Travels: Day Two at The Farm at San Benito
It’s not every day that one comes across a peacock so perfectly positioned. (As I watched it fluff out its tail feathers underneath the canopy, I imagined the effort that would be required to make that shot happen by a photographic crew.) I came across it, as I was epxloring the grounds here at the Farm, on my way to yesterday’s (Sunday) kidney cleanse appointment.
The Farm covers over fifty hectares, and the buildings within the walled compound have been arranged to ensure that anyone staying here avoids being sedentary. My villa is at the south end, and it takes just under ten minutes to walk to the very far north, where the glass-walled gym, and the Healing Sanctuary (for all massages and body treatments) and its beautiful infinity pool are located.
Of course there is a direct route (above), but I have decided that I will take a different way each time, meandering around the many paths that bisect the resort. Much of the charm lies in the way that the buildings have been built amongst the environment- it is similar to the way that The Datai on Langkawi off Malaysia’s coast was constructed – the site dictated the manmade buildings, and not the other way around.
Off course there is much landscaping, and pretty vistas that open out as one emerges from the trees.
And I was charmed to discover that the third pool is a waterfall, hidden away down a path, and over a small bridge.
The place in which I have spent much of my time so far is the healing sanctuary, a large pavilion, centred around the most glorious pool. Last night I saw someone swimming at 9pm, in the light of the full moon.
Treatment rooms at the Sanctuary have baths or terraces attached as required. I had a kidney cleanse treatment yesterday, which involved me being painted back and front in charcoal with a large brush (very soothing), and left to cook under blankets, and then immersed in an infusion of local herbs in this wonderful open air bath.
Dunking completed, I headed to lunch. Yesterday was a taper day, before the juicing fast started properly, so I was allowed a platter of fresh fruit for breakfast, followed by soup and salad for lunch in the Alive! vegan restaurant, which overlooks the organic kitchen garden.
Then the juices started…one of the truly brilliant ideas that they have here is that, wherever you are on the property, they will find you to bring you your juice at the correct intervals. Whether I’ve been in the sanctuary, by the pool or in my room, a polite gentleman has tracked me down.
I finished yesterday off with power walk up to the sanctuary, in the moonlight via hitherto unexplored paths, for a relaxation massage, before a really delicious green soup in bed – brought to me again in my room.
