Recently, we underwent a detox and wellness weekend at The Farm at San Benito, an idyllic and award-winning 48-hectare resort located at the foot of Mount Malarayat in Batangas, about two hours away from Manila but an entire world away from the hustle and bustle of the busy metropolis. It’s so near and yet also so unimaginably remote that it even seemed a universe away from Lipa, the city nearest The Farm and from where we took a sharp left turn on a main avenue and drove about 20 minutes on narrow roads past pig farms and tiny barrios towards our destination.
The Farm is probably Asia’s most authentic medical resort. It’s an understated luxury estate that offers comprehensive packages of holistic treatments at its spa and clinic, and combines these with a strict diet of mainly uncooked vegan cuisine to achieve an optimum state of wellness for its guests.
For those seeking recovery after an illness or who are serious about improving their health, The Farm’s routine can be an uncompromising schedule of detoxification treatments and vegetable juices. The Farm’s management believes that the body can heal itself, so its health programs guide people in this direction. The various colon cleansing sessions and endless rounds of green juices can be tough but these are certainly worth it, say many followers of holistic medicine, because this potent combination nourishes nutritional deficiencies and decongests blockages in the body that prevent recovery or eventually lead to illness in the healthy. There is no other facility in the Philippines offering this combination of treatments as professionally and efficiently, and in a relaxing resort-setting as well. Many cancer patients, in particular, have successfully recuperated at The Farm and regularly visit to continue boosting their immunity.
“We have one guest who was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer nine years ago,” recalled general manager Michael Di Lonardo. “He said he cured himself with natural foods, and now he comes over to stay with us every year to keep himself in good health.”
The Farm is also a wonderful sanctuary for holidaymakers merely wishing to de-stress amidst beautiful surroundings or to pamper themselves with innovative beauty and relaxation treatments using local ingredients like mango juice, malunggay leaves and coconut milk. It’s a silent and lush environment of giant ferns, old trees and flowering plants at the edge of a picturesque valley, that’s extremely conducive for relaxation and meditation.
Sure enough, tranquility set in like a wave the moment we passed through the resort checkpoint. At the main reception building, Michael greeted us with a charming seriousness that disarmed us almost immediately. We later learned that he’d just arrived in the Philippines a little over three months ago. Previously, he’d worked with the Aman Resorts for years and lived in Indonesia and India. His wife Jennifer Hazen, who is also the resort’s resident manager and therefore responsible for all the lovely touches around the resort, including the soft linens and well-stocked tray of coconut soaps in every room, introduced herself shortly after. Both of them are living testaments of the naturally good health achievable at The Farm.
We were then escorted to the Master Villa just off the resort’s mini lake. It’s a sprawling two-bedroom house set apart from the other rooms and villas right by a cliff overlooking the valley, with a large lanai and a private pool. We loved at first sight the tasteful teak wood-paneled interiors and ceilings, the comfortable furniture and the natural textiles.
The set-up of the master villa is perfect for families. Apart from its own swimming pool, it has a living room with a fully-equipped kitchen and a large bathroom, which is connected to the master bedroom via an indoor garden. Meanwhile, the master bedroom has a lovely four-poster bed opposite a glass wall the entire length of the room, with a marvelous view of untouched jungle-like greenery. Adjacent to it is another twin bedroom and the kind of spacious and airy master bathroom you simply want to spend the entire day in.
We were tempted to do exactly that. However we’d arrived in time for lunch, and healthy multi-course gourmet meals are among The Farm’s main attractions; so we tore ourselves away from the villa and the thought of an afternoon by the pool, to check out the menu at the Alive restaurant, a bright and airy no-fuss restaurant with the friendliest staff this side of the country.
There is no other place to get a healthy meal as fastidiously prepared as at The Farm; and their five-course vegetarian gourmet meal is perhaps the most painless way to detox and lose weight. Every dish here is served without meat, dairy, white sugar, or non-coconut oil; and att least 85% of the food is raw. The ingredients are 100% organic, consisting of fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts. Such parameters may be good for the health; but most diners, including us, ordinarily do not initially approach a raw meal with relish – and understandably so.
Happily, almost everything turned out delicious or at the very least palatable. Carrot and ginger were combined in a tasty soup; eggplants and coconut strips were stewed in a Thai curry sauce, and mushrooms skewered and basted in satay sauce. There was even a delicious dessert of crushed cacao coated with crispy coconut flakes. We enjoyed our meals so much that we often considered ordering seconds. At the end of our stay, we even realized we could actually and effortlessly live without meat or sugar as long as The Farm’s tasty meals were served to us everyday.
Those who sign up for the detoxification or recovery packages undergo a series of colon hydrotherapy treatments using various equipment and ingredients like coffee, chamomile tea and even pureed garlic to irrigate the colon and remove toxic waste. First-timers may be squeamish about the process; but once you get used to it, it is actually manageable. The treatment rooms are relaxing and the professional staff will quickly calm any anxieties about the process.
Meanwhile, the Weekend Wellness, which includes two nights’ board and lodging and two spa treatments, is among the most popular packages at The Farm. The treatments are offered at the Balinese-inspired Salus per Aquam spa facility at the north end of the estate, where resort guests congregate for serious pampering. Salus per Aquam, which means “health through water,” has private rooms with indoor gardens and soaking tubs, and also open-air massage pavilions next to an infinity pool. Most of its spa treatments are unique to The Farm and use natural and local materials.
The “Massage under the Stars,” an hour-long hand and foot reflexology treatment that takes place at night on a lounge chair by the candle-lit pool, is highly recommended for communing with nature. Particularly for city dwellers, there are not many opportunities to enjoy starry nights without modern interferences. We also tried the 60-minute Little Yin-Yang Dry Brushing Therapy, a light rhythmic massage that uses two natural bristle brushes to invigorate the body and smoothen the skin. Another favorite is the Chlorophyll Body Wrap Treatment, a 90-minute treatment that begins with exfoliation, followed by a careful brush application of pureed malunggay leaves with coconut milk to whitens and nourish the skin. The results can be felt almost immediately. Finally, The Farm’s signature 90-minute Purification Treatment is a must-try. Sea salt, coconut oil and lemongrass are applied on the body with special strokes to balance the body’s energy, raise the metabolism and absorb negative energy. It’s recommended for stress management and anti-aging.
Our stay ended only too soon. In that short period, we’d slept soundly, lost weight and left feeling the lightest in years – making us realize how much better off we’d all be if only we ate less and rested more. Focusing on one’s health and wellbeing amidst the resplendence of nature in this isolated and untouched environment was certainly a wonderful break.
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