Wimco Announces Yoga Retreats to Tuscany in your Vacation Villa

CREATE PERSONAL SKIN CARE TREATMENTS FROM TUSCAN HERBS, CALL IN A YOGA GURU, FEAST ON HEALTHY FARE -- ALL IN PRIVACY OF TUSCAN VACATION VILLA WITH ITALIAN DESTINATION SPECIALIST WIMCO

NEWPORT, R.I., February 2003 - Herbs from Tuscany - most certainly parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme -- take on whole new meaning when their essences are infused into personal skin care treatments fatto a mano by vacation villa guests partaking of a private Yoga Villa Retreat through Italian destination specialist Wimco, the luxury vacation villa and hotel reservations company.

These personal skin care workshops, as well as private yoga classes, menus prepared in the villa kitchen by a personal chef schooled in healthy dining, cooking demonstrations and more, are included in a 7-day Tuscan Yoga Retreat that can be arranged during a holiday at any of seven Tuscan villas offered through Wimco.

The retreat program, exclusive of accommodation, is priced at $700 per person (based on the participation of six villa guests). Included are the herbal cosmetic workshop, a guided trekking tour to an art site followed by lunch and wine tasting in a typical Tuscan trattoria, a cooking demonstration focusing on seasonal Tuscan foods followed by a health-oriented dinner, two massages per guest per week (Reiki, Shiatsu and Aromatherapy), daily morning yoga and postures rebalancing, a danskinetic workshop (dance, meditation and guided movement) followed by a candlelight dinner with music and a welcome Tuscan dinner.

"When our clients book their Italian villa for a week or two, they are looking for new experiences as well as maintaining healthy lifestyle routines," says Janis Gordon, Wimco's Vice President Sales & Marketing. "Siena has become a quiet capital of holistic offerings, and it's from the experts in this region that we draw the sources for our villa guests in Tuscany."

Especially popular, Gordon says, is the opportunity for villa guests to create their own skin care treatments under the tutelage of a local holistic doctor and herbalist specialized in the preparation of natural and biological skincare products. During the in-villa workshop, guests explore new holistic worlds, gain an understanding of skincare treatments, and take recipes and their own products home with them.

The Tuscan villas where the retreat programs are hosted include villas ranging in size from three to six bedrooms. Rates are from $6,000 a week for a three-bedroom villa in April and May or October (slightly higher from June through September).
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Information Wimco's Italian programs and the seven villas in the retreat program -- Sassaia, Cappella, Greggianello, Palazzetto, Casello, Monticchia and Aiola -- is available on Wimco's award-winning website www.wimco.com <http://www.wimco.com> or by calling 800-449-1553. Additional programs that offer other enhancements are featured on the web's 'Specials Page.'

Wimco offers over 1,000 luxury villas and distinctive hotels and resorts internationally in such select areas as Italy's Tuscany and Umbria regions, France's Provence and St. Tropez and in the Caribbean (680 villas on 12 islands including St. Barts, St. Martin, Mustique, Nevis, Anguilla, Barbados and others).
For further information, write Wimco, PO Box 14671, Newport, RI 02840; Tel. 401-849-8012; Fax. 401-847-6290; or visit the website at www.wimco.com .

PRESS CONTACT: Widness Public Relations International