Retreats and renewals

I am giving way this week to an article written by my daughter, Paloma Urquijo Zobel, who went with me to The Farm in San Benito, Batangas. The start of the year, indeed, is a great way to start a healthy lifestyle. And for us, it began with three days — of cleansing diet, peace and quiet, without the distractions we normally encounter in our everyday city life.  

By Paloma Urquijo Zobel

The new year brings with it a clean slate, an opportunity to set new goals for ourselves and execute them for as long as we can until they camouflage themselves into our busy schedules, we forget about them and they just become another resolution for the coming year.

Moss try: Sitting quietly in the moss garden is a must-try when at The Farm

This year, however, I decided my resolution would for once last longer than just one day. College in New York City has a way of wrapping you up in its chaos and making you just another fish flowing with the current. They say New York is for the alternative yet everyone seems to end up being very “New York” and following the same trends. 

A big trend that has hit the Big Apple these past years has been a large health campaign, whether it’s to go greener with your food and eat locally, or really watching your health, most New Yorkers pride themselves on wellbeing and taking care of themselves. This is why I readily accepted my mother’s invitation to accompany her to The Farm in San Benito. Eckard Rempe founded this plush spa many years ago and has since become one of the top retreats in the Philippines.

Shopping for health: Natural products from The Farm’s shop

Having made a New Year’s resolution to take better care of my health, I wanted to kick off with a productive start through The Farm’s signature three-day liquid diet. I told myself that it would be a great way to cleanse all the dirt and negative vibrations that my system had accumulated in 2010. I was promised that there would be no television and only the beauty as well as privacy of the spacious grounds to comfort me. I was certain that I would at least get a respite from all the commotion that lay just hours away in Manila.

I was welcomed by a beautiful landscape divided into gardens, meditation huts and yoga pavilions, all beautifully masked into their natural surroundings. It was the perfect setting to completely recharge both mentally and physically. So began my cleansing program. There were six servings of different juices every day along with a hot soup just before bedtime. There was also an array of spa and recreational activities that filled my mornings and afternoon. I had the chance to indulge in a stone massage as well as a twilight honey scrub that left me relaxed and completely rejuvenated before I fell soundly asleep.

Big and bright: Peacocks roam in the gardens.

By my second day, I already felt lighter and as my mum was hopelessly trying to find something edible and solid around our room, the setting was just a constant reminder of how much I needed this break and how I owed the same break to my body for just those three days. From the impeccable service to the beautiful peacocks roaming the grounds, The Farm quickly became a calm, healing utopia, offering all the services of a five-star resort with the benefits of a health retreat.

Our stay reached its end before I knew it and I was hesitant to go back into the real world after living such a clean life those three days. The results were clearly visible. I looked rested and healthy and as we sat down in the resort’s vegan restaurant, Alive, to eat our first meal consisting of an arrangement of appetizing delectable dishes made up of vegetables in a sweet sour sauce, tofu, miso, and more all served with a mango salad, I resolved my resolution would become a lifetime habit.

The Farm’s spa staff: Lemoiel, Angel, Cherry, Jhenere, Mateo and Yona

I decided the results spoke for themselves and embarked the year on a health mission to take better care of myself, whether it be cleansing on a liquid diet three days a week or watching what I ate, The Farm had motivated me to start new and start healthy.

However, it did not end there. Upon our departure, we learned that it was possible to carry on with our cleansing diet in the comfort of our own home in Manila. Made possible by Juju juice, fresh juices can be sent to your home every day for when time does not permit a relaxing, recharging retreat at The Farm in San Benito.

The author Paloma Urquijo Zobel and mom Bea Zobel