Overview
Eight days, one place, no itinerary
The transition from a busy modern life to absolute inner peace begins the moment you step onto the grounds of your specialized wellness resort. The Wellness Retreat is an itinerary built entirely around healing, rejuvenation, and the ancient principles of traditional Ayurveda. Arriving at your sanctuary, hidden within a quiet coconut grove away from all roads, the immediate sensory shift is powerful. The loud sounds of traffic are replaced by the soft rustle of palm fronds and the gentle splash of a natural water fountain. The air is thick with the soothing aromas of warming lemongrass, herbal oils, and drying neem leaves, instantly signaling to your mind that it is time to slow down.
Your days follow a balanced rhythm designed to restore harmony to your body’s natural systems. Waking up in the early morning light, you step onto an open wooden pavilion overlooking a quiet lake. The morning air is cool and fresh against your skin as you follow your yoga master through a series of slow, deliberate movements and deep breathing exercises.
Afterward, you consult with a resident Ayurvedic doctor who reads your pulse and prescribes a customized plan of therapies and cleansing meals designed specifically for your constitution.
The true highlight of each day is the traditional oil massage. Lying on a hand-carved neem-wood table, you feel the application of warm, herb-infused oils massaged into your skin by experienced therapists using fluid, rhythmic strokes. The deep warmth relaxes your tight muscles, while the herbal properties work to detoxify your system. Following the treatment, you step into a traditional herbal steam bath, breathing in the warm, scented air that leaves you feeling remarkably light, relaxed, and deeply reconnected with your body and mind.
Tour highlights
What you will actually do
- A pulse-reading consultation with a resident Ayurvedic physician
- A treatment plan and meal plan built around your dosha
- Daily sunrise yoga and guided meditation
- Abhyanga, the traditional warm herbal oil massage
- Shirodhara, continuous warm oil poured over the forehead
- An Ayurvedic cooking class and guided walking meditation
- A closing herbal and flower bath
Route map
Day by day
Itinerary
Day 01 · Arrive Colombo - the retreat
Met at Bandaranaike International and transferred directly to the resort, away from the main road. A light, balancing herbal dinner and an early night.
Overnight — Bentota
Day 02 · Consultation and orientation
A full consultation with the Ayurvedic physician — pulse reading, questions about sleep, digestion and stress — to establish your dosha and design the week’s treatments and meals around it.
Overnight — Bentota
Day 03 · Yoga and first therapies
Sunrise yoga on the pavilion, then your first Abhyanga: warm herb-infused oil worked in with long rhythmic strokes, followed by a herbal steam.
Overnight — Bentota
Day 04 · Purification
A second day of the same rhythm, with deeper tissue work and a specialised herbal facial treatment. Most people sleep unusually well by this point.
Overnight — Bentota
Day 05 · Shirodhara
The signature therapy: a continuous thread of warm herbal oil poured across the forehead for around forty minutes, which settles the nervous system in a way that is difficult to describe and easy to feel.
Overnight — Bentota
Day 06 · Walking meditation and cooking
A guided walking meditation on the forest trails in the morning, and an Ayurvedic cooking class in the afternoon so you can take some of this home.
Overnight — Bentota
Day 07 · Flower bath
The closing treatment: a traditional herbal and flower bath designed to seal the skin and hold the benefit of the week’s therapies.
Overnight — Bentota
Day 08 · Consultation and departure
A final check-up with the physician and a written set of lifestyle and dietary guidelines to take home, then transfer to Bandaranaike International.
Inclusions
- 7 nights accommodation in double or twin rooms, meal plan as specified
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with English-speaking chauffeur for 8 days
- Airport meet and greet, with parking and paging
- Vehicle and passenger insurance, highway tolls and GPS monitoring
- GST, VAT, service charges, fuel surcharges and all taxes
- Bottled water daily and a complimentary SIM card for the group
- Chauffeur meals and accommodation throughout
Exclusions
- International flights and ETA visa
- Entrance fees and site tickets
- 4x4 jeep hire for safaris, and train tickets
- Travel insurance, tips, laundry and personal expenses
Pricing
Essential Tour
Standard Hotels- 2-3 star
USD 500 pp
on double share basis
Premium Tour
Moderate Hotels – 3-4 star
USD 650 pp
on double share basis
Luxury Tour
Luxury Hotels – 4-5 star
USD 955 pp
on double share basis
Complementary Included
- Visit the spice garden for complimentary herbal tea and drinks and a 15-minute head massage
- Visit a Tea Factory or Tea Plantation with a Cup of Tea. Each Person
- Free visit to the art and craft center
- Free Visit to the Gem Museum and Lapidary
- Free Visit to the Ceylon Batik Factory
- Free entrance to the strawberry farm
- Free Entrance to the Colombo Casino
Accommodation
Per person on a double share basis at the Standard hotel tier. Moderate and Luxury tiers are quoted on request, and the standard can be varied stop by stop. Prices fall as the group grows, because the vehicle and chauffeur-guide are shared across it. Quotes available in GBP, EUR and AUD.
Transportation
One vehicle and one chauffeur-guide for all 8 days, air-conditioned and GPS-monitored, with vehicle and passenger insurance, highway tolls and airport parking included. Standard seating is three passengers plus luggage; larger groups move up to a van or micro-coach with no change to the route.
Questions
About this tour
What is Ayurveda actually based on?
A system of natural medicine developed over several thousand years, built around balancing three biological energies — vata, pitta and kapha. Treatments and diet are prescribed to your particular constitution rather than applied uniformly.
Is the food entirely vegetarian?
Yes. Meals are organic, plant-based and tailored to your dosha, using local vegetables, grains and healing spices.
Can I come if I have never done yoga?
Yes. Sessions are adapted for every level, from complete beginners upward, and the emphasis is on breathing and mobility rather than performance.
Are the therapists properly qualified?
Yes. The properties we work with use therapists certified by the Department of Ayurveda Sri Lanka, and a physician is resident on site.
How long should a real detox be?
Eight days is a proper introduction and most people feel the benefit. For full Panchakarma detoxification, fourteen or twenty-one days is the honest answer, and we can extend this itinerary.
Is alcohol available at the resort?
No. Wellness resorts maintain an alcohol and tobacco-free environment, which is part of why the week works.
Should I stop my usual medication?
No. Ayurvedic treatment is intended to complement your existing healthcare, not replace it. Always speak to your own doctor before changing anything, and tell the resident physician what you are taking.
Conditions
- The hotels mentioned above will only be confirmed on availability at the time of booking. If otherwise, suitable alternatives will be suggested before confirmation.
- The consumption of alcohol during “Poya Days” at bars, clubs, and other public areas of the hotel and the operation of similar forms of entertainment establishments is prohibited by law in Sri Lanka. It is recommended that clients contact reception to obtain their respective formalities during their holiday.
Cancellation Policy
- Cancellations within 01 to 06 days of the arrival date – 100% of the value of the booking
- Cancellations within 7 to 13 days of the arrival date – 50% of the value of the booking
- Cancellations within 14 to 28 days of the arrival date – 25% of the value of the booking
- Cancellations beyond 30 days of the arrival date – to be decided by the hotel on a case-by-case basis.
Important
- Hotel check-in time is 1400 hrs., and check-out is at 1200.
- All transfer times mentioned above are subject to variation depending on traffic flow and road conditions.
Visa requirements
Climate and seasons
Travel style: Luxury, Wellness
Region: South Coast, West
