At these six spas, chopping, dicing, and savoring every bite headline the menu.
Even if you’re a regular Julia Child in the kitchen, there’s something magical about immersing in a spa vacation that emphasizes all things culinary. Whether it’s via classes or lectures, staying at one of these resorts, each of which puts immersive food experiences front and center, will help you eat healthier once you get home—and ensure that you connect with fellow travelers in the process.
Photo courtesy of Alila Manggis
Traditional Cooking in Bali
At Alila Manggis, one of Bali’s best-kept secrets, there are several draws to this secluded property. For one, it’s the revitalizing spa treatments held in outdoor bales in the property’s seaside Pandan forest. The other: cooking classes, which happen to be the island’s longest running. Guests start their cooking journey with a visit to the organic garden, hidden below the foothills of Mount Agung overlooking the sea, and then learn about traditional agricultural practices that have been a mainstay here. During class, you might harvest rice in the paddies or pick chilies and herbs before a chef-led class in the resort’s outdoor kitchen. “As a chef, the moment of introducing the guests to our gardens and our way of cooking brings back memories of the childhood where I was cooking with my mom in the kitchen,” says Wayan Sandiasa, the resort’s executive chef. “It gives me pleasure to see guests complete their dishes and enjoy them in our traditional Balinese pavilion.” alilahotels.com/manggis
“As a chef, the moment of introducing the guests to our gardens and our way of cooking brings back memories of the childhood where I was cooking with my mom in the kitchen.”
— Wayan Sandiasa, executive chef, Alila Manggis resort
Photo courtesy of Beaverbrook
Dive Into the World of Herbalism in the UK
Perched in Surrey, just 20 miles from London, Beaverbrook is a dreamy Bridgerton-like countryside resort that promises endless ways to unplug in the property’s Coach House
Spa, a tranquil, stained-glass-filled space. And Camilla dos Santos, the spa’s in-residence naturopath, provides personalized consultations and treatment plans to help guests take control of their health journey, whether they’re facing a chronic illness or are simply trying to manage stress. At the resort’s School of Cookery, guests can opt into intensive cooking classes as well as master sessions focused on how to use food for health, such as Winter Spice Cupboard Remedies, led by medical herbalist Jo Dunbar, who delights in walking guests through ways to turn your kitchen herbs and spices into herbal remedies. beaverbrook.co.uk
Photo courtesy of Beaverbrook
Photo courtesy of Beaverbrook
Photo courtesy of BodyHoliday
Photo courtesy of BodyHoliday
DIY Garden-to-Table Cooking in St. Lucia
Inspired by Rastafarian culture, which emphasizes the importance of eating food that comes directly from the earth, the I-TAL Experience at BodyHoliday
in St. Lucia does not disappoint. Guests
are picked up by one of the three resort gardeners during either a guided lunch or dinner tour of the resort’s I-TAL (which means “vital” in Rastafarian culture) garden followed by a fully plant-based
meal in the resort’s 12-seat farm-to-table restaurant using ingredients guests have harvested straight from the two-acre on- site garden. “We bring baskets and scissors with us and share the medicinal and culinary uses of the herbs and foods we’re growing,” says Ratoya Adjodha, the resort’s leader of the I-TAL Experience. Once the harvest is in, guests give their produce to the resort’s chefs and learn how to make a four-course meal with these homegrown ingredients, whether it’s basil, avocado, watermelon, or pineapple. “It’s so fun watching guests picking things, smelling, tasting, and laughing,” she says. “You find that inner child when you’re in the garden and you’re learning while you’re here, too. That’s the best part of all.” thebodyholiday.com
Photo by Andrea Killam courtesy of The Inn at Woodloch Resort
“Lots of our guests are foodies who are curious about how certain dishes are made.”
— Erica Bloch, associate director of communications, The Lodge at Woodloch
Fresh Local Ingredients in Pennsylvania
Endless culinary options await at The Lodge at Woodloch, a serene spa in the Poconos that features Blackmore Farm and Orchard, the property’s own organic farm. For starters, cooking demonstrations, from juicing 101 to healthy desserts, are offered twice daily in The Lodge’s state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen. Led by the resort’s chefs, guests learn how to plan a menu around seasonal produce and herbs from the garden as well as prepare creative healthy meals. Talia Segal Fidler, Woodloch’s holistic nutritionist, offers cooking classes as well. One favorite: “Light and Easy Healthy Dishes” focuses on showing guests how to incorporate less meat and unprocessed foods and more fruits and vegetables into their diets. “Lots of our guests are foodies who are curious about how certain dishes are made,” says Erica Bloch, associate director of communications. “Others are inspired to put together recipes they may not have thought of before. That’s why our cooking demos are our most popular options.” When guests aren’t cooking and chopping, there are over 50 fitness classes available a day, including 27 treatment rooms, as well as such opt-in experiences as forest bathing and energy healing. thelodgeatwoodloch.com
Farm-to-Fork Dining in Canada
At Auberge Saint-Antoine, a historic museum hotel located in Quebec City’s historic old port, guests get to savor organic foods farmed from a biodiverse-certified farm, featuring nesting boxes for birds and pollinators, fruit trees and beehives, all of which have provided the resort’s harvest over 10 months of the year since 2006. In keeping with its history, the signature dishes served at Chez Muffy, the Relais & Chateaux resort’s restaurant, are inspired by the culinary roots of Quebec itself. And, not to be forgotten, indulgent body and beauty treatments are available at the hotel’s wellness center, featuring massage and treatment rooms, a relaxation area, sauna, yoga room, and gym. saint-antoine.com
Class with a Culinary Pro in Vermont
At The Cook Academy, a veritable cooking school on site at The Essex Resort, tucked in Essex, seven miles from Burlington, Vermont, there’s no shortage of demos and classes taught by culinary pros in the resort’s professional kitchen classroom. You can opt for a knife skills workshop or learn cake decorating or watch the pros put together a meal with a curated dinner experience. You’ll leave with more than enough refreshed skills to bring home and cook for friends—and family. Add to it dining options in two on-site restaurants, a full-service spa in a tranquil setting surrounded by warm wood and natural stone, and options for the whole family to bike, go canoeing, fish, or play a round of golf, there are plenty of activities to keep you busy all day. essexresort.com