Wellness Retreats in Asia: Six Stays Planned From the UK

From the UK, a wellness retreat in Asia is a long-haul decision, so the length of the stay and the journey matter as much as the place itself. The right retreat is one you can reach without losing the first few days to the flight, and one that suits what you want from it, whether that is movement, treatments or rest.

My pick of six: wellness retreats in Asia for yoga, spa treatments and rest

Museflower Retreat & Spa, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Museflower sits in the countryside about 17 km north-east of Chiang Rai, with bungalow-style cottages around a private lake. There is a yoga studio, a meditation pavilion, a spa, a herbal steam room and sauna, a fitness centre, bicycle hire and a Himalayan crystal salt water pool. Meals are organic vegetarian Thai and Asian dishes, with vegan and gluten-free options if you ask in advance, and no meat, coffee or alcohol is served. It runs getaways of 3, 5 and 7 nights, and Chiang Rai airport is about 35 minutes away.

Balitrees Retreat, Tabanan, Bali

Balitrees is in Bantas, on the mid-west side of Bali, with its yoga shala surrounded by rice paddies. Yoga and meditation are taught by local Balinese instructors, three meals a day are mostly Balinese, and there is a pool, a spa, a sauna, a fitness centre and bicycle hire. It is about two hours from Bali airport, so it suits a stay of several nights.

Purple Valley Yoga Retreat, Assagao, Goa

Purple Valley teaches Ashtanga yoga in daily classes for all levels, in garden grounds near Goa’s beaches. Rooms are simple, meals are vegetarian, and there is a swimming pool and massage.

Samahita Retreat, Koh Samui, Thailand

Samahita is on the south coast of Koh Samui, on the beach, with 40 rooms. The day starts with yoga and ends with meditation, and between them there are Thai and Ayurvedic treatments, a salt water pool, a herbal steam room and an infrared sauna. It runs retreats of 3, 7 and 14 days, including detox programmes and a functional fitness programme, with mostly vegetarian buffet meals.

Talalla Retreat, southern Sri Lanka

Talalla stands on seven acres between jungle and sea, on a palm-lined beach. Daily yoga is joined by surf coaching, spa treatments, a pool and a sauna, and menus include vegan, vegetarian and Ayurvedic options. It offers an 8-day retreat and is about two and a half hours by road from Colombo airport.

The Yoga Barn, Ubud, Bali

The Yoga Barn is a yoga and wellness centre in Ubud, five minutes’ walk from the Sacred Monkey Forest, with more than 25 classes a day plus workshops and healing sessions. It is a centre rather than a place to stay, so I pair it with a hotel in Ubud and plan the nights around the classes you want.

Planning a retreat from the UK

There are direct flights from London to Bangkok, about 11 and a half hours, and to Colombo, about 10 and a half hours. There are no direct flights from London to Bali, so that journey has a connection. From Bangkok, Chiang Rai is a flight of about an hour and a half.

With a flight of that length each way, I recommend a week or more, and several of these places run set programmes of that length. I also check the season for your dates: the rains on Koh Samui are heaviest from October to December, and Goa’s monsoon runs from June to September. I check the entry requirements for your passport before booking, and I plan the first and last night around the flights.

Choosing between them

I have stayed at a few spas and wellness retreats myself, and I start with what you want to come home with. Samahita suits treatments and detox, Talalla adds surf coaching, Purple Valley is built around a daily Ashtanga practice, and Museflower is the quiet one, with no meat, coffee or alcohol. You do not need to be experienced: Purple Valley teaches all levels, and Samahita adapts postures for beginners and advanced students.

A retreat also pairs well with a few days of touring before or after, and I can add those. My page on wellness holidays covers the other styles of stay, and my guide to wellness and wellbeing escapes covers spa and detox stays in Europe and Vietnam.

Why book your wellness retreat with me

As a travel agent I have 30 years of adventure travel experience, and I have visited around 80 countries myself, so my advice comes from experience and not from a brochure.

Call or WhatsApp 0117 452 1159 or email bridget@worldclassadventures.co.uk.

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