Green Valley: Spa, Weight Loss, World Class Tennis

So I've decided my next experience is to go to Green Valley in St. George, Utah.

Green Valley has been renamed to me one of the world's best elite spa resorts. Whether your going for a day, a week or longer- remember to pamper yourself with their stress-melting spa treatments, maybe participate in their weight loss program, improve your tennis or golf game, or just re-spark the spirit with some Red Rock adventure time. I guarantee you'll come back.

Treatment Center: The treatment center is a haven free of the worrisome decisions and admonitions that plague us all in today's uncertain world. This is a place where you can leave behind the hustle and bustle of everyday life and simply rest. As your muscles and mind take a vacation, you'll find yourself moving in a quiet place within where resolution and peace come directly from the heart. Their therapeutic services are designed to revitalize the body and activate the mind.

Weight Loss Program: Green Valley Spa has been helping people to lose weight, get fit and make a healthy lifestyle choices for over 22 years. They offer a professional team of instructors, therapists, physicians, chefs, and dietitians have made Green Valley one of the best destinations to lose weight. Their weight loss program is for those who want to lose weight quickly and safely with the supervision of specialists. Their average weight loss has been a pound a day and many have lost many more. Guests are required to stay a minimum of 7 days to participate in this program.

Accomodations: Green Valley Spa offers luxurious rooms that include amenities such as King or Queen size down-filled beds, Wireless internet service, fresh popcorn, signature skin care products, refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker, fireplace, goose down comforters and pillows, fresh ground Starbucks Coffee, Spa robes and slippers, private patio, cable television with HBO, 6 foot jetted tub and double pedestal sinks...what more does a person need.

Tennis Program: The Vic Braden Tennis College, which has specialized in tennis game improvement for over 18 years, is now offering its most intensive, feature-packed 2 and 3-day tennis camp ever-the ultimate tennis getaway. Whether you're just learning or a tournament player, they'll help you take your game to the next level.

Discover: South Carolina

Remember when you promised to get away with the girls? It's time.

That getaway you and your girlfriends have been talking about and dreaming about and putting off until later? It's time, and South Carolina is the place, take my word for it. From great shopping to incredible restaurants and beautiful beaches, you'll find plenty of reasons to smile. Start by ordering your official vacation guide for South Carolina at www.discoversouthcarolina.com, I already did, see you there.

Surfing: Paskowitz Surf Camp, San Diego

What you'll do: Experience the rush of riding the crest and zipping across the face of a wave. In 1972, "Doc" Dorian Paskowitz, a physician now in his late 80s, started a surf camp at a beach just south of Richard Nixon's former residence in San Clemente. Doc's son Izzy, a professional longboard champion for more than 20 years, took over the business 11 years ago, and the whole family is still involved-including Doc, who entertains guests with his tales, both true and tall. Participants include men, women, and children ranging in age from 2-to-90.

The Setting: Tourmaline Surfing Park, on the north end of San Diego's Pacific Beach, features gentle waves and a breathtaking backdrop of dramatic coastal cliffs. You'll sleep in tents at Mission Bay's Campland within walking distance of Kendall Frost Wildlife Preserve, where you can watch egrets, black-crowned night herons, least terns, and perhaps, the endangered clapper rail. The camp is also close enough to Sea World that its nightly fireworks display can be viewed through the front flap of your tent.

Details: A week of surfing, including tend camping, all meals, surfing equipment, and instruction, is $1,250. For more information visit, www.paskowitz.com

Rafting: O.A.R.S, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Outdoor adventure River Specialists (O.A.R.S.) began in 1969 as the first oar-powered outfitter leading trips through the Grand Canyon. Today, they lead expeditions along more than 35 rivers and coastlines around the world. On this trip, you'll raft the Colorado River through Utah's Cataract Canyon, which features adrenaline-producing Class IV and V white water (expect large waves and considerable drops, all navigated with the help of your guide). In the spring when runoff from the Rocky Mountain snow melt pours into the Colorado, the rapids of Cataract Canyon rival those of the Grand Canyon. You'll camp along-side the river and hike through 300-million-year-old side canyons to rock formations and Native American ruins with petroglyphs and pictographs. At the Lathrop Ruins, look for the solstice calendar, petroglyphs that mark and capture the summer and winter solstices. It was created by the Anasazi people, who inhabited this area 2,000 years ago.

The Setting: Moab, Utah, where you'll meet your group and guide, is flanked by 2 national parks-Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. As you float the river through Canyonland with its dramatic red rocks, buttes, and pinnacles, you'll glimpse Dead Horse Point, which you might recognize as the place where Thelma, Louise, and their baby-blue Thunderbird convertible made their final escape from the law.

Details: You don't need previous rafting experience to enjoy this six-day trip; all skill levels are welcome. The trip, including all meals and guides, costs $1,506. Tents, sleeping bags, and other equipment are available as rentals (more information on www.oars.com)

Yesterday's Yoga: Helena, Montana

I was not able to post this yesterday so here it is.

Feathered Pipe Foundation, Helena, Montana.

What you'll do: You'll spend a week tuning in to your mind, body, and spirit with daily yoga sessions led by such celebrated teachers as Erich Schiffmann, auther of Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness, and Lilias Folan, whose 1972 PBS series helped introduce America to asanas. This vacation is an immersion in the science and art of yoga. It attracts all levels of students, and you're enveloped in this peaceful atmosphere where everything supports the key principles of yoga. Feathered Pipe offers 10 to 15 courses a year. Operating since 1975, the ranch is one of the oldest yoga retreats in the country and hosts teachers specializing in dozens of styles.

The setting: The 100-acre ranch is located in the Rocky Mountains, 12 miles southwest of Helena, Montana. You'll have a chance to hike long trails winding through pristine timber, soak in a hot tub, and watch moose and black bears drink from the ranch's lakes and mountain streams.

The details: Seven-day retreats start in mid-May and run through September. The trips include all meals and lodging in a tepee, cabin, or a yurt, and cost between $1,195 and $1,950, depending on the teacher. (More information at www.featheredpipe.com)

Hiking: Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

Getaways that get your heart pumping.

-With trips for nearly every sport, I've enclosed options with the best guides and a diverse range of itineraries.

What you'll do: For nearly 30 years, Country Walkers has led guided walking tours globally with 75 intineraries from Sedona, Arizona, to the mountains of Bhutan. On the upcoming women-only Ireland tour (1 of 7 or 8 similar itineraries offered each year), participants walk 4 to 6 miles a day on beginner-to-moderate level terrain. Led by Irish native Michael Miller, an expert in Celtic music who has guided trips for 10 years, and storyteller Pol O'Colmain, walkers traverse the countryside, villages, and Killarney National Park, where you might spot an endangered irish red deer.

In a women-only trip, there's a feeling of the entire group working together, cheering each other on. I've taken a few of these trips with Country Walkers and its like we have permission to be giddy schoolgirls again without being self-conscious.

The Setting: Dingle Peninsula, Ireland's westernmost point, is host to long stretches of coast with flower-laden headlands. You'll visit Muckross Lake, where 2,500-year-old yew trees cover the landscape. Participants split nights between the lush quarters of the former estate of the Earl of Pembroke and benners Hotel, a cozy inn near the town of Dingle's Main Street.

Details: Price for the 7-day walking tour of southwest Ireland is about $3,198, including lodging and most meals, for most updated information please visit the website at www.countrywalkers.com)

Cycling: The softer side of Maui

Cycling holidays and other adventuresome excursions allow you to actively experience the charms of your destination while honing skills in a favorite sport.

Between bike rides, explore the Pipiwai Trail in Haleakala National Park, considered one of Maui's best. The 7 sacred pools are fed by several of the many waterfalls that flow through the park. Hawaiians consider them sacred for their abundance of freshwater, a symbol for a connection to life. Maui is known for its excellent windsurfing spots. Beginners find luck at Kanaha Beach Park, where trade winds are 25 knots and the water is relatively flat. When you're ready for a snack, Maui's Surging Goat Diary offers tours of their award-winning goat cheese dairy farm. Enroll in a grand tour (I think its offered every other Saturday), and you'll be able to feed and milk a goat, watch the cheese-making process, and sample 20 of the dairy's 25 homemade varieites. The number for Surging Goat Diary is (808) 878-2870 0r visit them at www.surfinggoatdiary.com