Celebrity Life

As Covid-19 continues to pose a worldwide threat, Six Senses is helping guests and communities around the world stay healthy and at ease from the comfort of their homes, both mentally and physically. A brand dedicated to wellness and wellbeing, the company launched At Home with Six Senses, which delivers a series of content focusing... View Article

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One of the world’s most exclusive island resorts, the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli, is set to take its offering to the next level with an incredible buy-out option reserved for the ultra-rich. The new experience gives guests the keys to the beautiful Vommuli Island and offers unfettered access to all of its world-class amenities and... View Article

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Forget what you think you know about hotel gyms. Hotels and resorts around the world are creating high-end fitness centers and programs to answer the demands of travelers who want to maintain, and even improve, their fitness while on the road. Recently, there has been a paradigm shift in the wellness industry. Just a few... View Article

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Valentine’s Day may be behind us for another year, but love is still very much in the air at one of London’s most luxurious (and highest) hotels. Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard is offering the ultimate proposal experience for besotted couples ready to take the next step. Named Proposal in the Clouds due to its... View Article

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The next wave of wellness-focused travel is here. Luxury cruise lines are introducing holistic programming through healthy cuisine, fitness excursions and mindfulness practices that even the most dedicated wellness gurus will love. SeaDream Yacht Club defies your typical cruise-ship experience: Its ultra-luxe ships, SeaDream I and SeaDream II, can each host just 112 guests, meaning... View Article

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The festive season is for eating, drinking and being ever so merry. Catching up with loved ones, watching movies and (hopefully) switching off from work makes it the most wonderful time of the year. While there is certainly no reason to feel ashamed about enjoying yourself, the New Year is when most of us feel... View Article

The post The Best Wellness Retreats for 2020 appeared first on Elite Traveler.

"Listen to the water. Feel and listen to the birds, the wind, the trees." Fitness instructor Jaka is wrapping up our Aqua Fitmat session with a deep-breathing exercise, the water gently rocking our floating yoga mats as we lie still on our backs under the warm morning sun. “Make two wishes – anything and as big as you want. Ask the universe. If you send good energy out into the universe, it will come back to you.”
Fitness, yoga, mindfulness and meditation practices like this are being carried out daily at hotels and resorts the world over. The lifestyle shift away from all-out debauchery to blissed-out well-being has fuelled wellness tourism to the tune of US$639 billion, with experts predicting it will reach US$919 billion by 2022. All of which indicates travellers are willing to spend, but how can providers set themselves apart from the pack?

[dual-images right-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Revivo-Wellness-Resort-1.jpg" left-image-url="https://www.prestigeonline.com/hk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Courtyard-Suite_Revivo.jpg" right-caption="Revivo Wellness Resort pool area" left-caption="Courtyard suite at Revivo"]
As I discover after three days at Revivo Wellness Resort in Bali, it’s all about personalisation. Programmes can now be tailored to one’s individual health condition and desired outcomes (weight loss, stress relief, sleep hygiene, recovery from chemotherapy and so on), and there’s probably no better method than to consult a guest’s own genetics.
The first resort of its kind to offer GenePlanet’s NutriFit genetic- testing service, Revivo currently provides six signature retreats ranging from anti-ageing to emotional balance and mind training (with new ones being added soon). I’d selected the Detox & Organic Weight Loss option and was soon swabbing my cheek and shipping my DNA off to Slovenia – a fact that might give some people pause, although a written request can be made to have your sample destroyed after testing.
Next came the 12-page pre-arrival questionnaire, covering everything from my expectations of the retreat and coach to my daily eating habits and emotional support system. And finally, several weeks after I’d sent my DNA sample, I was being whisked from Denpasar International Airport to a peaceful corner of Nusa Dua on the southernmost tip of Bali.
Revivo is spread across three hectares of teak-tree forest, with 16 Balinese-style single-suite villas and two four-suite villas. The public areas are dotted with small, low-slung buildings housing fitness and meditation studios, treatment and consultation rooms, and open-air dining and lounge areas. The relatively low capacity and personalised approach mean I rarely see more than one or two other guests at a time, making it feel like a truly private retreat.

[caption id="attachment_173574" align="alignnone" width="7929"] Suite at Revivo Wellness Retreat[/caption]

After a traditional Vietnamese welcome, I head straight to meet my wellness coach and discover the plan for the next three days. Andreja has already printed out my questionnaire responses, analysed my DNA results and prepared a journal for the duration of my stay. We discuss goals, concerns, likes and dislikes before he provides a summary of my DNA results (I should beware of deficiencies in vitamins B6, B9 and B12 as well as potassium; I’m good at metabolising fats, caffeine and alcohol but don’t respond well to carbohydrates).
This is reflected in my menu for the retreat, with ingredients like tofu, kale, wild fish and potassium-rich vegetables included in every meal. Coffee and alcohol, meanwhile, are not included – though I discover upon leaving that I could have imbibed if only I’d asked.
Besides my three meals plus morning kombucha shots and an afternoon snack, each day is carefully planned to include two or three movement- based classes and one spa treatment. Each night I’m also given a mindfulness practice to do in my suite. It’s impressively comprehensive, down to the scheduled leisure time and suggested bath ritual.
It’s also surprisingly enjoyable and educational. I didn’t know quite what to expect (which, as general manager Samy explains, is intentional because they don’t want guests to “prepare” and instead to see the retreat as a jumping-off point to a healthier lifestyle).

[caption id="attachment_173571" align="alignnone" width="1417"] Coco pesto pasta[/caption]

Jaka leads us through TRX and Pilates sessions. Dr Sudhin teaches us cyclic meditation, and vinyasa and aerial yoga. Andreja, a nutritionist as well as strength and conditioning specialist, provides us each with an individualised mobility and HIIT workout we can do at home. And Chef Joshua makes the most incredibly tasty soups, salads and otherwise nourishing meals using herbs and vegetables from the property’s own organic and hydroponic garden.
The daily spa visit becomes a cherished escape, with treatments that include a body scrub using local ingredients, an herbal-pouch massage and a rejuvenating facial. In keeping with the focus on mindfulness, each treatment begins with the therapist playing a singing bowl.
General manager Samy, a trained medical doctor who’s been working in hospitality most of his career, also serves as a life coach and couples therapist upon request. His mission is to help guests reconnect with themselves while providing them the tools to continue their wellness journey at home, an approach that includes follow-up calls and check-ins with guests weeks, months and even years after their visit.

[caption id="attachment_173570" align="alignnone" width="2663"] Aqua yoga at Revivo[/caption]

The Hong Kong company that owns Revivo, in addition to The Pavilions Resorts, has grand plans for this wellness-based concept. It already has a Revivo Wellness Cruise on an Indonesian phinisi as well as resorts and clubs under development in France, Spain, Italy and Japan.
As for me, after three days, I’ve leaving Bali nearly a kilogram lighter and armed with a whole new set of ideas, recipes, motivations and insights into my well-being. All that’s left is for me to follow the advice I’ve been given and put my faith in the universe. Because as I learned from Jaka, make a wish – or two – for a long and healthy life, and you might be surprised at what comes back.

Revivo is offering a six-night retreat from US$7,300 (double occupancy), including one NutriFit package per person. Bookings must be made 40 days before travel to allow sufficient time for DNA testing. For more information, visit revivoresorts.com.

Bag Check

What to pack for your next wellness retreat

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The post A Taste of The Good-for-you Life at Revivo Wellness Resort in Bali appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

In 2019, wellness encompasses more than just taking care of yourself on the outside. Spas around the world are now encouraging nourishment of physical, mental and emotional wellbeing through nutrition and mindfulness treatments and beyond relaxation. For Global Wellness Day on June 8, hotel spas around the world will offer special packages, unique experiences and... View Article

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Take a break from indulgent dining and drinking, and pair an exciting and luxurious destination with a wellness program at one of these five-star resorts to help you restore. There’s no better time than now for transformation, and these wellness retreats will have you feeling lighter, refreshed and ready for healthy renewal. SHA Wellness Clinic... View Article

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In this new health-conscience world, today’s active travels are constantly looking for ways to blend their personal lifestyle with the joys of vacationing. Time is always at a premium and even more so when you are trying to make the most of your time away from home and office. Well, Grand Velas Los Cabos has... View Article

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The luxury cruise line Seabourn has announced plans to host two new wellness cruises. The first will depart from Athens in November 2019 before following ancient trade routes to Dubai. The second, departing in February 2020, will then travel from Auckland to Sydney, taking in New Zealand’s most enticing destinations and points of Australia’s East... View Article

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Wellness hospitality brand Miraval has long enjoyed great acclaim for its flagship resort in Arizona. Now the group has marked the beginning of a thoughtful expansion by unveiling its first wellness resort outside Arizona, Miraval Austin. The new wellness resort lies within 220 acres of protected land overlooking Lake Travis, encompassing the serene Life in... View Article

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