Travel

India’s Himalayan hilltop haven

In the foothills of the Himalayas, near the border of Nepal, wild monkeys swing in the trees and smoky incense made by local monks perfumes the air. Having just finished a morning yoga session, you feel as though you might just be in paradise. But even in paradise there are appointment to make. So, fortified with fresh mint tea picked from organic gardens, it’s time to meet your Tibetan doctor.

So goes a typical morning at Vana, Malsi Estate — a two-month-old luxury wellness retreat in Dehradun, in northern India’s spiritually rich state of Uttarakhand.

Vana is the brainchild of Veer Singh, 30, whose New Delhi-based family bought the land 15 years ago. Singh has spent the past five years — and $55 million — to create what he hopes will be “the most iconic wellness retreat in the world.”

Combining Ayurveda, yoga and Chinese medicine and treatments, the facility even has a doctor of Tibetan medicine, along with the first team of therapists to be trained by Men-Tsee-Khang, the Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute set up by the Dalai Lama.

The 90-room hotel is a modernist palace sitting on 21 acres of lychee and mango trees bordered by an ancient Sal forest. Vana features sleek, minimalist rooms with custom-designed hardwood beds with organic cotton linens. Each suite has its own meditation room, with a bodhisattva painted by a monk.

A typical day might start with yoga or meditation and breakfast of akuri — spicy scrambled eggs with cardamom and cumin — fresh fruit and juices. Chef Kuntal Kumar, who used to work with Gordon Ramsay, uses only local produce to create the healthy menu. Coffee and alcohol are served here, if you feel the urge.

At the core of the Vana experience is meeting with Ayurvedic expert Dr. Avilochan Singh, who crafts an individualized treatment plan while discussing lifestyle changes they will keep track of after you leave.

Additionally, Vana’s pure Tibetan healing treatments have retained their authenticity thousands of years after their invention. Try the synchronized “dhugs” compression treatment, with two therapists chanting and applying sesame oil, followed by hot herb poultices placed on various parts of the body — including along key organ points.

Singh plans to open six more Vanas in the next 12 years — and we can only hope one will be in the US.

* INFO: Three-day retreats (the recommended minimum stay) cost around $563 a day and include daily treatments, all meals, non-alcoholic drinks and airport transfers. Flights from Delhi to Dehradun on JetAir from $180/one-way.