JUST RELAX

Seaweed spa, Glasgow

The Blythswood Square hotel in Glasgow claims to have introduced Scotland's first seaweed bath treatment at its spa for 2011, available as part of an Ultimate New Year Detox day. After opening pores and cleansing skin by alternating time in saunas and steam rooms, ice fountains and cold showers, guests can dunk themselves in a bath infused with mineral salts and freshly harvested seaweed from the Hebridean coast. Then there's a body scrub using lemongrass and juniper berry.
• £89pp for the day package, or from £160pp including an overnight stay, dinner and breakfast. 0141-240 1622, blythswoodsquare.com

The Giri Residence, Ibiza

The Giri Residence is a super-stylish boutique hotel in the countryside near San Juan, Ibiza, that also offers detox retreats and GI diet courses, led by nutritionist Ute Wood, which involve breathing exercises, yoga, hiking and consultations. The gorgeous new hotel and retreat, which opened last spring, has five suites, smart interior design, a spa with a plunge pool and a Jacuzzi.
• From €1,145pp a week, including full board, activities and one massage. 07711 140240, thegiri.com

Meditation and yoga, India

Authentic Indian ashrams might be a bit too full on for most western guests with their philosophy, advanced courses and policies of silence. The Ashiyana centre in Goa is a good compromise, with jolly accommodation (beach huts, lodges, a tree house, cabana or adobe house) at an unspoilt travellers' beach, Mandrem, in the far north of the state, but with rigorous classes led by international experts. Various courses are available, such as hatha, tantra or Ashiyana yoga, detoxes and meditation, or go for a holiday that allows you to drop in to classes on meditation, chanting, barefoot boogie (improvised dance) and various sorts of yoga.
• From €30 a day, €210 a week, including classes and two buffet meals a day. ashiyana-yoga-goa.com

Moddershall Oaks, Staffordshire

For a spot of TLC in luxurious surroundings, the Moddershall Oaks spa retreat in Stone is a little corner of paradise. The spa features a hot tub with views over the fields, a sauna, steam room, exercise pool and fitness studio, and there are 10 stylish, Oriental-inspired bedrooms to collapse in afterwards. Treatments include all the usual beautifying experiences, plus Ayurvedic massage and reflexology, with Elemis and Gerard's products.

• From £175pp including overnight stay, one 25-minute treatment and meals. 01782 399000, moddershalloaks.com

Sura Detox, Devon

A remote Victorian farmhouse in Devon has been converted into a detox retreat with a large heated pool, saunas and all manner of therapies, from astrology to lymphatic drainage, and including a very thorough six-day detox. The course includes daily talks, a deep aromatherapy massage or intense shiatsu massage, meditation, yoga and life coaching, plus colonics, food intolerance testing and lots of personal relaxation time. It's highly recommended by goodspaguide.co.uk, which publishes The Best Spas in Britain guide.
• From £700pp in a shared room, next retreat 28 January. 0800 334 5689, suradetox.com

GENTLY DOES IT

River swimming, Wales

Mess about on the river this summer in Carmarthenshire with the Llandysul Paddlers (01559 363209, llandysul-paddlers.org.uk). From March, this outdoor education centre is offering river swimming trips, giving holidaymakers the chance to float three miles down the Teifi river from Llandysul to Pentre-cwrt. You'll rush through white water and meander down more gentle stretches. You can even take a picnic – as long as you have a waterproof lunchbox. Other activities, such as gorge walking, rock climbing and mountain biking, are also available. Stay at nearby Typoeth Cottage (01559 384483, typoethcottage.co.uk), set in a small valley surrounded by fields and woodland, close to Brechfa Forest.

• River swimming sessions cost £20pp, including hire of a wetsuit, buoyancy aid and helmet. Typoeth cottage is £250 a week for two

Pilates, South Africa

Pilates won't seem boring at all if you practise it in the exciting destination of South Africa, where Cape Active has launched a Pilates, Chill & More Retreat programme in a setting with beach and mountain scenery an hour from Cape Town. The total body workout is held in the Pilates studio of a guesthouse in Betty's Bay, and the retreat also has mountain bikes for riding along the coast. The guesthouse has a Jacuzzi and a fun atmosphere in the evenings, although there are plenty of restaurants nearby for dinner.

• A seven-night break costs £550pp including B&B, daily Pilates classes, personal assessment and training, three days' bike hire, but excluding flights. capeactive.com

Walking plus activities, UK

This spring, HF Holidays is launching a range of short breaks and week-long holidays called Unmissable Britain. The company is known for its walking breaks, and these new trips will include a daily walk, but can be tailored to suit your interests and fitness levels. You stay in a country house in one of six locations (Scottish Highlands, Exmoor, Cotswolds, Welsh Borders, Yorkshire Dales and Lake District). On Unmissable Exmoor, for example, you walk to Dunkery Beacon and take a boat to Lundy, and options include horse riding, a Jeep safari, canoeing and cycling.

• HF Holidays offers a three-night break between May and October from £269pp, including accommodation, meals, guides and transport during the trip. 0845 470 7558, hfholidays.co.uk/activities/unmissable-britain

Yoga and hiking, Slovakia

If you're looking for a change of location in which to practise your yoga, a new holiday in the Tatra mountains could be just the thing. An hour-long dynamic yoga class will wake you up each morning, and an afternoon class will focus on posture, breathwork and relaxation. All levels are welcome, as classes are adapted to suit. Accommodation is at Chalet Filip in Velka Lomnica in the heart of the mountains, surrounded by rocky pinnacles and waterfalls where you can ramble in the sunshine.

• Three-night break from £699pp, including flights, full board, use of a spa, one massage, two guided walks, meditation and six hours of yoga classes. Trips run in July and August. Tatra Yoga Holidays, 0161-408 8988, tatrayogaholidays.com

Geocaching, Somerset

If you thought a visit to a country house was a bit tame, think again. At Tyntesfield, a Victorian estate in north Somerset, you can take part in a high-tech treasure hunt. Equipped with a GPS device, you'll tackle six walking trails, searching for containers called geocaches, and share your results online with other seekers. The walks themselves are on public rights of way and so are accessible even when Tyntesfield is closed (the house reopens on 28 February). Make a weekend of it by staying in the old chaplain's house, lodge or cottage on the estate.

• Geocaching at Tyntesfield is free. Two nights' accommodation starts at £177 for two in the cottage, £232 for five in the lodge, and £284 for six in the house. nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield. The National Trust is running an Outdoor Gym Challenge at its properties this month; see nationaltrust.org.uk/outdoorgym for details

HAVE FUN, GET FIT

Outdoor games, London

You read it here first: immersive games are going to be massive in 2011. Never heard of them? Well, they involve a mission, some gadgets to help complete it and a bunch of actors to disrupt your best-laid plans. Fire Hazard, a London-based company, has pioneered this kind of game, which it describes as "half-theatre, half-sport, all mayhem". Last year it ran a number of heists (where teams carry out a burglary while avoiding guards and motion sensors) and hunts (in the dark, on Hampstead Heath), among other events. New for this year are: Last Gasp, an adventure race with added zombies; Basilisk, a code-breaking game in a lab; and Overwatch, a terrifying office attack. There's no better way to spend a weekend than as an all-conquering action hero.

• Tickets for Fire Hazard events cost from £5-£16 and sell out fast – join the mailing list at fire-hazard.net. Find similar games in Bristol at Igfest (igfest.org), an annual outdoor games festival in September, or around the UK at hideandseek.net

Cycling, Tuscany

Explore the back roads of Tuscany between Siena, Pisa, Florence and Montecatini Terme by bike, stopping frequently for samples of chianti in the vineyards, to nibble some olives or to nip into an art gallery, and you'll barely notice how much your leg muscles are starting to bulge. This moderate-to-challenging cycling holiday with UTracks includes accommodation, a 21-speed bike with waterproof bags, luggage transfer and information kit.

• Eight days, self-guided, from £770pp. 0845 241 7599, utracks.com

Skijoring and riding, Highland

If cross-country skiing seems too much like hard work, try skijoring instead. A horse, dog or vehicle will do the tough job of pulling you along, while you soak up the scenery (and try to keep your balance). Try it on a working and riding weekend at Newtonmore Riding Centre in the Scottish Highlands, which is the first place in the UK to offer skijoring with horses. On this equestrian break you're guaranteed at least two hours' riding each day, and you'll also help out in the yard. Accommodation is in a two-star B&B, but you can upgrade to somewhere more luxurious for a supplement.

• A two-night working break costs £120pp. Skijoring is available whenever there is enough snow and costs an additional £20 for 30 minutes or £35 for an hour. 01540 670000, newtonmoreridingcentre.com

Tree climbing, Cornwall

Recapture your childhood with a weekend in the treetops in Cornwall. The Mighty Oak (07890 698651, mighty-oak.co.uk) is one of a handful of companies in the UK to offer recreational tree climbing: participants are secured with a harness and rope, allowing them the thrill of climbing huge trees without risking life and limb. This year, the activity is being made suitable for people with disabilities and all ages from three upwards. The truly adventurous can even sleep in the trees in a specially designed hammock, and breakfast with the larks in the morning. If you haven't got a good head for heights, stay in The Scarlet (01637 861800, scarlethotel.co.uk), a luxury eco hotel. The owners can recommend and book a range of other activities in the area, from coasteering to mackerel fishing.

• The Mighty Oak offers tree climbing and camping (3pm-11am) from £140pp, including one-on-one instruction, dinner and breakfast. Climbing-only packages are also available. Doubles at the Scarlet cost from £190 a night

GO HARDCORE

BMF Adventures, Malaysia

British Military Fitness is an exercise fad that isn't going away. About 20,000 Brits are currently members of the exercise system that treats you like a piece of meat being pumped, stretched and yelled into a state of tastiness in a regime designed for the military. It's not just about push-ups in the park; BMF also offers trips abroad, including an adventure event in Malaysian Borneo, called the Kinabalu Challenge, in which teams of four from all over the world are helicoptered into the jungle, build a shelter, trek through rainforest, paddle down rivers and then climb 4,100m Mount Kinabalu – south-east Asia's highest peak. All fitness levels can take part as you will be put in a group to suit your level.

• From £1,399pp, excluding flights. Next event 19-26 February. bmfadventures.com

Mountain activities, France

The Alps aren't just for skiing. This summer, Karibuni (01202 661865, karibuni.co.uk) is launching a new Alpine Thrills break, full of fun and challenges on the mountains and lakes. Try climbing up and along the scary iron rungs of a via ferrata, canyoning, downhill scooters and high ropes in the peaks, then head down to Lac d'Annecy for some relaxing sailing and swimming. Stay in a cosy, fully catered lodge, near the pretty town of Annecy.

• Prices start from £335pp for a three-day trip. Full details at alpinethrills.com

Running, Highland

The Lovat hotel's running weekends combine a stay in a small hotel beside Loch Ness in the Highlands with the chance to push your running to another level. The two-day group course includes a seminar, running training, stretching and relaxation, circuit session and yoga on the first day, with a long run and yoga on the second. Sports massages and Pilates can be arranged, and the hotel has simple, elegant rooms.

• £250pp. 01456 459250, thelovat.com

Fitness holiday, Spain

Pushing yourself to get out and get fit will be a lot easier in the sunny hills surrounding Gaucín, in southern Spain, where Fitscape holds fitness courses at a converted monastery with a large pool and gardens. The area is perfect for running, hiking or cycling, and there are personal trainers and guides to boost your motivation, provide one-on-one training sessions or just show you the way. Core fitness, cardio training and boxercise can be thrown in, and the monastery is a stunning white building with courtyards, palm trees and stylish interiors.

• From £1,595 a week all-inclusive, but excluding flights; several dates from 23 February. fitscape.co.uk