LIPA CITY, Batangas – After a five-minute drive along the narrow-cement road that connects to the main highway, the coaster made its way through a black iron gate into a lawn so clipped. The journalists who were invited by Oracle were at the Farm at San Benito in Barangay Tipakan, Lipa City, Batangas. Health seekers from all over the world have been quietly flocking to this former coconut and coffee plantation. For amid 120 acres of lush gardens, ponds and waterfalls on the foothills of Mt. Malarayat sits what very well could be the future of medicine and the concept of well-being; a genuine sanctuary offering healing, rejuvenation and vitality on a level rarely dreamed of in the modern world.
The Farm at San Benito, is a world-class holistic health resort, complete with a fully integrated medical facility specializing in alternative, non-Western diagnostic and the treatment of degenerative, acute and chronic diseases. But it is also a luxurious five-star spa resort, boasting of Asia’s only gourmet living foods restaurant, 85/15. (85/15 reflects the ratio of raw to cooked foods provided). It also represents the best of two worlds coming together.
"The Farm was built for one primary reason – to help individuals maintain or regain their birthright of good health through a pro-active approach. Something alarmingly absent in many Asians and individuals worldwide," says founder Eckard Rempe, who is married to a Filipina, Perla.
"No matter where you are on your path, whether on the pink of health or experiencing any sort of health challenge, we at the Farm" are here to help you maintain or regain the perfect health you desire," he added.
The Farm is a deluxe spa resort that has gained notoriety for its radical detoxification. The airy reception with lounge chairs, that let you sink into them, the huge pond beside it, the serene fountain where ducks swiftly swim – all make a good first impression.
In an exquisite setting and designed with complete privacy in mind, there are only 25 private suites and villas on the property. The fully air-conditioned suites and villas – Sulu Terrace, Palmera Suite, Anahaw Villa, Garden Villa – range from rustic, uniquely designed thatched cottages to the spectacular Master Suite with its own private pool, indoor garden and kitchen. Warm woods, stone glass, showers open to the sky, walled private gardens and lanais, furnishings and remarkable architectural detail create a feeling of both elegance and comfort.
The Farm offers overnight and five-day detoxification packages at promotional rates, valid until December. For overnight packages (room rate only) Sulu Terrace, R4,800 single/twin-sharing; Palmera Suite, R7,500, single/twin bed plus additional one bed; Anahaw Villa, R10,500, quad sharing/one joined bed, plus two single beds; Garden, R14,400, single/twin bed plus one extra bed with inclusions of breakfast (for two people), use of South Park and North Park facilities and participation in all spiritual development class.
The overnight wellness package rate is as follows: for single: Sulu, R12,000, Palmera, R13,500; Anahaw, R16,500, and Garden, R21,000; for twin; Sulu, R8,250, Palmera, 9,000, Anahaw, R11,250 and Garden, R12,750.
For five days detoxification package: for single: Palmera, R63,600, Anahaw, R78,600 and Garden, R98,100; for twin: Palmera, R45,000. Anahaw, R52,800, Garden, R63,000.
The Salus Per Aqua is the homage to the immediate physical and spiritual needs of the body. The massage under the skies was just that – a massage of the limbs, head, neck, and feet at the open air pool deck that gives one a view of the clearest sky fronting Mt. Malarayat.
Other treatments offered are the Thai massage, Balinese massage, foot scrub and facials, lulur, boreh and other body scrubs and the exotic moxa ventoza.
Forty-eight-year-old Lydia C. Salido, single and a graduate of nursing is one of the massage therapists at The Farm. She worked as a nurse in Saudi Arabia before she worked in The Farm.
She said the medical staff uses in all their treatments the San Benito Virgin coconut oil which is a 100 percent natural, chemical-free oil.
Facilities in the Farm are swimming pools (spa pools, master villa pool, waterfall pool and south pool), library, gym, meditation lounges/pavilions. On the other hand, recreational activities include yoga, meditation, rotational meridian, stretch class, breathing and walking exercises.
The Farm’s 85/15 Gourmet Cuisine Restaurant provides the ultimate dining experience, proving that eating for health can be delicious and exciting. Here, one is served crackers dip in Thai cashew and pineapple salsa, zucchini orange bisque, garden-fresh salad with a selection of herb dressings and a main course of either curried egg salad stack or Burmese curry with coconut cream. The dessert masterpieces are fresh fruits and chocolate cakes.
Chefs of The Farm do healthy concoctions such as cream cheese made out of cashew, fresh fruit ice cream, natural bread and cookies made of dried nuts and seeds, milk coaxed out of almonds and coconuts. No animal products, just-all natural food from plants.
Whether you seek a relaxing weekend, a honeymoon holiday, a detoxification or weight loss program, or a solution to a very serious health condition, The Farm is the perfect venue for all of your needs.
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