Chiva Som: A dream retreat

While anyone is allowed to drop into this 6am stretch class – one of the many open fitness sessions in destination spa Chiva Som’s daily schedule – I feel like an imposter. I’ve done yoga only once before, and the closest I’ve ever come to meditation is choosing what to order from a dinner menu. Yet the atmosphere is so serene that I’m anxious to look as if I know what I’m doing.

“It’s a good kind of pain,” Tam smiles. “You‘ll see. You come tomorrow and you will see how you improve. This kind of pain is good for your health.”

Famous for being one of the most luxurious destination spas in Thailand’s rapidly expanding wellness-tourism industry, Chiva Som has won numerous international awards for its cuisine, spa treatments and resort facilities. Just a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Bangkok – although its tranquil ponds and lush shady gardens look as far removed from the city as possible – there are several things apart from yoga stretch classes that could be described as ‘painful’ for some. It’s forbidden to have electronic devices anywhere in the hotel apart from private areas like your own room – so no phone, texts or emails, no Facebook, no Kindles even and – for me, a non-watch wearer – no way of telling the time. The spa’s healthy menu means relinquishing almost all naughty food indulgences, while the strict no-smoking policy means a sacrifice for nicotine addicts.

But it’s amazing how blissful it can be to be removed from the things you think you depend upon. Phone-free and oblivious to the hour, I wander the jasmine-scented gardens giddy with the sense of being totally cut off from my everyday life – free to soak up the wafts of lemongrass spiralling from the treatment rooms, the tang of the sea air and the steady croak of cicadas rising from the bushes.

While I could while away my entire stay this way, I also have my own personal timetable of treatments and classes, arranged during the arrival consultation. As well as drop-in stretch classes, yoga, pilates and aqua aerobics among others, there’s the gym, the pool, the beach and a vast menu of customisable à la carte treatments. Everyone’s schedule is entirely individual – my goal is to unwind and switch off a little, so I am booked in for a daily massage, along with a rejuvenating facial, a physio session, and I even try acupuncture for the first time.

Whatever you fill your days with, they’re punctuated by the serving times at the resort’s two restaurants, one of which specialises in international cuisine, while the other, right by the beach, focuses on authentic Thai dishes. There’s no sense of ‘going without’ – imaginative, delicious yet healthy treats like avocado butter or beetroot hummus feel indulgent, and the fact that everything is made from organic ingredients means every bite – even that mouthful of chocolate ice cream (made from frozen banana rather than dairy) – is totally guilt free.

During dinner in the international restaurant there is a ‘talk table’ where those who want may mingle, or down in the Thai restaurant is the ‘naughty’ table – the only place in the resort where it’s permitted to smoke.

If you can tear yourself away, beyond the resort the coastal town of Hua Hin offers up a traditional flavour of Thailand, with bustling floating markets, ornate temples and the beautiful Hua Hin train station. But I’m quite content to stay nestled within the resort’s grounds. Happily bumbling from one pampering session to the next, it feels as if I am walking on air, flopping from one cushioned treatment table to another, and my three days simply melt away like sand slipping through my fingers.

Gaining confidence