Coast to Coast Island Spas
Island retreats surrounding the continental United States deliver the chill-time you crave, along with splendid spa services and treasured Zen moments.
by Jeryl E. Spear
Have you ever dreamed of being marooned on a deserted island—or at least a sparsely populated one—where natur and spa providers nurture you to your heart’s content? Of course, you have. After all, an island getaway is the perfect antidote for balancing stress. If you are hankering to revel in the surround sound of island surf and to commune with both spa and Mother Nature, look no further than some of the most beautiful islands that dot the coastline of the continental United States. Representing a trove of natural habitats, luxurious retreats, and tailored activities, these isolated oases can deliver the ideal island getaway for a quick weekend or as long as you like.
Mansion on the Water
Rosario Resort & Spa
Orcas Island, Washington
(800) 562-8820, www.rosarioresort.com
You will have to leave your sexy new hybrid behind, unless you are willing to take an eighty-mile ferry ride to Orcas Island. Otherwise, park your green machine at Anacortes and hop on a water taxi or charter a seaplane.
Set on thirty waterfront acres overlooking the Cascade Bay, and built around the famed Moran Mansion (circa 1909), the Rosario Resort & Spa on Orcas Island is literally a breath of fresh air thanks to the crisp, ever-present breeze.
Take a cursory tour of the Roundhouse Suite—the only original suite designed and built by shipping magnate cum land baron, Robert Moran—and then head out to enjoy the spa.
At the spa, be sure to sample the spa’s signature Earth and Sea Symphony treatment, which includes both heated river stones and a hot shell massage—hence earth and sea.
Of course, there’s more to this island spa than simply being pummeled to perfection. The spa also offers a variety of facials, including the eighty-minute Fountain of Youth facial that promises to leave your skin toned, moist, and radiant.
Zen moment
Relaxing in the opulent Moran Music Room while listening to musician extraordinaire Chris Peacock play the mansion’s original 1,972 pipe Aeolian organ (1913) and priceless Steinway grand piano (1900).
Florida Flair
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
Amelia Island, Florida
(904) 277-1100, www.ritzcarlton.com
It has been a long time coming, but with the completion of the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island in late 2006, spa-goers are now flocking to this tiny barrier island off the southeast corner of Florida. This dune-lined retreat, located where the Nassau Sound and the Atlantic Ocean meet, is set among a rich combination of natural wonders (the Atlantic, Amelia Island State Park, and white sand beaches), and, of course, the über-deluxe Ritz-Carlton Spa, Amelia Island.
The spa features an outdoor garden area, serenity pool with underwater music, an adjacent cascading waterfall and whirlpool, spacious steam and sauna rooms, and a state-of-the-art fitness center and movement studio. Guests will literally be lulled to sleep in the Heaven in a Hammock treatment, which promises to both massage your tired muscles and stretch your spine. Or try the Amelia Island Honey Butter Wrap, which nourishes thirsty skin with a shea butter wrap, a paraffin hand and foot treatment, and a warm oil scalp massage.
Zen moment
Walk the beach at sunrise and trace the scuffling tracks of sea tortoises from their nesting sites to the sea.
The Island of Love
Catalina Canyon Resort and Spa
Avalon, California, (310) 510-0900
www.catalina-canyon-resort.pacificahost.com
A mere twenty-two miles off the mainland of Southern California, the unique splendor of Catalina Island is primarily the work of chewing gum magnet William Wrigley, Jr.—part Hollywood showman and complete conservationist—who purchased this slice of paradise in 1919. This desert isle served as the ideal getaway for movie stars during the Golden Age of Hollywood, as a center for military operations during World War II, and remains an enduring island hideaway.
The Spa at Catalina, with its gorgeous view of Avalon Bay, offers sweethearts a unique getaway in their couples’ suite. Book the Deluxe Stress Relief Wrap for two, which includes a warm oil massage followed by an essential oil body wrap, Honey Facial, and Peppermint Scalp Relief Massage.
But visiting Catalina isn’t about sticking close to the resort; there is sightseeing to be done. Drop by the Casino (built in 1929), a two-story, art deco masterpiece that houses an enormous movie house (the first theater to be built for talkies), and a circular dance floor on the second level that can accommodate well over 6,000 dancers. And, if you’re visiting the resort from May to September, take a nighttime boat trip on the open-deck Blanche W., which uses searchlights to attract honest-to-goodness flying fish that are known to soar up to thirty feet above the water line.
Zen moment
Hike to the top of Mt. Orizaba, the highest point on the island, to meditate and silently enjoy the panoramic view of the island and the Pacific Ocean.
