Sensory Ecstasy: 10 Spa, Wine & Dine Experiences
Would you like some wine with that?
By Amy Sung | May 10, 2012Many hotels and resorts do very fine food AND very fine spa, but historically their star offerings have been dissociated. Now, fine dining and spa go hand-in-hand to cater to the spa enthusiast foodie for whom total relaxation doesn’t only mean a day at the spa, but also a delicious chef’s table meal, a personal cooking class or spending some time out in the hotel’s garden to enjoy the harvest. Here are a few prime examples of SpaFinder’s 2012 Pairing Dining and Spa-ing Trend, providing for the ultimate experience.
Image courtesy of Hotel Métropole of Monte Carlo
Hotel Métropole of Monte Carlo
The Hotel Métropole of Monte Carlo’s (Monaco) Joël Robuchon restaurant (featuring a chef with more Michelin stars than any other in the world) can be combined with the hotel’s incredible ESPA spa (one of Condé Nast Traveler’s top 25 spas in the world). When five-star food and wine intertwines with five-star spa, it represents the ultimate romantic or special celebration experience.
Image courtesy of Hotel Métropole of Monte Carlo
Ocean House on Watch Hill
Ocean House on Watch Hill in Rhode Island is hosting Wellness Weekends for guests, which include fitness classes and consultation with trainers, personal time at the spa and a smoothie lesson with the resort’s dedicated food forager, using the healthiest local ingredients. The resort’s food and beverage program is centered around the farm-to-table lifestyle, and regularly scheduled Farm + Vine dinners/classes, “In the Kitchen” workshops and cooking classes are available three times a week. Read about our Wellness Weekend experience.
Image courtesy of Amy Sung
InterContinental Hong Kong
This year InterContinental Hong Kong continues its popular series, “Cooking with the Culinary Stars” – a culinary program of cooking classes with the hotel’s world-renowned chefs. Classes are available in each of hotel’s restaurants, including the two-Michelin star SPOON by Alain Ducasse, NOBU InterContinental Hong Kong, one-Michelin star Yan Toh Heen and THE STEAK HOUSE winebar + grill. Each session includes lunch featuring dishes from the class, plus wine-pairing and tasting.
Image courtesy of InterContinental Hong Kong
The Allison Inn and Spa
Honoring its Willamette Wine Valley roots, The Allison Inn and Spa, Newberg, Oregon’s destination resort serving the state’s wine region, hosted a few wine and spa packages earlier this year, including the Grape Escape, a two-night retreat that celebrated the women vintners of Willamette Valley. Tastings and insights were paired with daily 60-minute, wine-themed spa treatments and garden-to-table cuisine, all in an invigoratingly beautiful setting. The Wine, Women & Spa package was a part of a two- or three-night stay between Wednesday and Friday, and included access to the inn’s Thursday night Celebrity Wine Tender event, an intimate tasting and conversation with a featured vintner.
Image courtesy of The Allison Inn and Spa
Yoga for Foodies
The Spa, Wine and Dine trend is unabashedly about healthy hedonism, or, as David Romanelli (the Los Angeles yogi famous for his experiences where yoga is paired with food, wine and chocolate), put it, it’s all about combining “moments of sensory ecstasy…” But it also has practical appeal: In this economy, people seek shorter stays, and these “culi-spa” weekends are typically packed with a full social and sense-immersing itinerary. Check out our experience with Yoga for Foodies.
Image courtesy of Amy Sung
Rancho La Puerta
For Rancho La Puerta, the focus has always been eating whole, fresh foods straight from its organic garden. From guests receiving the opportunity to harvest from this garden to learning how to cook healthy and wholesome meals at its well-known cooking school, this Baja California retreat not only offers stellar spa treatments, but an experience of wellness from all angles.
Image courtesy of Rancho La Puerta
Cal-a-Vie Health Spa
Cal-a-Vie’s all-inclusive program of fitness, nutrition and therapeutic spa treatments is custom-tailored for each participant, and guests can choose from three-, four- or seven-night packages. This November, the spa will be hosting a Culinary Week where guests can learn secrets from Chef Jason Graham, honored as one of America’s top healthy gourmet chefs by the Aspen Center for Integral Health, on how he prepares a simple—yet gourmet and healthy—holiday meal under 950 calories. Cal-a-Vie’s nutrition expert will also share her tips to improve nutrition at home.
Image courtesy of Cal-a-Vie Health Spa
The St. Regis Aspen
Spa Remède at The St. Regis Aspen has recently rolled out a new spa concept called Farm to Massage Table. In conjunction with the resort’s new Chef’s Club (by Food & Wine) restaurant, the spa will be offering a tasting menu of spa treatments paired with food. Guests can experience a prix fixe spa menu of an appetizer, main course, intermezzo and dessert based on the appetizer and dessert scent or flavor they choose. After enjoying an edible appetizer, served on the massage table is a savory salt glow scrub appetizer, a 60-minute massage main course, a palate-cleansing warm eucalyptus compress and whipped body butter application in choice flavor, paired with a chilled glass of private label bubbly and a crafted dessert bite from Executive Chef Thomas Riordan.
Image courtesy of The St. Regis Aspen
NoMI Spa, Park Hyatt Chicago
Last June, Park Hyatt Chicago opened NoMI Spa, part of the new NoMI Lifestyle brand featuring four unique elements: NoMI Spa, NoMI Kitchen, NoMI Lounge and NoMI Garden. With the philosophy “Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well,” NoMI Spa and NoMI Kitchen collaborated to create food and tea pairings with anti-aging, de-stress and relaxation/detoxification treatments. Organic, seasonal foods are chosen to correspond to the treatments and are paired with teas blended with natural, restorative herbs and oils. Pictured is the small bite paired for de-stressing, a dish of fresh melon, organic honey, sea salt and nutmeg as melon is good for strong digestion, heart and nervous system. The accompanying tea features a blend of organic ginko leaf, eleuthero root, sarsaparilla root, dandelion root and peppermint leaf.
Image courtesy of NoMI Spa/Park Hyatt Chicago
Four Seasons Hotel and Resort Las Vegas
This summer, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts introduces the World of Wonder, encouraging today’s voyagers to create their own “life list” of must-try thrilling experiences, from cycling through an ancient tea plantation in Hangzhou to catching the sunrise over the volcanoes in Maui. At Four Seasons Las Vegas, guests are invited to cook and dine with Chef Charlie Palmer.
Image courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel and Resort Las Vegas
