3 People found have reviewed this product:

26th Apr 2010 | By G Kelly

This holiday is a little piece of paradise. Like some of the other reviews say, it is very hard to describe the experience, because it is so unlike any other 'Western' holiday I have had! I was a young single women holidaying on her own and was a little apprehensive because of this - but I had no reason to be!

Service - second to none. The team will go out of their way for you, and I was very touched that all of them knew my name! I never felt lonely in the resort, but still had time to myself when I wanted it. The staff are genuinely keen to chat to you and will do so at dinner times. They will also do the excursions with you, and you really feel that they become great friends. The other guests are also very friendly, and the single travellers are encouraged to mingle at dinner and so on.

Rooms - the villas are absolutely huge! The bathroom is outside, so you can shower under the stars; you have a beautifully air-conditioned room, a garden, an upstairs floor from which you can see the sea, and a patio which opens right out onto the main gardens, with a view of the lake. Some of the photos that Swaswara have provided of the rooms and resort really don't do it justice - it is very beautiful and luxurious, and the colours blend in naturally with the countryside.

Ethos- the resort is extremely eco-friendly. For example, drinking water is collected from the lakes and filtered and bottled, to avoid the use of plastic bottles. It is a great feeling to know that you are not damaging the environment by having a still luxurious holiday.

Food - delicious. Never the same dish twice. Indian food, but some Western deserts slipped in! The fruit juices are amazing. The chef, Joy, will make special dishes for you if you find the food too spicy.

Activities- there are a lot of activities each day, so I wish I had stayed two weeks instead of one. There are excellent yoga classes in the mornings, but also lots of other types of yoga (such as laughing yoga!) throughout the day. Then, there is also meditation and chanting.

The resident artist is incredibly friendly and even though I am not good at art, I went there to paint several times.

I also had the Ayurvedic treatments twice a day. The husband and wife doctor team are so friendly and accommodating. The treatments are quite unusual in comparison to Western massages etc, but definitely worth doing.

Overall, it really was a wonderful opportunity to focus on myself and rejuvenate. I came back feeling great, and also with some renewed hope about what a lovely place the world and the people within it can be...

27th Feb 2010 | By S Brooks

Travelled January 2010

I have just returned from a wonderfull 2 weeks at Swaswara and can only describe it as a little piece of paradise!

I was on a 12 day Ayurveda package and enjoyed 2 amazing treatments each day. On arrival i had a full consultation with the doctors and was given a plan of treatments to help me relax, unwind and treat my ‘niggling’ back problem. The therapists are amazing and put you instantly at ease. The treatment rooms are basic but beautifull and all the products used are made from natural ingredients. Before and after each treatment you can chat to one of the doctors and its very reassuring to be able to discuss any worries concerns or just simple ask about the treatments.

Yoga and Pranayama are a key part of the Swaswara experience. There are classes for all levels and different types of yoga to try. I was a complete novice, but was interested in incorporating Yoga into my daily routine. I found the classes totally accessible and very enjoyable. The pranayama and meditation are a great way to unwind and relax and i only hope i keep up some of the breathing practices i learnt. The Yoga teachers are very supportive and accommodating offering additional one-to-one sessions should you have specific requests or will organise an extra class if you cant make the scheduled time. Whilst none of this is compulsory i would urge anyone to give it a go - the facilities, yoga studio and blue dome are fantastic and the classes thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding.

There is plenty to keep you busy should you wish - but its down to the individual to do as much or as little as you want. I was particularly interested in the art classes and did acrylic and pastel works as well as going out at dawn with the Swaswara resident artist to paint the sunrise over Om beach - magical! There is an interactive kitchen where guests can get to grips with some of the amazing food the chefs cook, bird watching, beach trekking, temple trekking and many more activities that may interest - even with 2 weeks i didn’t manage to do all i wanted. The staff are all incredibly helpfull and accommodating, happy to work around you and your personal treatment plan and yoga classes. They will even accompany you on days out should you wish.

The villas are huge and cleverly designed. What could be more amazing than showering under the stars, reading on your balcony listening to the sea in the distance and the noises from the jungle all around, but then having the comfort of air-conditioning, a huge bed and no mosquitoes when you go to your ‘self-contained’ bedroom. Flower petals arranged on the bed each morning, a quote for the day on your pillow in the evening and fabulous natural bathroom products are just some the touches which make this place so special.

The food is fantastic and all freshly prepared from local ingredients. Menus are carefully balanced to offer a tasty, healthy and filling meals. Puddings which i normally decline, are a wonder!!! - and knowing they too are made from healthy, fresh ingredients means no reason to pass on them. Wine is served with dinner, but once at Swawara you just fall into the ‘wanting to look after yourself’ feel of the place, and Jasmine tea and an early night just seem such a better idea than too much wine and a hangover.

The resort is cleverly designed to make the most of its incredible location perched in the jungle but within 5 min stroll to the beach. The pool is wonderfully maintained and felt so peacefull, that despite normally being a beach lover, i was more than happy spending most days relaxing around the pool. The resort is part of the Clean Green Health Earth Experience group which promotes environmentally friendly living and sustainability - and to this end Swaswara is cleverly designed to harvest rainwater and recycle bathroom water in order to keep the gardens looking so beautifull and verdant. In addition, one day a week staff from the resort go down to Om Beach (the nearby public beach) to collect litter and keep it tidy & beautifull). So not only are you staying in a little bit of heaven, but you feel that everyone belonging to the resort group, really believes in the ethos of protecting and looking after the amazing surroundings and precious resources.

All the staff are amazing! I was holiday-ing alone and a little nervous about it having never done it before - however, i needn't’ of worried as all the staff take the take to make you feel comfortable, looked after and cared for, remembering what you do and don't like.
I did meet a great group of other like minded people, some single travellers and others friends or in couples - Swaswara attracts a varied mixture of people, all ages and all nationalities - some guests are there for a month doing full detox programmes, others are there for a week to relax after a period of travelling - all are there seeking to rest, relax, eat healthy, enjoy some pampering and leave feeling better & brighter.

If you are looking for a holiday to rest, relax and generally recoup from the hassles of day-to-day working and commuting then Swaswara is the perfect setting. There is plenty to do, but all at your own pace, and all the activities whether it be Yoga, Cooking, Art or trekking all re-enforce the ‘holistic’ feel of the place and pursuit of happiness and well-being.
The resort is a little slice of heaven, not glitzy or glam, but beautifull, honest and in harmony with its surroundings and environment. I cannot rate it highly enough and will definitely go back.

25th Sep 2009 | By Fiona

It's very hard to articulate Swaswara because if you go with an open mind and with an agenda of personal discovery I simply couldn't imagine anywhere better to take the journey. Swaswara isn't a hotel it's more like a retreat. You of course get all the benefits of a hotel but there is something much more personal and powerful to Swaswara, it's the healing energy of the 58 staff who are there for absolutely anything you need. Swaswara obviously has a huge impact on people as a lot of the guests are repeat visitors and many (including me) plant trees when they leave. You certainly wouldn't do that at a Holiday Inn!

The team are very used to solo travellers and so if the thought of eating alone in a restaurant is your worst nightmare one of them will eat with you. You'll also get to know other guests if you take part in yoga and meditation which creates a great commuity feel along with the staff.

Yoga - there are many types of yoga and Hatha is practiced here. There are 2 levels practiced in the morning before breakfast and I simply couldn't think of a better way to practice yoga than watching the sun come over the headland, the crashing waves of the Arabian Sea in the background and even spotting the odd Eagle or two. As I was there during monsoon the maximum number of people in the class was 5, including the yoga teacher and two staff who are encouraged to take part which says a lot about the feel of Swaswara. Other types of yoga are Laughter yoga, Art yoga, Community yoga and Freshness yoga.

Meditation - The Blue Dome where most meditation takes place has the most incredible acoustics and is just perfect to learn how to meditate in a variety of different ways. It's also a feat of engineering! You can choose from; Yoga Nidra, MSRT (Mind, Sound, Resonance Technique), PET (Pranic Energisation Technique) and Kundalini Meditation. Give them all a go because you'll be amazed at the spiritual highs you can get! For those who meditate and tend to fall asleep don't worry, it's all part of the process to let the mind run and run, it'll eventually happen that you stay awake.

Ayurvedic treatments - I was on the 12 day treatment package (INCREDIBLE value compared to the UK prices). There aren't enough words to describe the different treatments which are specifically chosen for you after your consultation with the two doctors who are incredibly lovely, spiritual and know their stuff. Oh to have GPs like them in the UK... As I was there to relax and recouperate I had 2 treatments per day for 12 days to dissolve all the stress. The appointments are as much as possible worked around the yoga and meditation time slots so you can still experience as much, or as little, as you wish. I had the same two girls for every treatment who were just so caring and tender but had good hands at the same time. For some treatments there will be a third girl in the room. After most treatments, due to the oil/milk they use, you'll then be taken to the shower and they wash you with the MOST lovely scrub. If you're a little shy about your body, you soon get used to it and I actually found it quite liberating. The rejuvenation massage is to die for (I even booked an extra one). I can guantee you that your skin will never have been so soft and your hair so shiny! The treatments which they offer are; Relaxation massage, Rejuvenation massage, Shiro Abhyanga, Pradabhyanga, Shiro Dhara, Takra dhara, Chakra Basti, Patra Panda Sweta (PPS), Taila dhara, Ksheera dhara. Every treatment was simply heavenly and you never want them to end.

At the beginning and end of each treatment you'll see the doctors so if anything comes up phyically or emotionally for you while you are there they are on hand and can prescribe you with any ayurvedic medicines you need.

Food - Before I went I was really interested in the interactive kitchen. Once I arrived I became more interested. The food is INCREDIBLE. The chef Joy and his team create the most amazing dishes in possibly the cleanist kitchen I've ever been in. They love you being interested in the food and watching them prep your food for you. The way they know how to balance spices is just fantastic. The food is light, ungreasy and bursting with flavour. The beetroot halva is incredible. The food also brings the biggest decision you'll make in a day - 'do I have have fish or vegetarian?'

The day I arrived it was a festival day so a special feast had been prepared. No less than 20 indivivual dishes are prepared for the festival and I ate in the staff MESS with 3 other guests and 30 of the team off a banana leaf with my hands. It was a real honour to be invited to eat with them on that day and again demonstrates how the community works together at Swaswara.

Rooms - there are only 24 villas. I had a villa opposite the shop (lovely things in the shop!) overlooking the rain harvesting lakes. Anywhere at Swaswara you can hear the Sea but up on the yoga/meditation deck is the best place to hear it. The beds are 2 metres across, they have flowers placed on them everyday, a little quote or thought of the day is placed at turndown. The outside showers are great and it feels like you have you're own litte house for your stay rather than a hotel room. Each villa has it's own inside/outside garden and I had great pleasure watching some nesting birds during my stay.

The team - in all honesty they become your family for your stay, particularly if you are travelling alone. It's the most personal service I've ever received anywhere and like I said before it's more like a retreat than a hotel. You get to know the team on a personal level and they cater for your every need. Nothing is too much trouble and it's the people which make Swaswara and will make your experience whatever you need it to be. Open up to them and you'll be amazing what how you can change in the course of two weeks.

If you have any doubts about Swaswara then don't have. The journey from Goa is great as you actually get to see some of India on the 2.5 - 3.5 hour transfer in a comfortable air con'd car.

I cannot recommend Swaswara enough and I'll be going back next monsoon. It's an incredible place and authentic in every sense. Make sure you go for two weeks, you'll regret it if you don't....