Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som, where holistic well-being meets romantic retreat, welcomes Amica Sicilia for a unique getaway.
You know you’re arriving when the bright line of sand merges with the gleam of the sea and sky and water become indistinguishable. After miles of desert, we cross over into a sacred sanctuary where body, mind and spirit are all invited to rest. Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som is one of the region’s largest immersive holistic wellness retreats. Its remarkable approach rests on six pillars: spa therapies, fitness, physiotherapy, aesthetics, nutrition and holistic health, creating a unique fusion of traditional and innovative approaches to well-being.
Even arrival seems like a ritual. The entrance unfolds into what feels like a kind of temple. At the centre stands a sandstone cube housing an early, untitled sculpture by Anish Kapoor. At its heart, a void lit by a shaft of light from a skylight. It is stillness made visible. To one side, the apothecary: walls lined with jars of herbs used in the resort’s Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine (TAIM). To the other, a soaring library of pale wood, filled with books guests are free to borrow. The hush is immediate, as if the world has paused.
As warm afternoon light slants across the floor, we’re served tea. Wholefurled green leaves and delicate Japanese sakura cherry-blossom petals steep in cast-iron pots and delicate raku cups. Tiny almond and date sugar biscuits, a pot of royal white honey. Everything quiet. Everything golden.
Refreshed, we step into Zulal’s gardens, which unfold like a living mosaic of hibiscus, tuberose, neem, jasmine and sidra. Every plant is medicinal, many of them what the in-house experts call Grade A: each part of the plant usable in a different healing preparation. These gardens open onto the lagoons. To one side, Discovery Lagoon – welcoming families into a shared journey of well-being. To the other, Serenity Lagoon – our destination, and the heart of the resort’s adult sanctuary.
We’re here for reconnection. For stillness. For romance. The resort’s serene rhythms and carefully considered experiences make it a perfect choice for couples seeking space and time together – whether newlyweds, honeymooners or simply those ready to press pause and breathe again.
Our wellness consultation with Dr Aashly, an experienced naturopath, gently maps our way in. “How are you?” he asks; a simple question, and yet somehow it lands differently here. We talk about sleep, stress, habits, energy and he suggests a tailored path through the resort’s many offerings. Outside the window, the healing garden he helped plant sways in the breeze. From the first moment, we feel cared for.
Our suite is elegant and calm. Cool stone, pale wood and soft textures. The bed is supremely comfortable, with crisp sheets and plump pillows. The generous bathroom offers not only a bath but a walk-in shower that can open either to the room or to a private, sheltered garden with our own pool for morning swims or access to bathing in the lagoon just steps away. That evening, we dine at Acacia, the resort’s most refined dining space, with soft slate-grey walls, modern art and the quiet theatre of an open kitchen. From our semi-private booth, we begin with a charcoal za’atar flatbread, studded with glossy dots of hummus, apricot, capers and bell pepper, like edible gemstones on black slate. A salmon tartare arrives next, delicately curled with avocado, micro herbs and edible petals – fresh, precise and luminous. My main is grilled octopus, a rich deep purple braised with smoked paprika and laid over fluffy potato, while my husband has a sousvide duck breast with broccolini and citrus goji sauce. The dessert is a triumph: a tribute to the humble date, Qatar’s other treasure, with a single perfect fruit filled with cinnamon custard, resting on a natural jelly with pistachio ice cream and shards of toasted hazelnuts.
Later, we join a magical floating meditation session. Reclining on mattresses, we drift gently on the lagoon’s surface, following a guided meditation that lifts our gaze to the star-studded sky and lets our minds float to calm.
The rest of the stay flows like water. Morning swims in our private pool. Super Stretch classes that unfold tension and reconnect us with our bodies. Quiet meals – like the breakfast at Aizoon where my husband savours a silky scramble of eggs and I reach for a charcoal croissant and vibrant shots of beetroot and ginger.
Later that morning, we borrow bicycles and coast gently through the gardens to the Zulal Discovery, to join a clay workshop. Hands in clay, feet grounded, side by side we happily shape, smooth and create, guided by the expert recreation team. The act is meditative, tactile and joyful.
Lunch is served in the light-filled dining room of Al Sidr, which draws on pan-Asian flavours and opens into a sunken terrace set into the lagoon. I begin with a poached duo of asparagus in honey and coriander dressing, followed by pomelo salad with coconut and tamarind. My collagen-boosting soup – brothy and warm, packed with salmon, chia, flax and kale – feels like medicine in a bowl. My husband’s laksa is aromatic and smooth with prawn, Korean glass noodles, cabbage and long beans. Entirely without refined sugar, the dessert is extraordinary: chai sponge with popped amaranth and creamy charcoal coconut ice cream. Service is gracious, informed and unobtrusive.
That afternoon, we each have our TAIM consultations. Practitioner Bibi Lockhat sensitively guides me through a series of gently probing lifestyle questions: the foods I crave, the climates I thrive in and my emotional responses. Her conclusion: I am phlegmatic – a water temperament. She shares insight into the six essential factors of health: atmospheric air, physical movement, sleep and wakefulness, mental rest, digestion and emotional balance.
Afterwards, I return to the spa for an Al-Ras head massage. With careful, focussed pressure on the scalp’s meridian points, the therapist works in silence, in rhythm with my breath. At first it feels localised, but then the sensation spreads – down the neck, along the spine. I drift off briefly, and wake with the distinct feeling that something inside has quietly shifted. All tension gone. We finish the day at the yoga studio with Zulal’s signature Good Night Ritual – a singing bowl session by candlelight. Just 20 minutes, but it feels like someone has hit a reset switch.
As morning breaks, we join a Tai Chi class in the light-filled studio. Our instructor’s movements are fluid, rising and falling, shifting our weight like water. We return to Aizoon for a final nourishing breakfast, then walk together down to the edge of the sea. The tide is low. The water glass-clear, lapping white sand. Below the soft blue horizon runs a line of mangroves. Their deep green is feathered with pinkish cream – Qatar’s famous flamingos! They know where to find the peace they seek. The morning light is cool. The water is still. Zulal means pure water in Arabic. And there couldn’t be a more fitting name for this place, this experience, and the feeling we carry with us as we leave. A place that cleanses. Clarifies. Quietly restores and helps us realign with ourselves and each other.
For more information or to make a reservation,
please call Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som on 4477 6500.
@zulalwellnessresort