This resort doesn’t sing or dance its sustainability credentials, but its efforts on that front are truly impressive. As the resort’s manager pointed out over a lunch of grilled fish and stir-fried local vegetables, sustainability was built into Vana’s ethos from the beginning, long before it became a priority for the world’s largest hotel group. . Rainwater is collected and recycled to irrigate the property’s 21 acres, and solar panels provide heating during the cooler months. No ingredients are flown in, and nearly everything is made in-house using local ingredients, from cheese to bread to miso to kombucha to butter. Even his linen pajamas are upcycled into Darley’s carpets after they’ve been worn out enough. Additionally, an in-house bottling plant ensures that the entire resort is a plastic-free zone.
Photo: Courtesy of Six Senses Vana
But where Six Senses Vana shines the most are the treatments that are not only world-class, but truly set the standard for world-class. Shortly after arriving, several sheets slipped under the door. First, it’s a dizzying schedule of daily activities, including breathing exercises, meditation sessions, and my personal favorite, Raga Therapy. Raga therapy, which basically consisted of lying on the ground and gently strumming a sitar, led to a mid-afternoon doze most days. Evenings included film screenings in an outdoor cinema and lectures by visiting practitioners and experts on ancient Indian spiritual practices. Several tours were also offered for an additional fee, including a grand aarti ceremony on the river in nearby Rishikesh. It was here that the Beatles spent an infamous period in his late 60s in an ashram and embraced Transcendental Meditation. Or simply hike to a nearby monastery or nature reserve. Personally, I chose to mostly remain on site and didn’t get to take advantage of the state-of-the-art gym and expansive outdoor pool for a morning swim as I had originally planned. (It was the height of the monsoon season), I did yoga every morning at 7am and then started with a hearty breakfast of masala dosa, which I felt was good enough for me.
