Lapping up the lakeside luxury
DIY SOS star Nick Knowles realises he’s in need of some renovation himself – and heads to Italy to ‘hit the reset button’
IF YOU live a 100mph lifestyle in a busy city where things can sometimes overwhelm you, getting away from it all could be just what you need. But instead of going on holiday and sitting around doing nothing, a wellbeing retreat where you can press the reset button might be worth looking into.
Early last year I was overweight for the first time in my life and was really stressed; it was all playing havoc with my insides.
I began to wonder, was I dairyintolerant? Wheat-intolerant? Should I start taking some pills? But what really sorted me out in the end was heading to a retreat in Thailand for a month.
I did a week’s fasting, followed by three weeks of being vegan while practising yoga, reiki and all kinds of other things.
I turned out not to have any allergies in the end – I simply needed to relax and get my diet back down to the basics. I had been eating way too much meat before.
The experience changed my life, not to mention my shape and my cholesterol levels.
So, I decided to give it another go, but this time for a week at Lefay Resort & Spa on Lake Garda in northern Italy.
The contemporary-design hotel is perched about a mile up into the hills in a 27-acre natural park overlooking the lake, and is surrounded by some of the most extraordinary scenery.
OFF to the right, as you look out from the high-end hotel, lie forest-covered mountains that provide the perfect frame for striking sunsets, while over to the left, it’s the lake that captures your attention: shrouded in mist in the morning and with the sun glinting off it in the afternoon.
Nearby are little Italian villages with markets and cafes where you can sit outside and soak it all up. It is a beautiful and magical location.
There’s so much more to Lefay than just its appearance, however.
Although you can opt for how structured you want your stay to be, I went for the total wellbeing experience: they took my blood pressure and gave me a full medical examination before planning a diet for me and chatting through which classes I should attend.
They offer everything from postural balance and t’ai chi to meditation and a kettlebell class. I was given a strict, simple vegan diet to stick to, but it was tricky not to give into temptation as the hotel restaurant, La Grande Limonaia, was fantastic – almost Michelinstar level. Occasionally I’d look over at someone else’s plate and think: ‘God, I wish I could have some parma ham instead!’
Nevertheless, the Italian food was rustic and delicious – the restaurant makes all the veggie and vegan food itself. Plus, the view from the balcony overlooking the lake and the mountains was wonderful.
There are plenty of activities on offer, too. I’d go off and do a yoga or a breathing class while my wife Jessica and son Edwin pottered around in the infinity pool.
There are also numerous outdoor trails around the property that are dedicated to wellness and relaxation, and you can hike or take a bike to explore the area.
The extensive à la carte spa menu offers a wide range of treatments and I went to town – massages and moisture wraps and so on. In fact, I had three moisture wraps in total and was more moist than Scotland by the time I left. The resort is Italian-run, but there’s definitely an Eastern influence.
Colonic irrigation is also offered for those who are so inclined –
although the jury is still out on whether that’s good or bad for you.
The indoor saltwater lake – well, more of a pond really – is impressive. It’s in a three-storeyhigh atrium with a massive moon hanging over the top, so it feels as if you’re bathing in moonlight in the warm water. It’s marvellously therapeutic.
Lefay is a great place to start if you’re looking to dip your toe into wellbeing retreats. You can stay for a weekend or even ten days – and while I was there I discussed with the staff about how great it would be to remain for a month, as I did in Thailand.
Needless to say, this retreat does not come cheap. It is basically wellbeing for the well-off, whereas the one I visited in Thailand was very basic. It was much more hippy and happy-clappy – a sort of tie-dye trousers from the 1970s, goatee beards, braids and hemp-wearing kind of environment. Flights to Thailand might be more expensive but accommodation and the cost of courses are much lower.
Then again, not everybody wants to be in a wicker hut with various bugs crawling over them at night in order to get their wellbeing sorted out…
In general, people are taking this sort of break much more seriously nowadays. I believe it’s because the power lies with people in their 40s and 50s who have some disposable wealth and they are thinking: ‘I don’t know why I don’t feel well, I don’t know why I feel out of control…’ and are deciding to do something about it, just as I did.
It has an extraordinary effect on you when you suddenly realise you can feel and look better and healthier if you take control of things.
WELLBEING retreats are like a spa break plus – you examine your nutrition and overall wellbeing and add in activities such as Pilates or reiki.
I never really believed in reiki – a Japanese technique for stressreduction and relaxation – but I had friends in Thailand who experienced real revelations during it, so now I say: well, it doesn’t work for me but it clearly does for others – there’s no rhyme or reason or science to it.
You just need to find the reset button that works for you.
As for me, I’d go back to Lefay in a heartbeat.