Psychologies - Kamalaya, Koh Samui
2009 August
Escape to paradise
Can two weeks at a holistic spa resort in Thailand help Caroline Sylger Jones in her quest to start a family?
My husband Tom and I are both self-employed and, after a particularly relentless year that left us feeling frazzled and uptight, we were desperate for some time together. We had also decided that 2009 was the year to start trying for a baby and felt that we needed more than home-cooked meals coastal walks from our Devon home to get into the right frame of mind. We wanted to be nurtured by others somewhere special but affordable, and preferably a whole lot warmer and drier than UK.
An idyllic retreat
Thailand has always been an important place for us; it's where we got engaged. So when holiday specialist Wellbeing Escapes suggested Kamalaya on Koh Samui in Thailand, we decided on a two week break. Kamalaya is an inspirational wellness retreat, set in deep ravine strewn with granite boulders and tropical plants leading down to a turquoise lagoon. It's also more affordable than the better-known Chiva Som. After a few days we realized just how exhausted we were. In our first week we followed a Balance and Revitalise programme, ideal for anyone who's been consistently pushing themselves too hard. The programme included a varied menu of treatments, all overseen by Joanne, our mellow and personable naturopath. The treatments were consistently good, especially the energising Ayurvedic massages. Each was carried out in elevated, open air rooms with uplifting sea views. Joanne gave us lots of preconception advice, such as taking zinc and omega3 to promote Tom's fertility, and strengthening my kidneys with foods rich in magnesium and calcium - such as seaweeds, beans and leafy greens.
Enchanting moments
While Tom loves massage loves massage, he is a surfer not a spa-goer, so I was worried that being by the ocean without be able to surf could be a disaster. Surfing is his adrenalin rush and his meditation. He thinks conventional guided meditation is irritating and prefers to find peace in nature, gently bobbing on his board out at sea waiting for the next wave. Unexpectedly. However, he was converted by class in Kundalini yoga, which I bribed him to start attending with a promise of a chocolate souffle' one night. The powerful set of repetitive, unusual movements with friendly French-Canadian teacher Siri Anand Kaur were, he said, "just a little bit bonkers", and made him feel spontaneous joy as well as working on his core muscles. Once I'd stopped falling asleep every five minutes, the setting gave me the peace I needed to get back to my daily yoga practice. I took unhurried dips in the swimming pool and paid solitary visits to the enchanting meditative monk's cave around which Kamalaya is built.
Relaxed and Happy
During our second week we chose different items from the treatment menu. Even with the depreciation of the pound against the Thai baht, a blissful Thai massage still worked out to be excellent value at 2500 baht (£50) for two hours. Our energy levels had started to rise, and we would wake at dawn to sit on the giant rocks by the sea, sipping our cleansing lime in hot water and having a cuddle. Kamalaya's fusion meals of Eastern and Western traditions - including vegetarian dishes, seafood, poultry and lamb - were a delight, and an afternoon class with chef Kai Mueller inspired us to cook creative, healthy food once we were back home. With our taste buds more than satisfied, it was easier to steer clear of alcohol and most nights we could be found sprawling on an orange day bed in the Alchemy lounge, sipping mulberry leaf tea and playing backgammon. Kamalaya gave us the resolve to manage our work schedules better so we could have a day off each week to give ourselves the energy to try for a baby, to enjoy the tranquility of home and to travel less. One month on, we still feel relax and happy.
Getting here
A seven night holistic programme at Kamalaya, based on two people sharing a Hillside Room, costs from £1600 per person full board with Wellbeing Escapes (0845 602 6202, wellbeingescapes.co.uk). The seven night Balance and Revitalise programme costs from £2700 per person. Flights are with Etihad Airways.
