Fodor's Expert Review Cal-a-Vie Health Spa

At this destination spa—celebrities like Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey escape here for some serious R&R—you’ll feel like you’ve died and gone to a pampering Provençal village heaven. Classic French style prevails in the opulent lounge areas and private villas, which have marble baths, Frette linens, antique furnishings, and 200-year-old reclaimed wood floors. Villa balconies open onto hillsides blanketed in lavender, where a stone chapel—brought over from Dijon and dating back to 1615—is used for meditation and weddings. Every prix-fixe three-course dinner is a fine-dining experience in an ornate setting (crystal chandeliers, velvet chairs, and a 14th-century fireplace from France). Included in the daily rate are healthy meals, spa treatments, and fitness classes, although many guests upgrade to personal trainers and oxygen facials that plump out wrinkles. After a morning hike, classes are offered every hour, including Pilates, yoga, spin, and aqua aerobics in the Olympic-size pool. Guests also have access to clay tennis courts, beach volleyball, a bathhouse, and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Cal-a-Vie is the only destination spa in the world with a private, 18-hole golf course. For retail therapy, guests can purchase private-label Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot wines grown on Cal-a-Vie’s vineyards, or they can shop at the spa’s fashion boutique and antique store.