Destinations
It may be a wellness grande dame but this classic has always had a thoroughly modern attitude to sustainability. Significantly in a world full of greenwash, this isn’t a new stance but a long-held principle that stems from the intuitive belief of its owners, the Rojanastien family, that personal wellbeing is inextricably linked to the health of the planet. In 2004, Chiva-Som founded an action group in its home town of Hua Hin to encourage carbon neutrality and reforestation. And, a good 10 years before Sir David Attenborough made single-use plastic a global concern, it had quietly installed an onsite water- bottling facility, practically wiping out its annual consumption of 130,000 plastic bottles. Cynics may argue that government incentives often influence companies’ decisions to adopt environmentally friendly policies but there’s no reason why shrewd financial planning cannot go hand in hand with sincerity. Likewise, fostering good relationships with workers is a win-win.
One of Chiva-Som’s strengths has always been staff retention. Guests appreciate that, unlike at other spas, they meet the same super-gifted therapists year after year, allowing them to build trust and rapport. Undoubtedly, perks such as student scholarships for employees’ children help to cultivate this loyalty but given the scheme is mutually beneficial, it is surely a sensible as well as an ethical strategy. And it’s fair to say the place does also look beyond the immediate bottom line. Most people probably never experience its most ambitious initiative: the preservation of Hua Hin’s last mangrove forest, which plays a vital role as a wildlife breeding ground and in carbon capture, with 5,000 trees planted and £180,000 ploughed into the Krailart Niwate boardwalk through the forest to build a recreation area for the townsfolk. Of course, Chiva-Som publicises these efforts but it wears its worthiness lightly, and as with the spa programme, you’ll find yourself seduced by its compassion as well as its capability. By Susan D’Arcy
Healing Holidays offers seven nights from £4,499 per person, full board, including flights, transfers, one daily treatment and daily fitness activities. +44 20 3031 3838; healingholidays.com
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