If you’re looking for transformational wellness retreats, this article covers 9 wellness retreats that will change your life. From the USA to Mexico and Bali, each one offers a transformation journey
There are times in life when we reach a crossroads and are unsure of the path ahead. Or maybe we feel lost and need to go within to find some clarity.
Over the last few months, I have spent hours looking for the perfect retreat. I wanted something more than just a yoga retreat. A retreat that would help me reset and get some answers about the next chapter of my life. So I reached out to Ania Donich, a fellow solo traveller who has been travelling solo since the age of 15.
Ania’s mission is to create awareness behind wellness retreats for all women out there that are struggling with hormonal imbalances, anxiety & depression to improve their lives. She hopes this article will help you find the perfect destination to improve your well-being. The retreats are listed in alphabetical order of the countries.
Bali Retreat
COMO Shambhala Estate – Bali, Indonesia
Como Shambala is the perfect match for those looking for a luxury resort to stay on an island. Surrounded by crystal clear blue ocean, the water Como Resort offers a beautiful view from the window & hiking trails to remember.
Every COMO Shambhala experience includes your choice of treatment, access to daily activities such as yoga, pilates, meditation, healthy cuisine, and private luxury accommodation.
COMO Shambala offers personalized solutions to your individual needs. At the resort, they take your self-care very seriously: there are tons of spa options to pick from to relax and rejuvenate your body. To improve your mental health, workshops and yoga sessions are available every day to help soothe your soul.
* Check dates, prices & availability: Como Shambala
Canada Retreat
Gaia Wellness, Alcove, Quebec
If you are looking for a mental wellness retreat, Gaia Wellness resort offers 5 to 14 days of retreats, all customizable to your needs. Their retreats offer a technology-free vacation to recover inner balance and help you reconnect with your body. The daily schedule is so full of activities that you won’t even remember to check social media.
Gaia Wellness founders aim to help everyone feeling stressed out, depressed or anxious. It is one of the known emotional healing retreats for helping those with PTSD, burnout, and facing divorce hardships. In a supportive environment, everyone who attends receives support from Gaia coaches and the group.
The wellness retreat leaders have developed a unique program to help you deal with the issues you are going through based on their own experiences. They initially developed this program for themselves when they were going through a difficult time in their lives.
* Check prices, dates & availability: Gaia Wellness Retreat
Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica
Costa Rica Retreat
Pura Vida Retreat & Spa, Alajuela
Have you ever wanted to simultaneously be surrounded by coffee-draped hills, a breathtaking view of the city, tropical rain forests, active volcanoes, and clean beaches? Well, Pura Vida in Alajuela, Costa Rica has all of that to offer!
It is a place where you can take rejuvenating yoga classes, specialty wellness treatments, and dine on healthy and delicious cuisine straight from the garden. Enjoy beautiful walks among magical cloud forests in the world’s most biodiverse country. There's a reason that Costa Ricans call their country ‘Pura Vida', and this retreat definitely lives up to its name. It's a place to experience a pure, simple life.
* Check prices, dates & availability: Pura Vida Retreat & Spa
Italy Retreat
Borgo Santo Pierto, Tuscany
Borgo Santo Pierto is set in a thirteenth-century villa with 100 acres of beautiful gardens. It has organic farms, honeybee farms (where the honey comes from at breakfast), a sheep meadow and a milking farm. There is such a lovely ambiance on this retreat with butterflies everywhere and lavender growing.
Enjoy world-class cuisine in a Michelin-starred restaurant made from fresh farm ingredients. The highly knowledgeable staff consists of chef Ariel Hager, the master gardener, the forager, the cheesemaker, the baker and the sommelier who all in turn create an indescribable experience for the guest.
If you appreciate homemade food made from ingredients grown in the garden next to you and enjoy a homestead life, you will have a great time at this healthy getaway. It is so healing to reconnect to your body in an environment where everything flourishes year-round.
* Check prices, dates & availability: Borgo Santo Pierto
Mexico Retreat
Chable Yucatan, Chochola
Chable Yucatan is a first-class resort. It is located on a restored 19th-century estate in a modern Mexican look to provide you with an authentic experience of the Yucatan jungle. The resort is known for Hispanic-style temarzcals (saunas) and a private cenote (a gorgeous pool). The resort has a beautiful combination of nature, traditions, legacy, and architecture all in one place.
Aside from health and wellness tourism, the hotel also believes in sustainable travel. They take strong measures to ensure that they reduce their impact on the planet to preserve all they can for generations to come. If you are an eco traveller, this is an ideal healthy getaway to consider.
* Check prices, dates & availability: Chable Yucatan
Praia da Falesia (Falesia beach)
Portugal Retreat
Pine Cliff Resorts, Algarve
Pine Cliffs Resort is a perfect place to travel solo or as a family, as it has a wide variety of accommodations, ranging from townhouses to 4-bedroom deluxe villas. The property has a wide choice of water sports, a Health & Fitness club, Golf clubs, a Tennis Academy and numerous restaurants. There’s even a Porto Pirata Kid’s club and a pirate ship!
The resort is close to Falesia Beach, considered one of Portugal's most beautiful beaches. Pine Cliffs is perfect for those who haven’t experienced a wellness retreat before and are new at yoga and the practice of meditation.
At the resort, you can also treat yourself to holistic treatments and relax at the spa. If you are looking for a healthy and budget-friendly getaway for the first time, this is a great resort to start with.
* Check dates, prices & availability: Pine Cliffs Resorts
Turkey Retreat
Six Senses Kaplankaya, Akbuk, near Bodrum
Six Senses is a secluded luxury resort with scenic views next to the sea. This resort is known for pioneering wellness programs that includes an indoor heated pool, hydrothermal areas, and of course the famous hammams (Turkish steaming baths). Aside from luxury treatments, you can also access classes like spinning, yoga, and pilates in the fitness area.
If you don’t feel like doing all the activities at the resort, there is no pressure either. But if you need to reconnect with your body through yoga or meditation, you will definitely enjoy the yoga practice on the beach.
The restaurant offers a variety of delicious cuisine. And if you’re not detoxing you can enjoy a sophisticated cocktail on the beach right next to the resort to end a relaxing day.
However, if you feel like going on a healthy, relaxing getaway filled with massages, healthy eating, and the beach, the Six Senses Kaplankaya is the place for you.
* Check prices, dates & availability: Six Senses Kaplankaya
USA Retreats
Blackberry Farm, Walland, Tennessee
For those looking for a mountain view out of their window, consider going to Blackberry Farm. Surrounded by breathtaking nature across 4,200 acres, it is a perfect tranquil getaway whether you travel here alone or with others.
Although it is called a farm, the hotel rooms are modern and are carefully decorated with a comfortable bed and a fireplace to keep you warm. You can sample high-end cuisine with fresh ingredients from the farm paired with homemade wine.
Blackberry Farm Resort allows you to pick your own adventure, and every guest that visits has a different experience: some immerse themselves within the beautiful nature that surrounds them, some guests take advantage of the local festival, whilst others choose to book their days full of spa activities. However, the one commonality for all the guests is the feeling of being refreshed and well-rested.
* Check dates, prices & availability: Blackberry Farm
Honor’s Haven, Ellenville, NY
Honor’s Haven offers 3-day 2-nights retreats to put you on a path of self-healing. They have a variety of retreats that ancient healers have used to create calmness, find clarity and attain a lifetime of health. On this zen wellness retreat you will attend a full schedule of meditations and workshops by health experts and have access to beautiful nature trails, an ECO healing park and sports facilities (including a Jacuzzi, fitness center, and a gaming court!).
Weather permitting, the healing yoga and meditation sessions are hosted outside in the forest on a wooden deck. It is a fantastic atmosphere for healing sessions: letting go of negative thoughts through listening to birds singing, surrounded by virgin nature and crispy clear air allows you to find the inner-balance in a matter of seconds.
If you are looking for a quick retreat to recharge and gain mental clarity, this place is perfect for it!
* Check dates, prices & availability: Honor's Haven
About The Author
Ania Donich has been struggling with anxiety and depression resulting from other underlying health issues. It was whilst trying to find an answer to her condition, she discovered wellness retreats. Her health issues slowly started resolving when she started going on wellness retreats to find her inner balance. This was when she discovered the true power of wellness retreats.
