Travelling doesn’t necessarily mean skipping your training sessions. Here are some of the best gyms to stay in shape, even if you’re far from home.
Having holidays normally means enjoying a rest but not necessarily stopping your workout. Keeping fit isn’t just important for many people, but something that provides a real sense of wellbeing.
Travelling often messes with people’s schedule, meals and motivation to train. That said, keeping a basic routine can help reduce jet lag, improve sleep and get the best out of every day. Choosing a hotel with a gym means easily fitting a 30-minute session among the walks, meetings and dinners. There is a number of Pestana hotels with well-equipped fitness centres, in addition to pools, spas and sport courts.
When picking and booking a hotel, it’s worth getting more detailed information on its fitness centre, such as timetables, equipment available, and if there are other wellbeing areas, such as spas or pools. A quick description of the hotel and its amenities helps clarify many doubts and may be the decisive factor between similar options.
Another tip is to match the profile of the gym to the type of trip: if you’re going skiing in the Alps, a hotel like the Le Massif, with mountain spa and gym, it’s an obvious plus; if you want the beach and total timetable flexibility, a hotel with a 24-hour gym, like the one at the Pestana Blue Alvor Beach, would be a natural choice. For cultural getaways, the Pousada Viseu or the Pestana CR7 Marrakech offer perfect balance between discovery, history, lifestyle and training.
Pestana Blue Alvor Beach
With views overlooking the Três Irmãos beach, this all-inclusive resort was recently renovated and designed for those who want to train whatever the time, be it night or day. The hotel with a 24-hour gym allows guests to alternate between outdoor and indoor exercises. Throughout the day, you can split your fitness plan between a cardio session in the gym, a game of any sort on the multi-purpose field or a few lengths in the pool.
Located in one of the most sought-after areas of the Algarve, the hotel blends the best of the two worlds: peaceful days at the beach and a fitness centre that’s always available, ideal for early sessions, late, post-dinner workouts, or working off jet lag. In addition to the 24-hour gym, there are padel and tennis courts, plus outdoor areas that invite you for a little jogging or a run at sunset.
Le Massif: a gym in the Italian Alps
In Courmayeur, this hotel in the Italian Alps combines Alpine sophistication, skiing and wellbeing in a single place. It features a mountain spa with indoor and outdoor water circuits, in addition to a perfectly equipped gym open 24 hours a day. The combination of altitude, fresh air and fitness apparatus makes Le Massif a great training base for those that need movement, even on winter holidays.
With an extended timetable, the gym can be used well before catching the first cable car of the day, offering the chance of a strength training session late in the evening after a relaxed dinner. You can tailor your routine to suit your skiing or hiking plans and finish with a session at the spa.
Pousada Viseu: history, spa and fitness
In the town centre, in an old 19-century hospital, this historic hotel in Viseu combines monumental architecture and modern-day comfort. Among the cloisters, interior verandas and ample space, there’s a wide range of wellbeing services and features. There’s a heated indoor pool, an outdoor pool, sauna, Turkish bath, jacuzzi and a fitness centre, which is perfect for training in a quiet atmosphere.
The Pousada Viseu gym is part of the wellness experience, designed to rebalance body and mind. A routine can be drawn up that alternates between strength and cardio with spa moments parts, which go from massages to water circuits. It feels something like an urban retreat: you train, relax in a historic, meticulously renovated building and, minutes later, you’re exploring the streets, squares, and viewpoints of Viseu.
Pestana CR7 Marrakech: lifestyle, performance in Marrakech
In the heart of Marrakech and inspired by the sporting world of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Pestana CR7 Marrakech is a real must when it comes to the business of fitness. The lifestyle hotel in Morocco with gym is located on the modern M Avenue and acts like an oasis in the middle of the city – with an outdoor pool, spa, rooftop, restaurant and a very complete fitness centre.
The indoor gym was designed for those who want to train like a champion, even in hot weather, offering a space that is air conditioned and equipped so guests remain focussed on the right workout. It includes cardio and strength equipment adapted for the different forms of training, from quick sessions of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) to longer routines. Between a visit to the souks, a stroll through the medina and a short trip to the desert, it’s easy to fit in a workout and balance the cultural side of the trip with physical wellbeing.
