Ever had a problem of combining a lavish stay while still taking care of yourself physically and mentally? The Retreat on the Dubai Palm have discovered a gap in the Dubai market by creating an experience beyond a hotel stay by including set activities based around your well being. It is actually the Middle East’s first holistic wellbeing resort and its 24hrs retreat package is an unique offer in all of the UAE.
One of our favourite things about Dubai Is that there are always cool and exciting things opening up. As health and fitness nuts, we were so happy to see a resort taking extra care into creating a product for this niche and people coming into Dubai wanting a retreat style of stay, something you would normally find more in Thailand, Sri Lanka or Bali.
The Arrival
We came here on the 24 hour package, allowing us to try a little bit of everything the The Retreat by M Gallery had to offer. The journey begins with a welcome ritual featuring colour therapy and our first round of refreshing detox drinks! After check-in, we went to have a little tour of the organic garden before having a great customized little lunch curated and cooked by the Wellness Chef. We had our own set menu as part of the program, but as a regular guest, you can indulge the beautiful buffet which was the healthiest we have seen for a hotel lunch buffet. Usually healthy food is not perceived as tasty, but the chef here has done an incredible job in making every dish a foodies dream, by not only looking good, but extremely tasting.
Oxygen Lounge
After lunch we went to an oxygen session, where we had via a tube pure oxygen pumped into our body. It gave us euphoric feelings with the effects also being revitalizing our skin from many weeks of stress. Three flavours are available to choose from.
Pool & Sun relaxation
We then had some free time in the afternoon to enjoy the facilities and the wonderful pool looking over the Dubai Marina. It was essential during this stay to get our vitamin D hit and have a swim in the ocean water.
Laughing Yoga
Our first major health and wellness activity part of the 24 hour package was the Laughing Yoga. This was something that we had heard of before, tried for one laugh, but had never tried a full class before. For all of us involved, it was certainly stepping outside our comfort zone. So as we settle down our positions on the yoga deck right by the pool, between it and the beach side, there were people staring as we rolled around in raucous laughter. In saying that, despite being very hard to get comfortable to start with, there were so many positive vibes coming from the whole experience. Let us tell you that the abs were working quite hard!
Detox drinks
Detox Drinks all the time! On request (for a fee of course if you want them outside of your package deal), they were always fresh and quick to come over. It was one of our highlights of the Retreat to get many delicious combinations of elements in the drinks. In the morning, following your good sleep, you get a “detox drink wake up call” which they bring you a pretty strong shot to start the day!
Salt of the Earth
Before dinner, we had a session called Salt of the Earth. This is where you choose from an assortment of smells and aromas to pick your favorite salts for you bath later in the evening. We all spent so long trying to decide which one we liked the most.
Dining at the Retreat The Palm by M Gallery
During your retreats, the chef will build custom menus based on your diet and assessment you do prior of your arrival. For our group of people, we got served avocado salad and sea bass with spicy lemon dressing. The exceptionally high level of food preparation kept coming. Make sure you sit outside and enjoy the calm and peace. We also helped ourselves to the buffet for some gluten free cakes. Dessert has never felt so guilt free. Note that the buffet throughout the day for regular guest is very healthy and tasty as well. You will find some little fried food here and there to satisfy all tastes, but it is by far the healthiest buffet option we have seen in all of the hotels we have been to in our lives.
As said before, at 7AM we received our morning wake up call with a lemony detox shot to wake us up and kickstart our metabolism. It was so powerful but had a sweet little aftertaste. For breakfast, there is an a la carte menu available, but you can have a complete salad bar to your disposition to start the day with. Here we are not just talking about a few greens, but tons of amazing mixes of fruits, greens and mixed veggies!
Stand Up Paddle Board Fitness
It’s important to mention that before we went to eat breakfast, part of our program was our Stand Up Paddle Board Fitness session with our instructor Natalie. Standing on a paddle board is hard enough just by itself for some people, so doing burpees and squats on water was quite a challenge! It is so good for your core and an amazing workout to start the day with. Our legs were burning and some of us did fell off many times. It was a great and unique way to get our morning fitness hit.
24 hour Retreat (1 night)
To give you a quick overview of our package, here is a clear itinerary of how approximately our journey went through.
Day 1
- 12 pm – Arrival, Welcome ritual with Colour Therapy and Detox Drink
- 12 – 1.30 pm – Orientations, Consultations forms (stone path, herb garden)
- 1.30 pm – 2.30 pm – Lunch with Wellness Chef (Vegan / Non-vegan, with super foods benefits to be presented by Chef)
- 2.30 pm – 3.30 pm – Group consultation with self-analysis (Naturopathic Doctor) & Detox drink
- 3.30 pm – Check in
- 4.30 pm – 5.00 pm – Spa Group Activity – Salt of the Earth
- 5.00 pm – 6.00 pm – Sunset Yoga on the beach / Fitness activity (as per the Rayya weekly schedule)
- 6.00 pm – 6.15 pm – Detox Drink
- 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm – Dinner with Wellness Chef (set menu)
- 8.00 pm – 9.00 pm – Turn Down, In room bath (using the salt made earlier)
Day 2
- 07.00 am – Wake up call, Lemon Juice Delivery
- 08.30 – 09.30 am – Laughter Yoga Session / Fitness Activity
- 09.30 – 10.30 am – Breakfast with Wellness Chef
- 10.30 – 12.00 pm – Beach Chill Out / Aqua Fitness
- 1.30 pm – 2.30 pm – Lunch with Wellness Chef (set menu)
- 2.30 – 3.00 pm – Departure Discussion, Check out
How much does the 24h package cost?
That was our 24 hour package experience. It was really well worth it and felt way longer than 24h! Depending if you are doing a stay-cation or if you are coming from outside of Dubai for a longer stay, there are more packages available. Guests are also welcome to book the Retreat The Palm normally like any other hotel, but sure has the advantages of getting enhanced health and wellness facilities and service.
So for this experience we did, it is priced at 999 AED (~270$US) per person, inclusive of meals and a night stay in one of the beautifully appointed rooms. Note that this package isn’t available throughout the whole year and they have different offers every season so make sure to consult their website!
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