1. Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, Ojai, Calif.

The magic is in the valley
This historic Spanish-style resort has been setting standards of elegance since the 1920s. Guest rooms have fireplaces, sofas, writing desks, marble bathrooms with Jacuzzi tubs and secluded balconies that open onto views of the soaring Sierra Madre, while the lavish grounds house a championship golf course, a tennis center, an 800-acre equestrian ranch with stables, and trails that wind through live oak trees hanging with Spanish moss and into the adjacent Los Padres National Forest.

With the completion of a 31,000-square-foot Mind/Body Center and fitness center in 1997, Ojai's proven it's not content to rest on its laurels -- or let you rest on yours. Stroll the herb-scented labyrinth into the center of yourself, do tai chi on the lawn, enjoy Aqua Toning in the new outdoor pool or a workout on Tectrix virtual-reality bikes in the jampacked, high-tech fitness center.

Not that everything's new at Ojai. Native Americans long have considered the Ojai Valley sacred, and many of the spa's programs revolve around these age-old rituals. Head for the Kuyam, an updated Chumash Indian sweat lodge, where you'll be coated with cleansing mud and herbs, then lay back and inhale lemon grass-infused steam. Or grab him for Petals, an oil massage ending with love affirmations under a shower of rose petals.

Details: From $518 per night, double occupancy. Includes lodging, fitness activities and two treatments per day per person. Meals are extra. Call (888) SPA-OJAI or (805) 646-5511 in Canada; or visit www.ojairesort.com.