POMPANO BEACH -- We're on the roof of a beach hotel that looks like a cruise ship, its angled bow jutting toward the Atlantic Ocean. Puffy clouds dot the sky, and a pleasant breeze cools the morning air. So serene.

''KICK! KICK! KICK!'' bellows our leader, thrusting her sneakered foot sideways and up to shoulder height, in time to the beat pulsing from an iPod. ``Hands up! Protect your face! Visualize someone you want to HIT!''

We're sweating. We're kicking. We're visualizing. Oh, yes, we are visualizing.

This is cardio kickboxing, the second of what will be five hours of exercise in one day at the Bella Boot Camp, part of the Bella Vita Retreat at Ocean Sands Resort & Spa in Pompano Beach, north of Fort Lauderdale. Between beach runs, cardio, Pilates, weight lifting and yoga come healthy meals, spa treatments and powerful camaraderie among the boot campers, here to lose weight or get fit, mind and body.

Bella Boot Camp is intense, but it's an example of the trend toward spa and wellness getaways that offer more than beauty treatments. Bella and another South Florida retreat we visited on a recent weekend, the Red Door Lifestyle Spa in Weston, have offerings for men and couples, but most of the clientele are women.

Spa and wellness trips are a huge part of another major travel trend, the so-called ''girlfriends getaway.'' The number of women-only travel companies has more than quadrupled since 2000, offering everything from yoga retreats in Aspen to knitting trips to Scotland. There's even a new show devoted to the trend, All-Girl Getaways, on the Fine Living Network.

The beauty pun intended of spa and fitness trips is that they can be accomplished across town, across the state or across the world. Even if your budget is stretched, you might be able to swing a nearby spa day without staying at the hotel.

Wherever you go, it's worth your time to research not only your destination, but also to decide what you want to get out of your getaway.

DAY 1: BOOT CAMP

After scoping out the possibilities via the Internet and telephone, my friend Wilma and I decided on a two-day, two-stop tour in South Florida. Driveable, but far enough to feel like a real getaway.

Web sites such as About.com and Spafinder.com, as well as a recent article in Oxygen magazine on the nation's ''best fat-blasting resorts,'' directed us to the Bella Vita Retreat and its Bella Boot Camp.

The retreat resides in the 89-room Ocean Sands Resort & Spa, which in addition to spa and gym facilities, boasts an ocean view from each room, a lovely pool and good food, both healthy and indulgent. All handy if your travel partner can't seem to equate ''boot camp'' and ``vacation.''

Wilma strolled the beach, enjoyed a pedicure in a spa with an ocean view, took a nap and caught up with her magazines in a suite with two balconies and 180-degree views of the Atlantic.

She slept through the start of my boot camp day: a 7 a.m. Pilates class. Although there were five campers in residence, only two were in class, the rest preferring beach walks or sleep.

What a difference from the jam-packed classes at my local gym. Our teacher, Felicity, gently and promptly corrected our form, explaining each stretching and strengthening move.

After an hour, I felt taller. Three days later, I could still feel my abs every time I sneezed.

Next up was breakfast in the sunny dining room. Told we were boot campers, the waitress snatched away the regular menus in mock horror. No eggs Benedict for us. But the poached egg, whole wheat toast and fresh fruit left us feeling virtuous as no Hollandaise ever could.

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