Fitness and vacation might not always go hand in hand, with bottomless buffets and all you-can drink options weighing you down on a lounge chair by the pool. It can be even harder to stay motivated to workout on your trip when the windowless “fitness center” has one sad decrepit treadmill and a handful of free weights.
But what if your getaway was designed around fitness, so you can come back feeling like a better version of yourself, instead of in need of a post-trip detox? Whether you want to biohack your way to immortality or simply shed a few pounds and build healthier habits, these are the best fitness resorts to book for a truly transformative wellness vacation.
Miraval, Arizona
Located in the Sonoran Desert, Miraval Arizona is where you go when you want to take a trust fall from 35 feet up—the hotel has its own custom-designed ropes course to help you test your limits. It’s one of the best fitness resorts for those who like their HIIT with a side of healing. When you aren’t scaling the ropes course or engaging in cardio drumming, you’ll likely be retreating to your casita-style room.
These quarters are designed for relaxation, featuring a private outdoor lounge and cozy fireplace to help you decompress from a day of TRX and aerial yoga. The dining experience at the Cactus Flower Restaurant follows suit, offering nutrient-dense, plant-forward meals that change with the Sonoran seasons.
Canyon Ranch Tucson, Arizona
Canyon Ranch Tucson functions as a high-performance laboratory for personal health, set within a quiet, gated estate where the focus is firmly on longevity. Between sessions in the 80,000 square foot fitness complex, which houses everything from HydroWorx underwater treadmills to DEXA body composition scanners, guests reside in desert-chic rooms outfitted with Mascioni linens and a curated pillow menu.
Because this is a serious health campus, the Vaquero Restaurant provides a detailed nutritional profile for every dish, allowing you to track your macros while enjoying Maine lobster or bison burgers. It is effectively a high-end health university where the homework involves VO2 max testing and the extracurriculars are sunrise hikes through the desert.
Palm Heights, Grand Cayman
Palm Heights brings an elite, athletic edge to the Caribbean, reimagining Seven Mile Beach as a high-fashion training ground. The resort’s aesthetic is pure 1970s glamour, but the programming is strictly modern, featuring a functional training playground with custom squat racks and Merrithew Pilates reformers. The all-suite accommodations are a design lover’s dream, filled with mid-century modern furniture and Retox/Detox bars that offer a tough choice between green juice and premium spirits.
This balance extends to the dining; you might start your evening with fresh snapper at Tillies and end it with a Neapolitan-style pizza at Paradise Pizza. It is the premier destination for those who want to lift heavy, look good, and network with professional athletes in the garden club’s cold plunges.
Four Seasons Sensei Lanai, Hawaii
In the secluded highlands of Lanai, Four Seasons Sensei offers an ultra-exclusive, data-backed mountain retreat. This adults-only sanctuary uses biometric data and functional movement screenings to curate a fitness journey that takes place in private “Hales”—mini-mansions dedicated to individual training and spa treatments.
The 96 minimalist rooms are designed with light woods and woven textures, providing a serene backdrop for guests to review their health data on private tablets. The culinary program is equally sophisticated, featuring Sensei by Nobu, where world-renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa crafts a menu around the Sensei Way of nourishment.
Rancho La Puerta, Baja California
For those who prefer their fitness in a more rugged setting, Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, California, offers 4,000 acres of unplugged bliss. This communal environment encourages guests to ditch their phones and focus on the 50 daily classes or the grueling sunrise hikes up Mount Kuchumaa.
The accommodations are rustic “Casitas,” individual houses decorated with hand-painted tiles and wood-burning fireplaces, intentionally lacking TVs to ensure your mind stays as clear as the mountain air. Dining is a semi-vegetarian affair centered on the resort’s six-acre organic farm, Tres Estrellas. You’ll find yourself sharing a table in the grand dining hall, eating slow food with fellow hikers, and perhaps realizing that you don’t actually miss your emails when there’s farm-to-table salsa to be eaten.
Lily of the Valley, France
Lily of the Valley is a Philippe Starck-designed gem on the French Riviera that proves weight loss can be incredibly chic. The resort’s 2,000-square-meter Wellness Village is a powerhouse of activity, offering coastal trail running and mountain biking through the Mediterranean hills. The rooms are a masterclass in sporty chic luxury, featuring polished concrete, marble bathrooms, and private terraces that overlook the sea.
While the Vista restaurant serves Provencal flavors for the general guest, those on a serious fitness track head to the Club House. Here, the “Lily Method” translates into gourmet, calorie-controlled meals that are so well-prepared you might forget you’re on a restrictive regime. It’s the ideal spot for someone who wants to train for a triathlon by day and lounge in a designer tracksuit by night.
Body Holiday, St. Lucia
BodyHoliday St. Lucia is essentially a high-energy summer camp for adults who want to balance a daily 50-minute spa treatment with a quadriceps-destroying circuit on the WellFit Trail. Located on a secluded cove, the resort offers everything from fencing to water-skiing, ensuring you’re never stationary for long.
The rooms are bright, airy, and Caribbean-cool, featuring a “Sleep Well” program with aromatherapy oils to help you recover from the day’s archery or spin classes. The dining options are surprisingly diverse for an all-inclusive, ranging from the Asian-fusion flavors of TAO to the Wellness Café, where you can grab a fresh wrap without leaving the beach.
For more Caribbean inspiration, read our story on The Best Swim-Up Suites in Mexico and The Caribbean.
Enchantment Sedona, Arizona
Tucked into the red rocks of Boynton Canyon, Enchantment Resort is the spiritual home of the outdoor athlete. Through its Trail House, guests can access expert-led mountain biking and Vortex hikes that use the local topography as a natural gym. The guest rooms reflect the Southwest landscape with beehive fireplaces and private decks that offer front-row seats to the canyon’s glow.
When it comes to recovery, guests have access to the legendary Mii amo spa for myofascial release before heading to dinner at Che Ah Chi. The menu there features sophisticated fare like roasted lamb with a Garam Masala crust, while the more casual Tii Gavo serves up prickly pear margaritas—because even a serious hiker needs a reward after a day of navigating Sedona’s energy centers.
For another great Arizona resort, check out our review of Ambiente Sedona.
SHA Wellness, Alicante, Spain
SHA Wellness Clinic in Alicante is less a resort and more a futuristic human optimization center. This striking white building overlooking the Mediterranean is where world leaders go to biohack their way to a longer life using 3D body scanners and genomic testing. The minimalist suites are designed in white-on-white to promote total tranquility, many featuring hydro-spa tubs on private terraces.
The dining experience at SHAMADI is the most disciplined on this list, following a strict macrobiotic diet that eschews sugar, dairy, and meat. You’ll choose from three menu levels based on your goals—ranging from “Bio-Light” to the more restrictive “Kushi”—all designed to reset your system while you overlook the stunning Altea bay.
Equinox Hotel, New York
For the urban athlete, the Equinox Hotel in Hudson Yards offers a vertical playground that feels like a high-budget action movie set. Guests get total access to a 60,000-square-foot Equinox Club, complete with a professional boxing studio and a saltwater lap pool. The rooms are famously designed as “sleep chambers,” featuring medical-grade air filtration and a “Dark. Quiet. Cool.” button that deploys the blackout shades and turns down the temperature, optimizing the environment for a good night’s rest.
Even the in-room mini bar is stocked with magnesium and vitamins rather than the usual sugar-laden snacks. For dinner, Electric Lemon serves healthy options on a massive 24th-floor terrace.
For a product that will help you turn any room into a sleep chamber, read our review of the Soundcore Sleep A20 Sleep Earbuds.
