Retreat to wellness

Sticking to your workout routine and diet while on the road can be tedious. What’s a frequent traveller and self-professed health nut like TAN MIN YAN to do?

Portrait of Tammy Strobel

Sticking to your workout routine and diet while on the road can be tedious. What’s a frequent traveller and self-professed health nut like TAN MIN YAN to do?  

My Reading Room

Yes, I am a health nut on most days, but whatever little bit of willpower that keeps me waking up at 6am to head to the gym on a workday, or eating salads for lunch, flies right out the window when I’m overseas. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve lugged my gym shoes along, only to be beaten by the more pressing desire for a lie-in. I’ve succumbed to eating cup noodles because it’s just much more convenient. The body is willing, but the mind is weak, et cetera, et cetera.

The Westin Hotels & Resorts group knows this, and has devised a suite of amenities and services (I think of them as subtle countermeasures) precisely for people like me. These revolve around what the group terms the “six pillars of well-being”, and involve helping the guests staying at any Westin property eat, move, work, sleep, feel and play well – no additional effort needed on their part – and leave feeling rejuvenated. Just how effective is the group in delivering on its promise? I take my scepticism along with me to The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa... and discover just how easy it is to stick to my regular routine, and still feel well-rested at the end of it. Yes, really. 

EAT WELL
The extent of healthy food options (marked with a SuperfoodsRX logo) on the room service menu is a pleasant surprise. There are entire pages dedicated to these, and food choices on the “regular” menu featuring superfood elements are thoughtfully marked out too. These aren’t measly salads either – I order a pan-seared salmon with wheat soba noodles tossed in a lovely teriyaki sauce for one meal, and top it up with vegetable rice rolls for another. Even the breakfast buff et spread at in-house restaurant Seasonal Tastes is peppered with mindful alternatives such as bircher muesli and Greek yogurt. 

SLEEP WELL
Despite the frequent travelling, I don’t sleep well in hotels, no thanks to a combination of being a light sleeper and a general sense of unease in unfamiliar surroundings. Naturally, this makes me the best person to put The Westin’s famed Heavenly Bed to the test. I can’t say I slept like a baby (through no fault of the bed!), but it was by far the most comfortable rest I’ve had in a hotel bed. Yes, the bed is for sale at www.westinstore.com

WORK WELL
Unlike me, there probably aren’t too many guests staying in The Westin Langkawi for the sole purpose of work. Regardless, I manage to carve out a makeshift offi  ce for the duration of my stay – on the balcony in my room. And I accomplish more than I would have at home. Who says you can’t get work done when you’re away from the office? 

MOVE WELL
I’m such a fussy gymgoer that I’d rather skip my workout than settle for a gym that doesn’t have all the equipment I require. Fortunately for me (and unfortunately for any excuses I might have), the resort’s gym is stocked with well-maintained equipment – treadmills, elliptical machines, medicine balls, kettlebells... you name it, the gym probably has it. A big bonus: thanks to a collaboration between the hotel and Fitbit, you can redeem a free 30-day trial of the latter’s fitness app Fitstar Premium, which is packed with customisable workouts that can be done anywhere. 

FEEL WELL
I set aside a couple of hours for a massage at the Heavenly Spa. The treatment is expectedly relaxing, but it’s the time I spend in the spa, lounging by the pool with a backdrop of the magnificent Andaman Sea and sipping on a cup of hot lemongrass tea post-treatment, that really takes the stress right out of my entire being.

PLAY WELL
The recent addition of TV personality, and wellness author and speaker Jojo Struys to The Westin’s panel of well-being brand advocates looks set to elevate the brand’s dedication to wellness. At one of her retreats, you can expect tips on how to minimise stress, and breathing and meditation techniques for mental positivity. For more information on her, and other wellness retreats available, visit www.westin.com/wellness

(From left) It’s not hard to feel relaxed when you’re surrounded by bewitching views. Healthy cocktails? Yes, it’s possible. The Crafted at Westin programme presents a menu of tipples made using only fresh ingredients.
(From left) It’s not hard to feel relaxed when you’re surrounded by bewitching views. Healthy cocktails? Yes, it’s possible. The Crafted at Westin programme presents a menu of tipples made using only fresh ingredients.
(Clockwise from left) Spare some time to hang around the Heavenly Spa after your treatment – it’s the ultimate relaxation treat. A good sleep is practically assured with the Westin’s Heavenly Bed. It’s easy to wake up early for a quick swim when you have a lovely sunrise to look forward to. When you have a beautiful view from your balcony, having to work isn’t that bad after all.
(Clockwise from left) Spare some time to hang around the Heavenly Spa after your treatment – it’s the ultimate relaxation treat. A good sleep is practically assured with the Westin’s Heavenly Bed. It’s easy to wake up early for a quick swim when you have a lovely sunrise to look forward to. When you have a beautiful view from your balcony, having to work isn’t that bad after all.
More: westin