Beautiful Bali was my flight to freedom in 2022 and my stay at REVĪVŌ Wellness Resorts was an opportunity to stop and focus on myself. Don’t be too alarmed by the dramatic sub-title, I am more than well after my time at REVĪVŌ, and let me tell you why!
My Story
I am yet to tell my story to the outside world but I doubt much of it is any different than yours. The pandemic was a great equaliser we were all in the same storm even if we were sailing different ships in different countries!
When the Coronavirus swept across the globe here in Thailand, we battened down the hatches and prepared to dig in for the great unknown. We worked from home, we stayed in our small Bangkok apartment & every weekend we took one carefully selected “safe’ hotel escape. As we visited Phuket in December 2020, the Thai Government announced further restrictions saying do not travel, and work from home. We stayed on the island until October 2021.
Phuket’s beleaguered hotels, bereft of tourism offered unheard-of deals and we continued our hotel staycations. Our friends were so jealous!
The Pavillions Phuket
However, initially unable to access vaccines and with Thailand’s airports closed, my inability to return to my nest across the seas struck hard. Nothing uncommon in this, many of us were unable to see family and friends. Plenty of us also missed saying goodbye to loved ones. Some of us became socially isolated and alone in the world when Covid struck…
Perhaps you too have been dealing with similar issues.
I emerged from two years of juggling separation from my family spread across three continents a shadow of my former self, except that my shadow had actually become twice my size! Secluded, with a new sedentary writing lifestyle, meant that my blob of a body could no longer even touch my toes.
I didn’t know where to start first; my mental well-being, or my physical health, but I knew I needed to start somewhere.
My love for Bali
Bali had always been my happy place since I first arrived nearly 30 years ago. In May 2019 I joined a group of Aussie gym friends for a Bali Fit’cation.
It was a challenging schedule and became my benchmark for how my fitness had withered away to zero. Then I happily started the day with 6 am Bootcamp personal training, climbed Mount Batur volcano for sunrise, could easily cycle 25 km around Ubud rice fields, and would complete a yogic downward dog that didn’t involve a load of grimaces.
Morning shots by the pool
Thailand to Bali
When Bali reopened to the world I knew I wanted to return, it felt great to be planning to holiday again in Asia.
In search of an uncomplicated return to travel for the over 50’s solo female traveller. I felt Bali could offer all this and more. My Covid days had sucked much of my zest for life and there was a Wren in desperate need of adventure.
A four-hour flight on Air Asia from Bangkok and a return flight to Phuket on Scoot via Singapore Airlines made it simple. Bali is super accessible within Asia, as it had been when I lived in Australia.
Wandering the Revivo grounds
My Bali holiday
I decided to join the REVĪVŌ Wellness Resorts retreat at the end of my travels giving me time to reacquaint myself with Bali and check out how the Island of Gods had faired post-pandemic. I retraced my steps from 2019 for old times’ sake and added a couple of new destinations such as Sanur with The Pavilions Resort (their sister resort) and added a long-awaited bucket list destination to wander the rice terraces of Sideman.
Bali is easy travel. It is a small enough island to get around, with a lot to see and do. There is a wonderful spiritual side that I always find fascinating and uplifting. The need to sort out my solo travel plans distracted my mind and kept me occupied. I was back in my happy place.
Yoga at The Pavilions Bali
REVĪVŌ Wellness Resorts
I felt stronger than I had in a couple of years when I, surprising even myself, burst into tears with Kimberly, their Director of Wellness who conducted my arrival consultation. Revīvō Wellness Resort offers a choice of six retreats. They ask all wellness participants to complete a thorough pre-arrival questionnaire. Of course, I’d been suitably vague on my form, I thought I was there for Longevity and Anti Aging! I’d become good at hiding my angst. Covid was both the creator and perfect cover for any of us with emotional wellness issues.
Kimberly passes me the box of tissues, it’s a well-practiced manoeuvre, I’m obviously not the only one needing these to get through the welcome consultation. I’d surprised myself. I hadn’t expected to offload my entire life. So watch out, Bali and a skilled consultant can do that for you.
I was also clearly not the first who arrives for one retreat and ends up with another. The beauty of REVĪVŌ was my stay was designed and adapted for me. As their website says “Optimal living starts with a balanced mind”
I felt quite relieved after my consultation, that I’d shared how I was feeling.
Daily Journal writing
REVĪVŌ Wellness Programs
It was hard to choose one of the signature programs as my main focus. From Mindfulness and Emotional Balance, Sleep Well, Destress and Relax, to Longevity and Anti Aging, Detox, and Weight Loss, I felt I needed them all. Decisions, decisions!
Each day is full and my bespoke program ended up as a mixture of all the above, and kept me busy.
Workout at REVĪVŌ
My four-day stay at Revīvō gave me hope that I could find my old mojo. I was amazed at how quickly my body responded to the exercise classes. After two sessions of yoga and Pilates daily, I found myself more grounded and stable and a whole lot less wobbly in my moves.
Healthy Eating at REVĪVŌ
My insides loved all the Nutrio restaurant food. Each meal was pre-planned to tackle my weight loss and cholesterol-lowering objectives. The food was brilliantly named. With a dinner menu of White Spirit, Pure Fulfilment, Love Alchemy, and Ayurveda Tea, I slowly lost my old ways and cravings.
The variety of food was impressive. My meals came with accompanying recipes to enable me to continue this healthy eating.
Lunch is served!
Remissō Spa
The massage, facial, and body scrub spa treatments were wonderful pampering and good for the soul. I was so pleased they were included in my package as I’m the sort of person that often looks at the price tag, not the benefit.
My REVĪVŌ Villa
Oh my, the accommodation is incredibly luxurious, it definitely put a smile on my face! Just look at this room. The setting made me reflect on how lucky I was. The villa was beautiful, spacious, and charming. Each night’s different sleep activities and the comfiest bed ever led to deep, deep sleep.
I loved the deep soaking bathtub which one night was transformed into the loveliest relaxing herbal bath I’ve had. Beside my bed, sat a light therapy device in the form of an intriguing sleep lamp which you stared at and breathed with whilst the light grew brighter, then dimmer, and eventually changed colours.
Every morning my favourite start to the day was my outside shower under the blue skies.
All the little touches -straw sunhats are provided!
Morning Rituals
Revived, I was up early each day. One morning a resort car took me to the local Geger Beach at Nusa Dua. It was a lovely treat to walk barefoot on the sands, looking at the traditional Balinese boats bobbing around in the water at sunrise. It was quiet and peaceful.
Talking of morning rituals, the Morning Indulgence ceremony at their shrine was very special. . Sitting at the shrine at dawn, the birds singing, incense burning, and joining in the Balinese offering ceremony was a special connection with local rituals. I was joined by a couple who were staying for 10 days and had decided to attend every morning.
Morning Indulgence
Final thoughts
REVĪVŌ Wellness Resorts set me on the path to recovery. It made me a whole lot less wobbly on this planet and I left lighter in more ways than one.
Thank you to the wonderful Revivo staff, and especially Kimberly Rose Kneier (Director of Wellness). My stay was another step towards reclaiming my old joie de vivre. It gave me some distance from my everyday life, and I found some perspective and the opportunity to find joy.
I know I was not the only one attending this retreat as a fresh start, brief conversations I had in passing with others showed a lot of us can benefit from a wellness retreat! Whilst I was there traveling solo, other guests included couples and for the first time at a Wellness Retreat I was also seeing several solo men prioritising their health and wellness
PS My story ends on a happy note. REVĪVŌ means I’ll live again, I left feeling calmer and better prepared for life’s next challenges.
Further Reading
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