Yogatone Retreat

It’s inspiring for me to meet people who have made their dreams come true, taken a leap of faith, and held their vision in the face of skepticism. Les Benney of Yogatone is one of these ‘dream chasers’ who gave up a career as an asset manager for a major bank in the UK to become an Ashtanga yoga teacher. Since rearranging his life, Les has created a retreat in the south of Spain where he leads four-day yoga getaways for students of all levels. I was lucky enough to tag along on a recent retreat, where I met wonderful people, deepened my yoga practice, and got to know a sliver of Spain that I otherwise may have overlooked. I cannot recommend the Yogatone retreat enough!

Yogatone Retreat Oranges

Down a pebbled footpath, frogs ribbit in a compact pond fed by a natural spring while birds flit from olive tree, to avocado tree, to orange tree, limbs heavy with ripe fruit. At the end of the lane the Yogatone farmhouse sits overlooking the mountains and valleys north of Malaga, an hour away by car. The house has been lovingly renovated to sleep eight guests total, with three rooms inside the house and one small cottage outside which all share two ample bathrooms. Beside the farmhouse there’s an enormous patio which serves as a yoga practice area when the weather permits, or an ideal breakfast/lunch/sunbathing spot.

Yogatone Retreat Views from House

Below the patio sits the proper yoga studio, which has been built to include an immense boulder, Read More »

Hartstone Inn and Hideway

If Italy seems out of reach for a summer trip, how about Camden, Maine? Pairing culinary excellence with some of  the best scenery in the United States is a win-win to me. The Hartstone Inn and Hideaway is doing exactly that this June.

From June 4-8, Chef Benedetta Vitali from Florence, Italy is setting up a cooking school experience at the inn. Inn guests will be on the inside track to an intensive five-day immersion culinary treat of Tuscan fare. By the end of the school experience, guests will have Vitali’s family recipes and the know-how to make these dishes once they go back home.  

In addition to being an expert at teaching others how to cook, Vitali is an experienced restauranteur, award-winning chef and author of “Soffritto: Tradition & Innovation in Tuscan Cooking,” a James Beard Award finalist.

Vitali’s cooking school experience is only available to Hartstone Inn guests which I imagine will be a perfect bonding opportunity between fellow travelers.  As vacations go, this one seems sort of like a kids summer camp for grown-ups, but way, way  better.

When you’ve cooked and eaten and have some extra time head into Camden and take a lobster boat ride.

The one person price for the loding cooking school experience starts at $1250 for a traditional room.   If another person is added on, that’s an additional $525. Look what’s included:

• Five nights of deluxe accommodations (Sunday – Thursday)
• Private Sunday welcome Maine lobster bake dinner on the beach at the home of Hartstone Inn Owner/Chef Michael Salmon and Wife/Innkeeper Mary Jo Brink
• Hartstone Inn Apron and welcome gift
• Breakfast for two each morning
• Lunch each day
• Six cooking courses and two tastings
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese Making class at the nearby State of Maine Cheese Company
• Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar tasting at Fiore Artisan Olive Oils and Vinegars
• Chef-led tour of Camden Farmers Market
• Wine tasting and private tour of the Cellardoor Winery

Arbor Suite Room

By the way, there are only 14 available slots. Don’t hesitate.

Hartstone Inn and Hideaway
41 Elm Street
Camden, ME 04843
Reservations: 800-788-4823
Local Phone: 207-236-4259
Email: info@hartstoneinn.com

Photos courtesty of Hartstone Inn and Hideaway

Related Posts: Rockland, Maine: A Small Town with a Big Flavor; Reid State Park, Maine; The Camden Maine Stay Inn: Where Scenery Inspires Poets

A great place to relax at the end of a long day

If your New Year’s resolution was to loose weigh and get fit, but you’ve already stared to stumble (or perhaps given up already) then here is a place that might be able to help kick start your regime.

Based in Annecy, in Southern France, Adventure in the Alps offers short breaks for people who are looking to keep fit, get started in a particular sport or simply enjoy the stunning surroundings.

There is Running Made Easy if you’re complete beginner, Wellbeing Retreat for all-round fitness, or Fit and Over 50 (which should be self-explanatory). A selection of other fitness based programs; from skiing to Pilates and triathlon running to multi activity holidays are also available throughout the year.

Lodgings vary from luxury mountain retreats to simple chambres d’hôte- depending on where the activity is located- but all properties are well appointed making the most of comfortable, cozy residences that combine local flavor with a high standard of service. The majority of properties also offer sauna, steam rooms or hot tubs, to help you relax after a long day.

Week long programs start from around $1,200 and packages include accommodation, all meals and a fully comprehensive training program.

And who said that getting into shape had to be hard work?

More information: Adventures in the Alps

Photo Credit: Adventures in the Alps

The manor house at Glenlaurel-where a bag piper pipes you to dinner

When a trip to Scotland isn’t doable, Glenlaurel in Ohio’s Hocking Hills is a Scottish fix. Fashioned after the manor houses,crofts and cottages of the Scottish Highland, Glenlaurel is a romantic getaway complete with a bagpiper and Robert Burns. In February, there’s a murder mystery to be solved.

Whether you’re an overnight guest or a person who relishes gourmet cuisine and dining entertainment, Glenlaurel’s Murder Mystery Dinner at the Glen is a way to lengthen a Valentine’s Day celebration and shake that dreadful feeling that can come with winter’s cold and grey.

The dinner, to be held on February 25, pairs a Glenlaurel 7-course meal with a murder mystery musical performed by the  traveling theatre company-Random Acts. Musical Murder Mysteries are one of the specialties Random Acts performs across the U.S. Laced with humor and improv, lightheartedness is the key here. Not a bad idea for the end of February in Ohio.

Humor-filled Musical Murder Mysteries are a specialty

The Hocking Hills and Glenlaurel are a fitting backdrop for such an endeavor. Glenlaurel is where fog and mist reside in the early morning and the landscape is a series of craggy nooks and wooded trails made for wandering and contemplation.

The manor house, with its warm walnut beams, stuccoed walls and stone fireplace details is where the Scottish theme begins. A bagpiper greets guests if they arrive to dine on a Saturday night. This is also where a Robert Burns poem is read before dinner is served. And what a dinner it is.

The beginnings of a 6 or 7 course meal

Along with the main course that ranges from the rack of lamb (on Saturday nights) to beef,  pork, duck, or pheasant depending upon the day, and seafood on Fridays, the culinary creations of the Executive Chef are made fresh daily from local ingredients season permitting.

If heading to Hocking Hills isn’t doable for you the last weekend in February, there are other reasons to make the trip at another time. Glenlaurel is where pampering might have been invented.

The bedroom of one of the cottages

First, there’s the complimentary homemade shortbread that comes with each lodging option. The shortbread flecked with ginger is something I still think about and it’s been awhile since I’ve had some.

Then there’s the wellness center that offers yoga, reflexology and a variety of massage treatments–both at the center or in the privacy of your room or cottage. Each cottage–named after a prominent person in Scottish history, and each croft–a smaller version of the cottages, has a hot tub on a private deck and a garden area where you can hang out in a hammock in warmer weather. The hot tub, though, is  for year round pleasure.

Cottages and crofts also have  fireplaces for relaxing by and furnishings you wish you owned. If you walk along the trails that wind through the property, you’ll see items like garden benches that guests have given to Glenlaurel to commemorate their excellent stays– stays that are repeated again and again.

A stone fireplace to chase away the winter's chill

For less expensive accommodations in the quiet loveliness that Glenlaurel offers, the manor house  and carriage house have four guest rooms and three suites between them.  At this time of year,  it’s possible to book a one night stay if you come mid-week.

I was fortunate to be a guest of Glenlaurel once upon a time and could not believe my good fortune. The only downside–all that romance was spent by myself. I think hubby and I need to make a weekday jaunt.

By the way, this is an adult only establishment.

*Cost for the Murder Mystery dinner is $79. If you pair the dinner with an overnight stay (two nights minimum) lodging is 15% off. The room rate includes a gourmet breakfast. Rates: $159-$290 weeknights; $189-$349 weekends.

Glenlaurel, A Scottish Country Inn
14940 Mt. Olive Road
Rockbridge, Ohio 43149-9736

Toll Free: 800.809.REST (7378)
Local: 740.385.4070
Email: info@glenlaurel.com

Photos courtesy of Glenlaurel

Related Posts: Escape to Hocking Hills Ohio; Hocking Hills State Park– Logan, Ohio