Crystal Cruises proves that wellness and cruising can go hand in hand, with a retreat packed with fitness, mindfulness and healthy indulgence. Photo / Crystal Cruises
Crystal Cruises proves that wellness and cruising can go hand in hand, with a retreat packed with fitness, mindfulness and healthy indulgence. Photo / Crystal Cruises
Better wellbeing can now be found at sea. The new wellness retreat aboard Crystal Cruises features a nutritionist, mindful art, personal training programmes, dance classes and stargazing, writes Jane Wilson
A wellness cruise ... really? Champagne please and yes, afternoon tea too. Wellness is not often associated with cruising, especially with the multitude of temptations (and calories) on tap 24/7 and multiple “lazy days” – but my voyage was designated a wellness retreat. It was a first for Crystal Cruises, and set sail last December from Barcelona to Accra in Ghana on its Crystal Symphony.
There were no lazy days. Instead, my 14 days were filled with classes, workshops, lectures and even excursions, all smothered in wellness practices. A fitness expert brought out the dumbbells and resistance bands to target strength training, balance-based moves (tricky on a moving ship) and cross-training to boost cognitive functioning. There were workshops on stretching techniques: dynamic, ballistic, static active, static passive and isometric, you name it, they were included with useful suggestions to use at home.
We stood to attention with posture correction and were shown ways to prevent injuries. A yoga and meditation specialist led classes to enhance energy and mobility. But watch out for trigger therapy – ouch, it can be painful, especially that upper trapezius muscle, which is in contrast to mindful gratitude walks looking out to the sheer nothingness at sea, catching the sun setting, pure bliss.
I tested my skills in watercolour painting, moulding clay and creating jewellery; a time for self-expression through art, which works on the parasympathetic nervous system to help us relax. There were lessons in bridge, golf, pickleball and dance moves to the rumba and tango. Happiness is essential to wellbeing, so it was no surprise to attend a lecture on social fitness and building meaningful connections for that sense of belonging.
One evening I joined the stargazing meditation, cuddled in a blanket on the top deck, staring into the darkness where the stars looked like crystals sewn into the night sky. Breathe in, hold, breathe out. The distant voice guided us as we synchronised our breathing with the gentle ebb of the sea.
“What really is in our food” and “Why am I always tired” were subjects addressed in educational lectures. The nutritionist recommended checking food labels to identify how additives, preservatives and marketing tricks make us ill and camouflage healthy eating. She delved into nutrigenomics, which is currently revolutionising the way we should consider our personal nutrition. When, what and why we eat were questions to digest and consider, as were unnatural hunger cravings and weight fluctuations. Would I ever eat again?
Crystal’s wellness retreat made it easy to embark on a three-day body detox during the cruise, a feat not easy on an all-inclusive cruise. With dedicated menus served in the Waterside Restaurant, meals included creative and delicious dishes such as a vegan fettuccine alfredo and even a Pimm’s jelly cup. Intermittent fasting involved fasting for 16 hours, omitting breakfast, while exercise classes took a gentler pace – and I managed it without a hunger pain, even in the presence of enviable specialty restaurants onboard from the Italian Osteria d’Ovidio, Umi Uma, the only Nobu at sea and Beefbar, the brainchild of visionary restaurateur Riccardo Giraudi. The main Waterside Restaurant and Marketplace were excellent, with dishes hard to resist. Afternoon tea was pure indulgence, with a violinist enhancing the refined ambience of the Palm Court, with views stretching to the horizon and catching the dance of dolphins, if you were lucky. In the evenings, I took my seat in the wood-panelled Avenue Saloon to listen to the sultry sounds of jazz with a nightcap, or two.
Palm Court. Photo / Crystal Cruises
Excursions were wellness-focused in the destinations we visited, from e-biking in Gibraltar to a Hammam ritual in Tangiers, a medicinal plant walk in Las Palmas and, in Cape Verde, yoga on the beach followed by an aloe vera workshop.
The Aurōra Spa on the top deck offered a relaxation area, sauna and steam room with a wide list of treatments and a medi-spa, which included dermal fillers, micro-needling, and Thermageâ, the latest radio frequency technology, said to last three years. I chose the acupuncture, which certainly removed those niggly knots and boosted my energy levels.
Teatime sandwiches. Photo / Crystal Cruises
The Crystal Symphony is contemporary, classy and chic, with a cascading waterfall in the atrium. The all-suite accommodation for 606 guests comes in a range of categories, including single occupancy for solo travellers. And did I mention my very own butler, who arranged my preferred canapes for early evening (healthy of course), and booked my spa and excursions, all with a smile.
So, throw overboard those beliefs of stack ‘em high buffets and lazy days at sea, wellness cruising is packed with menus brimming with nutrients and a healthy programme of activities to rival any retreat on shore. And of course, staring into a star-studded sky and relaxing to the rhythm of the ocean.
