attention they need, while simultaneously giving them space to contemplate, drink tea, relax, and recover from whatever stresses led them to recovery in the first place.

Sound like your cup of tea? With the holiday season already in full action, the idea of “stress” becomes more and more a part of our everyday reality. Who are we going to invite? What are we going to buy? How am I NOT going to gain 10 pounds this month? And lastly, how am I ever going to afford all this stuff? Seems like most of us need a break after winter break.

Believe me, being in the travel industry, we at TripCart know what it feels like to need a vacation from the vacation. So book a day or two at one of these stress-free spas, leave the holidays behind you, and recover. That’s what they’re there for.

• Sanctuary Spa – Camelback Mountain Resort – Paradise Valley, Arizona
• 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa New Moon – Eureka Springs, Arkansas
• Carneros Inn & Spa – Napa, California
• Spa at Torrey Pines – La Jolla, California
• We Care Spa – Desert Hot Springs (Palm Springs), California
• Norwich Inn and Spa – Connecticut
• The Lodge at Molokai Ranch Spa – Maunaloa, Hawaii
• The Martha’s Vineyard Inn & Holistic Retreat – Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts
• Birdwing Spa – Litchfield, Minnesota
• El Monte Sagrado Living Resort & Spa – Taos, New Mexico
• Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch – Woodbourne, New York
• Red Mountain Spa Resort – St George, Utah
• Daufuskie Island Resort – Breathe Spa – Hilton Head, South Carolina
• Rosario Resort & Spa – EastSound (Orcas Island), Washington
• Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa – Stowe, Vermont

Last but not least, try not to let the holidays get you down—it’s supposed to be a joyous and exciting time, not stressful!

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As promised, the list continues! This time we find secret hideaways in the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania regions.

• Catskills and Hudson Valley Romance – Relax, couples-style, at the Mohonk Mountain House Resort & Spa in New Paltz. Then go for a romantic hike through Kaaterskill Falls.
• New York City Romance – Have a classic New York City tourist day with a trip to Central Park, a ride up to the top of the Empire State Building, and a Broadway show in Times Square. Top it all of with a couple’s massage and a soak in the tub at the Mandarin Oriental Spa!
• Jersey Shore Romance – Take a romantic walk on Sandy Hook Beach, get lucky in Atlantic City Casinos, and then chill on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and the Atlantic City Beach before returning to the Borgata Hotel Casino’s Spa Toccare for a luxurious treatment for two.
• Long Island Romance – Imbibe on wine and love at the North Fork Wineries. Head out to Westhampton and find an empty spot to relax in the Westhampton Beach Village.
• Eastern Pennsylvania Romance – Get down and dirty with a romantic, chocolaty experience at Hotel Hershey’s Chocolate Spa in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
• Southwestern Pennsylvania Romance – Roadtrip through fall foliage majesty and stop for the night at Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa in Morgantown, West Virginia. Then head to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania for an architectural and natural (and romantic) wonder!

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You don’t have to be a newlywed to go on a romantic vacation and it doesn’t need to be the summertime in order for you to get away. And last but not least, you don’t need to go all the way to Hawaii to find that special romantic spot. There are romantic getaways as close as one town over—no need to book expensive flights (though let’s take a moment to cheer for the drop in oil and gas prices!) when you can just jump in your car or take a Greyhound bus to a spa or a romantic hiking spot right nearby!

Let’s start with the Northeast Coast for today, but stay tuned for more ideas in your region!

• Maine Coast Romance – Find comfort in your lover’s arms and in small town charm in Ogunquit, Maine. Hang out at Ogunquit Beach and treat yourselves to blissful treatments at the Cliff House Resort and Spa!
• New Hampshire and Vermont Romance – Retreat to the Woodstock Inn Resort and Spa in Woodstock, Vermont and enjoy a ski getaway at the Stowe Mountain Ski Resort Area in Burlington!
• Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island Romance – Chill on Martha’s Vineyard, soak up some sun on Moshup Beach, and then head back to Boston where you can read poetry in the Public Garden after a sensual massage at the Four Seasons Hotel & Spa in Boston. Finish your trip off by heading south a bit to the Norwich Inn and Spa for a spa double whammy!

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For this weekend, its a bit early to any New York Fall Foliage. Even Peak Fall Foliage in the Adirondacks doesn’t happen till later in the month. You would enjoy the Fall Colors in Colorado or even New Mexico Fall Colors if you could get out there in time. Our advice – wait a few weeks for some good Fall Color in New York City, then plan to head out to Colorado when ski season kicks in.

Now, back to Fall Color in New York City – there is plenty of it – and in each borough’s parks. Get Medieval at the Cloisters. But you may want to get out of the city to the Catskills or Hudson Valley Fall Foliage Trips – under 2 hours from Manhattan. Or go west to the Poconos and ride antique trains and admire the bright reds and oranges of Pennsylvania fall foliage.

Visiting relatives on the Island? Check out the Fall Colors on Long Island while touring one of the historic mansions. Leave the Tank of Gas at home – take the LIRR and a bike.

And if you have a hybrid and want to include some of America’s best wineries in your long weekend – don’t miss Fall Foliage in the Finger Lakes. If you pick the right weekend, you will probably get a harvest festival or two to boot.

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Go to a spa, get a massage, and walk out feeling refreshed, de-stressed, and relaxed. Go to a destination spa and you’ll feel all those things in addition to feeling healthier and most likely, with a fresher and healthier outlook on life. Destination spas have been known to change lives: to make the lazy more energetic, the stressed out more calm, and even to help aid in weight loss and smoking cessation. For a period of a few days to a few weeks, guests immerse themselves into a routine of wellness, including exercise, healthy cuisine, enjoying the great outdoors, and therapeutic spa treatments. Sound like it could be for you? Well, chances are, it is for you, because these ten destination spas have features that will attract even the most chaste spa-virgins out there, as well as promiscuous spa-regulars.

The Guide to the Good Life recommends these ten spas as the best destination spas in the country:

1. Canyon Ranch Resort – Tucson, Arizona
2. Enchantment Resort & Mii Amo Spa – Sedona, Arizona
3. Cal-a-Vie Health Spa – Vista, California
4. Mayflower Inn & Spa – Washington, Connecticut
5. The Heartland Spa – Gilman, Illinois
6. Westglow Spa – Blowing Rock, North Carolina
7. Deerfield Spa – East Stroudsberg, Pennsylvania
8. Green Valley Spa Resort – St. George, Utah
9. Green Mountain at the Fox Run – Ladlow, Vermont
10. Wilderness Adventure Spa at Spring Creek Ranch – Jackson, Wyoming

I was just about to sign off, but happened to come across another list which names many of the same ones as above, but includes a few additional ones that I’ll add for good measure:

• Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires
• Golden Door – San Marcos, California
• Miraval Spa Resort – Life in Balance – Tucson, Arizona
• Lake Austin Spa Resort – Lake House Spa – Austin, Texas
• Red Mountain Spa Resort – St. George, Utah

Enjoy!

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