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Home » Fitness » Fitness retreats offer time off at a different pace

By Frances Robles, Special to the Times Frances RoblesTampa Bay Times Posted: Mar 01, 2012 05:36 PM

Alicia Stevens has nothing against a good pia colada. But when the 30-year-old yogi entrepreneur imagined the vacation she always dreamed of, she thought wellness.

Stevens is among a growing number of Florida fitness experts who have designed vacation packages for the tourists who crave more from their time off than simply laying around on a beach. Her Sarasota Flow into Fullness Retreat program features sunrise yoga, meditation, a cooking class, a writing workshop as well as seaside pleasure.

"It will be more than going to the beach and checking out," Stevens said. "You'll be checking out of life, but checking into yourself. I want people to explore parts of themselves they haven't looked at yet."

Stevens' inaugural yoga retreat, in December at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sarasota, is among the first of the season's flurry of fitness vacation options. The state known for vast beaches and massive theme parks is increasingly offering more alternatives for people who would rather have a downward dog than a beachside umbrella drink.

From St. Augustine to Key West, several luxury resorts and small business operators are offering packages that include daily exercise, yoga and meditation. Activities range from hardcore boot camps to aromatherapy workshops all in a quest to tap into a global market of health-conscious people who are put off by all-you-can-eat buffets.

Prices range from $1,500 to $6,000 a week, accommodations and (health) food included.

A 2010 Stanford Research Institute study estimated that wellness tourism is a growing $106 billion industry. While many countries are gaining reputations as destinations for medical tourism, the study said the global market for wellness tourism was twice as big.

The International Spa Professionals Association says the number of spas worldwide grew from 5,700 to 19,900 in the past decade, an indicator that fitness has become an important choice for vacationers.

"People don't want to go home from vacation feeling worse than when they arrived, or feeling that they need a vacation from their vacation," said Margot Rutigliano, founder of the Bella Boot Camp, a fitness retreat at the Marriott Hotel in Delray Beach. "The active fitness vacation is really gaining speed. It's great for women and groups of women. We have a lot of couples do it together."

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Fitness retreats offer time off at a different pace

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Home » Fitness » Fitness retreats offer time off at a different pace