BONAIRE, DUTCH CARIBBEAN? To accommodate the growing popularity of spa and fitness vacations, hotels are offering more fitness centers, spas and exercise facilities for guests. The 64-room Harbour Village Beach Resort, located here, in the Dutch Caribbean, 50 miles north of Venezuela, 30 miles east of Curacao and 86 miles east of Aruba, caters to the fitness-conscious guest with various facilities and services. Owned by Coral Bay Resorts, the property?s Spa At Harbour Village opened in the fall of 1995 and provides guests with spa treatments, indoor and outdoor massages, health management techniques, indoor and outdoor exercise classes and a full service salon. Other features include a pool, an outdoor whirlpool, a spa cafe, fitness center, aerobics classes and spiritual guidance lessons. Nearly 17,500 square feet of space is devoted to the spa and fitness center which features two studios for cardiovascular/weight training and exercise classes. Island settings are incorporated into programs, allowing guests to exercise on the beach or in the water. Guests at the resort also have the option of hiking or biking if they choose not to take advantage of activities on the hotel grounds or on nearby trails. The property has designated September as Wellness Month. It will kick off a ?world-class program led by internationally renowned instructors who will guide guests towards optimal health and well-being through a series of workshops and lectures in weight management, stress reduction, the latest in exercise and New Age fitness, and an innovative new wellness program in diving known as Mind, Body and Spirit Scuba (MBS Scuba),? according to Mariangel Gonzalez, director of marketing and business development for the property. Instructors were chosen after the property?s management identified them as leading trend-setters in wellness, according to Gonzalez. A Slow Time September was selected as Wellness Month to attract customers during this normally slow time at the property, Gonzalez noted. Wellness Month Programs to be offered from Sept. 3-30 include: daily ?Mind, Body and Spirit Scuba? courses that incorporate pre-diving stretching and breathing techniques; stress management workshops; weight management workshops; and daily New Age Fitness classes. MBS Scuba will be taught by Steve Schultz, who has 26 years of diving experience, and Dot Fundock, who is certified by the Professional Association of Dive Instruction and is an open water scuba instructor and underwater naturalist specialty instructor with 17 years of diving experience. Condessa Maiu de Espinosa, who has a Masters in Education and is a licensed professional counselor (LPC), with a Bachelor of Science in nursing in addition to being a National Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, will lead the stress-reduction classes. Espinosa?s has experienced as an energy coach. Over the last 10 years she has focused on energy studies, the study of the aura around and within the body. Her goal is to teach the guest to help themselves through the removal of negative energies. Weight-management workshops will be taught by Julie Feldman, who holds a Masters in Nutrition and Public Health, is a registered dietitian, and has certifications in personal training and aerobics and has worked within the field of health and fitness for 13 years. Nutrition, exercise and behavior modification, rather than fad-dieting, will be taught. Guests will learn the best way to incorporate healthy foods into their daily diets. In addition, author and Venezuelan endocrinologist, Dr. Elias Zissman, will give two days of instruction on his diet program and will work in conjunction with the resort?s chef to create meals in accordance with his program. His book will be available for purchase in the gift shop at Harbour Village. Varied Fitness Classes New Age Fitness classes will offer stretching, aqua strength, circuit challenge, power walks, body sculpting, step and yoga/pilates on a daily basis
