How to have a White Lotus-style holiday for less
From Traditional Chinese medicine to Indian Ayurveda, many Asian wellness practices date back thousands of years. Combine those, passed down through generations, with a booming medi-spa tourism industry and you have a continent globally renowned for its outstanding health retreats.
Luxurious properties such as Chiva Som in Thailand and COMO Shambhala in Bali regularly feature among lists of the world's best spas and attract a slew of celebrity guests. They have price tags to match, but there are less well-known alternatives with very similar offerings – at a fraction of the price.
This is never going to be the cheapest type of holiday, and obviously if you're travelling from the UK you'll have to factor in flight costs – but if you want to experience that White Lotus-style wellness for less, this is how. From meditation retreats to nature-based escapes, here's our pick of the most affordable spa and health retreats in Asia.
These all offer at least three meals a day, group and individual activities plus spa treatments. As this kind of holiday is usually taken as solo travel, prices are based on single occupancy, but if you're willing to share with a friend the rates drop even further.
The original
Chiva Som, Hua Hin, Thailand
Chiva Som is the queen of Thai wellness retreats but those Ed Tuttle-designed rooms and extensive facilities come at a cost, with the seven-night Taste of Chiva Som programme starting from £4,653.
The swap
Avani+ Hua Hin, Thailand
The Avani+ Hua Hin lies nine miles up the coast from Chiva Som, sharing the same stretch of golden sand. While this is a hotel rather than a spa, it offers comprehensive Avaniwell programmes.
A seven-night Reset Retreat package covers all the bases, including healthy cuisine (available in restaurants or your room), an initial body composition analysis, a daily 60-minute personal yoga or PT session, an hour with a physiotherapist and regular Reformer Pilates classes. Also on the menu are Elemis facials, sound healing, Thai massages and cookery classes, all for £1,536.
The original
Santani Wellness, Kandy, Sri Lanka
This year's 'Everyone Wins' gift bag given to all of the Oscars' acting and directing nominees included a stay at Santani Wellness, so there's a chance you could bump into Mikey Madison or Keiran Culkin if you splash out £2,715 on a five-night Personal Yoga retreat.
The swap
Makahiya Fitness, Unawantanu, Sri Lanka
Hemmed between rice fields a 10-minute drive from honey-hued Unawatuna beach on Sri Lanka's south coast, Makahiya is the place to amp up your fitness and mobility. Rooms are simply decked out with nautical blue stripes and balconies. Not that you'll spend much time in them, with two or three group classes a day on offer – aerobics, boxing, bootcamp – as well as a tip-top gym, hiking trails and an infinity pool to enjoy. On top of that, Makahiya's five-night Signature Fitness programme also includes one personal coaching session, an ice bath and a deep tissue massage, all for £1,220.
The original
RAKxa, Bangkok, Thailand
Rakxa opened in December 2020 as Thailand's most luxurious wellness retreat, with swish private villas and packed programmes mixing the latest high-tech medical advancements with traditional Asian therapies. An entry-level Rakxa Destress programme starts at an eye-watering £6,552 for seven nights.
The swap
RXV Wellness Village, Bangkok, Thailand
Following on from the success of the original Rakxa, owner Dusadee Tancharoen has thrown open the doors of a second more affordable property, aimed at families and groups of friends. Like its pricey sibling, it has a peaceful suburban location wedded between tropical gardens and the Tha Chin River, but features bright rooms with balconies rather than private villas. Programmes don't skimp on treatments and the facilities are world-class: a hydrotherapy suite with oxygen bath, soda bath and infra-red sauna; an Olympic-worthy gym staffed by sports scientists; a wellness centre with art therapy rooms, energy healing spaces and cocooning treatment suites; and a medical clinic with the latest cryosauna tech. Seven nights on the Mind & Body Resilience programme start at £2,950.
The original
Ananda in the Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India
Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman and King Charles III are among the guests who have sought solace at this 100-acre mountain escape that focusses on yoga and Ayurveda. A seven-night Comprehensive Wellness programme costs £5,410.
The swap
Fazlani Nature's Nest, Pune, India
Despite only being a two-hour drive southeast of Mumbai, Fazlani Nature's Nest feels a world away thanks to expansive grounds woven with the backwaters of the Indrayani River, where you can walk, cycle, fish, bird-spot and hang out with therapy horses. Guests can also drop into daily classes including oil pulling, yoga, pranayama, aqua fit and Zumba, in between scheduled massages, herbal baths and nutrition lessons. Modest rooms promote a good night's sleep, with blackout curtains and breathable beds. Expect to pay £1,570 for a week-long Immune Resilience retreat.
The original
Kamalaya, Koh Samui, Thailand
Built around an ancient Buddhist meditation cave on the south coast of Koh Samui, Kamalaya is where celebrities and CEOs come for a mental, physical and spiritual awakening. It's sublime, but enlightenment doesn't come cheap, with a five-night Embracing Change programme starting at £3,156.
The swap
Aleenta Retreat Chiang Mai, Thailand
Swap the beach for a stay in Chiang Mai, the spiritual heart of Thailand. The location couldn't be more conducive to a meditation break, set in the city's forested foothills within strolling distance of Wat Umong (known for its atmospheric tunnels and trees strung with proverbs). The name of the game here is Vipassana, the practice of intense self-observation, and Aleenta's Deep Meditation programme includes twice daily guided meditations, as well as more soothing Tibetan sound therapy, body scrubs and massages. Rooms are far from monastic, with opulent teak panelling, plump beds wrapped in 400 thread-count sheets and balconies. Seven nights cost £1,600.
The original
COMO Shambhala, Bali, Indonesia
This holistic haven celebrating its 20th anniversary this year is set across nine hectares of tangled rainforest and winding river on the outskirts of Ubud. It sets the spa bar high, with seven-night Connect to Rebalance programmes starting at £6,130.
The swap
Revīvō Wellness Resort, Bali, Indonesia
Journal away your worries at this sleek holistic hideaway where contemporary Balinese design blends effortlessly with ancient wellness therapies. Programmes include one spa treatment per day, a couple of holistic classes – water healing meditation, yin yoga, HIIT dance – and a variety of medi-spa therapies such as compression boots and infrared sauna domes.
Top up your programme with longevity-based blood work-ups and turn-back-the-clock aesthetics at the new Vitality Centre. Throw in vast villas (22 in total) with four-poster beds and sunken bathtubs and the seven-night Sleep Well and Reset is almost a steal at £3,848.
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