Want to get away from it all and destress?
Then indulge in a life-enriching healthy holiday at Kamalaya Koh Samui, Thailand.
This wellness sanctuary and holistic spa resort has raked in the awards: Worldwide Health & Wellness Destination of the Year, twice named Destination Spa of the Year – Asia & Australasia, Best Destination Spa by Conde Nast Traveller, and Best in Asia in the Spafinder Wellness 365 Crystal Travel Award.
But what makes this place special is much more than just its accolades, particularly if you listen to the feedback from guests who are on their fourth, fifth and even sixth visit.
If you’re interested in truly getting away from it all for some well-deserved ‘you-time’, read on to find the best treatments and spa packages to restore and invigorate you. All the wellness packages include airport transfers, accommodation, meals and non-alcoholic beverages. Then talk to Michelle at Bucket List Travel in Red Beach about getting you there.
For many of us, the idea of a health-based retreat usually has us breaking out in a cold sweat. Can I sleep in? Will there be wine? Can I eat pancakes for breakfast? Do they serve coffee?
But Kamalaya is not a boot camp. Kamalaya comes with an easy-does-it approach and doesn’t lay down the rules about what you should and shouldn’t do, be or eat. You can start the day with coffee and, if you like, you can end it with a glass of wine or two. Wheatgrass shots are available, but no-one is going to insist that you have one. The resort’s expansive menu draws on cuisines from around the globe.
Set on a steeply sloping property overlooking the sea, with walking paths that meander through jungle-like foliage, Kamalaya has a sense of tranquillity, a nurturing atmosphere that instantly makes you feel better, no matter why you are there.
Centered around a monk’s cave that once served Buddhist monks as a place of meditation and spiritual retreat, Kamalaya’s essence is expressed in its name, ‘Lotus (kamal) Realm (alaya)’, an ancient symbol for the growth and unfolding of the human spirit.
At Kamalaya, the focus is on you. Everyone has their own reason for going to a wellness retreat. Some go to give their body a boost, either through a detox or a fitness program. For others, it is about coping with changes, and some people go simply to relax, without any demands being put on them.
Kamalaya offers many different packages: wellness programs for detox, yoga, stress and burnout, fitness and weight control or you can choose a la carte spa treatments. You can choose from the one of the 14 Kamalaya Wellness Programmes:
All packages include:
7 nights’ accommodation in selected room type • Airport transfers from Samui Airport • 1 x Body Bio-Impedance Analysis (BIA) • 1 x Initial Wellness consultation • Use of steam cavern, swimming pool, plunge pools and Shakti Fitness Centre • Complimentary attendance to scheduled daily holistic fitness activities • Tropical welcome drink upon arrival.
Ideal Weight & Healthy Lifestyle
Designed to help identify areas of physical imbalance and related emotional or mental patterns, this structured program guides you towards achieving your optimal weight and maintaining your balance within and without. This is not a ‘fad’ diet designed for rapid weight loss, but a healthy lifestyle approach for long-term weight management and improved well-being. Dietary recommendations and guidance from holistic practitioners in nutrition, naturopathy and Traditional Chinese medicine are included, in addition to therapies such as Chi Nei Tsang abdominal massage, acupuncture and infrared sauna, along with Personal Fitness training.
Standard inclusions plus • 3 x Kamalaya meals per day, a la carte or or set detox menu commencing with dinner on Day 1 • All beverages, excluding imported drinks and alcohol • 1 x follow-up Wellness Consultation • 1 x Body Bio-impedance Analysis (BIA) • 1 x 60 mins Holistic Fitness Evaluation • 1 x 60 mins Nutritional Guidance • 1 x 75 mins Traditional Chinese Medicine • 1 x 60 mins Traditional Asian Foot Massage • Specific treatments / components as listed in the package descriptions.
Optimal Fitness
Optimal Fitness is a personalised program designed to help people achieve their fitness goals. Personal instruction and guidance from a Kamalaya fitness expert allows the program to be adapted, making it suitable for those wanting to begin a fitness program as well as regular exercisers who wish to focus on specific goals or develop the intensity of their workouts. Whether it is to increase upper body strength, develop cardiovascular fitness, improve body shape and tone, develop regular fitness habits or some other goal, the one-to-one instruction allows for optimal results. With holistic spa therapies and nutritious cuisine included, guests will experience improved health on all levels.
Standard inclusions plus • 3 x Kamalaya meals per day, a la carte or set detox menu commencing with dinner on Day 1 • All beverages, excluding imported drinks and alcohol • 1 x follow-up Wellness Consultation • 1 x Body Bio-impedance Analysis (BIA) • 1x 60 mins Holistic Fitness Evaluation • 1 x 60 mins Traditional Asian Foot Massage • Specific treatments / components as listed in the package descriptions.
Asian Bliss Program Combining Ayurveda, Chinese Medicine & Thai Therapies
A rare and life enhancing immersion into the holistic healing traditions of Asia. Synergistically combining Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, and traditional Thai therapies with exercises and practices from diverse Asian traditions, Asian Bliss is a powerful introduction to ancient healing realms designed to promote bliss, renewal, joy and vitality. As well as helping to relieve stress, Asian Bliss introduces you to vital energy practices that can support a more balanced approach to life.
Standard inclusions plus • 3 Kamalaya meals per day, a la carte or set detox menu commencing with dinner on Day 1 • All beverages, excluding imported drinks and alcohol • 1 x follow-up Wellness Consultation • 1 x Body Bio-impedance Analysis (BIA) • 1 x 90 mins Traditional Thai Massage with herbal compress • 1x 60 mins Indian Head Massage • 1 x 60 mins Royal Ayurvedic Massage • 2 x 30 mins Chi Nei Tsang • Specific treatments / components as listed in the package descriptions.
Relax & Renew
This program is designed for people in need of the time and place to step back from their life and recover balance, relax, renew their energy and replenish their spirit. Experience a range of therapies draw from diverse healing traditions and a variety of holistic activities to de-stress, replenish depleted energy levels and boost the immune system. Optional complementary and alternative medicine treatments and private sessions may be recommended, dependent upon individual needs. The least intensive of all our programs, Relax & Renew is ideal for people looking for a gentle, relaxing wellness holiday.
Standard inclusions plus • 3 Kamalaya meals per day, a la carte or set detox menu commencing with dinner on Day 1 • All beverages, excluding imported drinks and alcohol • 1 x follow-up Wellness Consultation • 1 x Body Bio-impedance Analysis (BIA) • 1 x 75 mins Lotus Scrub and Wrap • Specific treatments / components as listed in the package descriptions.
Personal yoga synergy & meditation retreat
The Kamalaya Personal Yoga Synergy offers private one-to-one yoga sessions with customised instruction along with complementary treatments, including Ayurveda therapies from our experienced Indian therapists. This personal yoga and wellness retreat is suitable for beginners and experienced yogis alike, as the daily yoga sessions are tailored to the individual’s skill level and goals. The customised instruction includes asana (physical postures), pranayama (breathing) and meditation. Instruction can be adapted to fulfil a range of goals, such as addressing physical limitations, developing a regular home practice or deepening and intensifying existing practice.
Standard inclusions plus • 3 Kamalaya meals per day, a la carte or set detox menu commencing with dinner of Day 1 • All beverages, excluding imported drinks and alcohol • 1 x follow-up Wellness Consultation • 1 x Body Bio-impedance Analysis (BIA) • 1 x 90 mins Vital Essential Oil Massage • 1 x 60 mins Royal Ayurvedic Massage • 1 x 60 mins Kati Vasti
Structural Revival
An array of holistic therapies to realign the body and improve posture in order to reduce tension, rehabilitate injuries and re-establish highest levels of function and vitality. Featuring an intelligent synergy of healing modalities from Asia and the West, the program addresses underlying causes of structural imbalances. It includes specifically targeted Revival Exercises with physiotherapists as well as Pilates, Myofascial Release, assisted stretching and massages help to release and lengthen tight muscles, promote relaxation and freedom of movement.
Kamalaya is on the south-east coast of Koh Samui, about a 40-minute drive from the airport. Nature is the show and almost all of the 76 rooms feature private outdoor space and the 25 sea-view villas have balconies and semi-outdoor bathrooms. The minimum stay is three nights and the wellness programs begin at a three-day duration. Sound good? We’ll hear from you soon.