The Farm is a product where people would like to stay longer more than the typical stay at a hotel
Preet Inder Singh
How has 2023 been for The Farm at San Benito? What kind of growth have you seen vis a vis 2022?
After spending almost two years on lockdown many travellers wish to take their holidays as a family including bringing their pets along. With this, The Farm will be the first to introduce the Wellness Lifestyle Real Estate concept in the country to offer a true immersive family wellness experience.
We realised is that The Farm is a product where people would like to stay longer more than the typical stay at a hotel. There are guests who have stayed with us for many months, even over a year. People are slowly shifting to buying holiday homes away from the city and we see this as a great opportunity to offer wellness-focused residential communities and holistic health services to the residents The Farm.
Which are your key source markets and where does India sit within it?
The Farm at San Benito is a wellness brand driven by its mission and purpose for over 20 years. In line our mission to provide science-based, evidence-guided holistic healing and transformative lifestyle retreats, The Farm offers medically-supervised health programmes that are carefully planned and conducted by internationally trained integrative medicine doctors, supported by a team of licensed health professionals in addressing and treating chronic illnesses & lifestyle diseases, naturally and holistically.
Our most popular medically-supervised programmes for our Indian guests are Holistic Detox Cleanse lasting 5-7 days and our Weight Management, Diabetes Prevention & Heart Health Programme which ranges from 7-31 days.
All of our programmes are conducted in collaboration with healing experts, licensed and internationally-trained integrative medical doctors, and highly experienced hospitality professionals. The Farm community provides guests with every possible support, encouragement, and guidance to do so. Guests report achieving renewed energy, spiritual enrichment, mental clarity, stronger immunity, glowing skin, and overall cellular healing.
What is the profile of your Indian guests? From which parts of the country do they mainly hail?
Our main customers are the Philippine Indian expat community, the Indian corporate executives coming from Singapore or Hong Kong and Indian guests from Delhi or Mumbai.
How do you promote the property in India? Do you need to customise/indianise the stay/experience or are Indians happy to have what you have to offer?
Our guests come from around the world and visit for various reasons – whether it’s solo travelers on medically supervised programmes, couples on romantic getaways, families looking for fun and transformation or corporate guests on a wellness ‘workation’.
In order to attract the Indian multi-generation families, we have designed a transformative and fun-filled Family Wellness Holiday at The Farm.
At The Farm at San Benito, we believe that wellness is a family affair. That’s why we offer a range of activities and programs designed to promote health and wellbeing for the whole family. Parents seeking the ultimate getaway can indulge in The Farm’s immersive wellness experience. From nature walks, creative Mandala Flower Meditation, kid’s yoga to improve their sense of calmness and concentration, kite flying, organic farm tour and vegetable picking, duck feeding, arts & crafts, and other recreational Mindful Movements and Functional Fitness to keep kids and teens away from gadgets and enjoy nature at its best.
We offer a range of spa treatments designed specifically for kids – from natural facials, foot scrubs, lullaby massage, manicure & pedicure, hair spa, and water wellness hydrotherapy.
Our healthy and nutritious kids’ menu is designed to appeal to even the pickiest eaters. We use only the freshest and most wholesome ingredients to ensure that your kids are getting the nutrition they need to thrive. Guests can enjoy an outdoor family picnic in the sprawling garden and secret garden while The Farm arranges everything, from setup to nutritious menus
The luxurious family pool villas, designed with families in mind looking to recharge and reconnect in a tranquil setting, features a private pool where you can enjoy a refreshing dip or simply lounge and soak up the sun.
What are your sustainability initiatives and how has your carbon footprint grown/reduced over the years?
At The Farm, we go beyond to curate and deliver a quintessential experiential holiday that speak of conscious lifestyles and transformative personal journeys. Aligned with the values of the new-age travelers, The Farm at San Benito brings forth the industry’s best practices to its own trendsetting vision and strong history of results driven approach to holistic health. Whether it is wellness immersion or medically-supervised lifestyle programme, The Farm ensures an environmentally and culturally conscious experiences with an authentic service delivery, with each moment guest spend with us transforms and revitalizes inside and out.
The Farm is an eco-socially responsible business and a true green destination that minimises its carbon footprint by serving farm-to-table, plant-based, whole food vegan cuisine; which, apart from being beneficial to people’s health, has also been proven to be good for the environment. The Farm has developed a 15,000 sqm organic farm where everything grown on the land has been designed to fit The Farm’s culinary needs, designed to have a seasonal rotation of crops for a true farm-to-table experience.
The Farm at San Benito not only believes in the healing power of nature but in healing nature as well. A vegan diet is said to be the single biggest way to reduce environmental impact on the earth and The Farm at San Benito puts this at the forefront of its values. The Farm has been growing and using medicinal herbs that have been present in the Philippines and are used by Filipinos in the ancient times for their curative power.
Food waste from the kitchen is transported up to the farm daily and is either given to farm animals or used for compost. The compost area is where both the agricultural and biodegradable waste of The Farm are treated to craft natural fertilisers by allowing the waste to ferment aerobically with microorganisms. Vermiculture is also used to help break down the waste, and vermicast is used as additional topsoil. By growing majority of produce on-site, The Farm not only increases food security, but also reduces its carbon footprint by limiting the transport of food.
In addition to serving healing foods, The Farm uses its 3,000 coconut trees to produce sustainable virgin coconut oil. This is used as the base for all biodegradable products such as bathroom amenities, for various spa and medical treatments, in food preparation, and even as non-toxic cleaning materials.
The Farm also produces and brews its own coffee with the famous “Barako” coffee beans of Batangas province. The Farm likewise grows and uses medicinal herbs that have been present in the Philippines and are used by Filipinos in ancient times for their curative power.
The Farm also patronises local and organic produce as part of its sustainable practice. It has allotted plots for the spa to grow local medicinal herbs to be used for its treatments. The Farm practices a strict farm-to-skin concept where the spa uses all-natural ingredients freshly picked from its own garden. It also uses Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) known for its anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. This oil is pressed from organic coconuts that can be found all around the property. VCO is 100 pc natural and contains no chemicals or preservatives.
What is the involvement of the community in the neighbourhood of the property? How is your property inclusive?
The Farm at San Benito employs a team of highly-skilled health and hospitality professionals, many of whom are from the local community. The resort’s commitment to environmental sustainability also supports the local ecosystem and promotes eco-tourism in the region.
Above all, The Farm at San Benito is committed to supporting, educating, and uplifting the lives of the nearby communities by providing livelihood and securing a clean and green environment.
