The Maldives’ COMO Cocoa Island is a true, small island getaway with a quiet, simple spa to match the setting.
Free yoga lessons are offered in the yoga pavilion, and a true stand-out is the complimentary hydrotherapy pool. Both are on the island’s “quiet side” known as the Retreat.
Accommodations include adorable, dhoni-shaped overwater bungalows (above). The dhoni is a traditional, local wooden boat.
The spa is officially called the COMO Shambhala Retreat and is part of COMO Hotels and Resorts, an award winning holistic health concept found worldwide. Shambhala is sanskrit for “a sacred place of bliss,” and on Cocoa island, the Retreat is just that. They believe in helping people find peace through learning and rebalancing, helped along by special environments, specific knowledge and healing therapies. For those seeking a balance of mind and body, the Retreat offers programs of yoga, meditation and breathing skills. Four paths of wellness are part of the offerings: The Purification Path, The Relaxation Path, The Rejuvenation Path, and The Restoration Path.
If we had had more time here – we only stayed two nights – we might have taken one of these paths, but instead, we simply sampled a COMO Shambhala couples massage that did leave us feeling calm and peaceful.
Also, at meals, several COMO endorsed dishes were on the menu as were delicious local fish and vegetarian items, along with standard metropolitan fare, most of it advertised as organic.
The hydrotherapy pool, within the Retreat area, has several stations that use forced air and water to massage your muscles. The Roman type fountains, open shower heads four inches round, propel water downward over your shoulders, head and neck in what could easily suffice as a water massage.
