Naples Grande Beach Resort
Courtesy Naples Grande Beach Resort

Escape the Holiday Hustle with These Southwest Florida Wellness Retreats

Recharge with a wellness-focused staycation at a local staycation retreat.

by

December evokes a sense of celebration, with tinsel-tied soirees and festive feasts to fill our social calendars. But, all the hosting, traveling, shopping—you name it—can also stir up stress and anxiety. Fortunately, our coast hosts plenty of plush, wellness amenity-stocked accommodations, where you can recharge and ensure you leave the holidays invigorated for the new year.   

For a tropical resort experience without the plane ticket, it doesn’t get better than The Gasparilla Inn. Once you cross over the Boca Grande Causeway, you’re transported by the bougainvillea-framed buildings, live oak canopies and crushed-shell paths—not to mention the pastel-hued, Colonial Revival grand dame that’ll be your home base. The 1913 resort maximizes Southwest Florida’s even-keeled winter weather with seven Har-Tru tennis courts, three USCA-certified croquet lawns, and a Pete Dye-designed, par 72 waterside golf course recently renovated by golf course architect Tripp Davis. And, guided kayak tours, paddle board rentals, and an expansive beach club make for an active respite. “There’s a certain calm and quaintness to the island that really resonates with people,” says Gasparilla’s Corey Anglin. “You feel that you’re in a different place.”   

Hoping to squeeze in a recharge session in Naples? Book a night (or get a spa day pass) at Naples Grande Beach Resort. The resort’s expansive, indoor-outdoor spa center beckons with an assortment of wellness treatments, like the saltwater float tank, granting a zero-gravity experience to promote deep meditative relaxation and muscle relief. To target those on-the-go season feet and boost energy, the ionic foot detox harnesses mineral saltwater, said to bolster the lymphatic system and recharge the body. Or, go for one of the CBD-infused massages or mani-pedis. In addition to the full range of traditional luxury spa offerings (body wraps, collagen masks, and nail and hair treatments), the resort also has a private spa villa you can rent out as a secluded oasis of serenity, complete with a private hot tub and infrared sauna. 

For those looking to let the whispering wind and rustling leaves soothe their cares away, Timberline Glamping leans on the science-backed, healing power of nature without compromising modern comforts. The anything-but-rustic camping company has two new Southwest Florida sites. “This is camping every mom loves,” says mom-of-two and co-owner of Timberline Fort Myers, Nada Elftman. “You pack your food, and that’s all you have to worry about.”  

Each camp—one in Estero’s Koreshan State Park and another in Naples’ Collier-Seminole State Park—hosts four cozy tents that sleep up to six campers comfortably, with air conditioning, heat, refrigerators, (real, not air) mattress beds, plush bedding and Timberline’s signature boho-chic aesthetics. Koreshan tents place you in the center of the verdant site that was settled as a utopia in the late 1800s and is ideal for paddleboarding excursions on the Estero River. The Naples locale provides access to the park’s 7,000 acres, with off-road biking trails, hiking paths and the Blackwater River for boating and fishing. After all, unwinding isn’t always about stillness; sometimes, it’s an active pursuit. 

Tent-averse nature lovers find their zen at Bonita Springs’ Shangri-La Springs, a 1920s boutique resort hotel built around what was once believed to be the legendary ‘Fountain of Youth.’ Locals still flock to the banyan-filled, eight-room property for its tranquil spa; certified organic, farm-to-table restaurant; and near-daily yoga sessions with local gurus, as well as regular sound healing and meditation workshops. Luxuriate in Shangri-La’s Himalayan eucalyptus steam room and Himalayan salt-infused sauna before proceeding to one of the spa’s organic ingredient-driven treatments, like the Yon-ka Time Resist Facial and the aromatic Voya Warm Spiced Seaweed Mud Wrap, with four types of Irish hand-harvested seaweed used to fortify the skin and reduce inflammation. It’s easy for general manager Lee Bellamy to pinpoint his favorite amenity: “It’s the property itself. You’re taken back in time. The overall ambience and personality of the property are quiet and peaceful.”  

Among the region’s prime wellness-enhancing stays lies a selection of home rentals that maximize the power of an intimate staycation. At Naples’ SolanaMind BNB, Krystyna Shepetiuk welcomes guests into a Bali-inspired, biohacking home with amenities you’d find at a modern holistic wellness center (infrared sauna, cold plunge, red light panels, gym). Personal chef and fridge stocking packages are available, and Krystyna plans to add a hydroponic garden to supplement the farm-to-table-style offerings. She’ll also call on her cadre of experts to offer private reiki, sound bath and yoga sessions, alongside spa services and IV therapy, without you having to leave the property.  

Just east of I-75 on Vanderbilt Beach Road, Time 4 U Estate guests can unwind among a lush, 9,500-square-foot property with jaw-dropping architecture and a host of white-glove amenities. Board-certified aesthetic physician Lisa Gulcher transformed her tony Time 4 U Med Spa into a wellness-experiences brand, with rental estates and a 72-foot yacht. Her Urban Estates compound has a six-bedroom main home and a 3,000-square-foot, three-bedroom guest retreat (the two are never rented concurrently to ensure privacy; Lisa and her family stay in the unoccupied home to provide guests with concierge services). You’ll have access to a 150-foot pool, a 14-person hot tub, and sporting courts for pickleball, tennis, basketball and bocce. Ask, and she’ll set up indulgent services—a private chef to have snacks prepared on arrival, on-site pickleball lessons, live music and a cruise (with a discounted rate) on the Time 4 U Yacht. “Everything is taken care of,” she says. “It’s time for you, not time for anything else.”