The fictive White Lotus resort in Thailand, the locus of Mike White’s mega HBO series in its third season, has nothing on the Six Senses wellness retreats in India. Seeing the staff line up to greet guests arriving by boat in episode one recalled entrée into the extraordinarily fabulously fashioned Six Senses Fort Barwara in Rajasthan—modeled after Marrakech’s La Mamounia. On a recent trip, we were treated to a cascade of bright red rose petals on a recent visit, by a staff lining up for this awesome welcome.
True, the tiger safari is a great lure. Tourists often book multiple excursions in a given day a year in advance, just in case Charger, the alpha male, feels like a stroll in this nearby preserved habitat also occupied by crocodiles, monkeys, mongooses, and spotted deer, the favored delectable dinner for tigers. Snagging a last-minute reservation, we careened around road curves in our open-air jeep, assigned to the park’s Zone 4, hoping to catch a glimpse. Not only did Charger make the scene, so too did one of his lady friends and their three cubs. We had won the safari lottery.
But just in case, the consolation prize was none too shabby: hanging in a resort featuring prana yoga, sound meditation, classes in pottery and herbal cures—plus pool, sauna, steam, and massage. If this fort had been home to kings, we were next in line.
Climbing up the 720 steps to a white hilltop temple, we encountered a wedding party. Young boys asked to take selfies with us, and the women wrapped in festive red, green, blue saris pulled us into dance. Rose petals may be a metaphor for a valentine’s love, or for the kind of connection that has no price.
We were prepared, having spent five days of pampering already in the sister locale Six Senses Vana at the foot of the Himalayas, dedicated full on to wellness. Dr. Shweta checked us out, recommending daily doses of personalized teas, hot water with lime; we learned when to eat proteins—never for the evening meal—and to avoid anti-inflammatory foods and enflaming events. Yes, to Tibetan massage. Vana was dedicated to the wellness of the planet, devoted to sustainability.
Onto a fire ceremony at the Ganges, and the precious Royal Hermitage Hotel in Jaipur, the brainchild of an eccentric with a Wes Anderson vision, and taste for Italian Renaissance painting. A final day in Delhi riding with Hassan in a rickshaw, a carriage attached to a bike, the only way to get to the market’s spices, yet another temple. We thought we could, and did, see God.
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