Zulal Wellness Resort, the first wellbeing retreat of its kind in the Middle East, combines a newly enhanced wellness experience with an extraordinary location between desert and the sea.
On an isolated stretch of desert-backed coastline, around a 90-minute drive from central Doha, lies one of the most impressive new wellness retreats of recent years, Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som. This is after all the off-shoot of Thailand’s legendary wellness haven, Chiva-Som, which celebrates its 30th anniversary next year, in Hua Hin.
Just like its Thai counterpart, Zulal Wellness Resort stands apart for the unmistakable sense of place that’s instilled through everything from the resort’s overall wellness concept to its Arabic architectural design. Here at the northernmost tip of Qatar, overlooking sandy shores and the Arabian Gulf, low lying terracotta-hued buildings lie around classic Arabian courtyards, altogether reinterpreting the DNA of a Qatari village.
Reflecting the resort’s name, which translates to ‘purified water’, pools of water run throughout the 280,000-sq-m space referencing medieval Islamic astrology in its geometry. Trees and gardens of herbs add greenery to every corner of the resort and long grasses back the sandy shoreline. One side of this sprawling complex is dedicated to Zulal Discovery, aimed at families, with the adults-only Zulal Serenity then taking up the other half.
While staying is one of the light-filled rooms, suites or waterfront villas, this tranquil environment provides the setting for Zulal Wellness Resort’s immersive wellness programs, which, as a very first for any wellness resort in the world, are based on the principles of TAIM (traditional Arabic Islamic medicine, which has roots in medicine of the ancient Greeks), along with the six pillars of health: fitness, physiotherapy, spa, holistic therapy, aesthetic beauty and nutrition.
Each retreat begins with personal consultation to identify your own health needs and aims for the stay, with principles of TAIM brought in to understand your dominant humor as well as temperament—hot, dry, cold and wet—determining how you should approach health and nutrition. A wealth of wellness experts, from physiotherapists and a dermatologist to specialists in Thai and Ayurvedic treatments, facilitate these treatment plans, with extensive spa facilities, including plunge pools, hammams, mineral baths and Himalayan salt rooms, promoting relaxation.
A highlight of any stay here is undoubtedly the resort’s health-giving food. In Zulal Discovery, Arabic and international dishes are served at Aizoon, while Malbu beach club serves grilled seafood and other Mediterranean options, the lagoon-side Casuarina café offers teas, coffee, juices and snacks, and Acacia presents diners with international and Arabian fine dining plates.
In Zulal Serenity, global cuisine, and Asian specialties in particular, are offered at the waterside restaurant Al-Sidr, with the option to also eat at any of the restaurants in Zulal Discovery. At each dining venue, dishes like seared scallops with black garlic textures and beetroot hummus, or marinated duck with eggplant activated charcoal puree, deliver equally on health and good taste.
Outside of the wellness program, opportunities abound to connect with yourself and nature and to unwind. Thousands of books fill the floor-to-ceiling shelves of Zulal Serenity’s House of Wisdom, and activities from yoga to floating meditation run throughout the week. The marine eco trail takes you wading out across the sandy seafloor at low tide to nearby mangrove, and stargazing sessions take place after dark.
Just like Chiva-Som, Zulal Wellness Resort strives to constantly evolve and bring in new concepts and technologies to its wellness offering. The latest innovation for Zulal is the introduction of its genomic testing program, which, by submitting your test before arrival, provides the information defining the ideal wellness plan for your stay and beyond. Whether you’re looking for a full health overhaul or simply to reconnect with yourself and relax, Zulal Wellness Resort provides an oasis in the desert for it all.