Just like that, I remembered I was human - made of flesh and bone, a part of the natural world. Instead, I was soaking in a giant copper tub at The Spa at Terranea in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, watching dolphins play in the Pacific a few hundred feet away.

Del Mar, CA, a coastal enclave just north of San Diego, is a haven for aficionados of ocean-inspired pursuits - surfers crest the tops of crashing waves, dolphins frolic just a few feet from shore, and the tides pull in a colorful collection of shells, starfish, and seaweed.

At the foot of Mount Mansfield, New England's first new grand resort hotel in a half-century sports the style of yesteryear's "great camps." Rooms feature relaxation tubs, goose-down-comforters, balconies, and oversized windows; fine dining, boutiques, pool, and a 21,000-square-foot spa on premises.

Destination Hotels & Resorts, the fourth largest independent hotel management company in the United States, recently launched Destination Earth, an environmental sustainability program, throughout its collection.

Tucked away at the base of Vail Mountain, Vail Cascade Resort & Spa is Vail’s only ski-in/ski-out AAA Four Diamond resort, offering 292 hotel rooms including 27 suites and more than 80 spacious condominiums and private homes.

Jubilant celebrations, decking the halls and spending quality time with loved ones — while the holidays are generally a joyful time, unfortunately not every day of the season is as idyllic as a Thomas Kinkade painting.

Terranea brings us something that Southern California has long been missing: an oceanfront, wave-crashing getaway.

It's not easy being green for the man of means. With Al Gore polishing his Nobel Prize and the History Channel airing episodes about the tsunamis and the global fireball that might result if the planet doesn't get its act together soon, we've all gotten the point about reducing our carbon footprint.

In addition to Rancho LaPuerta, many other spas and resorts now offer healthy cooking demonstrations and hands-on sessions. here's a short list:

Sweet it's certainly not, but you'll be able to overlook this fruit's lone flaw once you discover how enticing cranberry spa treatments can be - both to you and your clients.

Best cool getaways:

• Top 10 lakeside resorts
• Grand Teton National Park
• Santa Monica weekend

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