What I learnt from the world-leading Hotels and Spas

Before I began hosting my own Retreats I worked as a Visiting Practitioner (Osteopath, Massage Therapist, Movement Teacher) for some of the most spectacular world-renowned hotels and spas. I saw first hand the effect healthy holidays could have on stressed-out, frazzled guests. I admired how many guests returned and made their stay an annual booking. I learnt what made the top resorts stand out. And ever since I have been trying to infuse HIFE Retreats with what I consider to be the best bits / learnings.

With this blog post I am going to share with you the moments, settings, places and people that inspired what I do at HIFE Retreats.

THE PERFECT STUDIO SET UP

When our minds are racing fast and we have lots going on it can be hard to tune out from the external world and tune into our bodies. I found this was easier when the Yoga or Pilates studios where more than a regular building or gym, when they were situated away from the hotel and other developments and when they were surrounded by nature. As a teacher I noticed when using the description of the landscape (ocean, trees, valley, mountains, beach, rest of the island) as oppose to standard directions (left, right, forward, backward) guests zoned in more. Maybe this is because you are grounding and locating yourself to exactly where you are in the moment. This is something I try and bring to both HIFE Retreats and our regular classes. Some of the places that did it best with their landmark settings were;

Douro Valley Outdoor Studio - This outdoor studio sat to just below the hotel , as your practiced you took in endless views of the valley with the Douro river flowing behind you, you felt quite protected from the height of the valley.

Heckfield Place Bothy Veranda - One of my favourite places to teach in the UK when the sun is shining. This first floor veranda sits looking out over the most perfectly manicured walled garden and at this height you are slightly closer to the big beautiful trees that fill the Heckfield Estate.

Soneva Fushi Tree House - As spectacular as it sounds, this wooden tree house with thatched roof and large windows showcases panoramic ocean views scattered with the upper leaves of the islands trees. No where do you feel more remote and detached from the chaos of life.

FOOD

If we are thinking about improving our nutrition and digestion I think booking a retreat is one of the the most impactful things you can do. For a few reasons. Guidelines currently recommend we strive for 30 different fruits and veggies each week. I don’t know about you but when you are at home and especially when you are on a clock that’s some task. For me the best hotels provide meals of endless colour and variety. Not only that the dining experience isn’t rushed, it is relaxed, you aren’t overly stimulated so that you can actually digest all of the nourishing wonderful food you eat.

I don’t think any of the Hotels or Spas I have worked at have slipped up here. I would flag Soneva Fushi, Heckfield and The Body Holiday all have fantastic extensive gardens so you. are eating homegrown and you really do feel better from the inside out after spending time there.

The chefs we use on our retreats (Sophie Gordon, Libby Horsley, Elspeth Humm) continue to wow me everytime. One thing I definitely would like to introduce more of is cookery workshops because delicious plant based food can be easy and doesn’t just have to just be chick peas and salads! It is just the unknown, especially if we eat a lot of meat at home.

MASSAGES

How many times have you told yourself you don’t have time for a massage or for physio? How many times have you thought ‘I will just rest, it will fix itself with time’?

Our bodies are OUR HOME. Massage and bodywork is something I hugely prioritise, maybe it is the Osteopath in me. Many of the best resorts ensure guests prioritise treatments - the spa its self is such a central focus of the hotel and just being there is a calming experience. Whilst I’ve seen some spectacular spas, a few in particular stand out; the massage rooms at ANANTARA Sri Lanka where beautiful, the pool at Douro Valley is heavenly, Wildsmith products used at Heckfield are grown in the grounds and they make any treatment fantastic, you probably cant beat having a massage on Necker Island and having giant tortoises stroll past… BUT hands down, spa prize goes to The Body Holiday Saint Lucia. Where else does EVERY GUEST in the resort get a treatment EVERY DAY?? To top that you receive your treatment in a incredible 60 bed temple style spa that boasts a birdseye view of the resort and endless ocean.

When we began our retreats - I did the treatments because I couldn’t afford or chance bringing in others. However I have recently brought on board practitioners who are incredible at what they do and the feedback we’ve had from treatments has been wonderful. I encourage you to always pre book and then you avoid the disappointment of not being able to fit a treatment in.

LOCATION

For me the perfect location is a balance of accessibility and a feeling of remoteness / detachment from ‘the real world’. AMANYARA do this spectacularly, you aren’t far from the island airport when you land yet you get to the entrance of the hotel and there is a 1 mile drive way that it totally hidden by tress and wild land. You feel yourself let go of external worries. Heckfield Place is a fantastic UK example of this too, you are only an hour away from London yet you are in such a rural haven of trees, flowers and farmland.

I try my best to find venues that are easy for you to get to - by both car and train, I appreciate (and I am a little blown away by the fact) as guests you come from all over the UK so it isn’t too easy a task but I think we are doing okay. Please do always share new venues with me as I love checking out new spaces and want to help you explore the world too!

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Hopefully I will get to see and share many more beautiful places with you all. For now we have some wonderful new 2023 Retreats so please do check those out if you haven’t already..

The Grand, Lytham - 24th March 2023

The Body Holiday, Saint Lucia - 14th October 2023

Jess x