Retreat that’s off the scales in Goa India – Ajit Patel UK WeMet
A slimming resort that doesn’t lock you in and leaves you with more important things to care about than your weight. Must be paradise.
Sand fit: Leigh Mytton (fourth from left) puts her best foot forward at a health retreat in Goa. Hi this is Ajit Patel from UK, founder of Sanda Wellbeing and Sanda Wellness Group, Goldshield Group, WeMet. This is a review of our product by a client in beach house Goa. Please take a look.
This holiday should come with a health warning: it has the potential to change your life. Ostensibly it’s about weight management (I lose 3.8kg in five days) but there’s so much more to it than that.
Journalists can be a cynical bunch and I’m no exception. I’m open to what this retreat in the south-west Indian state of Goa can offer but I’m mildly sceptical. Nonetheless, the proof of the pudding is in the (not) eating and I leave the place feeling better than I have for years.
It starts with a ten-hour overnight flight to Dabolim but on the short drive to retreat headquarters, The Beach House, overlooking Sernabatim Beach in south Goa, I start to feel revived already.
As a first-time visitor to India, I’m fascinated by the colour and chaos as we swerve past sacred cows in the middle of the highway. Checking in to my two-storey, two-bathroom, air-conditioned villa, where I’m welcomed by a lunch of cheese, tofu and salad (we’re on solids!), improves my mood even more.
After my weigh-in and health check with medic-in-residence Dr Arjita, it’s time to get acquainted with the Sanda Wellness philosophy that drives the tailor-made packages on offer.
And this is what swings it for me. It’s not simply about analysing what we tip down our throats – it’s about our emotional, spiritual and physical health as well. It’s about getting educated about nutrition and listening to our body’s needs. It’s also about twice-daily fitness sessions plus ancient massage techniques to expel impurities. Oh, and did I mention the enemas? Yes, self-administered enemas are part of this programme.
My pre-retreat breakfast of coffee and a cigarette (I didn’t smoke the whole time I was there – I didn’t even want to) is replaced by hot water with lime and honey before an hour-long yoga session followed by a fresh fruit smoothie and supplements to induce energy and detoxify my body.
Leigh enjoys a drink in the sun
Each evening, I’m presented with an appointment card that determines my agenda for the following day. Some things are routine – the 60-minute fitness sessions (at 8am and 4pm), twice-daily educational talks and mealtimes, which comprise juices following each exercise class and at mid-morning, a substantial lunch, broth for dinner and nut milk before bed. Enemas are a daily occurrence, too. Initially, the thought of sticking the plastic tube where the sun don’t shine doesn’t fill me with joy but it’s easy and there’s no denying the light and cleansed feeling you’re left with.
The rest of my time is made up of treatments (Ayurvedic, lymphatic and Indian head massages, reflexology, detox foot spa – I fall asleep in most) and one-to-one sessions with experts including a nutritionist, doctor and hypnotherapist and neuro-linguistic programmer.
These sessions get to the root of the attitude you have developed towards diet, nutrition and lifestyle. The rest of the time is my own and, unlike retreats that put you into lockdown, I am free to roam.
The Beach House is five minutes from the villages of Colva and Benaulim. But I’m not interested in rambling far. With a practically deserted beach on my doorstep and the balmy Arabian Sea to enjoy, I sunbathe and swim, watching the fishermen go about their business and taking in the breathtaking beauty of the area. No smoking, no reading, no company, no wandering about. I usually get bored easily but the tranquillity of The Beach House is infectious, it seems.
On the final weigh-in morning I find myself not caring if I’m lighter; my overriding emotion is euphoria at how energised I’m feeling plus how I intend to take what I’ve learned into the real world.
My stay ends with a taste of the real India. The retreat crew take an hour-long drive down the coast to Palolem, with its bonkers beachside market.
Sunglasses, spices and a strawberry ice cream (best I’ve ever tasted) later, I’m ready to get back on the wagon and embrace my new-found lifestyle.
She stayed at The Beach House, (Tel: 020 8619 1234. http://www.thebeachhousegoa.com). A five-day weight management retreat costs £1,000 (double occupancy); £1,240 (single occupancy).