The Farm at San Benito

Mary left Mindoro and took the ferry and a bus – I took a jeepney and the MRT and LRT and bus – and we arrived at just about the same time in Lipa City, where we had some coffee at Starbucks and waited for a pickup. It was so good to see her – so much to talk about! Of course, that was only the beginning of a wonderful three days at the spa.

Nobody comes to The Farm by accident – so said the general manager. And everyone leaves a little transformed and ready to do something healthier for themselves. I had seen it in Lonely Planet and I’m glad it was there; it’s not a Lonely Planet kind of place. It was founded by a German, who envisioned it as a retreat for backpackers – he built a five-star resort, which is ultimately not sustainable on backpacker prices. I feel I found it just in time – I suspect the day will come when it will be priced out of reach.
On my own I would have gone for a day. I suggested it to Mary, and after reviewing the packages she suggested the midweek one – two nights; great idea! It was also wonderful to go with her – it’s the kind of place that’s much better shared. She proposed we meet here next year for two weeks – I told her that with the air fare from New York it would still probably be less expensive than many a spa in the States!

So what was so special? Well, everything. The setting is beautiful – winding paths, landscaped palms and ferns, a coconut plantation that produces food, drink, and toiletries, herbs organically grown on site, meditation pavilions in various locations, a mango tree that is an energy vortex, a waterfall grotto that I kept gravitating to, three swimming pools, a jungle path.

The spa was great – they had scheduled a relaxation massage for us, and I chose the dry brushing. I urge you to google dry brushing, buy a dry brush and use it – I will make this a regular practice when I get home. We were both glowing afterwards and I can’t remember the last time my body felt so good. The spa had many other treatments – massages, wraps, scrubs, and the like. Most of the other guests when we were there were expat wives doing multiple treatments every day for a week.

The food was incredible. I hadn’t thought much about the food, but Mary said it was like being on a cruise, and she was right. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and cookies and herbal tea break, one afternoon) took center stage each day and were made up of several courses of artistic vegan creations. Hard to say what my favorite things were – the carrot cake (a la crab cake, not a la the one with the cream cheese frosting), the yam burger, the pear ravioli, the coconut granola? Perhaps more telling, I enjoyed things I never eat – cauliflower, asparagus, beets, mushrooms. Everything was fresh and organic and interestingly prepared and beautifully presented. Breakfast was fresh fruit, granola with nut milk, and an a la carte choice. The other meals had appetizer, soup, salad, main, and dessert. Most of the food was raw, too. The herbal tea was fresh-cut herbs in hot water.

The health part of the spa was interesting. Included in our package was live blood analysis – a drop was pricked and examined under a microscope. My red blood cells are stacked and squished, not roaming free as they should – more water, more fruits, more vegetables are called for. I bought an extra treatment – a mineral clay detox. I am seriously considering going again at the end of my service – Manila is a toxic environment and I could detox before I come home! This was well-timed, just about halfway through.

To be continued….