Last week I was lucky enough to go over to Gozo to Amchara’s juicing retreat. They very kindly invited me to spend the week with them and to do some education for their clients, I was thrilled to accept (and I dragged my mum along for a small girls holiday and a week of healing).
I was really keen to go obviously and work with them but also for my own health. I have been very open with the fact I have Lyme Disease and I wondered how a full detox would help me, and plus it’s also great to do a detox 2x per year anyway so I was very excited. And hello… it’s Malta.
The Retreat
Amchara have a retreat over here down in Somerset but there also have a retreat over in Gozo, which is an island just off Malta.
We arrived in Malta and one of their drivers picked us up and drove us to the shore where we hopped on a quick ferry ride (45mins) to Gozo. Gozo is just beautiful, it is a tiny island, and I loved it because it is a very slow way of life over there. I cannot tell you how many Brits we came into contact with on Gozo, they all seem to be moving there for the calmness and slower pace of life – very tempting.
Amchara is like a hotel, they own it all and they have people coming in and going all through the week. It isn’t a retreat where they hire it for one week and you have to go for that one week, it’s a dip in and out kind of place.
They have a purpose built yoga studio (with yoga space on the roof with amazing views) and a health centre with a spa. They have an outside pool with sea water, a jacuzzi, an infra red sauna, steam room, fire pit for the summer nights, cinema room, talk room, it is all absolutely gorgeous.
A typical day would be:
8am: Yoga
9am: Juice
11am: Walk for an hour
12pm: Juice
12:30pm: Talk of the day
3pm: Juice and sometimes a food demo
4pm: Yoga
5pm: Meditation
6pm: Soup
There are breaks in the day where you can go off and explore but to be honest I was really boring and I sat by the pool and relaxed and read my book and my mum had some treatments in the spa. At the end of the day some of the guests went and watched films in the movie room but I love sleep, I was in bed every night at 8:30 (I told you I was boring).
Education
The education part was my realm, I am so passionate about teaching people the ‘why’s’… why should we eat well, how does it really impact our digestion and our brain, why do you feel sluggish, why can’t you sleep at night etc etc. and people loved it, a lot came to me and said thank you and have emailed me since. Finally they understand the ‘WHY’S’ and I think when we understand exactly why and how, we can then be motivated to stay away from that food. A small example is 4pm tiredness, if you have regular snacks though the day which have protein in them you can avoid that 4pm slump, no energy, cravings, headaches etc. it is actually incredibly simple, when you have the education behind it.
Your Retreat
Honestly, stress doesn’t exist at Amchara. I spoke to some of the guests who had been to other juicing retreats all over the world and they agreed Amchara was definitely the best for full relaxation and the care you receive. Everyone is very calm, there is no shouting and hustle and bustle, it’s all very laid back. When I was there, there was only about 10 people, so it was a nice number to be able to chat to people and share your health experiences.
When you arrive at the retreat you have for a health consultation and thats to discuss your health conditions and how you want the detox to go, they formulate you a plan, take your weight, blood pressure etc. and then throughout the week they are always asking how you are doing, you can check in with the staff members and they were all so lovely.
In the kitchen we had juice 3x per day and soup in an evening but into the detox on day 3 I began to feel very very poorly (which is normal it happens to everyone and you come out the other side, usually it is fatigue and migraines etc) however I was working on the retreat so I couldn’t be too ill! So again, the staff checked in with me and I went onto raw food and oh wow! Oh wow is all I can say, absolutely beautiful raw food. Chia pudding, courgette with tomato sauce and cashew cream sauce (dairy free), sushi veggie rolls it was amazing! I swear there are little Deliciously Ella chefs in that kitchen. Beautiful beautiful food, all natural, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free AKA REAL FOOD.
Even though I was working through the week I fully amerced myself in the detox experience and get involved with the other clients there and it was brilliant.
Why should I go to Amchara?
If you want to switch off, unwind, gain some perspective, shut off the world for a week, heal your body, learn about health, swim, have spa treatments, explore, sleep, relax, be looked after – Amchara is the place.
I felt different coming home, I really felt relaxed and ready to face the world and life and it’s very inevitable stressors. I felt equipped. I personally wanted to come home and do more yoga and I have, and I wanted to eat a vegetarian diet and I have. Doing a detox really has kicked me into being motivated and equipped.
One negative… turned into a positive
My only feedback to them was the aftercare, I think they would benefit from having some type of aftercare already in place for people when they return to the UK. For example, you go on a detox, you feel amazing after a week, your skin has cleared up you have more energy, digestion has calmed down, your stress levels have reduced, your concentration is better but then… you go back home, everyone thinks your abit odd for drinking juice all week and doing yoga all week, you go back to work and your old diet. People were abit worried about returning to the ‘real world’ and how they would feel.
But… that is where people like me step in. Lets be honest unless we educate ourselves or invest in getting help it is hard to ‘go on a diet’ or ‘eat healthy’ and even harder when we have no clue what that actually is or what it looks like. ‘Diet starts on Monday’ – why? Why is this Monday any different? Investing in a fully trained Nutritional Therapist is money well spend if you are serious about achieving those goals, they help you, support you, tailor a plan to you which is realistic to your life right now, they give you recipes, meal ideas etc. and support. I think thats the main thing people need right?
So here is the opportunity to work with both myself and Amchara, if you book to go to Amchara in Gozo (which by the way you absolutely should) I can offer you the before and after care.
Initial consultation and one follow up appointment 20% off
FREE TREATMENT AT AMCHARA
Book your Nutritional Consultation before you fly off for when you get home to stay motivated and achieve your long-term goals.
From start to finish they really looked after us, it’s the small details, we even got a little goody bag to go home with to avoid rubbish airport food (kale chips, crudités, homemade humous, raw brownies and fruit) – I never recommend brands or companies I don’t completely love or believe in or agree with and I love Amchara. Their ethos is the same as mine, their approach is the same as mine. Thank you for creating such a gorgeous space and experience, I’ll be back soon.
A big thank you to Nay, Kirstie, Rhiannon, David, Emily, Victoria and last but not least Danielle who made me fall in love with yoga (twice a day) and now I can do it back in the UK and have some ‘me time’ everyday.
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