6 Wellness Retreats To Book Before The End Of The Year
It’s not too late to look after your well-being at one of these health-focused resorts. By Gayatri Bhaumik and Karen Fong
Whether or not you managed to keep up your New Year resolutions to stay healthier and fitter this year, everyone can always use a little recharge around now. These days, resorts are offering a lot more than just a simple spa and some beach time. Those which are more health-oriented are now offering full-fledged wellness programmes, ranging from detox to fitness so that you can focus on what you feel your body needs most. Check out these six retreat options around the region where you can recharge body, mind and soul.
A modern, luxe spa resort on Vietnam’s hottest island destination, Fusion Resort Phu Quoc features an idyllic beachfront location, secluded gardens, and elegant private pool villas. Best of all, room rates include two spa treatments each day. To celebrate its first anniversary, the hotel has introduced three exclusive wellness retreats that will leave you thoroughly rejuventated. The three, five, or seven-day retreats include meditation, yoga, or tai chi, vitamin-dense meals, cooking classes, local excursions, and consultations with onsite health and wellness practitioners. All packages include accommodation in a pool villa, and start from $333 a night.
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The Amatara Detox Retreat isn’t necessarily about losing weight, but about improving your digestive system, boosting metabolism and reducing constipation. A healthy gut can lead to other benefits like better skin and reduced bloat. There are three types of programmes — the nutri-cleanse, classic juice cleanse and nourishing cleanse — which will determine the food (all healthy, of course) that you’ll be served. Beyond that, you’ll also be able to enjoy treatments and activities that promote detoxing, like the ‘Chi Nei Tsang’ detoxifying abdominal massage, Colon Hydrotherapy, Detox support supplements, Detoxifying Ayurvedic massage therapy, Manual lymphatic drainage treatments, as well the hotel’s signature massage and Thai Hammam journey. From $192 a night.
Sprawled across 200 hectares and boasting sweeping ocean and valley vistas, this Australian retreat blends rustic charm with serious wellness. A year-round schedule of two to seven-night wellness packages are available, each addressing particular issues like stress, nutrition, and balance. Top choice, is the comprehensive – and popular – seven-night Gwinganna Detox, a fully immersive wellness experience. While here, you’ll stay in beautiful rustic accommodations, feast on local organic meals, and indulge in activities like hiking, spa treatments, and wellness seminars. Rounding out the offerings are a wellness centre specialising in naturopathy and nutrition, tennis courts, and a MindBody pavilion. From $1,600 for three nights, single occupancy.
A chic, Bill Bensley-designed resort that pays homage to Phuket’s tin-mining past, The Slate is both photogenic and functional. Hole up at the treehouse-like Coqoon Spa, which offers specialised spa rituals and weekly specials, and stay active with daily activities like Pilates, yoga, biking and kayaking. Through October 31, you can book a rejuvenating two-night wellness retreat. The Revive Package (SG$835 for two) includes a 30-minute anti-stress massage, 60-minute Coqoon Rebirth Signature Massage, and a choice of a 60-minute massage or 45-minute scrub. For the romantically inclined, 50 Shades of Slate (SG$1,350 for two) features in-room Champagne and a candlelit bath, a private archery class, 60-minute Coqoon Rebirth Signature Massage, and dinner at signature restaurants Black Ginger or Rivet.
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Tucked in the picturesque Western Ghats, this expansive property combines ancient Indian health traditions with modern Western practices to create a truly holistic wellness experience. Spend your days engaged in activities like cooking, star-gazing, painting, pottery and jungle-trekking. At night, you’ll want to relax in your private pool villa. A wide variety of personalised wellness programs are on offer, ranging from three to 28 nights and focusing on different goals like de-stressing, anti-aging, weight management, and detoxing. Each retreat comes with three bespoke meals a day, private health consultations, spa therapies, and daily yoga or meditation. From SG$665.
Perched in the hills of Nusa Dua and surrounded by teak trees and tropical rainforests, this is the newest kid on the destination wellness retreat block. Choose from a regular schedule of three-day programs that focus on emotional balance, detox and weight loss, sleep, anti-aging, or pregnancy. Each one comes with healthy Ayurveda-inspired meals, and specialised treatment programs that include rituals like shirodhara, reiki, candle meditation, painting, salt floating, Pilates, and hydrotherapy. Retreats start from SG$2,795.
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