Category Archives: Wellness Travel

Hotels & Resorts, Uncategorized, Wellness & Health, Wellness Travel

Club Med Redefines All-Inclusive Wellness Escape with ‘Wellness Fusion Retreat’ at Club Med Miches Playa Esmeralda

Club Med is redefining the all-inclusive wellness escape with the launch of its enhanced Wellness Fusion experiences at Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda in the Dominican Republic (photo provided by Club Med)

Miami, FL—Club Med is redefining the all-inclusive wellness escape with the launch of its enhanced Wellness Fusion experiences at Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda in the Dominican Republic. Beginning this month, the resort introduces its first annual Wellness Fusion Retreat, January 18-February 14, featuring expert-led sessions, restorative stays in the new Emerald Jungle wellness Fusion Rooms and on-demand mindfulness via a collaboration with technology partner, YouTuneIn. The expanded offerings come at a time when travelers are increasingly seeking transformative and immersive experiences focused on connection, restoration and holistic well-being.

Set in the emerging region of Miches in the Dominican Republic, Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda is part of the brand’s Exclusive Collection, an elevated portfolio of resorts including premium accommodations, curated activities, gourmet dining, and personalized service. Nestled between the jungle and the Caribbean Sea, the resort’s pristine beaches provide a naturally secluded environment designed to inspire reflection, renewal, and time in nature.

Wellness Fusion Retreat

Guests staying at the resort between January 18, 2026 through February 14, 2026 can participate in the Wellness Fusion Retreat at their own pace. Seamlessly integrated into the resort’s all-inclusive ethos, programming will be led by more than 20 internationally recognized wellness practitioners, celebrating Club Med’s global culture and its tradition of connecting diverse travelers from around the world.

Leading the yoga experience is Jonah Kest, Club Med’s Yoga Ambassador across North America and the Caribbean, whose transformative approach anchors the program with dynamic movement, mindful sequencing, and energizing flow suitable for all levels. From February 3–7, Kest will be on property leading immersive classes and workshops, including his signature Vinyasa Flow and Hip Hop Vinyasa Flow, which blends ancient asana with modern-day hip-hop beats, alongside his renowned Art of Inversions Workshop.

In addition to Kest, retreat leaders include Maude Bergeron, a meditation and self-growth expert focused on empowerment and holistic living, guiding meditation and mindful practices; Fabian-Carlos Guhl, an international somatic water therapist offering deeply restorative “Floating into Stillness” sessions; Dr. Emmanuel Pinillos, physical therapist and founder of Miami Run Club, directing functional mobility and conditioning workshops; Dr. Monisha Bhanote, a quintuple board-certified physician specializing in gut health and longevity, hosting interactive sessions on nutrition and wellness; and Tanna Kirchmer, a body reconnection and movement coach, facilitating mindful movement and somatic strength practices focused on recovery and longevity, among others.

Together, these experts provide a comprehensive approach, allowing guests to explore a variety of wellness practices while connecting with like-minded travelers. Small group sessions include:

·       Mind-Body Practices: Yoga, meditation, sound healing, breathwork, journaling, and mindful nutrition.

·       Fitness & Physical Conditioning: Cold plunge therapy, beach fitness bootcamps, on-resort running, and longevity workshops.

·       Creative Expression: Daily rituals like moon meditations, cacao ceremonies, painting, and guided reflection, each designed to deepen self-discovery and inspire meaningful, lasting wellness habits.

On-Demand Mindfulness

Among the retreat’s featured experts is Millah, a transformational guide and founder of YouTuneIn, the app designed to enhance wellbeing through mental and emotional clarity with immersive auditory experiences such as binaural meditation, healing sound frequencies, and 8D audio journeys. Launching this month in conjunction with the Wellness Fusion Retreat, Club Med has partnered with YouTuneIn to premiere the experience on property, allowing guests to be among the first users with complimentary seven-day access during their stay. The app is actively being rolled out at select Club Med resorts throughout North America including the brand’s flagship sun resort, Club Med Punta Cana. United by a shared commitment to holistic wellness, the partnership also offers guests 10% off a subscription after checkout, extending the wellness journey beyond the resort.

Enhanced In-Room Experience: Emerald Jungle Wellness Fusion Rooms

A sneak peak of the Emerald Jungle Wellness Fusion Rooms, scheduled to debut in summer 2026, will be offered during the retreat. The reimagined room category is designed to bring wellness and restorative practices directly into guest accommodations, reinforcing the brand’s approach to comprehensive wellbeing. Located in the adults-only Zen Oasis section, each room features three curated amenity baskets, including healthy snacks and drinks, a Good Night Kit, and a Pampering Kit, crafted to encourage mindful moments and reflection. Interiors echo the surrounding jungle with tropical patterns, lush green hues, wooden furnishings, and a ceramic bathroom, while a furnished terrace or patio offers garden views, all steps away from the freshwater Zen Pool.

To learn more about the Wellness Fusion Retreat at Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda and take advantage of 40% off limited time offer, valid for travel through June 19, 2026, click here.

Located in the Dominican Republic’s El Seibo province in between lush palm groves, rugged mountains and secluded beaches, Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda is the first operating resort in the undiscovered region of Miches. Spread across 93 acres, this 5-Trident, all-inclusive resort is part of Club Med’s growing Exclusive Collection (5-star) portfolio that offers the brand’s own carefree interpretation of luxury. This eco-chic property features four boutique “villages” with distinct room concepts for every traveler – the Emerald Jungle and Archipelago sections offer a luxury, adults only escape, while the Explorer Cove and Caribbean Paradise offer an elevated, family-centric setting nearby children’s clubs, pools and beaches, and sports activities. With access to 25 land and water sports, guests can personalize their stay with a mix of experiences from treetop yoga in a jungle palapa, to archery, pickleball, or flying trapeze. The resort’s four restaurants and six bars offer an authentically Dominican culinary journey, and a playful secret chocolate room adds a whimsical twist to the dining experience. Part of Club Med’s signature Wellness Fusion program, a stay at Club Med Michès Playa Esmeralda combines healthy nutrition, active sports, yoga & meditation, spa relaxation at Club Med Spa by Cinq Mondes, and reconnection to nature.

Club Med, founded in 1950 by Gérard Blitz, is a pioneer of the all-inclusive concept, operating nearly 60 premium resorts in stunning locations around the world including North and South America, Caribbean, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean. Each Club Med resort features authentic local style and comfortably upscale accommodations, superior sports programming and activities, enriching children’s programs, gourmet dining, and warm and friendly service by its world-renown staff with legendary hospitality skills, an all-encompassing energy and diverse backgrounds. Club Med continues to grow and adapt to each market with three to five new resort openings or renovations per year, including a new mountain resort annually. 

For more information, visit www.clubmed.us, call 1-800-Club-Med (1-800-258-2633), or contact a preferred travel professional. For an inside look at Club Med, follow Club Med on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. 

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Wellness Travel

11 Wellness Holidays to Reboot Life

Shikoku is the smallest of Japan’s major islands. It’s encircled by a 1,200 km, 88-temple Buddhist pilgrimage route honoring the 9th-century monk Kukai. Cycling these ancient Samurai roads, trekking sacred Pilgrim routes, soaking in historic hot springs, and enjoying a unique culture and gastronomy make this Ride & Seek vacation the perfect wellness retreat for active travelers

Here’s something to look forward to, after the coronavirus pandemic passes: Wellness holidays to reboot life.

Wellness tourism is growing twice as fast as the tourism industry overall. In fact, by 2022 some predict it will be a $919 billion industry. Wellness tourism allows travelers to maintain, enhance or kick-start a healthy lifestyle and support or increase their sense of well-being. Whether it’s cycling across Italy with a famous chef, meditating with monks in Tibet, or cooking farm-to-table cuisine with cowboys on a Wyoming ranch, here are 11 dreamy wellness vacations to relax, reboot and establish a sense of inner balance. 

1. Soaking & Cycling Shikoku – Shikoku is the smallest of Japan’s major islands. It’s encircled by a 1,200 km, 88-temple Buddhist pilgrimage route honoring the 9th-century monk Kukai. Cycling these ancient Samurai roads, trekking sacred Pilgrim routes, soaking in historic hot springs, and enjoying a unique culture and gastronomy make this Ride & Seek vacation the perfect wellness retreat for active travelers. https://www.rideandseek.com/tour/samurai-shikoku-island-japan/

2. Tiny House Ski Retreat – Just minutes from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Fireside Resort capitalizes on the tiny house craze and the classic appeal of rustic cottages by offering 25 pint-size, luxuriously outfitted units designed by Wheelhaus. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort offers 133 runs and 12 lifts across more than 2,500 acres. Well-groomed Nordic skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing trails are also available. https://www.firesidejacksonhole.com/ContactUs/

3. Fly Fishing + Diving in Belize – Turneffe Flats has been one of the world’s top flats fishing and diving resorts for close to four decades. Frontiers International Travel guests enjoy a myriad of other activities such as unique marine eco-adventures, birding, and wildlife watching. https://www.frontierstravel.com/turneffe-flats-lodge-april-may-2020 

4. Meditating with Monks – On this MIR Corporation adventure, guests visit Dunhuang’s UNESCO-listed Mogao Caves and explore the Tibetan Plateau on a splendid route that embraces the sacred cities of Gyantse, Shigatse and Lhasa, “City of the Sun.” https://www.mircorp.com/trip/chinas-silk-road-tibet-route-of-monks-merchants/

5. Cycling w/ Chef in Italy – Tourissimo offers cycling vacations that focus on the best food and wine Italy has to offer. On each departure, they invite a well-known chef whose role is to facilitate the understanding of local gastronomy. The tours all happen around carefully selected cycling routes. https://www.tourissimo.travel/chef-tours 

6. Cowboy Cooking & Horseback Riding –  In addition to hiking, fly fishing, cattle wrangling, horseback riding, yoga and luxury accommodations, guests at Red Reflet Ranch in Ten Sleep, WY have an opportunity to learn culinary techniques and skills by joining the ranch’s executive chef for cooking classes. Much of the meat and produce consumed at Red Reflet Ranch comes from its butcher shop and gardens. http://redrefletranch.com/    

7. Biking Across Colorado – Cycle of Life Adventures has created a four-week-long “Epic Colorado” cycling expedition covering 1,258 miles with an elevation gain of 89,502 feet. In addition to cycling, there are three rest days built in so guests can enjoy fly fishing, kayaking, rafting, hiking, golf or spa experiences. https://cycleoflifeadventures.com/epic-colorado 

8. Northern Lights, Dog Sledding & Curling – Get a dose of local culture by day and view the Aurora Borealis by night. Visit a local homesteader, walk with reindeer, go dogsledding, learn the sport of curling, and relax in the outdoor hot springs on this quintessential wellness vacation offered by Gondwana Ecotours. https://www.gondwanaecotours.com/tour/fairbanks-northern-lights-trips-alaska/

9. Big Sky Spring – Visit Big Sky, Montana, and make the new Wilson Hotel your base for active spring adventures. End ski season on hundreds of exhilarating runs spread across 5,850 acres of terrain at Big Sky Resort, or venture into Yellowstone National Park on foot or bike to see natural wonders and wildlife waking from the quiet of winter. https://thewilsonhotel.com/

10. Ride the Roof of the World – Join H+I Adventures on a mountain bike trip in the Himalayas of Nepal for breathtaking climbs and fast descents in the Kathmandu Valley and among the highest peaks in the world. Along the way, share tea with local farmers on their rooftops in the mountains. https://www.mountainbikeworldwide.com/mtb-tours/nepal

11. Sri Lanka Safari – Visit the national parks of Sri Lanka with Adventure Life to see wildlife like colorful peacocks, giant crocodiles, majestic herds of elephants during jungle hikes, game drives and boat rides. Also find four centuries of Arab, Portuguese and Dutch cultural influences on a walking tour through the cobbled streets of Galle. https://www.adventure-life.com/sri-lanka/tours/14369/sri-lanka-wildlife

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Culinary Travel, Wellness Travel

From Travel to Wellness: Recipe for Immune-Boosting Comfort Soup

Anne Dimon, founder/editor of Travel to Wellness offers this recipe for immune-boosting Sweet Potato, Coconut, Ginger Soup

Anne Dimon, the founder/editor of Travel To Wellness and the co-founder/president of the Wellness Tourism Association, offered this marvelous recipe for an immune-boosting soup that comes from her friends at Grail Springs Retreat for Wellbeing in Bancroft, Ontario – just what we need while sequestered at home to keep healthy with comfort food that evokes the tastes and pleasures of travel. She writes:

It’s been a while since we reached out to you with wellness travel news and updates, and we sincerely hope all is good with you and your family in this time of global stress and disruption. While we are all going thru our own challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to keep positive that it will be contained, hopefully sooner rather than later. I have no doubt that you have been inundated with things you need to do to keep yourself and others safe and healthy, so we won’t bore you by reiterating the things you probably already know. Just one quick suggestion: there is a lot of misinformation out there. Take the advice of those you trust, like public health professionals.

So, to get to the point, one thing we all need to do is keep our immune systems strong. Yesterday, I whipped up a batch of this immune-boosting soup courtesy of our friends at Grail Springs Retreat for Wellbeing in Bancroft, Ontario. Once you have all the ingredients purchased, It takes about an hour to make. Double the recipe, freeze a batch for later, or share it with a family member, friend or neighbor.

Wherever you may be in the world today, know that we are all in this together. On a personal note, my husband is in the category of the most vulnerable so we, too, are being extra careful. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Stay strong. We shall overcome.

Sweet Potato, Coconut, Ginger Soup

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tsp salt

1 red onion chopped

3 celery stalks chopped

1 carrot peeled and chopped

1 inch of ginger root peeled and sliced

1 Tsp apple cider vinegar

2 small sweet potatoes peeled and chopped

1 can of coconut milk

Sauté onion in oil until softened. Add celery, carrot, ginger and salt and saute until they have softened about 5 minutes. Add apple cider vinegar and stir to de-glaze pan. Add sweet potato and coconut milk. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are soft.

Blend in a blender until smooth. Add water, coconut milk or almond milk to get desired consistency.

Launched in 2004, TravelToWellness.com was one of the first editorially-driven online resources for the wellness-minded traveler.  

The Wellness Tourism Association  www.wellnesstourismassociation.org is a not-for-profit with a mission to bring definitions and standards to the industry for the global good. 

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