Freedom in the Caribbean

Mala Barua narrates how a diving experience in the wondrous islands of the Caribbean drowned her many fears and liberated her

Luxuriant relaxation

Our next and final stop was Parrot Cay. We flew into this private island which is a wellness haven owned by the Como Shambala Group. I learnt that Donna Karan, who is friends with the owner Christina Ong, had bought a part of the property and built her own villas. Being in wellness and fashion myself, this was an inspiring combination for me.

I first came across the Como Group in Bali, Indonesia and then in Bhutan called Uma Paro. I never once imagined that I would visit the Como Shambala property in Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean, yet here I was sitting in their elegant lounge waiting for the private boat to take us to the island/hotel. At once the fragrance of luxury overtook us. The staff discreetly handled our luggage, and as we arrived in Parrot Cay, we were shown in to our three-bedroom villa and introduced to our private butler.

The resort is built completely in Indonesian style except for one original Colonial wing. I felt transported back to Asia. The staff were familiar, in that they were largely Asian and they too were happy to welcome Asian guests—a rarity here.

Our villa seamlessly extended out into a beautiful pool and then to a private beach with an equally blue ocean. The water was knee deep and endless, allowing us to walk for a long stretch without needing to swim. What I liked most was that the villas were kept simple yet extremely comfortable and designed to embrace the natural beauty of the sea, the beach, and surrounding nature.

So we settled in to swim, walk on the beach, go sailing, do our morning yoga and T’ai Chi on the deck, play tennis, hunt for starfish, be offered healthy Como menus with fresh fruit juices, exotic fruits like sugar plums and so on. The whole island had been turned into a wellness haven and we spent three blissful nights in ultimate luxury giving our bodies the indulgence it deserved.

Como Shambala is known for it wellness focus. Apart from a large spa, there were other personal development programmes and visiting wellness consultants doing various workshops that promised to enhance our physical and emotional wellbeing. We were invited for a tour around the property where Bruce Willis and Donna Karan also have their holiday homes. The golf cart ride took us around the mile long beach covering over 1,000 untouched acres of land. We were offered customised trips to neighbouring islands, private dinners at secluded locations and yoga classes, diving or snorkelling. Their hospitality was overwhelming. Our butler saw to it that all our needs were met. This could be addictive, I thought to myself.

The exoticism of being in a tiny little dot in the Caribbean still lingers in my brain. My last morning in the hotel was spent walking endlessly into the knee-high ocean for almost a mile and a half until I also became a dot in the sea… such is freedom.

This was first published in the December 2012 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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Mala Barua
Mala Barua is a teacher of Yoga, T’ai Chi and Inner Silence Meditation. She owns Mystic-Asia, a luxury travel company that specialises in wellness and spiritual retreats. She regular writes on matters of wellness and holistic living.

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