Signature Luxury Travel & Style
FARM AT SAN BENITO
Discover the paths to relaxation offered at one of the Philippines’ most rejuvenating addresses, and four other retreats which will help you truly de-stress.
The human desire to find longevity through spa time existed long before the Romans ‘took to the waters’ of Bath in England and other spa towns across Europe. Hippocrates himself advocated mineral spas and massages to help regain life balance; and who are we to argue with the man himself?
Today’s stress levels far surpass those of our ancestors, with technology playing a big part. With strains at an all-time high (91 per cent of Australians report major stress in at least one area of their lives) the need for dedicated anxiety-management retreats has never been more urgent. Enter the destination spas
now offering stress-specific programmes for those looking for balance, down time and life-changing wellness.
An Eden of health
The Farm at San Benito in the Philippines is a 90-minute drive (or 25-minute helicopter transfer) from Manila and boasts 20 luxury villas and 13 suites peppered across a 48-hectare healing sanctuary of lush rainforest with waterfalls, yoga pavilions and infinity pools. Think of it as an Eden of health.
Choose from garden villas, private pool villas or go for The Lakan, a twobedroom giant pool villa complete with maid’s quarters. But be warned, televisions and newspapers are deliberately non-existent; this is an outside-news-free zone.
The Farm’s focus is on holistic health through alternative medicines. Days start with shots of green juice followed by colonic hydrotherapy, organic massages, and body and beauty treatments at the Healing Sanctuary spa. Try the Yin Yang dry body brushing and Curcumin Body Detox to aid the healing process.
Spa cuisine can make or break a wellness retreat. The Alive Menu at The Farm features pâtés, crackers, pastas, pizzas and even ice-cream and cake. Don’t be fooled though; the food here is organic, vegan and raw, presented with a culinary creativity that concentrates on food remaining as ‘alive’ as possible. As such, dining becomes a definite highlight that makes detoxing easier.
However, the real star of The Farm is the Integrated Medical Services. Here you find four prestigious doctors with a focus on holistic health and integrative medicine, all providing excellent guidance and care. Live blood analysis, brain biofeedback and digital meridian diagnostics are just three of the scientifically based approaches used to gauge where your health is currently at and where it needs to be.
While many come for the Wellness or Detox Retreats it is the specialised retreats that truly address core issues unique to today’s stressful world.
The Environmental Detox programme is a six-night, seven-day experience that addresses radiation traces within the body from overuse of electronic devices. It sees nutritional miscroscopy combined with colon hydrotherapy, magnetic clay foot baths and several spa treatments.
The highly stressed opt for the weeklong Heart Health and Stress Reduction programme. Guests are rejuvenated on a cellular level with 12 medical treatments and eight spa treatments. This is ideal for those with high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease.
A quiet achiever that has been heralded by the likes of Condé Nast, AsiaSpa, SpaAsia, SpaFinder and other big spa awards, The Farm at San Benito has more than earned its wellness stripes in the 10 years since its opening.