A Luxury Health Resort in the Philippines
The Farm at San Benito “Just relax. All is well…”
It is well known that this busy city we call home is, at times, not the healthiest of environments in which to live. From a hectic work/life balance, an extensive party scene and poor air quality, I personally, often let my health and wellbeing take a back seat to other priorities. From late nights to stressful deadlines, and a busy social schedule, my body was screaming out for a detox, and luckily for me, it came in the form of an email inviting me to experience The Farm at San Benito.
After a late night/early morning flight from Shanghai, just shy of four hours in total, I arrived in Manila at 5:10 am, and climbed straight into the awaiting car sent by The Farm. The thing I immediately noticed, on this my first trip to the Philippines, was the friendly and welcoming nature of the people. The smiling driver offered me a “Love and Thanks” bottle of water and a refreshing wet towel before I was whisked off. After a tiring journey, I immediately fell asleep and did not wake up until the car stopped an hour and a half later at the entrance to the resort. Although initially disorientated, after taking in my surroundings, I realised that I was in the middle of a sprawling rainforest bounded by mountains. The Farm is actually located in an organic coconut and coffee plantation at 1,025 feet above sea level. The climate was warm and humid, with only the sound of wind rushing through branches to punctuate the peace. It made a pleasant change from beeping horns and the pneumatic drilling that I have become so accustomed to in Shanghai. I sucked in the pure, fresh air as if my life depended on it. Upon my arrival, I was welcomed at reception with the news that my room was ready for me, even though it was only 7am. The receptionist told me that The Farm aim to accommodate their guests wherever possible and if a room is free the morning guests arrive, the resot will let them settle in straight away.
Out Of This World Accommodation
The Nara Pool Villa, where I was staying, was beyond my wildest dreams. As this was my first holiday on my own, I had questioned whether or not I would be lonely. These thoughts were immediately wiped from my head as I entered the villa. I was completely dumbstruck. After pushing open the wooden gate and stepping into the tiled courtyard surrounded by tropical flora and fauna, furnished with wicker reclining sun loungers, the first thing to catch my eye was the three by eight meter, glistening swimming pool bubbling from the power of the hydro jets and decorated by majestic peacocks (a common sight around the grounds I later discovered) preening themselves on the rock wall separating my little piece of paradise from the outside world. A terrace wrapped itself around the outside of the square villa, accessible from the courtyard as well as through sliding glass doors exiting the bedroom. From this vantage point, only the wooden railings at the edge of the terrace separated me from the vertical drop directly into the rainforest. Completely secluded, when looking from the terrace straight out into the thick foliage and the San Benito ridge, I made a mental note to enjoy this view again in the evening as I began to relish the freedom and serenity a solo retreat brings. The 200 square meter villa consisted of a grand bedroom and palatial bathroom. The large luxurious bedroom included floor to ceiling windows, looking out towards the private pool and jungle, as well as a super king bed and day bed for whiling away the peaceful hours. The bathroom offered double sinks, bathtub, a rain shower and two individual toilets; one with a door straight out into a secluded back garden. Handmade bath amenities were also available made from The Farm’s organic coconut planation.
Careful Scheduling
After a quick power nap, I was raring to get to my first appointment. As part of my Detox Cleanse retreat I was to visit the on-site clinic for my programme orientation, medical consultation and nutritional microscopy. Before arriving, I had been asked to choose between a Wellness Holiday or Detox Cleanse programme; alternatively, guests can also choose to just take accommodation at The Farm and pick clinical and spa treatments on an ‘a la carte’ basis. As I rambled through the resort, set in 119 acres of lush green jungle in the foothills of Mount Malarayat, I became even more aware of how picturesque my surroundings were. The 25 rooms and suites making up the resort were situated in the centre of the plantation, encircled by 18 acres of luxurious tropical gardens. Lagoons, swimming pools, organic gardens and beautiful vantage points to sit and admire the grounds, are positioned all around the site, complimented by beautifully presented flower arrangements and attentive staff. I met the doctor and nurse who were overseeing my detox cleanse and was handed my five day schedule overflowing with appointments. These included an initial gourmet lunch, colema and colonic irrigation, spa treatments, a nutritional assessment, food preparation class, a fitness assessment, infusion therapy, carefully planned juices and a sustainable lifestyle discussion, along with a box of supplements to take at designated times throughout the five day period. It was then up to me to offset this schedule with the daily complementary activity schedule handed to me upon arrival which included yoga, aqua aerobics, circuit training, core classes, fitness walks and horticultural walks to name but a few.
As part of the integrative medical services the clinic offers, I was given a holistic medical consultation to identify the root causes of my health concerns which had apparently been manifested by a disharmony of my mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. A nutritional microscopy, where a drop of blood is used to analyse current levels of health at a cellular level, was also conducted. I was shocked to discover that there were traces of heavy metals in my blood. This can most likely be attributed to the pollution we have been experiencing in Shanghai. It seems that not only do I have Shanghai under my skin in a metaphorical sense but it is also physically in my blood; literally coursing through my veins! Plans were put in place to try and decrease this presence through treatments aimed at ridding toxins from my body.
A Gourmet Vegan Experience At ALIVE!
Before starting my juice cleanse, I was treated to a delicious gourmet five-course lunch at ALIVE! Situated right beside the organic garden where the majority of the cuisines’ ingredients are grown, ALIVE! boasts indoor and outdoor dining with great views over the lake, villas or plantation. The restaurant also offers award winning organic gourmet cuisine, grown on-site. 100 per cent of the dishes are vegan with an 85 per cent raw to 15 per cent cooked ratio. The excellent cuisine at ALIVE! lead to The Farm becoming the only “Vegan” 5-Star health and wellness resort in the world. The Wellness Holiday promotes the healing power of organic, healthy food, rich in fibre and live enzymes. General Manager Michael Di Lonardo is a staunch supporter of this belief:
“It’s all about knowledge and how it helps you to get healthy because so much information out there is incorrect. I am very much a promoter for fermented foods for health because your gut flora is so important for your overall health. Your health system is in your digestive system and 80 per cent of your immune system is in your digestive system. What we do is we cleanse your intestinal track and fill it with proper enzymes and gut flora to boost your natural immune system, so you get healthy naturally. They always say, the best health insurance to get is the one at the dinner table because that is where it all starts, and it starts with farmers. If farmers are raising healthy vegetables and animals, you’ll be healthy, but this epidemic of obesity and diabetes is because people are eating processed foods. When the farm opened 12 years ago, it was a completely lunatic idea. No one could imagine a vegan resort in the Philippines, but we had the courage to do it. It has only been in the last two to three years people are starting to realise, juice bars are popping up all over and they are talking about it now, but we were doing it before anyone.”
ALIVE! was also in charge of preparing the numerous juice drinks I sipped throughout my detox and the waiting staff took the time to find out whether I would like the juices delivered to my room or at the restaurant. They always managed to deliver my juices on time, according to my schedule, whether that meant hunting me down after a spa treatment or tracking my whereabouts to a pavilion overlooking a lagoon watching peacocks spread their wings. I have done juice cleanses in the past and I did not find this one particularly hard to manage hunger-wise, however, the smells from the restaurant each day were hard to stand, especially as I had flown so close to the sun on my first day and sampled a five course menu. I also noticed that my complimentary seasonal fruits vanished from my room on my first detox day! Ultimately, it was a good job that I had been told to leave all my junk food at the front gate, as I began to get some serious cravings. Healing Sanctuary Hopping Each healing medical service that I received over my detoxing period had a corresponding spa treatment and vice versa. As I was beginning to learn, this programme was completely integrative and aimed to holistically treat guests by shedding the stored toxicity burdens brought on by everyday life on an environmental, nutritional and physical level. The nutritional and therapeutic detox programme that I had embarked upon intended to purify and restore balance to my body through regular colon hydrotherapy sessions, and organ-cleansing infusions to extract pollutants, while the vegetable juices and supplements provided optimal nutrition. The spa then worked to provide a peaceful and soothing atmosphere to nurture the relaxation, healing and rejuvenation process. All healing sanctuary spa therapies directly support the healing of the body by removing toxins from within the tissues and organs of the body, providing nourishment through the skin, restoring energy balance, and decreasing the acidity pH level of the body. Spa Manager Mr Lem went into further depths about this subject with me:
“The Farm should be treated like a healing place. It’s not toxic. It’s not congested. It’s about releasing anything that could be congested within the system. The moment you come to The Farm, it’s already detoxification. Finally, you will feel relaxed and everything will loosen up so your own body will detoxify itself naturally. We have to activate our own doctor. We have so much medicine within our own bodies, but we are not using it because of the congested or acidic places we live in. We are depending too much on medicine instead of activating our own internal medicine to do their natural function. That’s why we design the food, and the programme using both medical and spa treatments. This will help our bodies to feed the good cells. If we are feeding the good cells instead of the bad cells, it is like recharging our body because we lead it back to its original function.”
I became completely engrossed and intrigued in all aspects of my detox programme and didn't realise the time ever so quickly slipping through my fingertips.
Sustainable Results
By the end of my five-day stay at The Farm, I had discovered a new reserve of energy. The completely integrated medical and wellness treatment I received utterly immersed me in healthy and mindful living that I believe I will benefit from for years to come. Although always a big meat eater, I had seen the advantages of eating vegan and raw foods in the form of clearer skin, increased energy levels and a positive outlook on life. In my final meeting at the medical centre, I spoke to a nutritionist about how to implement these positive changes back into my Shanghai lifestyle. I was sent away with a list of recipes for juices and contact details for the doctors in case I ever had any questions relating to my health and wellbeing going forwards from the programme. Dr Marian Alonzo also discussed with me the potential for long-term health effects:
“The positive long term effects of a detox programme depends on how active are you, how involved you were in the detox program and how deeply you were listening to your body. If you were listening then it’s going to be long term. It’s really about how deeply you were able to connect with your physical body. If you honour your body, it will dictate the long-term effects. Generally, if it’s a superficial detox and your life is crazy, then in three months you have to come back. But, if you’ve changed and you are more aware of what you are eating, for example there are a lot of pesticides in nonorganic vegetables, if you are conscious of these things then you will see benefits.”
Equipped with the knowledge about how to lead and maintain a healthy lifestyle, I returned to Shanghai. I became a lot more aware about what I was putting into my body and noticed that my digestive system did not cope well with eating large amounts of oily foods. The sickly feeling I felt was my body literally telling me that my actions were having negative consequences to my health and wellbeing, and as a result I have become a lot my in tune with my body.
