Sometimes, what you need is a pat on the back. No, not for moral support. I’m talking about a full body massage that releases tension from your shoulders. Or a soothing foot massage for your aching sole. Or a facial that moisturizes and rejuvenates your skin. Sometimes you need pampering. And, what if you could sunbathe, hear the ocean roar, play your favorite sports, dine out and sightsee too? Tempted?
Self-indulgence is a key part of the Caribbean’s allure, and its spas are one of its most enticing treasures. On these sunny isles, spas are not regimented, calorie-watching boot camps; they’re just one of many features at full-service, luxury resorts.
Jamaica
The “Super-Inclusive” Sans Souci Lido Resort rests in secluded, tranquil surroundings just 2 miles east of Ocho Rios. Its taupe buildings sit easily among beautiful Royal Poinciana and Orange Myrtle trees (very fragrant), orchids and hibiscus. Massages, facials, body scrubs, manicure/pedicures and reflexology treatments are performed in discreet, hillside gazebos linked by outdoor passageways. Walking from treatment to treatment is like strolling through a secret garden. No lines, no crowds, plenty of privacy.
As I lay on a table in a stone-framed gazebo, waiting for my massage, I didn’t know what to expect. The curtains were drawn. I was naked, with only a towel covering my body. The masseuse entered, rolled up a curtain and I thought I would be exposed to all the world. Instead I got serene ambience, a magnificent view of the sea and well-trained hands that masterfully took the knots out of my muscles.
During my reflexology treatment, I sat on a patio facing the ocean with my foot in my masseuse’s lap. She used a moisturizer with a bit of cornstarch as she rubbed and soothed my aching feet, then she targeted pressure points that corresponded to different parts of my body. Five minutes into the 25-minute treatment, I was out like a light. Snoring!
My body scrub was the exact opposite. In a room under a walkway near a small pool that is home to the spa’s huge and old pet turtle, I was scrubbed with a mixture of cornmeal, Epsom salt, coconut oil and almond extract. The top layer of my skin gently peeled off. Then I was washed down with soothing, lukewarm water, which left my skin feeling smooth and invigorated. Afterward, I took a swim in the spa’s natural mineral springs pool, which overlooks the ocean.
Added attractions: Fully equipped fitness center, tennis, golf (unlimited play including greens fees and transportation); fine food at the Casanova restaurant.
The sights: Shop in downtown Ocho Rios. Tour Dunns River Falls. Visit Sans Souci in early August and you can attend Jamaica’s famed Sunsplash music festival.
Rates: Penthouse suites start at $745 per person, deluxe suites $625, based on double occupancy for a three-night minimum April 6-Dec. 19. All treatments, meals, drinks and sports are included.
Sans Souci Lido, P.O. Box 103, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica. Reservations: 800-467-8737.
Dominican Republic
Most travelers come to Santa Domingo for business or to tour the historical sights. The cultural aspects, from the House of Columbus (Virreinal Palace) to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Encarnation (first Christian church in the Americas ) are simply amazing in the oldest European city in the Western Hemisphere. After a stimulating day of sightseeing, it’s an absolute luxury to return to Santa Domingo’s most prominent hotel, the Renaissance Jaragua Hotel and Casino, and its spacious 16,000 square-foot European health and beauty spa, the Wellness Place. When I entered the spa, I encountered a maze of hallways and rooms lined in plum-colored tiles. There were separate men’s and women’s lounges, steam rooms and saunas, a unisex whirlpool tub, treatment rooms and a fitness center. Helpful attendants gave me the royal treatment, serving beverages and guiding me to my appointments.
In a private room, I received a soothing Flowers Essence Herbal Body Wrap, a Shoulder Stress Relieving Treatment (boy, did it ease my tension) and a facial (off with the dead skin cells, on with the new). The spa manager gave me a reflexology treatment that ranked with the best I’ve ever had. (He healed my soles!) In-between treatments, I relaxed in the whirlpool, sauna and steam room. I also got a chance to talk to some locals. The spa/gym has an open membership and is frequented by people who live in the neighborhood. So in the lounge area, I asked fellow Dominican spagoers about their favorite restaurants and beaches. They readily gave advice. (See “The Sights” below.)
During my three-day stay, my routine was sun in the morning, tours by day, tennis in the late afternoon, followed by a swim, spa treatments and nights on the town. It gave my vacation a perfect rhythm.
Added attractions: Two hours of tennis with a pro cost just $20. Golf is available nearby. Enthusiastic crowds liven up the Jaragua casino (50 gaming tables) and frequent the live merengue band shows.
The sights: Friendly crowds swim at Boca Chica Beach (30 minutes away) or watch the changing of the guard at Casa de los Jesuitas by day. Then they dine on traditional Spanish food at Cantabrico (Avenida Independencia 54) in the evening and gather in Santo Domingo’s Colonial section under the moonlight.
Rates: Room rates start as low as $115 in the Garden Club building to $175 on the Executive floor (plus a 23 percent hotel tax; both rates based on per person, double occupancy). Spa treatments start at $15 for a 15-mint Flower Essence Scalp Massage and go up to $120 for a 60-minute Double Support Massage, done with four hands.
Renaissance Jaragua Hotel and Casino, Avenida George Washington 367, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Reservations: 800-331-3542; www.renaissancehotels.com/SDQGW/
The Bahamas
What a class act. The neo-classical architecture is stately, the grounds perfectly manicured and a huge inviting swimming pool is just steps away from Nassau’s Cable Beach. Toss in its 6,000-square-foot marble-floored spa and this is a very elegant resort.
Stepping into the subterranean Royal Spa was like stepping into a Roman catacomb. I passed the plush waiting room, headed into the men’s spa area and walked pass a Finnish sauna, eucalyptus steam bath and private Swiss showers. After a weary flight, I opted for an aromatherapy treatment. The masseuse applied a faint-scented “detox lotion,” and masterfully administered a shiatsu tissue massage, which drained tension and my lymph glands.
The next day, after a two-hour game of tennis, I enjoyed a “natural spirulina body wrap.” First, the masseuse dry-brushed my body, then she applied a “spirulina masque,” wrapped me up and I laid under warm lights for 20 minutes, listening to Marc Anthony’s salsa music on my headset. After rinsing the spinachlike paste off my body, my once dry skin felt moist. During my next treatment, a “gentleman’s facial,” a masseur gave me a skin analysis, deep pore cleansing, facial massage and customized masque designed to firm and tone. After the one-hour treatment, he offered me a “facial care prescription card” that suggested skin products and a maintenance routine. Frankly, I’d never pay that much attention to my face (it’s a lost cause), but other spagoers, particularly women, may find the skin-saving information invaluable.
That afternoon, after lunch, swimming, sitting in the sun and feeling its warmth on my darkened skin I had a gentle half-hour “chamomile body scrub”– finely granulated pumice in a cream base with chamomile oil exfoliated and softened my skin. I followed that with a Hungarian Kur Bath in a hydrotherapy tub that used pulsating water jets to circulate minerals and healing spring water around my body.
Added attractions: Exclusive Villa Suites are available for those who want the ultimate privacy. Sandals Cay, the resort’s private off-shore island, features a secluded beach, Cafe Goombay, a pool and swim-up bar.
The sights: The Marriott Casino for gambling; Club 601 on East Bay Street for live music; Enigma on West Bay Street for dancing (a very young crowd).
Rates: Couples only. Two nights/three days $630, seven nights/eight days $1,840 per person, double. Treatments are extra: from $40 for a half-hour Swedish massage to $105 for a 90-minute Cellular Repair Facial.
Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort & Spa, P.O. Box C.B. 13005, Nassau, Bahamas. Reservations: 800-SANDALS; ns.sandals.com/main/bahamian/
St. Lucia
As a volcanic island, St. Lucia shares the same dramatic mountain peaks you’d see in Hawaii or Tahiti. A blanket of green banana trees covers its hilly terrain, providing a dramatic backdrop for its centerpiece, the Pitons, twin volcanic peaks that stretch 2,619 feet up into the sky.
On St. Lucia, the intimate, all-inclusive Le Sport resort is a virtual 18-acre love nest. Hidden away in a cove on the northwest coast, with only 100 rooms and two suites, it offers privacy and style fit for royalty. Le Sport’s Oasis Spa, a vast, classic Moorish building with stately columns, perfectly manicured lawns and handsome pools, sits majestically on a hill overlooking the sea. Few spas can match its beauty.
Treatments are performed in private rooms that cloister around a courtyard. A specialist planned my personalized treatment program. Powerful jets of water pulsated around my body while I lay in a tub during my hydro massage. As my headset blasted Erykah Badu, an attendant painted my body with a seaweed salve. Then she wrapped me in a heating blanket for 20 minutes, until my pores opened and absorbed the nutrients. I showered, felt refreshed, then she applied a cooling gel to close my pores and moisturize my skin. Salt loofah, Swedish massage, reflexology, algae bubble bath and aromatherapy treatments rubbed me the right way. After each session, I’d sit by the pool in a daze. A feeling of tranquillity brushed across me like a warm, summer breeze. The “Honeymoon Massage” guides couples in the fine art of touching. I saw some newlyweds rush from the treatment room to their hotel room. Wonder why?
Added attractions: A bottle of chilled sparking wine, a flower arrangement and the “Honeymoon Massage” await all honeymoon couples. Weddings are performed for $375. Exercise classes and sports are included in the room rate. Cuisine Le Sport offers lighter calorie dining, though I preferred the mouthwatering buffet barbecues.
The sights: The Pitons, Pigeon Island National Park and the Sulfur Springs. Friday nights in Castries, there’s Jump Up, a festive outdoor party with live music, food stands and lots of local beer. The St. Lucia Jazz Festival swings May 6-10 (stluciajazz.com/). Conch soup, octopus and shark touffe are the house specialties at La Creole Restaurant.
Rates: As low as $215 per person, a night, based on double/triple occupancy for luxury accommodations; single supplement, $75 per night year-round.
Le Sport, P.O. Box 437, Castries, St. Lucia, West Indies. Reservations: 800-544-2883.
Indulge. I did. My aching back, dry skin and pavement-beaten feet are still thanking masseuses, masseurs and attendants in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and St. Lucia for their strong hands, smoothing skin treatments and sedative pressure points. Reflecting back on the warm sun, tennis, tasty cuisine and amazing sightseeing, I realize that my Caribbean spa experiences meant more to me than a mere pat on the back. Trust me!
INTIMATE DETAILS ON OTHER SPAS
Belize: Maruba Resort & Jungle Spa; 713-790-0035. Tropical herbals wraps, ecological tours and more.
Bermuda: Sonesta Beach Resort in Hamilton, Bermuda; 800-766-3782. Luxurious European Health and Beauty Spa.
Bonaire: Harbor Village Beach Resort; 800-424-0004 (U.S. and Canada calls only). Spa attached to its fitness/health center.
Grand Cayman: Britannia Beauty Spa at Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman; 800-S5-HYATT.
Grenada: La Source is the sister spa resort of Le Sport on St. Lucia; 800-544-2883.
Guadeloupe: Manioukani Thalassotherapie; 011-590-99-02-02. Wide range of preventative therapies and treatments. And Ravine Chaude (011-590-25-75-92), which offers beauty treatments and massages.
Jamaica: Enchanted Gardens is down the road from the Sans Souci Lido and has a full-service spa set among magnificent gardens; 876-974-1400. Also, Strawberry Hill (876-944-8400), an intimate, exclusive resort in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains, which opened an Aveda Concept Spa in December that specializes in massages and treatments based on your own unique “Aroma Identity.”
Martinique: Centre de Thalassotherapie du Carbet, 16 miles from the capital, Fort-de-France; 011-596-78-08-78.
Puerto Rico: In mid February the new Ritz-Carlton San Juan Hotel & Casino will have a 12,000-square foot, pink marble, bi-level spa; it has panoramic ocean views and is the largest spa in Puerto Rico; 800-241-3333.
St. Lucia: The Royal St. Lucian Hotel’s small, intimate spa is as professional as Le Sport’s; 800-255-5859.
St. Martin: Privilege Resort and Spa on the French side of St. Maarten/St. Martin offers spa/trek programs and health spa packages; 800-874-8541.
Turks and Caicos: Sandals Spa and Resort (singles and couples); 800-726-3257.
Spas to be
This winter, Sandals (800-SANDALS) will be adding full service spas to their couples only properties at Sandals Antigua, Sandals St. Lucia, Sandals Dunns River and Sandals Negril–both in Jamaica. The San Juan Grand Beach Resort and Casino in Puerto Rico plans to open a huge spa in late February. The Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados is undergoing a huge renovation and expects to open a full-service spa in September 1999. Later this season the Jalousie Hilton Resort and Spa will have the largest spa on St. Lucia.
Booking spas
Most travel agents can book the spas, or you can call the properties directly. Also, Spa Trek Travel (800-272-3480) specializes in spa trips to some of the resorts I visited.
