subject: Trade Whirlwind For Whirlpool On A Spa Holiday In France [print this page] All too often, vacationers travel to France on "whirlwind" tours, attempting to fit as many places in as possible in just a week or two. Now, however, there are more travelers who are saying, "Enough! I want to relax this time. I want to find a quiet town, get to know it intimately, meet a few new friends and, first and foremost...relax!" To them, a spa holiday in France is about recharging one's batteries, not coming home from vacation even more exhausted than before.
France is world-renowned for its commitment to pleasurable living and beauty, as well as its spas and spa-hotels, which have been in existence long before they made their way Stateside. In fact, they are becoming so popular that entire towns have been created around spring sources, or "healing" waters, as well as the ocean.
Spa hotels can be fairly general, serving a wide demographic, or specialized toward sports, gastronomy, families or self-help. For the most part, guests can choose from a plethora of package options upon registering, ensuring a customized, healing week or two of healing and resting. Of course, part of that package does include touring the surrounding town and area, and getting to know it well. Memories that keep in the mind, and not on an itinerary on a sheet of paper.
One fine example is Aix-Les-Bains in Savoy. This spa resort at the foot of the Alps has every outdoor pursuit under the sun: swimming, sailing, water skiing, fishing, hiking or golf. Not to mention being right at the gorgeous Lake Bourget. The entire town seems to revolve around healing therapies and treatments. Even the fine dining establishments focus on local, fresh, organic foods.
The spa focuses on balneotherapy treatments, which include the use of showers, bubbling baths, steam and jacuzzis to melt stress and muscle aches away. Yet there are also seminars on health and beauty, expeditions in town, nature hikes, fine dining and cultural events to enjoy during your stay. This is a very common set-up of a French spa.
Les Sources Des Caudalie goes all out with its inclusion of wine in its health treatments--a perfect combination for wine buffs who want to travel to learn more about wines yet relax under the guided hands of trained treatment specialists.
Les Sources Des Caudalie is near Bordeaux, famous for its wine. It features 29 rooms, a restaurant and a bar, and its decor is classic French Country. Sports activities abound, such as a jogging trail, gym, boat rental, swimming pool, jacuzzi and bicycles.
The Spa Vinotherapie is the epitome of luxurious pampering. Treatments include: barrel baths, red wine baths, grape marc baths, grape-seed oil massage, merlot wraps, honey and wine wraps, crushed Cabernet scrubs and much more. Intoxicating without the guilt!
Most spa hotels in France are similar in that they are all-inclusive, with only specific treatments paid for separately. It is an adventure in itself just researching the many hundreds to choose from, tailored to specialized health goals. Guests are never at a loss for something to do and, many times, choose not to do a thing at all but to ponder life's mysteries while sitting on the shaded veranda, drinking a lovely glass of local wine.
Some with children fear that a family spa holiday in France will end up being the opposite of relaxing, but that is simply not the case. There are many family-oriented spa hotels in France that accommodate families, with plenty of diversions and activities for children who may not even be aware they're at a "spa."
Researching the many options is not difficult online, and guests can customize their vacation before even setting foot in France. Now is the time to enjoy France's gorgeous countryside, internationally-esteemed beauty and health treatments, and to escape the weary whirlwind of tourism traveling.
