8. Sea Island Spa, The Cloister, Sea Island, Ga.

Grand dame of fitness
Sea scrubs and leisurely beach strolls are what you'd expect at this grand old seaside resort in southern Georgia, set amid rolling green lawns and manicured gardens. But that's just the frosting on the tea cakes. Imagine hiking, cycling and galloping along windswept beaches, canoeing through a sea of waving grass, kayaking aquamarine waves, and pedaling to nostalgic beach towns with old-time boardwalks, historic lighthouses and quaint cottages (mansions to the rest of us) that look like they're on loan from The Great Gatsby. Or settle into a cabana on the resort's sugary sands for a day of unhurried beach bumming/aerobicizing and water sports, from swimming and snorkeling to scuba diving.

As for structured fitness, Sea Isle offers some of the best facilities and programs south of the Mason-Dixon line. Each guest is assigned a spa concierge to match fitness interests with goals and receives a binder of personally designed information -- from a quick-count calorie sheet to stretching diagrams for at-home workouts -- to take with her. And the fitness options are endless. Learn scuba or tennis, take Pilates, enjoy tai chi on the sands or "get OUT," a workout using elements on the beach.

When it comes to pampering, those Southerners really know how to spoil a girl. Enjoy a personalized aromatherapy session; seaside journaling, a one-on-one writing-therapy course designed to release the sea currents within you; or go swimming in the open sea with dolphins. Sea Island may be the only spa on earth offering world-renowned skeet shooting, so as long as you're here, why not fire away? A total (and civilized -- you shoot at clay disks, not birds) blast, it's an incredibly creative way to relieve stress.

Details: From $1,825 per person, double occupancy for five-night minimum Signature Spa Experience. Includes meals, lodging, use of all facilities and classes, wellness lectures and a raft of spa treatments. Call (800) SEA-ISLAND or visit www.seaisland.com.