Raffles Bali is putting heart, soul and spirit into creating bespoke wellness journeys that boost each guest’s positivity and lower their heart rate based on personal needs. Our writer tried out a new Retreat by Raffles, working with a host of specialist holistic healers, and emerged a whole new person.
THE SKY STILL HAD ECHOES of the morning’s sorbet pink sunrise when I stepped barefoot into the pillowy sand on the secluded beach of Raffles Bali for a tai chi session with instructor Riska. We moved our bodies slowly, repetitively and meditatively, cycling in unison through postures in each of the cardinal directions until our feet had etched plus signs into the beach and our faces glistened with light perspiration. I couldn’t stop thinking, What a glorious way to start a day.
This experience opened my bespoke Retreat by Raffles, a brand-new wellness offering from the Singaporean luxury hotel chain that first launched this year in Bali and Singapore. It is a multi-sensory path to wellbeing taking place over several days that aims to reset and restore mind, body and soul through awe-inspiring culinary experiences, physical activities, holistic therapies, spiritual rituals from the destination and far more. A personal Raffles Wellbeing Butler is each guest’s guide from check-in to their guaranteed-bittersweet departure.
THE SETTING
All this takes place on the sprawling 23-hectare resort of flower-dripped gardens, virtually private beach, verdant 70-meter-high clifftop, and just 32 villas that opened during the pandemic, in July 2020. Simply arriving at the resort feels like a big, liberating exhale. The main building was created around a massive coral boulder, and old-growth trees that had to be moved during construction were returned to their original homes afterward. The sweet-smelling villas are Aman-like in their peacefulness but with a bit more color, and each boasts a large and elegant private swimming pool that beautifully reflects the sky and enhances the blue ocean beyond. As I discovered, the gargantuan cushioned bale beside it is a fantastic place for the suggested morning journaling exercise that’s part of each individualized retreat.
Meanwhile, the cloud-like king-size bed delivered me the deepest, dream-filled sleep I’d had for years thanks also to the extensive sleep ritual turndown amenities placed each night. Those included a weighted crystal-filled eye mask, Bluetooth headphones for listening to binaural beats and relaxing soundscapes, three unique essential oils with a diffuser, herbal tea, lavender bath salts, rainbow cards and journal. Beyond a generous spa, the property also features Raffles’s iconic Writer’s Bar, a progressive fine-dining restaurant called Rumari (more on that later), Loloan Beach Bar and Grill, and additional special dining destinations.
THE EXPERIENCES
My morning tai chi, which left me feeling open and ready to experience new things, was just the first of the Retreat by Raffles wellness modalities I tried during my couple of intentional days at Raffles Bali. I dressed in a provided white sarong and was driven by buggy to the resort temple, decked out in a large array of traditional offerings, for a Balinese soul blessing ceremony called melukat. It was quite a production, with the priest and an assistant making offerings to the fire god then the water god and finally to the god of gods, Iswara, and cleansing my spirit by drawing out negative energy with smoke, holy water and more. It was beautiful and felt extremely meaningful with chanting, fragrant flowers, and bells ringing—especially when I was asked to make a special wish.
Later I met Balinese Reiki master teacher Made Warmana, whose smile grew ever wider as he explained to me how he brings in positive energy to wash away the negative. Even without touching my body, his actions over the course of an hour gave me sensations of waves and swells of energy, and left me at perfect peace. The next day I visited the property’s sacred cave—where special dinners and yoga occur—then wrapped up the retreat with a strong, slow and loving—yes, loving!—massage by Lestari in The Sanctuary, a treehouse-like hillside treatment venue with ocean views. Her intuitive hands found each knot in my body and her every movement felt filled with care, as the birds and jungle chirped us a serene soundtrack. “Do you feel like a new person?” asked Pinky, my Wellbeing Butler, when she picked up a blissed-out me. “Absolutely,” I replied without hesitation.
THE FLAVORS
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Images courtesy of Kathryn Romeyn. (3)
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Dishes from the wellbeing menu at Rumari restaurant
From morning to night, I found the culinary programming to be a thoughtful and stimulating element of the wellness concept. The prix fixe dinner at Rumari—which stands for “house of the sun and the full moon”—was an outrageously spectacular way to kick off my stay. It began with a gorgeous hand-washing ceremony in gilded bowl with sacred water and floral essence, and unfolded from there in delightful and surprising ways—like with bumbu Bali sourdough served with a honeycomb of spiced toppings and sauces, and so many other palate teasers. The ahi tuna from Sulawesi with sambal matah aioli, sea grapes and ginger flower was a showstopper, and several times in the meal—like during the pork course—I purposely slowed down because I didn’t want the edible excitement to end.
Other highlights included a breakfast picnic on a grassy terrace overlooking the beach, a savory romantic dinner at the Purnama Honeymoon Bale (I can almost still taste the banana coconut dessert), and the wellbeing tasting menu at Rumari’s breakfast, which included tasting portions of both decadent and wholesome dishes ranging from a must-try lobster omelet to super fresh, bright poke. There, we savored the same view as at tai chi: volcanoes imprinted on the pale blue sky studded by wispy clouds and the cerulean ocean.
THE TAKEAWAY
By the time we departed, I was so Zen, balanced and positive it felt like nothing could ruffle me. The genuine, friendly staff who happen to be great with children (we traveled with our toddler) and wonderful Bahasa Indonesia teachers, were highly professional yet helped create a chilled-out vibe that I found to be completely unique for such a high-end resort. It was the opposite of stuffy, even as the refined property was sublimely quiet and clearly geared toward improving guests’ wellbeing. For me, the highly personalized nature of both the retreat and the Raffles Bali experience—it really does feel like you can have whatever you’d like at any time—made for a one-of-a-kind wellness journey that left me not only transformed but with an enduring positivity that’s still with me.
Raffles.com/bali; villas from USD 1,096/night; Retreat by Raffles from USD 3,914 for double occupancy three-night stay.
BOOK YOUR STAY AT RAFFLES BALI VIA AGODA.COM
BOOK YOUR STAY AT RAFFLES BALI VIA BOOKING.COM
Images courtesy of Raffles Bali, unless otherwise noted.
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