Chris, one of our wellness experts, tested the Longevity & Vitality Program at Camiral in September. Here is what he found.
Wellness at a Ryder Cup venue?
Camiral is famous for golf. It will host the 2031 Ryder Cup. It has two championship courses, a polished clubhouse. It's the kind of place where people talk about handicaps over breakfast. It also hosts conferences. Professional sports teams use it for pre-season camps. Besides there are vineyards, road and gravel cycling routes, and much more.
So where does wellness fit? There is no doctor on site. I wanted to understand it from the inside.
The short answer: Camiral hides a small, very good wellness retreat inside a famous golf resort. Think of it as a boutique wellbeing experience, nicely designed and executed.
The setting
Camiral sits in the Empordà countryside near Girona. Barcelona is an easy drive, around one hour depending on traffic. Coming by plane, train or car is equally easy. The hills are gentle, the light is clear and the weather is kind for most of the year.
What surprised me was the nature. Golf courses are rarely famous for biodiversity. Here, birds are well taken care of, it's a beautiful resort in a preserved part of Spain. The estate has been managed with real care, and you feel it on every walk.
Small by design
The wellness programme takes a maximum of six guests at a time. Yes, only six. It translates into personal attention from the first hour. Programmes are flexible, and can range from one day to a week. Based on my experience, the sweet spot would be four or five days: sleep well, eat well, move well, go home with more energy.
This is not a deep detox. It is a reset that just feels good and adapts to what you need.
The food
Food is the heart of the programme, you can easily tell the input of the nutritionist was essential. Indeed the concept was shaped by a well-known Spanish nutritionist, Mireia Cervera. Lunch and dinner are served in a small wellness kitchen with a handful of seats. A chef cooks in front of you and explains every ingredient and why it is there, if you want to ask. When I was there, even the stand-in chef knew the answer to everything.
The cooking is very good. You get enough to eat to feel just good, even when you hit the gym like I did. And it's a pleasure to see your plate being prepared in front of you.
I asked for larger portions. They delivered, although sizes varied from chef to chef, or at least it was my perception. Breakfast is served in the main restaurant, it's a large buffet with a dedicated wellness corner, and à-la-carte options if you want to order special things. You may be tempted to eat from the regular part of the buffet. I certainly did.
Watching the other guests, I saw that food was often their missing link. Eat consciously for a few days and half the work is done.
You can eat in your bathrobe at lunch, or in your sports kit. As you prefer.
Treatments and movement
The menu of wellness modalities is relatively short but well chosen. There is a full-body cryo chamber for cold therapy, an HBOT chamber for oxygen therapy, an infrared cabin for photobiomodulation, and compression boots for lymphatic drainage. There is Icoone, which I had never tried before. It felt like a very good massage, delivered with the help of technology. Many clients love it.
My favourite was certainly the hammam massage. Lots of warm water, great sensations, stimulates all the senses, quite unlike anything I have had elsewhere.
The practitioners are strong. My private yoga session was among the best I have had. The personal trainer was keen and supportive. Between sessions there is time for the pool, or for adding more treatments.
Push harder? There is a pro sports facility
Most hotel gyms, even very good ones, are just hotel gyms. Even with the latest Technogym equipment, sometimes you're looking for more. Camiral also has a full professional training facility, built for the teams that train here.
If this matters for you, this is something Serenity Ways can arrange for you at Camiral. Indeed a growing number of Serenity Ways clients are already healthy, and train at the same strength or endurance level as pro athletes. VO2Max above 50. They cycle 80 kilometres before lunch. They stretch daily and drink little. For them, a few dumbbells will not do. Camiral can host a group that actually lifts.
It also makes Camiral a rare setting for conscious company events. Annual conferences where people leave sharper, not hungover. Camiral is very supportive of the MICE wellness potential.
Two worlds, one campus
The clubhouse is all sociable chatter, beer and comfort food after a good round. A short walk away, someone is chewing slowly in a quiet healthy kitchen. It is an odd pairing on paper. In practice it works.
With a dog
Camiral is genuinely dog friendly. The estate is a huge park, so walks are a joy. Dogs have to stay in the room during treatments, but you have space and time to enjoy with them apart from the treatments. The guest dogs I saw on site looked pleased with their holiday.
Who is Camiral ideal for?
- Couples where one plays golf and the other would rather not
- Guests who want wellness that is discreet and comfortable, not clinical
- Long-haul visitors combining golf, Barcelona, Girona and a few days of reset
- Groups and companies wanting a healthier kind of conference, event or gathering
- Fit, motivated athletes who need proper training infrastructure to push the limits
Who it is not for
- Anyone wanting full immersion in a dedicated wellness destination, or looking for medical longevity.
- Anyone with a medical condition, or looking for health diagnostics.
The verdict
Camiral is a five-star resort without being outrageous. It is not a Four Seasons, not a Buchinger, not a SHA Wellness Clinic. And it does not try to be. It is luxury enough, at a sensible price. The wellness is non-medical, gentle and genuinely good.
To summarise: come for the golf, stay for the healthy kitchen and the nice wellness modalities. Or the other way round!
