This is where every athlete’s / fitness enthusiast’s / wellness warrior’s / health freak’s dream holiday happens.
Okay, you’re probably going, “Just what the heck is an Active Holiday?” right now. Well, ever heard of the term active rest? It’s when you perform at a level of intensity that doesn’t challenge your body. Recovering but still moving–that’s pretty much how I would describe my recent visit to Phuket. But since it’s much longer, I call it an Active Holiday. I think that’s how most of my holidays have been lately. About time I found a proper term for them!
So here’s the first of a two-part story on my recent trip. I spent a long weekend at the vast, luxurious and refreshing space of the Thanyapura Sports Hotel and Leisure Club in Phuket fairly recently and I felt like a child whose Disneyland wishes have just been granted. I still cannot believe I was blessed to represent this brand together with several other athletes from all over the globe. Such a huge honor!
The concept of a sports hotel isn’t common to many so just to give you an idea, the place is a five-star, Olympic facility with luxury accommodations to receive guests who travel from all over the world just to train.
Do you have to be an athlete to go? Absolutely not. A fitness enthusiast who wants to go on a healthy holiday will LOVE this place. Right now it’s known mostly to pro athletes but not so much the growing number of people who just want to live an active lifestyle.
Here’s a video to give you a brief tour of the facility:
For a 23-hectare facility, the space is pretty packed (and I don’t mean annoyingly crowded) but rather packed with amenities and things to do.
The day Nic and I arrived, our schedule was full. I was excited about the recently opened (and still being enhanced) Wellness Centre.
FITNESS
I met Erin Fischer, their resident yoga teacher and she led me through a couple of classes that day.
The first was a relaxing yoga flow by the Layan beach (close to the hotel)
And then, a crazy-fun Aerial Yoga class which I haven’t done in so long!
Luckily, I wasn’t asked to do anything intense in my itinerary as I was down with an upset stomach during my stay. It started the evening we flew out of Manila so don’t worry, I didn’t get it there.
I really wanted to take more of their group classes. They had a ton on their schedule, all from Zumba to Muay Thai and boxing to Bootcamp and HIIT training to Pilates and stretching. Name it, they have it (or perhaps something real close).
Nic and I spotted the Bootcamp class attendees working the track field one afternoon (check them out on the video!) and I was green with envy.
Athletes can train alone or with a coach too. My jaw dropped several times while touring the facility which includes a health centre, two fitness centres and a couple of studios above it, a wellness centre, two restaurants, a hotel with a lounge pool, an Olympic-sized pool, a soccer field, a running track, a couple of courts for beach volleyball, a Muay Thai and boxing ring, racks of bikes you can use, and a huge-ass tennis court to name some. It was indeed the Disneyland for athletes (and fitness enthusiasts).
FUEL
I was able to sit down for a nutrition consultation with their resident Sports Dietitian, Marcela Soto Prats (this I was so looking forward to!)
Side note: While absolutely beautiful, Marcela’s a total badass. She’s an athlete herself (a Muay Thai Fighter, mind you) which is why she knows just what we need in terms of food, to perform well.
She knew I was vegan and gave me advice on planning out my meals, factoring in my schedule and the types of workouts that I do. I absorbed the stuff she said like a sponge and it has seriously helped me in planning, shopping and prepping food as soon as I got back to my regular schedule in Manila.
Marcela works closely with the chefs at Thanyapura’s restaurant (Divine) and the Booster Bar to make sure the food that they serve cater to the needs of their guests. It was so easy and delicious to be vegan at Thanyapura.
What I loved most about Thanyapura is their awareness and knowledge on the dietary requirements of their guests. While there were already a good number of vegan options on their menu, Divine Restaurant is currently working on developing several vegan items to add to their list of healthy, nourishing yet delicious food options.
Pictured above is the Ratatouille with Quinoa Cake, part of the set they served us that is designed to boost your energy. Check out the rest that came with it:
The following day was all about cleansing and detoxification and the chefs over at Divine have prepared a Raw Vegan set for this.
Although all of these are works in progress, Marcela says they are just about ready to launch. Give it a month or two. 😉
And because Thanyapura considers every aspect of their guests health and integrates all of those with their service, each dish is carefully thought of making sure all your macros (protein, carbohydrates and fat) are on your plate.
The Booster Bar serves healthy snacks to fuel your trainings and workouts. Noticed they serve a wide variety of options considering they’re not a full-blown restaurant.
I picked up a couple of plain raw fruits twice but also got to try a few of their fresh snacks prepared in-house. I just wanted to eat all of them each time I peeked through their chiller. Tasted as good as they looked too!
One more impressive thing about the place is that you have easy access to superfoods, Chia being the most common one. I also chugged down bottles of their fresh, cold-pressed juice.
There’s a famous quote from Hippocrates that goes “Let food be thy medicine.” I’ve always been a believer of this. I ate nothing but fresh, nutrient-packed, purely plant-derived food during my stay at Thanyapura without any form of medication for my stomach (it got pretty bad the afternoon of our first day). And by by the time we left, I–or should I say, my stomach, was as good as new. There’s one more thing that contributed to my recovery, though. Let you know on my next post! 😉
Check back soon. x
Thanyapura Sports Hotel and Leisure Club is located at 120/1 Moo 7, Thepkasattri Rd., Thepkasattri, Thalang, Phuket 83110, Thailand. Visit their website here or follow them on Instagram @thanyapuraphuket to learn more about what this paradise has to offer.
