FALL 2008
At Play
Pg 54 - DESTINATION: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Our writer ponders the pleasures of the Six Senses Spa at PuntaCana Resort & Club.
By Mona Bent
I'm sitting outside at The Grill restaurant that's adjacent to the Six Senses Spa, awaiting the Organic Spring Salad and the Ceviche I've ordered from the lunch menu. I'm feeling quite at peace as I look out over the expansive beach because I've just come from a 60-minute Holistic massage with Eddie, a therapist from Bali. He worked on the knots in my neck and shoulders, and I can still smell the faint scent of the lemongrass oil he used. Although I have come here alone for a quiet getaway, my massage took place in the couples' room, outfitted with two large cushy massage tables, as well as a tub and shower.
I've seen a lot of spas in my day, and I can't quite decide if I like this one or not. While it's certainly beautiful to look at (designed by a high-end Thai firm, it's white and minimal with lots of teak), it's not really user-friendly. In fact it's so pristine, it appears to be hardly used at all. I'm not sure if this is because it's fairly new, or if it's because one is not encouraged to actually spend time and relax in the space. One is rushed from room to room and then out again by a spa director and therapists who are definitely "on the clock." For example, I would've preferred to have taken a shower in my over-sized treatment room and then applied my sunscreen lotion when my treatment was complete, but I was ushered out of the room a bit too quickly for my taste. There aren't proper locker rooms here, either, so one must change in the treatment rooms that have closets and safes and a curtain for privacy. There is a small relaxation area, but nobody used it during my stay, and the spa staff didn't encourage its use. This is definitely not a spa to linger in. Most of the guests I observed set up camp outside, around the pool or along the beach, post-treatment.
And speaking of the pool, if you crave a getaway that doesn't include kids, look elsewhere, as they were in abundance during my stay. While there are a variety of pools here, the children seemed to congregate at the spa pool (it is the nicest one, I must admit). If you travel with tots in tow, you'll be happy to note that this property has a dedicated section on its spa menu for wee ones. But back to my lunch: Upon its arrival, one lovely little girl seated at the table next to mine, proclaimed loudly, "Look, Mommy, she's eating alone!" I chose to ignore this charmer as I happily dug into my delicious shrimp-and-sea-bass ceviche.
The following day I experienced what was to become my favorite spa treatment of the trip-an Indian Head Massage with Ayu. Performed in one of four outdoor palapas that overlook the beach and sea, I welcomed the breeze in the open-air room. Ayu told me that this treatment helps to alleviate stress and helps the blood better circulate to the brain. I loved the soothing massage techniques she used on my head, neck, and shoulders, as well as the sound of the sea in the distance.
Six Senses Spa is a well-respected spa brand known for its holistic therapies and its sensitivity to its natural surroundings. The award-winning company has an excellent Sustainability Policy in place, as well as a dedicated Environmental Conscience Officer who oversees the environmental and social responsibility efforts at each of its locations. This is the first Six Senses to open in the Caribbean (at my last count, there were close to 20 already open with more in the works). It's no surprise, as PuntaCana Resort & Club has a longstanding commitment to preserving the environment. The Puntacana Ecological Foundation is working with the spa to create one-of-a-kind treatments that use indigenous ingredients from the surrounding area. [See the Fall 2007 issue of Organic Spa for an interview with Jake Kheel, the foundation's environmental director.] During my three-day visit, I enjoyed touring the foundation's "iguanatorium," organic vegetable gardens, and medicinal plant garden. I must admit, the extensive bug collection was pretty interesting, as well.
After spa-ing and exploring the grounds, it was extra-nice to retreat to my villa at Tortuga Bay-a new community of villas located in a private portion of the 15,000-acre resort. Designed by native son and famed fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, the villas (from one to four bedrooms) are chic, simple, and cheerful-and loaded with sunshine. There are a variety of accommodations available at this humongous property-my second favorite, after the villas, are the recently renovated (and budget-friendly) beachfront Casitas-perfect for family getaways.
www.puntacana.com
Mona Bent is a New York City-based writer who has visited more spas than she can count. She especially likes those that have a good sense of place and offer solid treatments. She is currently writing a book about her spa experiences.
DESTINATION: FLORES SEASetting Sail on Silolona
By Scott Goetz
Fruit bats flip their leathery wings overhead as the sun sets; on land 10-foot lizards, veritable prehistoric monsters, retire to their burrows; and in the water our boat stirs up plankton, lighting the sea with glowing phosphorescence. Here, between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, in the Eastern Indonesian archipelago lies Komodo National Park-an eco-adventurer's dream and one of the last untouched places on earth.
Even the 90-minute flight from Denpasar, Bali, to the tiny harbor town of Labuhan Bajo on Flores Island transports the traveler to another world. Gone are the bananas and palms in exchange for dry, craggy, and barren volcanic islands that dot the swirling blue pellucid waters. Komodo is famed for scuba diving, so the best way to explore this isolated region is by live-aboard ship. It's here, after buying strings of pearls from the local villagers that we board Silolona.
After a traditional conch shell blow and a call/song to Silolona, the legendary beauty who is said to have created the constellations and protects mankind, the crew, in traditional Indonesian dress from Sulawesi where the ship was handcrafted, set sail for a five-day sojourn.
The ultra-luxurious ship garners its beauty not only from its comforts but also in the precision and care that the owner Patti Seery, an American ex-pat who has lived in Indonesia for 30 years, took in building it. Marrying the modern yacht with a traditional handmade Phinisi vessel (cargo ships from the Spice Island trade), Seery hired boat builders who constructed it according to a tradition they inherited from their ancestors. No nails were used, only wooden pegs called passak, and, as was customary, pieces of gold and diamonds were placed at her keel.
"We are at a moment in time when the wood boat-building tradition may disappear, explains Seery. "Metal boats are starting to replace wood boats as the price of wood has continued to go up." To continue the tradition and keep the builders working, Seery went to the island of Sulawesi and chose the ulin tree (a type of ironwood) from which to make the main hull. The wood was floated down river to the construction site, and each day the tide would come in and cover the wood, curing it. (After its completion, Seery saw the pride the main boat builder had in his work, and now he continues with Silolona as one of the main crew members.)
Itineraries are created at guests' discretion, but there's no going to Komodo without visiting the infamous dragons. An endangered species that average eight feet long and weigh 200 pounds, only between 3,000 and 5,000 Komodo Dragons live in the wild, restricted to a habitat of 1,000 square kilometers. They are not fenced off, and it takes some bravery to walk near these apex predators who have been known to attack and kill humans. Still, about 1,000 villagers live amongst them, and even though these fishermen by trade build their houses above the ground, we saw the giant lizards climbing steps, mouths dripping with drool, in search of prey.
Back on board guests continue to sail the pristine Flores Sea with stops to take advantage of the world-class diving sites, discovering healthy soft corals that look like fluorescent underwater Christmas trees, Eagle rays soaring through schools of Big Eyed Jacks and giant wormlike sea cucumbers that could have stepped from the pages of Alice in Wonderland.
Throughout the journey, Chef Wayan Subrate prepares menus that taunt the most avid foodie. Watermelon-arugula-goat cheese salad, tuna tartare, truffle cappuccino, corn chowder with scallops, and traditional Balinese Rijsttafel are served on deck with China and linens, or during starlight beach barbecues while the crew entertains with guitar, drums, tambourine, and song.
The most romantic delight, however, is a private picnic where, after champagne and grilled seafood, couples are left in the tide pools with a basketful of natural spa products (lemongrass, ginger, avocado, and coffee bean). A body scrub in "Land of Fire and Dragons" is possibly the most remote treatment in the world. info@silolona.com
Scott Goetz is our contributing editor of exploration and discovery.
Top left: Silolona anchors in the bay of Komodo National Park's Padar Island. Top: Elegant dining merges with intuitive architecture. Below the deck are four air-conditioned cabins decorated with Indonesian art and artifacts. Above: Ship builder Nassir raises the black sails, as his people have done for centuries in the Flores Sea.