Sustainable luxurious journey with Six Senses in India

India has all the time attracted world travellers looking for wellness, knowledge, and marvel. Now it additionally attracts these in search of sustainable luxurious throughout their Indian odyssey. Few world manufacturers embody this higher than Six Senses, who seamlessly handle to mix indulgence with duty at every considered one of their resorts.

They launched refillable ceramic dispensers for toilet facilities and changed single use plastic water bottles with glass bottles method earlier than it turned ‘trendy’ to take action. In actual fact, they’ve solely ever used refillable ceramic dispensers since they launched in 1995 and their resorts have been freed from single use plastic bottles since 2003. However the Six Senses dedication to sustainable practices signifies that their sustainability journey is much from over as they proceed to be “thoughtful custodians of the locations the place they reside”. Waste and water administration programs have been developed to cut back impression, while a number of initiatives have been launched to guard the encircling habitat and help native communities. Expansive on web site gardens have allowed them to supply vegatables and fruits to be served of their eating places while the wonderful ‘Eat with Six Senses’ philosophy locations meals on the centre of wellbeing with artistic and revolutionary menus that nourish and delight while respecting the planet. They’re at the moment working in direction of 40% of all menus being plant primarily based as a part of this planet pleasant initiative. Sustainable luxurious journey with Six Senses is an ever creating dedication that almost all actually leads from the entrance and continues to set requirements for the business.

Their two distinctive resorts in India exhibit precisely how these commitments work in apply. Six Senses Fort Barwara in Rajasthan is a transformed 14th century fort that oozes historical historical past whereas providing each trendy consolation. Six Senses Vana in Dehradun is a contemporary sanctuary the place silence, timber and classy design invite friends to decelerate and recharge. Travellers usually move by way of Jaipur on their solution to Barwara, and Rishikesh when heading for Vana. Each cities are locations in their very own proper, Jaipur with its color, chaos and bustling streets, Rishikesh with its yoga, meditation and river rituals. Each are really distinctive locations that present the right gateways to those really distinctive resorts.

Our expertise at Six Senses Fort Barwara

We had waited years to step by way of the majestic gates of Six Senses Fort Barwara. First there was the last decade lengthy restoration and improvement of the fort itself, then our personal journey delays across the pandemic. By the point we arrived our anticipation was excessive however the first glimpse of the monumental partitions rising from the panorama didn’t disappoint. Nor did the nice and cozy welcome, full with a blessing and smiles from the hospitable workforce. The transformation from historical fort to luxurious resort had clearly been delivered with nice care. Unique stonework and centuries previous domes stand proudly beside trendy areas that in some way mix respectfully. Courtyards open onto quiet corners while swimming pools shimmer beneath the arches.

At night time the fort glows with lanterns casting shadows onto the traditional partitions. Service all through was skilled but private, the sort that makes you are feeling each cared for when required, but left alone to benefit from the peace at different occasions. It was straightforward to neglect time right here with our days passing method too rapidly between pool time, spa remedies, culinary explorations and easily wandering by way of the fort in amazement. We had anticipated equal measures of historical past and luxurious, which is precisely what we skilled throughout our keep at Six Senses Fort Barwara.

Eat with Six Senses at Fort Barwara

Meals performs a starring function in all of our vegan journey adventures and that was most actually the case at Six Senses Fort Barwara. Our days began with lengthy and lazy breakfasts at Cortile with all the pieces from smoothie bowls and coconut chia puddings, to masala dosa and idli that reminded us we had been in India. We loved baked greens that had been wealthy, smoky, and comforting and pani puri with their crispy shells stuffed on the desk with spiced water and chutneys that had been scrumptious.

Every little thing was ready with care with fruits, greens and herbs sourced responsibly both from the on web site backyard or native farmers the place doable. We liked that our meals was not solely about style but additionally about lowering impression. Plant primarily based dishes had been actually not facet notes, they had been entrance and centre, to be celebrated. Consuming extra vegetation isn’t just wholesome for us, it will also be wholesome for the planet and this is likely one of the causes that Six Senses have dedicated to increasing their veggie, vegan and plant primarily based choices as a part of their Eat with Six Senses philosophy.

Farah Condor, director of Eat with Six Senses talked about “menus taking a cleaner and less complicated strategy to preparation, specializing in high quality, steadiness and contemporary entire meals constructed from scratch” and “endeavouring to develop as a lot produce as we are able to inside the partitions of our accommodations and resorts, be that by way of Six Senses’ natural gardens, mushroom huts or utilizing hydroponics.” We by no means as soon as felt restricted by consuming vegan meals throughout our keep, the truth is fairly the alternative with our remaining night time off menu vegan thali platter proving precisely that. It was fairly merely one of many best Indian thali we’ve ever had the pleasure to eat, thanks Chef Charul!

Sustainable initiatives at Six Senses Fort Barwara

Sustainability just isn’t a field ticking train at Six Sense Fort Barwara. It’s a part of each day life on the resort and in addition of their efforts to help the encircling villages and communities. While water is purified and bottled on web site for friends, water purification programs have additionally been put in in an area authorities hospital and faculty. While natural fruit and greens are grown on web site, they’re additionally grown in partnerships with native farmers earlier than being bought to be used on the resort. This demonstrates how accountable and sustainable tourism can have a number of advantages for not solely friends, however the neighbours and native communities alike.

At Fort Barwara we visited Earth Lab, an area the place friends be taught, experiment, and speak about how we are able to collectively scale back our impression on the planet. Right here we noticed pure repellents and deodorants being made, with out chemical substances, secure for individuals and secure for the setting. It was fingers on, making it a enjoyable and informative exercise for adults and youngsters alike. When requested about Earth Lab, Jeff Smith, Vice President of Sustainability at Six Senses, informed us that “discovering enjoyable methods for friends to work together with their sustainability and neighborhood efforts is a crucial initiative at every of our areas”. For us, as soon as once more seeing these commitments in motion furthered our respect for the model because it felt like luxurious with a conscience and with out compromise.

Our expertise at Six Senses Vana

If Six Senses Fort Barwara was about experiencing historical past Six Senses Vana was about having fun with peaceable contemplation. From the second we drove by way of the gates, the world outdoors appeared to fall away. Vana was already often called considered one of India’s main wellness retreats for a decade earlier than changing into a part of the Six Senses model in 2023, and it now carries that enhanced popularity with ease. Every little thing right here is designed for stillness and being at one with your self. Telephones are saved away in public areas and all friends put on comfortable cotton kurta, which makes everybody look equal, free from decisions about what to put on and how you can seem. It’d sound restrictive, however we discovered it liberating.

Our days took on a rhythm formed by consultations, remedies, meals, and relaxation. Kila, the central hub at Six Senses Vana, was the place we started and ended every of our days, a placing constructing stuffed with gentle and calm with peaceable leisure areas and a library filled with inspirational books and publications. The grounds had been fantastically manicured while the encircling forest was wild and alive. Favorite spots included the reflection pond the place it was straightforward to ponder life and our beautiful Forest Suite the place we may have gazed into the depths of the forest for hours on finish.

By the tip of our keep we felt lighter, not simply in physique however in thoughts, it was as if layers of noise and stress had been peeled away to disclose our inside sense of calm and wellbeing.

Eat with Six Senses at Vana

Meals at Six Senses Vana introduced us with two choices, select from the a la carte menu and intensive buffet or observe the dietary plans set following our wellness consultations. When ordering from the menu or deciding on from the buffet, the knowledgable workers had been all the time available to advise which dishes suited our structure which meant we not often ate the identical dish. One among us was Pitta with the opposite being Vata, so each meal started with a curious have a look at the opposite plate. Generally envy crept in however by no means disappointment as Chef Rajesh and his workforce managed to ship meals that was each nourishing and filled with flavour every time.

The meals was fairly merely lovely too, a vegetable wrap served on wilted spinach and pumpkin cream with a vibrant beetroot latte, adopted by a small and delicate chocolate dessert that was gentle but deeply satisfying. The thali platters had been our favourites, the spherical tray with mini bowls, every of them stuffed with balancing substances in keeping with what our docs had prescribed. What stood out most was the eye to element. Vegan meals was not tucked away on a separate web page or adjusted as an afterthought. It was a part of the material of each menu. Even the buffets had clear labels for every dish, one thing we not often see executed so nicely.

The workers knew the solutions once we requested about substances without having to test with the kitchen which gave us confidence to easily take pleasure in our meals. Parts had been smaller than we normally serve ourselves at residence, however surprisingly we had been by no means hungry afterwards. It made us conscious of how usually we overeat with out realising. Leaving the desk glad however comfy was one thing we wished to hold again residence with us.

Wellness at Six Senses Vana

The wellness programme at Six Senses Vana was vast ranging but private. Our first consultations with Dr Jaya and Dr Sopa had been thorough and intensive, however for the entire proper causes. They requested questions on sleep, moods, digestion and even issues we had by no means beforehand thought of to attach with wellness. From these preliminary consultations, our days had been stuffed with yoga, guided meditation, acupuncture, and therapies rooted in Ayurveda and conventional Chinese language medication. Some remedies had been mild, just like the muslin potli massages the place heat bundles of herbs had been pressed into the pores and skin and launched rigidity.

Others, like deep tissue massages, had been extra intense however left us feeling alive and rejuvenated. The Ayurveda centre carried an environment of calm and quiet respect while the Bodhi Tree was the right location for yoga and meditation. We discovered ourselves trying ahead to these moments of calm as a lot as any meal. Wellness right here was not one thing separate from the remainder of our retreat, it was a very holistic strategy and it formed each a part of our keep, from the way in which we moved to the way in which we ate and even how we rested.

Staying with Six Senses in India confirmed us two sides of the identical philosophy. At Six Senses Fort Barwara, historical past and heritage got new life with considerate design and conscious dwelling. At Six Senses Vana, silence and ease reminded us of what we actually wanted. Throughout our stays at each of those luxurious resorts, wholesome meals nourished us, holistic wellness guided us, and sustainable practices underpinned our general expertise. Luxurious right here didn’t really feel extreme, it felt significant. For travellers looking for extra than simply consolation and luxurious, however for many who wish to take care of themselves and the world round them, these two unimaginable Six Senses resorts in India supply a very memorable expertise.

Paul Eyers

Paul Eyers is co-founder of Vegan Meals Quest who write about luxurious accommodations and resorts in Southeast Asia with a concentrate on sustainable journey, eco journey and vegan journey. At the moment primarily based in Malaysia, Paul additionally writes about sporting occasions and among the best golf programs all through the area.