Puerto Rico is a bargain destination and vacation packages can really help you save! Not to mention relieving the stress.

See the comparisons below and you will see how a Best of Both Puerto Rico Surf and Yoga package is a great way to go!

Now airfare from the states is very reasonable to Puerto Rico. For example a plane ticket from New York to Aguadilla is around $278 round trip (about $320 with taxes and fees). From Chicago to Aguadilla would cost more like $348 (around $400 with tax and fees).

Transportation from Aguadilla to the Best of Both Adventures is included in the package. If traveling without the package you can expect a rental car to be $350 for the week, plus fuel at about $75 for a total of $425.

Lodging in Puerto Rico at a beach front villa on average will cost $150-175/ night. We will take the middle and say that you could spend $160 plus tax for a total of about $688.

What about food, everyone needs to eat! All meals are included in the 5 day - 4 night Best of Both Adventure. Gourmet meals prepared with locally grown products and a true taste of Caribbean cuisine. If you are traveling and need to eat out you can expect to spend $10-15 for breakfast, $15 for lunch and $25-35 per person for dinner. So, saying you kept it on the low end, you need to budget $50 for food each day and that does not include drinks and snacks! We better figure another $20 for that making a total of $70 plus tax and gratuity which would make about $100 per day in food and drinks!

Now, some people can come to the island and just be satisfied with sitting on the beach watching the surfers. But there are those of us watching who desire to give the sport a try. Let’s add in $100/day for surf lessons. We will then feel the need for a restorative yoga class at $20/class and how about a massage to work on the tired muscles from the surf lesson , that’s another $70. We have just added $190 without tax and gratuity!

Traveling to Puerto Rico requires no passport. No long lines passing through customs. It is one of the most economical vacation destinations and below you will find a comparison of booking a trip with Best of Both Adventures vs. traveling on your own.

Let’s make this easy and compare below:

Off the top it is easy to see that you would save over $200 with the Best of Both trip. More to consider; in the comparison the food budgeted would be restaurant meals. After 5 days of eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at a restaurant your body may be in need of a detox. Best of Both Adventure meals are carefully prepared in a healthy, delicious way to restore balance to the body. If a fair meal price comparison were to be done and you were to eat privately prepared meals you would need to add at least $200 more dollars to the budget.

The daily yoga sessions are designed to target the muscles used in surfing and to help you develop your own practice to return home with. Our instructors are trained to personally assist your needs and to help you find a yoga routine that will fit into your lifestyle. This is not something you would get from just any class!

I could go on and on about the beauty and tranquility of our villas, the friendliness of the staff, etc. But most importantly I cannot put a price value on the relationships that develop from these adventures. Some travel with friends or family and some travel alone, but each and every surf and yoga trip, new friendships develop and much is learned from sharing this experience together as women!

By Michele Fulkerson, Best of Both Director of Yoga:
Exercise is one of those words that conjures up images and feelings of all sorts in our minds. For some of us it is a scary word and guilt sets in the moment we hear it, thinking right away for an excuse as to why we have let it become so daunting in the first place. But, the good news is that exercise has changed in recent years and gone are the days where we need to pound our bodies into physical fitness. Gyms and fitness centers across the country have moved into a new realm of mind-body fitness building their classes around yoga, Pilates and low impact core strengthening workouts. Best of Both Adventures incorporates this type of fitness into the camp to jump-start your practice preparing your bodies to stay fit and healthy!

Here are some helpful hints about your new outlook on the word exercise!

Yoga, Yoga, Yoga!

Yoga is the ultimate mind-body workout. The benefits are endless: it strengthens, tones and lengthens muscles. It improves circulation and promotes inner calm. Peace and cardio in the same move? That’s what makes it so great!

Sun Salutations can be performed anywhere you have room to hold out your arms! The Sun Salutation series is a total body workout designed to stretch, expand and contract all of your major muscle groups. Done daily (15 minutes will do) your body and spirit will show you the results! Feel free to email Michele at michele@bestofbothadventures.com for specific yoga postures and the sun salutation series.

Walking!

If gym classes don’t fit into your busy schedule a daily walk will do the job. Walking three miles burns as many calories as running three miles but with less impact on your joints. You can also use your walking time to clear your thoughts and renew your mind. A great stress reducer at hectic times like the holidays. If life is too busy to find time for a three-mile walk, start small by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking a little farther away from the door at the supermarket.

Remember, just a few minutes each day will make a tremendous difference in how you look and feel. Find time for yoga and walking and before long you will notice life feeling a little more peaceful!

8 Reasons to Get Away ‘08
By Founder of Best of Both Dez Bartelt

It’ll be 2009 before you know it. Time flies. Why don’t you find the time in 2009 to take a trip, better yet an Adventure like Best of Both Adventures Surf and Yoga!
Had enough madness? Then treat you to what you really want- an escape. An escape from reality with something you can bring back to the real world, a new or renewed yoga practice, the confidence built from learning to surf and the jumpstart on healthy eating for the new year! All can be found in an escape to Bali for our Surf and Yoga Retreat or one of many destinations.
2009 is the Year of the Rat. Why not sit out this rat race and relax? Book a trip now to have something to look forward to in the New Year! Take advantage of our last minuet deal to Italy save 10% http://www.bestofbothadventures.com/italy.htm
Sometimes less is more, even when it comes to family. A happy wife means a happy life. Take a bit of time for yourself. Best of Both Adventurers are women with families and careers. Share in the friendship with women who know how often others needs are put before ours! Recharge and renew your own health and spirit with a little time for you.
After all the long days in the office or at home, might you be craving something healthy? An adventure that recharges spirit and body may be just what the doctor ordered. Best of Both Adventures encompasses a renewing yoga practice with healthy yet delicious meals and the challenge of surfing all designed to provide you with a new charge on life! Take a look at some of our favorite recipes in the link below
http://www.bestofbothadventures.com/blog/
If you time your vacation just right, you might just avoid Spring Cleaning. Packing your bags and leaving the spring-cleaning behind to give yourself a cleansing experience. April in Puerto Rico is amazing. Join us for our spring deals Just $1900 per person www.bestofbothadventures.com
You can finish that ____________ (insert: novel, romance, project, etc.) you started last year so book your Best of Both Adventure today.
It will all be waiting when you get back.

Here are some Earth Wise Tips from the Best of Both Team:
By Juli Hydanus, Best of Both director Costa Rica Surf and Yoga retreats

1. Try using LED lights this Christmas. They consume about a tenth of the energy of regular lights and are every bit as festive.
2. Consider getting a live Christmas tree, even a small one, not necessarily an evergreen, that can be planted after the season is over. Find a special place for it as a reminder of a conscious and memorable holiday.
3. Gifts are fun to give and receive and even more so when they are handmade by yourself or some local artisan. If you are shopping for gifts, it?s always a good idea to shop locally and support local, owner-run businesses.
4. Also, when considering a gift, perhaps give some thought to giving your time. There might be someone who would greatly appreciate your skills to help them with a project around the house or something like that.
5. But, most of all, the very best gift you can possibly give to your loved ones, your self and our planet, is to VOTE, and that has never been more true then this year. While you are counting all your blessings, please remember that the freedoms we enjoy in this country bring with them responsibilities.

Uh oh – it’s that time of year again; the holidays are just around the corner.
By Sally Camara, Best of Both director of massage therapy

When many people think of massage they think of self-indulgence, but did you know massage has a variety of important health benefits?

When combined with traditional medical treatments, massage is used to reduce pain and promote healing. Scientific research proves that massage therapy increases immune function, decreases stress levels and reduces recovery time in many medical conditions. Additionally, other benefits of receiving massage on a regular basis include:

• reducing or preventing muscle pain, stiffness and spasm
• improving relaxation by reducing heart rate and blood pressure
• easing tension and anxiety, calming the nervous system
• improving circulation
• promoting healthy sleep patterns

“Often times people are stressed in our culture. Stress-related disorders make up between 80-and-90 percent of the ailments that bring people to family-practice physicians. What they require is someone to listen, someone to touch them, someone to care. That does not exist in modern medicine.

One of the complaints heard frequently is that physicians don’t touch their patients any more. Touch just isn’t there. Years ago massage was a big part of nursing. There was so much care, so much touch, so much goodness conveyed through massage. Now nurses for the most part are as busy as physicians. They’re writing charts, dealing with insurance notes, they’re doing procedures and often there is no room for massage any more.”

Joan Borysenko - Massage Journal Interview, Fall 1999

As part of a wellness routine, massage can help you maintain physical, mental and emotional well being, so go ahead – indulge. It’s for your own good!

New Contest - help us plan 2010!

People often ask how we decide what new trips to add. There are several ways (guide interest or knowledge, finding the right company to work with) but one important way is input from the women who travel with us. So this time we’re turning it into a contest, and there are two prizes: 1) a gorgeous new book called Ultimate Adventures, A Rough Guide to Adventure Travel. I was sent a complimentary copy that made me want to quit my job and spend the rest of my life traveling! (And then I remembered what my job is and realized I should probably keep doing it). Anyway, I think you’ll enjoy it. 2) 20% off the trip you suggest when we offer it in 2010.

So here’s the contest-send your suggestion for a dream trip to info@bestofbothadventures.com with the subject line “Contest”. Tell us why you think we should offer it and what time of year is best. Keep in mind that it has to be a trip that we think other women would also want to do, so it can’t be totally obscure, in the middle of a civil war, or require the physical condition of an Olympic athlete. When we have our annual guide retreat, we’ll pick the winner and let you know by December 31.

Where in the world is the Best of Both Team Currently Juli and Sally are in Santa Barbara working on our 2009 Costa Rica trips and getting ready to meet me for our Oct 11th trip to Italy, Michele is on her why to Rincon. Thank God To get ready for the big Surf and yoga season. I’m sitting in the office getting us all set for next year while making sure that this year continues to go well (is there something wrong with this picture?). We have three spaces left on our remaining trips (One space left for the Trip to Tuscany, Three spaces left in our November 5^th-9^th Surf and Yoga Retreat in Puerto Rico, and three spaces left in our Nov 26^th –30^th Puerto Rico Surf and Yoga retreat so give me a call if you want to grab one. And have a great fall!

Dez Bartelt, for all the Team of Best of Both Adventures for women

Your door to a fun-filled sun adventure!

November trips booking fast… reserve your space today!

Best of Both Adventures for women’s Puerto Rico Surf and Yoga trips

Have quickly become the premier destination for so many reasons.Puerto Rico experiences “summer” weather all year long. It is a perfect place to bring women together in a healthy, healing environment. Nurturing the desire to learn or improve the sport of surfing in some of the best waves in the world. Searching the soul with a beachside yoga practice and bringing it all together with healthy meals featuring some of the best food the Caribbean has to offer.  Choosing organic and local foods whenever possible.

Some of the meals from our adventures:

Quinoa Stuffed Avocado
Quinoa pilaf made with quinoa grain, chopped parsley, slivered almonds and chopped dried mango served in two avocado halves over a bed of organic greens.

Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa and Cous Cous
Chicken breasts marinated in coconut milk and grilled to perfection served with homemade mango salsa on a bed of curried cous cous

More reasons to choose Puerto Rico: No Passport required.

Did you know that you can travel from the States to Puerto Rico without a passport? In a complicated world this makes traveling a breeze.

Surf for all skill levels.

Whether you are new to the sport or need to improve your skill. Puerto Rico offers waves all year long and lessons from skilled instructors.  Kayaking and snorkeling excursions are offered in addition to surfing or if you choose to take a day away from the waves!

Safe for travel.

Puerto Rico is a US territory. Travelers find the area safe and easy to get around. English is spoken in most areas and there is no need for currency conversion!

Great Flights.

Flights arrive daily from the east coast into Aguadilla Airport. Jet Blue www.jetblue.com  and Spirit Airlines www.spiritair.com offer great rates. Check them out today!

If you are searching for the perfect surf and yoga adventure. We have it all here in Puerto Rico!

Yoga. Yoga. Yoga!

Start the day with yoga to energize your body for surfing or to restore and relax from the previous days activities.  Afternoon sessions available to stretch and renew the body and mind!  Classes designed with the beginner in mind, yet powerful enough to challenge the experienced yogi.