Close your eyes and let yourself be transported to a place of pure serenity.
Over the years, I’ve discovered that true healing comes when we allow ourselves to fully surrender and embrace these moments of stillness – wherever you are. Although, I’ve found it does help when you’re physically immersed in the unchanging and unconditional beauty of Mother Nature!
My personal favourite travel experience is hands down spending time at health retreats! There is no place I feel more rested and rejuvenated.
Wellness retreats offer more than just relaxation – they allow us to hit the reset button of life, find peace within, and return to our daily routines feeling refreshed, re-energised and more rejuvenated than ever.
I’m excited to share with you some of my favourite health retreats around the world. These are the sanctuaries that have provided me with soul inspiration and lasting nourishment.
With love,
J x
- Kamalaya: Kamalaya is a beautiful wellness retreat in Koh Samui, Thailand. If you want to cleanse in paradise, this is the place to go. Along with a fresh-is-best, healthy eating philosophy, it offers a range of programs to suit travellers’ needs: fitness, detox, relaxation, and stress relief. At its core, it aims to help you reconnect with the world around you – a true mind, body and soul reset.
Highlights for me: The food, the people, the stunning natural surroundings and the treatments. - Como Shambala: 5-star luxury located in the heart of the lush Bali rainforest, just a 15-minute drive from the main town of Ubud. The estate offers an immersive wellness experience that combines yoga, Pilates, Ayurveda and a range of other therapies with a focus on holistic healing. I loved waking up each day to the sounds of nature, practising yoga overlooking the valley, and indulging at their health-focused restaurant, complete with the choice of customised eating programs. Can’t recommend this place enough for anyone seeking deep rest and profound renewal.
Highlights for me: The property itself, the nutritional focus and the luxurious rooms set in the lush Balinese rainforest. - Aro-Ha: Wellbeing personified. The best way I can describe this particular health retreat is: transformative. Set in the backdrop of some of New Zealand’s most mesmerising scenery, my experience here was a true spiritual awakening. Hiking all day amongst the Southern Alps and being constantly immersed in nature – you can really come into yourself and down into what really matters.
Highlights for me: The yoga, the expansive outlook and I felt when I left… on cloud nine! - Vana: A sanctuary for the senses in Dehradun, India, where healing and transformation are at the heart of everything they do. Their wellness programs are tailor-made for each guest, focusing on holistic nourishment through Ayurveda, yoga, mediation and more. The food is sourced locally and carefully prepared with an emphasis on healthy, nourishing ingredients. I left Vana feeling a profound sense of peace, clarity, and rejuvenation.
Highlights for me: The focus on the traditional healing modality of Ayurveda, the food and the kindness of the staff. Also, the deep sense of peace I felt being there. - Gaia: As soon as I stepped onto the grounds of Gaia, nestled in the hinterland of Byron Bay, I could feel the serene Spirit of Mother Earth enveloping me in her embrace. The lush subtropical rainforest that surrounds the retreat is a sanctuary in itself, and the perfect setting to recalibrate. From daily yoga and meditation classes to nourishing spa treatments and delicious organic meals, every moment spent here is an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and the beauty of Mother Nature. I have been going to Gaia for over a decade, it became my go to.
Highlights for me: The food (truly, no words!), the treatments, and the feeling of warmth and healing that really cocooned me during my stay there. - Fivelements: A truly special destination for wellness, located on the banks of the sacred Ayung River in Bali. The signature retreat, Panca Mahabhuta, is a holistic program for rejuvenation, replenishment and alignment. With spa treatments, healing sessions, purification rituals, yoga, plus their award-winning plant-based cuisine, you will leave a different person. I felt my time here allowed me to experience genuine natural healing on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level.
Highlights for me: Being in Bali, which is known as the ‘Island of the Gods’ for good reason – it’s so spiritual. The food and the tropical vegetation and weather were also sublime.
Next on my list:
I have more recently heard about these health clinics and wellness centres that are offering something truly special, so naturally they are high on my travel list!
Chenot Palace in Switzerland.
Palazzo Fiuggi in Italy.
