Hawaii Spas: Healing Mind & Body with Aloha

Hawaii Spas: Healing Mind & Body with Aloha
by: Don Carter

With an incredible amount of choices for those who are into the active lifestyle, Hawaii vacation packages are nirvana for the sports-minded. But Hawaii also satisfies the flip side of pushing your body to the limit. Here, extreme sport meets extreme relaxation at the greatest collection of spas on the planet.

Hawaii resorts have raised the art of the spa to a glorious new level, offering exotic treatments such as rehydrating aloe body wraps, Hawaiian revitalizer wraps, “wisdom of roses” facials, fango mud wraps, Lomi Pohaku, the original stone therapy, Lomi Lomi massage, mango salt glow scrubs, Ayurvedic oil massage, Maluha (peace) and Uhane (spirit) Hawaiian aromatherapy, Reiki holding technique, limu exfoliation and detoxification therapy, cranio-sacral sessions, Maui sugar scrub & body wraps, and for you Starbucks lovers, the Ka’anapali coffee full body treatment.

More than 24 resort hotels, on five islands, offer luxurious, state-of-the-art spa treatments with a Hawaiian flair. Take a look at my favorite spots for customized Hawaii spa vacation packages:

Oahu:
• SpaHalekulani – Halekulani
• Kahala Mandarin Oriental Spa Suites (voted “Best New Hotel Spa” by Departures Magazine)
• The Mandara Spa at Hilton Hawaiian Village (featuring advanced holistic health programs)
• JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko’Olina
• Na Hoola Spa at Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort & Spa
• Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

Maui:
• Four Seasons Resort Maui (Rated #1 Hotel Spa in the U.S. by readers of Travel & Leisure Magazine)
• The Fairmont Kea Lani Maui
• Spa Moana at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa
• Grand Wailea Resort Hotel & Spa (Home to the world-renowned Spa Grande)

Hawaii’s Big Island:
• Four Seasons Hualalai
• Hilton Waikoloa Village
• Mauna Lani Spa at The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel
• Fairmont Orchid (famed for its innovative “Spa Without Walls”)
• Hapuna Prince Beach Resort
• Mauna Kea Beach Hotel

Kauai:
• Princeville Resort & Spa
• Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa

Lanai:
• Four Seasons Manele Bay

You say you’d love a spa vacation, but your other half is a golfing addict who wouldn’t be caught dead getting a papaya-pineapple body scrub? Remember – there are fantastic Hawaii vacation packages for golfers on just about every island. So while he’s knocking a Titleist around, you can indulge in Hawaiian-style treatments that will leave you glowing and gorgeous!

A Hawaii spa vacation with golf on the side, or a golf holiday with spa visits on the side – either way it works. All you have to do is sell it to him and it could be the most relaxing and rejuvenating vacation you’ve ever had!

About The Author
Don Carter is a freelance travel writer and amateur golfer who, in his spare time, acts as a consultant for travel companies that create and sell vacation packages, giving them tips on improving their client offerings and rating the hotels and sites featured in their vacation packages. He also contributes to several travel guides. Carter recently planned a golf vacation for himself and his new bride (but he sold it to her as a spa vacation with golf on the side) at Pleasant Holidays.