This luxe tropical hideaway offers wellbeing journeys for two designed to help guests reconnect with each other while tapping into the power of collective wellness.
The last year has isolated me in so many ways, including relocating from a tight-knit community in India to a big city in Japan and losing a close family member. I've found myself laid low and lonely by grief, yearning for connection while also having little energy to pursue it. So it was a gift to be invited to spend a few days at Banyan Tree Phuket, a luxe, all-pool villa resort encircling a leafy lagoon on Phuket, Thailand's largest island.
The getaway was planned around Global Wellness Day (June 14) when people all over the world gather to connect over activities that promote physical and mental wellbeing. And so it was that on the eve of Global Wellness Day, I found myself at RAVA Beach Club for group sunset yoga followed by a relaxing singing bowl meditation backed by wind-ruffled palms and the rolling waves of the Andaman Sea. The next morning, I was seated in sukhasana with dozens of others who had gathered in an airy lagoon-side pavilion for what visiting practitioner Gabrielle Mendoza called "tribal Vinyasa." The fast-paced flow surrounded by other yogis pushed me to try — and finally hold! — balancing poses that have eluded me for months. As she walked the room to make hands-on adjustments, Mendoza guided our focus to the power of the collective — that while solo practice has its place, we unlock deeper growth as a group. As one oft-cited ancient proverb goes: "If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together."
This philosophy of practicing wellness in connection with others is also the cornerstone of the new year-round programming at Banyan Tree Phuket and Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru in the Maldives. The brand bills Banyan Tree Connections as "a private wellbeing immersion for two." Available as a supplement package to room reservations booked by any duo — friends, couples, or family members — Connections include a shared wellness consultation with an onsite practitioner, followed by a customized wellness journey and daily rituals for two.
In my own consultation, wellness expert Rajesh Thazhe Thatathil offered suggestions to help me feel more grounded. In addition to scheduling a communal walking meditation, Raj booked me a spa treatment that combined a sound bath and Balinese massage. Grounding indeed, but my favorite treatment of the stay was 'Sense of Place,' or what I'd call 120 minutes of bliss while being slathered in ingredients that hearken back to Phuket's history: a scrub of jasmine rice and coconut, a massage with gold-flecked oil meant to invoke sunlight on water, and a coconut milk facial. As for communal wellness activities? There were plenty of sessions, including a cooking class, reflexology workshop, and Pilates. One of my favorite sessions was a Muay Thai (Thai boxing) lesson with two others. I'm a complete beginner to martial arts, but the instructor and the others in my class cheered me on like I was a complete champ in the ring. It was another reminder that we often push ourselves more in a group than alone.
I left the stay feeling more energized than I have in months. What sticks with me most is the reminder that while stillness has its place, it can also lead to stagnation. Mindful movement by myself and with others is key to physical, mental, and emotional vitality.
