There are countless luxury resorts in Thailand, scattered across the nation’s hundreds of tropical islands as well as along the pristine beaches of both sides of the Southeast Asian nation’s southern peninsula. But less than a handful of them can offer a vacation characterized by indulgence without fear of unhealthy excess – and even fewer can make you feel not just more relaxed but even healthier after your stay.
In this rarified category, one extraordinary sanctuary – conceived as a “wellness escape destination…where enrichment thrives and lives change” – arguably stands out above the rest: Chiva-Som, or “Haven of Life.”
Rest assured that such an audacious superlative is not merely this writer’s humble opinion: Chiva-Som consistently ranks at the top of the most prestigious international awards lists, beginning with the coveted title “Best Destination Spa in the World,” as voted by the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards.
The accolades go on to encompass a long litany of domestic, regional, and foreign awards from notable outlets such as Travel and Leisure and Tatler, to name but a few. Moreover, these distinctions are not one-time flukes: Chiva-Som has been a consistent winner for consecutive years.
To experience such excellence can easily be a once-in-a-lifetime experience – although many guests return time after time, in order to reap the benefits of Chiva-Som’s six modalities of expertise: Spa, Physiotherapy, Holistic Health, Nutrition, Fitness and Aesthetic Beauty.
Under these rubrics fall 16 carefully curated themed retreats, comprising no fewer than 83 treatments and 41 activities – all designed with one lofty, overarching goal in mind: to transform body, mind, and soul.
The sheer scope and number of retreats, treatments, and activities can be mind-boggling, so the Chiva-Som website’s exploration page guides the prospective guest through a series of 11 personalized – and overlapping – wellness goals that an individual might seek to attain. Most are general – reflecting a desire for overall improvement of health and well-being – although some are quite specific and tailored to an immediate need, such as stress reduction and management, or restoring balance after a period of high tension and unhealthy eating due to emotional upheaval.
Starting with a 'taste'
For the uninitiated or those with time constraints and no acute problem to resolve, Chiva-Som has developed a special introductory retreat: A Taste of Chiva-Som. This “taste” can be an appetizer or a full meal – from 3 days (and nights) to 14, with several options of time frames in between.
The program’s “tasting menu” enables participants to sample treatments and activities in four key realms: physical fitness, relaxation, beauty, and general health improvement.
Moreover, its components are the same comprehensive and extensive core elements that are included in each and every retreat: premium accommodations, full board, medical/wellness consultations and countless fitness and leisure activities – not to mention a host of complimentary extras, such as unlimited use of water therapy suites, well-stocked [non-alcoholic] in-room minibar, laundry, nightly turn-down gifts, plus one exceptionally pampering body treatment per day proffered by consummate professionals.
The resort's all-inclusive nature not only amplifies the peace of mind that permeates the atmosphere during a stay but also reinforces the worth of the sojourn.
“Chiva-Som is not inexpensive,” shares one of the sanctuary’s principal directors, Karen Campbell (aka Khun Karen, in Thai parlance). “However, given everything that is included in the price, there is no doubt that there is good value here.”
Among the available perks is the VIP treatment that begins long before one’s actual arrival at the resort. Your escape from the ordinary begins with a limousine transfer from Bangkok’s international airport (an optional extra), where a chauffeured Mercedes sedan will meet your flight in order to transport you to Hua Hin, cited by Forbes as one of the most desirable Asian locations for expat communities.
As you relax in leather-upholstered comfort in the car – with pillows, blankets, refreshments, a charging station, and a driver who anticipates every need – you experience a foretaste of the incredible level of service that is a hallmark of Chiva-Som. Upon arrival at reception, your photo will be taken by the guest services team – and from that moment on, every employee will recognize you and address you by name wherever you go: at meals, appointments, treatments, activities or whatever; there will never be a need to identify yourself or give a room number.
The reception and therapy areas are also visually striking: huge bouquets of white and purple orchids are everywhere, just one aspect of the impeccably manicured grounds that surround every step you take. If you do not feel like walking, simply summon a golf cart, and a courteous driver will quickly appear to whisk you to your next activity.
Living in style
Your first stop, of course, will be your accommodations, of which there are a plethora of welcoming choices in five categories. Fortunately for us, our quarters were a Thai Pavilion – a complete villa set within a tropical garden – traditional decor with all the modern conveniences, and exactly the kind of home I would wish to live in year-round.
Features of the Thai Pavilion include a huge bedroom, lovely semi-secluded terrace, spacious bathroom, walk-in closet cum dressing area, and entrance foyer with mini-refrigerator and electric kettle for making tea or coffee. The main room is dominated by a giant, king-sized bed, with an ultra-comfortable mattress and pillows that you have pre-selected from a menu to suit your exact desires.
Free WiFi extends to all the guest units – but be forewarned: partial digital detox is part of the recommended wellness regimen, so the use of all electronic devices (cellphones, tablets, etc.) is restricted to living quarters and the handsomely furnished library.
There are plenty of complimentary extras that come with the room, such as water flasks/thermos bottles, a large tote bag and a personal journal – all gifts meant to be taken home after your stay, along with the souvenirs left on your bed every evening. Your choice of aromatic essential oil will be diffused in the room nightly, accompanying other helpful sleep aids, such as silky eye masks and fragrant pillow spray.
Thoughtful wardrobe needs are also catered to: two sets of slippers (for indoors and outdoors), plush bathrobes, and casually elegant monogrammed pajamas made of the finest combed cotton – a uniform of sorts that may be worn in both private and public areas. You might well find that you will be loath to wear anything else during your time at Chiva-Som.
Meanwhile, every possible toilet amenity – from loofahs to toothbrushes – is provided in the sparkling marble bathroom. But our favorite feature by far was the toilet, which actually was as entertaining as it was functional.
First of all, it is situated in its own cubicle, separate from the sink, shower and bathtub areas – always a good start. It was also the first toilet we ever encountered that had its own electronic control panel, regulating everything from the warmth of the seat to the flow of the water for after-use washing. It was even automated to a large extent: merely opening the door caused the toilet to open up in welcome, and flushing started as soon as the seat cover was closed.
Eat well, feel good
As mentioned, nutrition is one of the six Chiva-Som pillars of optimal health – and here guests are in the excellent hands of a very talented chef, under the watchful eye of the doctors (one naturopathic) on staff. Thankfully, the philosophy of Chiva-Som’s wellness cuisine may be summed up in the motto, “Good Food is Good Life.”
Guests take most of their meals at Taste of Siam, an airy restaurant sandwiched between the beach and the outdoor swimming pool. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served buffet-style – but with a difference: servings are already pre-portioned, in sizes smaller than the typical Western eater may be accustomed to, and there is also a choice of one course per meal that is made-to-order.
There is definitely a method to this approach. The measured portions are designed to habituate diners not to take more than they can eat – and thus to eat to satiety rather than to engorgement. Moreover, copious and detailed nutritional information is also provided: every dish, beverage and even condiment is “labeled,” so to speak, down to the caloric intake.
Of course, once you have decided which dish – or, more likely, dishes – you like the most, there is nothing to prevent you from taking seconds (or even thirds). This happens because the food at Chiva-Som is absolutely delicious. Still, somehow we always walked away from the table feeling that we had eaten just the right amount: no longer hungry, and certainly never bloated.
Not to be outdone by any other self-respecting luxury resort, Chiva-Som also boasts a fine dining option: The Emerald Room, where à la carte lunches and dinners are served. The Emerald Room is also the only venue on-site where alcohol is served (for an extra charge) – and even then, in moderation: only wine and/or champagne, and only after 6:00 p.m.
“We flirted with the idea of banning alcohol altogether,” says Campbell, “but ultimately came to the conclusion that was too harsh. In the end, we believe we have struck the right balance, both health-wise and business-wise.”
Surprisingly, especially considering the tropical climate, not once did we feel deprived, even if we otherwise probably would have occasionally downed more than one beer. This was in large part due to the availability – and variety – of sumptuous “mocktails,” skillfully crafted using the finest and freshest fruit juices. (Much of the restaurant’s produce is grown in Chiva-Som’s own organic gardens.)
It is also worth noting that there is a third dining alternative: free room service is offered during meal hours. We found this to be the best way to enjoy our patio, since there was not all that much free time otherwise, given the overwhelming slate of treatments and activities.
Wellness at the nexus of movement and pleasure
When one is trying to squeeze as much as possible into “A Taste of Chiva-Som” – my retreat was the minimal stay of three days and three nights – it is a great help that guest profiles include a color-coded schedule to keep you on track: hourly appointments are highlighted differently, by categories of consultation/evaluation, treatment or activity.
Chiva-Som’s holistic approach means that the health/medical component is integrative, combining the best of Western (allopathic, naturopathic) and Eastern (Thai, Chinese, Ayurveda) traditions. Initial consultations will often include a conversation with one or more of the resident expert practitioners in these and related fields.
These knowledgeable professionals use the latest state-of-the-art equipment, from the diagnostic tools that analyze your body composition to the machines in the fitness and treatment rooms that keep you energized and toned, to serve you every step of the way.
Chiva-Som is nothing if not innovative, and new systems and modalities are being introduced all the time. According to Campbell, Chiva-Som was home to the first Pilates studio in Asia. Now, she adds, “genomics and hyperbaric medicine are already being incorporated as well.”
And while I had thought that aesthetic beauty was lowest on my list of the four spheres I was destined to experience – alongside physical fitness, relaxation and general health improvement – my treatment in the salon was perhaps the most eye-opening hour in my program.
What I had imagined would be a mundane pedicure was practically an entire lower extremity makeover: commencing with a salt scrub cum paraffin mold, followed by a warm-water soak with stones, and culminating with massages employing oil, warm mittens and smooth warm stones on the soles, toes, top of the foot, calves and lower legs – designed, it turns out, to stimulate the meridians through which the body’s internal energy system courses.
The morals of the story are: there is more crossover among modalities than at first meets the eye; and in the worldview of holistic wellness, aesthetic beauty – i.e., feeling good about one’s appearance – cannot (nor should it) be divorced from overall wellbeing.
Two other treatments/activities were aquatic in nature: an invigorating session of water aerobics, which was more of a workout than I had anticipated; and flotation therapy in a sensory deprivation capsule, which induces a state of consciousness similar to deep meditation. (The latter was a substitute for my first choice, Watsu, a popular method of aquatic therapy that unfortunately could not fit into my schedule.)
Rounding out my smorgasbord was Super Stretch, in which a fitness guru enhances your flexibility and range of motion by means of a series of muscle stretches you could not possibly accomplish on your own; and one of Chiva-Som’s signature full-body massages, which leaves you as relaxed as a wet noodle, with all tension drained. (Massages may be enjoyed in very pleasant indoor treatment rooms, or beckoning outdoor massage pavilions.)
As noted, Chiva-Som focuses on wellness for body, mind and soul; therefore, there are also activities that are not purely physical, but devoted to cultivating spiritual creativity – viz, cultural classes and sessions devoted to art, sculpting, etc. Occasionally, there are even purely social outings, such as sunset excursions into the open waters of the Gulf of Siam on an old-fashioned pirate boat (where the rules are more lenient, and wine may be imbibed).
Chiva-Som takeaways
Of course, returning home to a life that can be a minefield of stressors can quickly undo the gains made so Chiva-Som endeavors to inculcate its individual guests with holistic values and healthful habits. In the words of resident naturopath Dr. Patience Sawanga, “Chiva-Som views itself as a pillar of lifestyle transformation; thus, a primary goal is for each person to take a piece of Chiva-Som home – to keep the process going.
“We extend support with specific recommendations – concerning diet, exercise and stress management – and encourage the taking of gradual steps to live healthier.”
Sage advice, to be sure. And whether it is followed or not, one thing is fairly certain: guests will at least leave with fond and enduring memories of an enjoyable and worthwhile stay – and undoubtedly a desire to come back for more.