When I got the call up for a five-day detox at The LifeCo, Kate Moss and her crew’s go-to detox retreat in Bodrum, Turkey, I felt like I’d finally made it onto the list for the most exclusive club in the world. Kate, Sadie, Meg and the fashion flock have been returning often twice a year for over a decade. Wanting to know what all the fuss was about, coupled with a convenient nudge from my lean and gorgeous friend, nutritionist and model Rosemary Ferguson, I booked in faster than you can say ‘shish kebab’.
A 12-bedroom, Grade I listed mansion set in a bucolic 440-acre estate, Linton Park near Maidstone features architecture by Thomas Cubitt, known for his contributions to Buckingham Palace
The most popular program at The LifeCo is the World Spa Awards-winning Master Detox – a supermodel’s staple cleanse. This liquid-only program of five, seven or 10 days includes clay infused juices (to draw out the toxins), wheatgrass and psyllium husk shots (to get things moving) and daily Colemas (self administered colonics), plus whatever other treatments your wellness coach and assigned doctor recommends after taking your stats and bloods on arrival.
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After my initial consultation with head wellness coach Farnaz Zandi, I plumped for a Raw Vegan Ketogenic Detox – zero sugar, high (good) fat and protein, with an 18-hour fast and a cap of 800 calories a day. The goal? To shift my body into a state of ketosis whereby the body is using fat rather than carbohydrates for energy, shift the layer of visceral sugary fat and de-fog my brain. Other detox programs on offer include Green Juice, Green Salad, Anti-Ageing, Cholesterol and Fitness.
Tucked on a hillside above the Aegean sea, a 30-minute drive from Bodrum, the centre has 35 simple and comfortable bedrooms, a spa and medical centre, with a further seven rooms at Cactüs, the beach club area. I bumped bathrobes with burnt-out high flyers, groups of knackered home county mum pals, mothers and daughters. Uber stylist Katy England was there and we fell into daily walks, imbibing the baba ganoush wafts from harbour restaurants before diving into the sea to distract ourselves. Despite its well-heeled fanbase, The LifeCo isn’t fancy and it’s relatively affordable (a five-day programme starts at €1,150 for a shared room) – one of the reasons loyal guests return again and again.
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The centre is full of the latest fat-burning, shape-shifting and oxygen-plumping machines. My favourites were the ‘Bioenergetic Meridian Massage’ (like having 10 massages in one go using electric pulses to release fascia) and the ‘Zerobody Therapy’ (lying on a bed of water listening to a meditation for half an hour which felt like I’d had the best night’s sleep). Days can be as busy or chilled as each client chooses, with yoga, walks, talks, oxygen therapy, saunas, steams and bootcamp fitness included and the choice of poolside or the nearby Aegean seafront sun loungers to collapse on. Long-serving staff circulate at juice o’ clock with supplements, shots and juices. Camaraderie is real, there are no cliques or glamour: you’re all in it together.
Other hotels on Lake Como have been getting attention, but for lakeside languor with impeccable heritage, Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, can’t be beat
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The royal treatment at these hotels comes as standard on the King’s big day and beyond, writes travel editor Delilah Khomo in the June issue
If institution life gets too tough, bustling Bodrum is a short taxi ride away with excellent shopping for rugs, ceramics and designer(ish) garb. So is it worth the fuss? 100 per cent. I feel bouncier, mentally stronger to resist sugar, and I’ve never slept better. I’m basically Kate Moss.
