Stuffed Like a Turkey? Not This Year!

Many people think of Thanksgiving as a time to gorge yourself silly on the caloric, decadence of holiday fare, at home with your relatives.  Well, it doesn’t have to be!  This year, why not escape nearby to a spa?  Many spas offer guests healthy and delicious menus for Thanksgiving – and special holiday packages.  Give yourself some R&R and a chance to revive and feel good.  What better thanks can you give your body?  These are our Top 10 Getaways for a Healthy (and Delicious!) Thanksgiving:

 

1. Cavallo Point – The Lodge at the Golden Gate Sausalito, CA

Executive Chef Joseph Humphrey is celebrating Thanksgiving dinner at Cavallo’s Murray Circle restaurant. Located at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, just minutes from San Francisco or Sausalito, Cavallo Point offers an exceptional range of accommodations, amenities, and experiences – plus stunning city, Bay, and Bridge views. Set within Golden Gate National Parks at historic Fort Baker, the lodge presents unmatched opportunities to discover nature –and  give thanks for all the city, and all the Bay Area has to offer.

 

Get Cavallo Point’s Potato and Celery Root Gratin recipe.

 

2. Silverado Resort Napa, CA

Just 45 minutes north of San Francisco in California’s Napa Valley lies Silverado, a historic 1,200-acre destination resort in the rolling hills of wine country. The Mansion, a California landmark built in the early l870’s in the Italian and French styles, stands as the welcoming place for all guests checking in. Designed by then-owner General John Miller and his wife, it houses the lobby as well as the Royal Oak Restaurant, Main Lounge, and several meeting rooms. Save US$276 per Person- Silverado Holiday Celebration Packages!

 

3. Chiva-Som Hua Hin, Thailand

If you want to celebrate Thanksgiving abroad, you’ll enjoy the spa cuisine at Chiva-Som. For centuries kings came to rest and revive in Hua Hin, the beachside location of Chiva-Som, whose name means ‘Haven of Life.’ When Chiva-Som opened in 1995, it was one of the first destination spas in Asia. The spa, whose services and architecture merge Eastern and Western influences, has a worldwide reputation. Guests come to sample a full range of beauty, medical, and wellness treatments from the extensive spa menu. The more than l50 choices range from Ayurveda to acupressure to Thai massage and are offered by a staff of 85 estheticians, medical doctors, complementary health providers, nutritionists, and personal fitness trainers.

 

4. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort Farmington, PA

The Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, located on 3,000 acres in western Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, is offering a full menu of Thanksgiving weekend activities for the entire family. The special package  includes family portraits, Thanksgiving Day brunch, Safari Wild Animal Tours, Elf Tuck-ins, lighting festivities, chorales, visits with Santa and Mrs. Clause, Gingerbread House Workshops… and a resort credit that can be used for the spa, food & beverage and activities.  With its three-story Woodlands Spa, extensive dining options, and two championship golf courses, the four-season resort offers guests of all ages a variety of activities and has won numerous accolades such as Travel + Leisure’s 500 Best Hotels in the World award. Receive a US$1,200 Resort Credit with Four-Night Stay- Thanksgiving Weekend Special!

 

Get Nemacolin Woodlands Resort’s Pumpkin Body Scrub, do-it-yourself spa treatment recipe.

 

5. Willow Stream the Spa at Fairmont Scottsdale Scottsdale, AZ

On Thanksgiving Day, the Fairmont Scottsdale is offering a Holiday Brunch Buffet with live music, complimentary champagne and world-class views. Surrounded by some of the most stunning scenery in the Southwest, The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess faces the rugged McDowell Mountains on one side and the magnificent Sonoran Desert on the other. The Willow Stream spa, inspired by the local environment, offers treatments such as the Arizona Aloe Eucalyptus Scrub. Many of the treatments make use of the Havasupai Waterfall on the spa’s first level. The spa’s extensive fitness center and programs can ensure a healthful vacation – and a happy Thanksgiving!

 

6. Spa Anjali at Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa Avon, CO

Give Thanks at The Westin Riverfront from November 23 – November 28 and enjoy the special Family Thanksgiving package, including a Thanksgiving dinner for four (two adults, two children) at Restaurant Avondale, a one hour family photo sitting (don’t forget the dog, the hotel is dog-friendly!) and registration in the 2nd Annual Riverfront Turkey Trot. Rates start at  $229 per night. A three-night minimum stay is required.  

 

7. Cal-a-Vie Vista, CA

This  award-winning health spa in San Diego is celebrating Thanksgiving with a wellness retreat designed to kick off a healthy holiday season. The all-inclusive program includes Executive Chef Jason Graham’s gourmet spa cuisine, therapeutic spa treatments, fitness classes, wellness lectures and more. Book your stay during this Special Rate Week and receive a complementary Pumpkin Wrap. Accommodating only 24 guests each week, with a five to one ratio of staff members to guests, this all-inclusive spa is committed to highly personalized service. The spa’s fitness program is custom-tailored for each participant, and guests can stay three, four, or seven days. Savings of up to US$400 – Thanksgiving Week at Cal-a-Vie!

 

8. Rancho La Puerta Baja California, Mexico

Although located in Mexico (just over the border from the inland mountain ranges of San Diego County), Rancho La Puerta celebrates the U.S. tradition of Thanksgiving each year with a Harvest Table Dinner. The resort’s massive Spanish Colonial dining room gains a baronial splendor as guests sit at one very long table to enjoy a feast featuring many of the fall-season squashes, fruits and vegetables from Tres Estrellas Organic Farm. In addition, famed vegetarian cookbook author and restaurateur Deborah Madison of Galisteo, New Mexico (founder of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco), will be teaching this week at La Cocina Que Canta, the resort’s cooking school set in the midst of the 5-acre farm. Deborah’s classes will also feature some of the seasonal bounty fresh from the farm, picked only a few hours before preparation. With her guidance, you’ll learn to prepare your own harvest-season dinner at home.

 

9. The Lodge at Woodloch Hawley, PA

The Lodge at Woodloch invites guests to experience a special Thanksgiving meditation class to relax and integrate the body, the breath, and the mind, allowing gratitude to arise organically while focusing on what we are thankful for.  The Lodge at Woodloch, opened in June 2006, is an exclusive 58-room luxury destination spa offering complete spa programming in a strikingly beautiful natural setting. The spa’s programs, classes, and therapies encourage personal awakening and are geared toward lasting lifestyle changes. In Tree, the signature restaurant, gourmet organic cuisine is as tasty as it is nutritious. Dietary counseling is available to those seeking to develop a weight loss program or enhance fitness goals. A wide range of outdoor activities, including kayaking, hiking, and mountain biking, beckon guests to become one with nature.

 

Get Lodge at Woodloch’s Whole Grain Cranberry Stuffing recipe.

 

10. Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, Santa Ana Pueblo, NM

Experience a unique Pueblo-Style Thanksgiving at The Tamaya Resort & Spas, including local native American traditions including bread baking, traditional Pueblo dancing and story telling,  Rates start at $189 per night based on double occupancy, November 19 – 30, 2009.  Guests will be welcomed with Tamaya’s homemade signature pumpkin cookies.  The Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa sits on 500 acres in the native land of the Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico, on the banks of the Rio Grande, just 20 minutes from Albuquerque and 40 minutes from Santa Fe. Tamaya is offering: On Thanksgiving Day Save US$30 on Hyatt Regency Tamaya’s Pueblo-Style Thanksgiving!