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There are plenty spa establishments in Marrakech and you may feel lost trying to find a good one. You won't find than Canal Forme Spa and Beauty Center.
Hammam & massage are about £40 and they have got a wellness swimming pool that does hydro massages. Access to the swimming pool and fitness is £25.
There is a hairstyling salon there too. My wife got a Keratin hair Treatment and I got my hair cut. A beautiful place to go.
53, Abou Baker Essediq Avenue - Guéliz Ménara - Marrakech. www.marrakechcanalforme.com
info@marrakechcanalforme.com
+212(0)524 339 580 / 581
Near the Royal Theater (Theatre Royal) and the Train Station (ONCF)
Yoga at the level of your choice: one, two or three times a day; stunning natural surroundings; delicious imaginative vegetarian/vegan food; a swimming pool; a nearby river to swim in/canoe down; traditional markets in medieval hilltop villages? Yes, please! La Roane near Toulouse has all this and then some (a treehouse, sauna, massage). Nigel Shamash (your host) is a wonderfully warm and open-hearted man, with much experience of life, and a mad sense of humour. He is a clown and a musician, but like many artists has a quiet reflective side as well.
La Roane is set in 20 acres of peaceful meadow and woodland, away from roads and neighbours. It’s peaceful and secluded with wonderful woodland walks to explore, a paradise for nature lovers. It is Nigel Shamash’s home, and when you stay there it feels as though you are staying with a friend. People (a maximum of eighteen at any time) go there to enjoy the activities of the week’s course, and to spend time in a relaxing environment where there are few rules. If you want, your greatest responsibility is to decide whether or not to eat another peach. Bring your books, your diary, and your computer, or your swimsuit and your running shoes, or none of them. It’s up to you.
La Roane offers one-week yoga retreats/holidays (as well as other holistic-themed weeks) during the summer months. There are three houses, a hundred metres or so from each other, set in a huge meadow and surrounded by woodland, all Nigel’s property. In the grounds are also a tree house, a swimming pool, a sauna, a huge swing in the forest, ping-pong tables, croquet and badminton facilities, and bicycles to borrow. The nearby medieval town of St Antonin has a thriving community, with a lively market on Sundays. The town nestles on the Aveyron river, surrounded by both the spectacular sheer cliffs of the Aveyron gorge and rolling hills of lush green countryside. It is exceptionally charming, and peaceful too. In the heart of the village is the oldest civic building in France, which dates from the 12th century. You can wander through the maze of alleyways and enjoy the patchwork houses which bear witness to centuries of life. Coffee and croissants are never far away.
Each yoga course is run by a carefully-chosen and experienced teacher. There’s usually an early-morning session, another before lunch, and one before supper. There’s plenty of equipment – mats, blocks, belts, bolsters etc. The sessions are held in the converted barn; it’s cool and airy with a smooth wood floor and doors on three sides lead to the garden. Your teacher helps you to work at your own level, beginner or expert.
The place is full of flowers, both cultivated and wild. The local wildlife list is long and as well as deer includes jay, hoopoe, nightingale, buzzard, honey buzzard, glow-worm, edible dormouse, rabbit, hare, badger and fox. There are frogs and fish in the pond, and an occasional harmless snake. There are literally hundreds of species of butterfly and moth and zillions of insects, but no mosquitoes!
The pool, always clean, is set in the meadow and surrounded by flower and bushes that attract butterflies. A modern system has done away with the need to add chlorine. There are plenty of sun loungers and you can move them into the shade if you want.
All the bedrooms are comfortable, with rustic décor, not luxurious. But there are enough hangers for your clothes, and towels are provided. There’s a washing machine in each house and washing lines for drying.
Some afternoons, members of the local community arrive to give excellent shiatsu and aromatherapy massages. On Sunday morning you can visit the market in St Antonin, and twice in the week Nigel offers an optional excursion at no extra cost. On these trips you might go for a walk in the local countryside, picnic by and swim in the river, visit a local town for tea or a beer or an ice cream, or a group might go canoeing down the river.
Nigel’s philosophy is that you are on holiday, and if you don’t want to do an activity then you don’t have to do it. But going off to get drunk at a different bar each evening and turning up late for meals every day is not considered acceptable.
The food is exceptionally good! Breakfast (at 09.00h) is a help-yourself affair of seasonal fresh fruit, fresh bread, local cheeses, jams, cereals, yogurts, with an endless supply of tisanes, fresh coffee, tea, rooibush etc. If what you want isn’t there, Nigel will try to get it, or you can bring your own. You eat breakfast wherever you want: in a sunny spot in the garden, or a shady spot if it’s very hot, or inside if it’s raining; with or without others, as you wish.
Lunch and supper are taken on the terrace of the manor house, weather permitting. If it’s wet you eat in the big room of the big house. These two meals are prepared by Enzo, an Italian chef who has lived in the village for 20 years. He describes himself as an artist whose medium is food. All vegetarian, every meal begins with a smooth vegetable soup: turnip, beetroot, a broth with dulse, leek, nettle, courgette... whatever was in the market that morning. The main course will include a grain (rice, couscous, quinoa, barley etc) cooked in an interesting way; a protein (a pulse or two, local cheese, soya, eggs) and plenty of fresh local vegetables exquisitely cooked with herbs from the garden (a courgette/tomato/potato/rosemary bake, or grated carrot with anise) or a vegetable curry. His crepes don’t last long! Pudding at lunch-time is fresh fruit if you want it. In the evening, Enzo makes a desert: tarte aux pommes, chocolate mousse to die for, banana-and-coffee cream, fruit pancakes… You can help yourself to tea, coffee, fruit juice and biscuits throughout the day. Good local wine is served in the evenings.
If you have special dietary requirements Enzo will happily accommodate you: no wheat, no sugar, no dairy, no eggs, no problem!
There’s always enough to eat but you never leave the table feeling too full. Enzo studied food phytology and combines his ingredients with knowledge and intelligence. And what’s more, your plate always looks divine, decorated with herbs and flowers from the garden and blazing with colour. Enzo frequently gets a round of applause at the end of a meal!
The courses are held only in the summer months. Like all of northern Europe, the weather can be unreliable. If you’re lucky, you’ll get long hot summer days and long warm evenings; if not you might get a terrific electric storm or a few cool rainy days. In the summer it’s never cold.
I keep returning to La Roane. Fresh air and nature, peace and quiet, solitude, company, riotous laughter – all these are easy to find. The surrounding countryside is as beautiful as anywhere in the world. Nigel takes great care of his guests. His community is warm and welcoming and in the course of running La Roane he provides many local people with work. There is also always a wonderful new friend to be found and each group has a different flavour, depending on the personalities who come. La Roane is like the best box of chocolates!
www.nigelshamash.com
phone: 0033 563 68 23 67
nearest town: St Antonin Noble Val
nearest airports: Toulouse, Rodez
nearest station: Caussade
In an over-stressed world, time has become the greatest luxury of them all. During my last vacation with my family all I wanted was a hassle-free ambiance. My kids are grown so I left them off to discover Rio de Janeiro. My husband went on his cultural exploration of the city and I headed to the spa. Guilt free and ready for the hours of relaxation. This quiet little spot in Ipanema deserves my good word! I assure you that somewhere during your experience, before you float out the door feeling like you've got your head in the clouds, you will thank the all mighty forces for the relaxing time you had.
Rua Prudente de Morais 729, Ipanema
You'll find these in the small town of Kremmling, Colorado which you could drive through in about five seconds really if you felt that way inclined. But just off the main road is Hot Sulphur Springs, a spa complex based around natural springs of differing temperatures. Some are as tiny as a paddling pool, others are great rock pools and everyone is very friendly so if you can stand the heat you could stay there chatting for ages.
One warning - the smell, although you get used to it once you're there, it lingers for a spectacularly long time! Kind of worth it though as you do feel a million dollars when you leave.
Near Kremmling, about 70 miles from Denver, Colorado
The best Thai massage on Chaweng Beach. Sweet middle-aged ladies, lovely place.
Chaweng Beach Road
Dolenjske Toplice is one of Slovenia's most well known spa resorts. If you are serious about doing absolutely nothing and want to get out of the Llubljana tourist traps then this is the place to go.
The best possible Thai massage. Step out of a Hungarian street (Terez Korut) into a courtyard, and then into a charmingly shabby Bangkok environment - Thai pop music on the cassette, incense. Book an hour if you must, but an hour and a half of every muscle being given an extraordinary workout costs only 7,000 HuF. Charming girls - an experience not to be missed.
Terez krt 32 (through the arch)
tel: 06 20 8030 859
Trams 4, 6
Metro Oktogon
Just past the Muvizs cinema
Abras are used to ferry people across the creek for 1 dirham. For maybe 70 dirhams (dependent on your negotiating skills and length of journey etc), you can hire an abra for a journey of an hour or more on the creek, taking in the architecture of creek-side Dubai and enjoying a cool(er) breeze under an advertisement-adorned plastic awning. This is a very nice way to spend time in Dubai.
Board an abra opposite the spice souk, or the textile souk (Deira - south-side)
A beautiful place about an hour's ferry ride from Central. I lived in HK for 4 years and this was my favourite spot to relax and unwind. Take in a walk around the island, enjoy the village atmosphere compared to the mania that is HK island. From memory there is a Bun Festival in/around May which is worth a trip.
Cheung Chau Island
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