The Best Wellness Retreats in the Philippines

Located just east of Manila, Luljetta’s Place offers a holistic, reinvigorating escape from the big city. The expansive grounds are said to be home to the only hanging gardens in the country, and there’s a spa with an extensive menu of services. Coming with a group? The Spa Party Package includes the use of the Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, massages for up to 10 people, food and access to the lap, hydro and ionized pools in the garden. Plus, there are more than enough photogenic corners to fill up your social feed.

The Mithi Resort & Spa spans 14 seaside hectares (35 acres) on Bohol, in the central Philippines. Accommodation-wise, this means rooms and three types of villas with handsome local design touches. Setting-wise, there are a long strip of private beach, a private islet and an underwater cave. Activities-wise, there are a lauded spa, an expansive gym, tennis courts and watersports options ranging from kayaking to paddleboarding.

Eschewing the beachside setting of most of its Bohol counterparts, North Zen Villas unfolds across a scenic, green, watery mangrove forest. The 21 rooms and villas blend contemporary and Filipino design elements and grant access to an onsite spa, plus activities such as a mangrove walk and snorkelling trips (and, yes, white-sand beaches are only a 30-minute drive away).

Only 30 minutes from Manila is the classy Anya Resort. The 78 suites here are spacious and handsome and encourage you – with rain showers, expansive balconies and views that take in the surrounding nature – to slow down. And, with a location in a green zone and easy access to parks and other natural areas, not to mention three swimming pools and a spa, Anya is well-positioned to make you forget about the hustle and bustle a half-hour away.

Perched on a hillside fronting a white-sand-rimmed bay on Boracay is the Crimson Resort & Spa. Accommodation ranges from rooms to private villas equipped with plunge pools, all with sea views. There’s a spa offering traditional Filipino treatments and a bliss-inducing selection of ocean-view pools. And, the Crimson is particularly well equipped for families, with a kids’ club that has a pirate ship playhouse and pools just for the little ‘uns.

A 1-hour drive from El Nido on Palawan Island is Qi Palawan, an escape-from-it-all resort with just eight rooms. Days begin with free early-morning yoga classes at the open-air rooftop studio, accompanied by ocean breaths and treetop views. For complete relaxation, head to the spa for Swedish and traditional Filipino massages, and herbal baths. And, at mealtimes, enjoy Spanish-Filipino cuisine and fresh salads from the organic garden at the resort.

In the tropical jungles of Batangas, 90 minutes from Manila, the Farm at San Benito offers wellness for the mind, body and spirit. There’s a long list of programmes available, ranging from pain prevention to detoxes and anti-ageing. Making this possible is a dedicated team, which includes medical doctors, a nutritionist, a fitness coach and a yoga instructor. The lush grounds also house several deluxe villas, a massive spa, a vegan restaurant, organic gardens, a gym and swimming pools.

For a back-to-basics wellness retreat, Bahay Kalipay (Happy House) is an oasis in the otherwise busy capital of Palawan. The team here promotes a raw-food lifestyle and the calm, introspective practice of inner dance. The hotel offers different retreats, such as wellness yoga holidays and detox-style cleanses, some lasting for a weekend and others for as long as 12 days. The absence of material luxuries allows you to reconnect with yourself and mingle with the community.

On the Visayas, within an old coconut plantation in the province of Negros Oriental, you’ll find Atmosphere Resorts and Spa. With swimming pools, a treehouse for daily yoga sessions and a spa, where a long list of treatments includes massages, facials, detoxes and body wraps, the resort focuses on wellness and relaxation. There’s also an emphasis on responsible travel, with products sourced locally, consumption minimised and waste regulated. There is even a soup kitchen for children in need, open five days a week.

On the southeastern coast of Siargao, Lotus Shores is a yoga-forward retreat with resident teachers running up to four lessons per day. It sits in a vibrant garden, and there’s an onsite vegan cafe (ingredients sourced from local, organic farms and the resident vegetable patch). Stay in traditional-yet-stylish villas, private rooms or shared dorms, all of which come with a complimentary breakfast.

Nurture Wellness Village in Tagaytay sits on picturesque grounds, offering holistic health services such as healthy-food preparation demonstrations, wellness talks and breathing exercises. There is also a range of Filipino spa treatments, including several massages and scrubs, many of which are done in traditional nipa huts alongside nature. Stay in the garden- or forest-view rooms, or embrace the outdoors with a stay in one of the glamping tents.

Mandala Spa & Resort Villas was tastefully designed to blend in with its lush natural environment. Start the day with a soothing yoga session, before heading to the spa for massages, body wraps and scrubs. For a more luxurious healing treatment, the hotel offers water therapy in the form of watsu (water shiatsu). The resort houses 15 luxurious villas, which, despite the world-renowned beach waiting right outside, are so comfortable they’re difficult to leave.