Best New Year's Resolution Trips

At Fodor's HQ, our writers' and editors' New Year's resolutions are pretty travel heavy, setting our sights on trips like a sleek retreat in Utah's backcountry or an eco-lodge in Costa Rica. But as much as we love a good globe-trot, we still manage to put a few of the usual self-improvement suspects on our lists too, like eat fewer croissants, read more, and build-up some core strength. In the spirit of starting 2013 off on the right foot, we thought we'd combine our travel and lifestyle resolutions to make sure we check every goal off our list. With this we give you: where travel meets mind, body, and soul—a good reminder that resolutions have no fixed address.

Healthy + Splurge All-in-One

Where: Utah

The first Resolution trip will take you into Utah's boonies to the 34-suite, 600-acre Amangiri resort. Hemmed in by Canyon Point's desert-hued hills and plains, the resort is both incognito and stunning, fading into the landscape in a monochromatic style statement. Frequented by the likes of camera-shy A-listers for its remote location, architecture, and service (read: its cache requires advanced booking), Amangiri's winter package promises a wellness tune-up with inclusions like daily guided hikes, yoga and pilates classes, and all meals. Bring warm clothes for crisp temperatures and nights spent by a roaring fire.

Hotel: Amangiri's winter packages start at $1050/night and include airport transfers in addition to the package details mentioned above.

Hide and Seek

Where: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Some people go to rest and reflect at a cozy cabin in the woods, but why not trade snow for sun for your 2013 hideout? Just up the street from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's former residences, peeking over Puerto Vallarta's 40-mile coastline, there's a petite and chic hacienda—nondescript from the outside and seductive on the inside—that beckons reflection and relaxation. Brimming with antique furniture, trickling fountains and blue lagoon-like pools, the collection of villas at Hacienda San Angel are intertwined by tropical courtyards and lush gardens. Perched above this historic town's clay rooftops and church steeples, the views coupled with the hotel's serenity invite reflection. 

Hotel: Hacienda San Angel From $350/night.

Get in Shape, Naturally

Where: Patagonia, Chile

Fading into the contours of a far-flung fishing village at the Southern tip of South America, Remota is a study in maximum architecture and minimum output. The grass-covered getaway feels more gallery than hotel as natural art streams through the window-covered exterior, and daily outdoor excursions give guests the opportunity to get up close and personal with the views—whether it be through leisurely strolls or heart-pumping hikes. When the daylight is done, the hotel's sleek steam, sauna, and pool will soothe well-oiled muscles. Farm-to-table food and Chilean cheers follow.

Hotel: Remota from $1250/night includes airport transfer, meals, and self-guided local adventures.

Surfing Eco-Retreat

Where: Nosara, Costa Rica

Go double-duty on your resolutions, ticking both the 'get active' and the 'go eco-friendly' boxes at Costa Rica's sustainable surf getaway on the country's Northern tip. Purchased by two American travelers who met surfing the breaks at Playa Guiones, the 24-room Harmony Hotel pays homage to its 1970s surf roots splashing a hint of the Brazilian modern aesthetic for an old-school-chic throwback. The eco-hotel posts an impressive list of sustainable, day-to-day practices making allowances for a farm that grows organic fare for the hotel's restaurant and juice bar, solar panels to heat hot water for guestrooms, and partial use of wastewater to nourish the garden foliage, providing the perfect opportunity to turn over a new leaf in your 2013 travel. 

Hotel: Harmony Hotel, from $250/night.

Me Time

Where: Palm Springs, California 

When Jack Frost's frigid temperament sends winter into a deep freeze, visions of blinding sun and a minty mojito (with an umbrella, of course) served poolside dance in our head. In a flash, we turn on our vacation auto-pilot and defer to a favored sun-soaked destination for solace. We recommend a mod weekend in Palm Springs. The desert haven is enjoying a renaissance among chic Angelenos, and even draws visitors from further afield with slick hotels, fun pool scenes, blessed out spas, and fantastic food. It's the perfect respite to kick start a year of living well. Breakfast at Norma's at the Parker Palm Springs and a lunch of healthy sandwiches and salads from Jake's should be followed by a classic desert dinner at Tropicale. It's a throwback to Palm Springs in the 70s.

Hotel: We're partial to two hotels out here—The Ace Hotel for a laidback atmosphere, great pool scene, and fantastic cocktails; and the Parker Palm Springs for chic décor, the best breakfast around, and one of our all-time favorite spas.

Photo credits: Amangiri courtesy of Aman Resorts; Hacienda San Angel courtesy of Trish Friesen; Remota Chile courtesy of Remota; Harmony Hotel courtesy of Harmony Hotel; Parker Palm Springs courtesy of Parker Palm Springs