LUXURY SPRITUAL
RETREATS - THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES?
Dear Readers,
Today it is
the turn of luxury. We pick up from our
last Blog post and today we look at the very highest of the high end of
luxury. But the question we have to ask
ourselves is do we lose the essence of a “retreat”? Is it more like a pampered yoga class? Or do you still get the original experience?
By the way,
have you worshipped any Goddesses yet? Definitely
keen to do the Goddess worshipping tantric trip in Greece we found in the last
post if anyone fancies coming with me?
Anyway, back in the room: luxury
retreats: emperor’s new clothes or the
most authentic experience money can buy?
It’s hard to
know where to start to be completely honest with you, dear Readers, and as we
have said in previous Blog posts, this is such a huge topic in terms of the
types of retreats one can go on, that you have to kind of take them all
together…In our research we have found that literally the sky is the limit with
these things, so here follows some interesting examples:
Firstly, dear
Readers, we’re going far flung: the
Barai, Thailand. This will cost you
£3,538 or £5,373 for single occupancy (do you really want to share a room with
someone you don’t know?! Joking!) for 7
nights. Having won 100s of awards, this
is a temple of sanctuary, a deeply healing environment offering a holistic
approach focussed on your whole being:
mind, body and spirit. Set in 4 ½
acres of Hua Hin beachfront, here you can expect to find spa accommodation,
traditional massages, yoga, fitness and healthy eating programmes. The architecture is a big part of this place
and it is designed along with the art and wellbeing principles, all working as
one. The Presidential Pool Villa at 434
square meters affords you a beachfront locations with a private pool, 2 queen
beds and butler service. In terms of
actual retreat activates, excluding accommodation (presumably you would stay in
the Villa?) from £185 per person per night for 3, 5, or 7 nights, you can have
yoga, Tai Chi, Thai Boxing, Stretching, Garland making classes (say whaaaaat?),
cooking, visits to floating markets, temples, fishing, night markets and a
pineapple farm (yes, you heard it here first).
Or you can have tailor-made weight loss, fitness, cleanse, yoga and
unwind programmes. This includes all
meals and that famous butler service.
You eat at McFarland House which also caters for functions, guests
staying at the neighbouring Hyatt and weddings.
Authentic? Hummm.
This next one
really caught our eye, dear Readers, and after all our research, I think could
be one of the best. It certainly is
according to all its awards. Have a look
at The Santani in Sri Lanka. Billed as
minimalist luxury in the jungle, this is a different kettle of fish and
certainly more authentic in our eyes.
Santani means “in harmony with” and they provide “wellness programmes”
in Ayurveda, detox and cleansing, yoga and relaxation. This is combined with pampering, rejuvenation
and “enlightened learning” for a healthy life (sounds bliss, right?!). This is something which stood out: there is personalised cuisine so you can
ensure you’re getting the full experience (my worry is, dear Readers, you book
on and go on one of these super-expensive retreats where you do all this
detoxing and cleansing, then are left to your own devices in the evening where
you end up eating burger and chips and undoing all your good work in the day)
be it juicing, vegetarian, vegan…plus there is a biodynamic wine and juice
bar! Bonus! Sold!
The idea is you don’t have a menu, as it’s all done according to a
personalised diet plan. Using the most
up to date scientific research, the plans are based upon your specific health
goals and physical condition: Ketogenic,
Ayurvedic Vegetarian and Detox. There
are various retreats and programmes you can opt for in a very authentic environment. The dwellings are based on Buddhist meditation
caves and the idea is that they help you to “reset” with no modern distractions
such as TVs, but wifi as available on demand.
You’re looking at about £2140 each without any special packages built
in, depending on time of year, but dear Readers, please have a look at this
place, it looks out of this world!
A really good
website for all sorts of retreats is www.queenofretreats.com. Here we found inspiration for retreats closer
to home, such as Soul Adventures in Ibiza.
This is where your emotional and mental health will be recalibrated
through ancient healing arts. Kundalini
yoga and shamanic healing arts are used at Xuclar Beach House in the hills near
Portinax. Group retreats are available
or you can have one bespoked for you.
Slightly more than the previous at £1,469 per person per day single occupancy
all-inclusive or £1,848 per person per day for the private exclusive suite, you’d
hope to feel recharged…
Fancy a
retreat in a chateau? Look no further
than the Strategic Space retreat, France.
This is a 4-night personal strategy retreat for people who want a
personal, career or business-lead reboot and kick-start or indeed a complete
life transformation (whatever that means).
You find yourself in a private chateau in Chateau de Mailly, Burgundy,
with a specific programme, one-to-one sessions, chef-cooked meals and
wine! Thank goodness. No detox-cleanse here then, clearly. This will set you back £2,265 each for 4
nights all-inclusive.
Or, dear
Readers, what about this: a Radical
Sabbatical with Advivum Journeys in Kent, UK?
Billed as a powerful, luxurious, life-coaching retreat in an elegant
manor house, why not? The idea is, that
for 5 days, already successful people reconnect with what they want to get out
of life, using group tutorials, workshops and solo activities…and good food
(not coming back thinner here then) for £3,500 for 5 days…
Or lastly, as
there are so many, how about a solo rural retreat at Being at the Cottage,
Abergavenny, Wales? An inspirational and
mind-changing solo retreat with private coaching alongside time alone. Aimed at business leaders and entrepreneurs
at the top of their game to revitalise the way they think and make changes
within their organisations. Pricing is
not clear but you’re looking at £900 upwards for a weekend…
Hummm….what
do you think, dear Readers? Your
Hopeless Blogger has to be a bit honest with you: I am a bit non-plussed. I mean, you can clearly spend thousands and thousands
of pounds, but really, is fundamentally what you’re getting any better than the
budgets retreats we’ve already looked at?
Is it more authentic? Will you
achieve your goals faster and easier? I
think, the answer is “no”. Personally,
and this is just my opinion, from what we have researched, the most authentic
experiences are the budget ones. You
see, one verges, with the luxe ones, on a sort of posh spa and really that’s
not what we’re looking at. An immersive
experience without pretence I suppose would sum up what we’re looking for. And do we find it in the luxe category? I’m not so sure…I was really inspired with
our budget ones, finding what sounded like amazing experiences for little
money, just with really dedicated and enlightened people, was exciting…This
seems a bit, well, sanitised…
Lastly, for
our series on retreats, and we certainly hope you’re enjoying it, we’re going
to look at really, really serious ones…so keep your eyes peeled!
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