Happy healing in an island paradise
Authentic Ayurveda at luxury level at the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru
CC author Claudia Bette-Wenngatz experienced at the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru how the Indian art of healing is practiced here and how guests can participate on a new website.
If you want to experience Ayurveda, the science of life, as a professionally celebrated health program, you've come to the right place. While on many Maldives islands wellness is perceived more as an add-on to beach vacations and diving, guests at the Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa can get to know the holistic health concept AyurMa, which is unique in the Maldives.
The island: If you don't just want to look out over an azure lagoon from a small, manageable 'sand mirror' in the Maldives, you will find a green vacation paradise on the 18-hectare island on which the Four Seasons Resort at Landaa is located, which has been preserved in its original state: it is around 40 minutes by seaplane from the main island of Male, in the middle of the natural paradise of the Baa Atoll, which was declared the first UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives in 2011. In addition to still relatively intact coral reefs, it is characterized by a high concentration of manta rays, whale sharks and turtles as well as large mangrove forests and a rich bird life. On Four Seasons Island, guests move around on well-maintained sandy paths that are beautifully integrated into the natural surroundings on bicycles, which are available with a personal monogram in front of each villa. You can explore the island on foot along romantic jungle trails, discover the blue lagoon on Blu Beach, one of the most beautiful long sandy beaches in the Maldives, and go on fantastic diving and snorkeling excursions. Sustainability and nature conservation are a top priority. At the Marine Discovery Center, guests can learn everything there is to know about the marine region from expert staff and take part in the Reefscapers project, where they sponsor a coral frame that is laid out here to preserve and restore the coral reef. In the Turtle Rehabilitation Center, aquatic turtles are nursed back to health and in the Fish Lab, fish are reared and released onto the reef. A special experience between June and November is called 'Manta on Call': The world's largest concentration of manta rays cavort in nearby Hanifaru Bay during this time. Every guest receives a mobile phone on arrival, which is used to notify them as soon as the Manta Ray Project team spots the animals. Then it's off on the 'Meet the Mantas' snorkeling adventure by speedboat - anyone who has experienced this will never forget their encounter with these majestic sea creatures, which have a wingspan of up to seven meters!
The hotel: wow effects with spacious areas and clear lines: 103 villas, newly styled oceanfront and beach villas up to 800 sqm, water villas up to 300 sqm and almost twice as much outdoor as indoor space with 12-meter infinity pools. Architect Murad Ismail from Sri Lanka designed the villas based on traditional Maldivian architecture with coral walls and high thatched roofs that are carefully integrated into the natural surroundings. The decoration is also close to nature, elegant and restrained: there are no lavish, imported flower arrangements, but rather individual, elegantly arranged orchids that are nurtured and cared for in the hotel's own orchid house and in small containers on the palm trees throughout the island.
As for the food, it's hard to say which is more impressive: the location or the gourmet indulgence - cevice at Blu Beach Club on the beach with an option in the tree house, 'The Taste of Asia' at Cafe Landaa, 'Catch of the day' at Fuego barefoot in the sand or Lebanese-Moroccan haute cuisine over the water at Al Barakat. Not to miss: A night cup in the Seabar with a fantastic view of the lagoon - if you fancy it, you can also get the best view of the reef sharks, which appear punctually (inner clock?) at 10 o'clock in the evening to feed and which you can casually watch feeding from your hammock.
Ayurveda is also already present in all restaurants: you can choose dishes to suit the three Ayurvedic doshas Vata, Pitta and Kapha, which are determined beforehand by the doctor during the consultation. Which brings us to the 'Healing Heart' of the island....
AyurMa, derived from Ayurveda - the science of life - is the name of the spa and health center at the Four Seasons at Landaa Ayurma - the mother of life - and thus offers a program under the motto 'Love Yourself - love the Planet' that is intended to (re)awaken vitality and joy in guests. Here in the green heart of the island, holistic healing has had a very special meaning for over 15 years. This includes Ayurvedic treatments at a high level of therapy through to the cleansing Panchakarma cure lasting at least 14 days, which is supervised by competent Indian doctors, the spa manager Dr. Arun, who specializes in naturopathy, and Dr. Nikhil, who specializes in herbal medicine. Rarely outside India and Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean will you find so much authenticity in treatment. The three Ayurveda pavilions and three further wellness pavilions surrounded by greenery are unique in their beauty, size and facilities. The AyurMa Spa menu - beautifully and decoratively illustrated by an Indian painter - is based on four pillars: 1) Wellness treatments with Night Spa Ritual, exclusive facials by English celebrity beautician Teresa Tarnley and hair treatments by star stylist Rossano Ferreti. So-called alignment rituals, massages with herbal oils and healing stones, peelings and baths, some accompanied by singing bowl music, take place in overwater pavilions with ocean views and large floor windows overlooking the sea. 2) Yoga, including weightless anti-gravity yoga in the jungle pavilion and water yoga in the saltwater pool, as well as locally designed three- and five-day yoga therapy seminars with medical diagnosis and care, which take place in collaboration with an Indian university. In addition, there is 3) Planetary Wellbeeing with Five Element Trail, Yogic Cleansing Ritual accompanied by a naturopathic doctor, acupuncture, Essence of Water, a healing hydrotherapy, reflexology, earth and herbal packs and 4) last but not least, Ayurveda as a core competence.
As with all AyurMa programs, the same applies here: Individuality has the highest priority, each guest receives a treatment tailored to them and their current condition with individually selected oils and medicinal herbs, most of which even come from the hotel's own herb garden. After a free consultation and pulse diagnosis by one of the Ayurveda doctors trained at South Indian universities in Kerala, the treatment is carried out in 100 square meter spa suites with natural stone tubs and original wooden loungers: four-handed synchronized massages, herbal healing baths, forehead pours and massages with herbal stamps prepared shortly before each treatment are tailored to the guest, as is an Ayurvedic healing diet, which is served in the restaurant or in the privacy of your own villa. Here, as in the entire resort, guests experience a service that truly meets the highest standards and simply makes them happy around the clock. The number of around 450 employees for 103 villas and the long-standing presence of Regional Vice-President and General Manager Armando Kraenzlin from Switzerland alone speaks for itself...
He and his team have also come up with a brand new wellness online service: the Four Seasons at Landaa offers a special website for all those who want to know what awaits them on the island, especially at the AyurMa Center, and for guests who want to benefit from the holistic health they have acquired on the island at home after their stay. Here you will find the full AyurMa overview including Zoom consultations with the Ayurveda doctors and daily online yoga sessions streamed directly from the resort!
A little tip: The Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru now exclusively offers the opportunity to experience a 30-minute yoga session with AyurMa's yoga therapists every day at 07:30 GMT (08:30 German time) - including the sound of the waves and the view of the sea. Private 60-minute yoga or meditation classes can also be booked, allowing guests to benefit from the healing energies, soothing nature and expertise of AyurMa together with another participant: www.ayurma.life/live-yoga
More information at:
www.ayurma.life
