(Article featured in Spa Secrets Magazine) 

By Carl Munson 

Going within without going without Imagine you'd discovered an unusual and intriguing 'spa retreat' experience with branches in Bali and Bantham, Devon. Be honest, you'd want to fly to Bali wouldn't you? And savour all it had to offer amid the delight of tropical heat, beautiful black-sand beaches and crystal clear sea? Me too.

"Get over it!" were therefore the words echoing in my head as I approached Discovery's Devon base, down a classic verdant single-track lane, in anticipation of the unusual blend of spa high-life and holistic, spiritual retreat that proprietor Tim Hunt had described to me over the phone.

Delving deeper into Devon's delightful rural depth, with wing mirrors and paintwork still intact, I was rapidly getting over it. Like many, I love this part of the world and by now was beginning to feel very privileged about my chance discovery of this special place and its promise of an experience that until recently hadn't been featured on any website or in any travel brochure.

A word-of-mouth gem, known until now only to a tiny group of people-in-the-know, Tim and Helen Hunt's "Discovery" experience is a retreat with a small 'r', where "going within doesn't mean you have to go without". As a Hedolist, (the kind of person who shamelessly blends hedonistic pleasure with a holistic awareness) it sounded like new age music to my hopi-candled ears.

On arrival I was greeted by Shiva. No, not the Hindu god of creation and destruction, but Discovery's dog Shiva, a beautifully calm creature, whose spiritual serenity and utter friendliness was the shape of things to come.

Helen was next to appear – another instantly calming presence and co-founder of this regal retreat – who invited me into the main house, an Edwardian pile draped in a glorious wisteria and topped with solar panel. A subsequent tour revealed two "studio" buildings hidden in an enchanted garden away from the world's prying and tired eyes, where retreatees come from all over the world to unwind and – of course 'discover' – as the name says on the tin.

I went for the small studio with ample room for a writer on retreat (or, as it occurred to me later in my solitude, superbly cosy for two on a romantic getaway). With its rustic detailing, some excellently quirky eastern-influenced touches and a view to die (and think you've gone to heaven) for, over Bantham bay and Burgh Island, I really had gotten over not being in Bali.

A typical stay here offers you access to, not only a beautiful and deeply restful setting complete with hot tub and it's night-time view of the cosmos, but also a range of Famous Five style activities. Along with lashings of ginger beer on the beach, you can bike, surf, sail and sea-swim your self silly let alone the more 'spiritual' stuff that I came here for.

I did my own thing on my first day at Discovery and that's the beauty of it. More pick and mix than prescription, the Hunts have an absolute armoury of holistic pleasure to tempt you with – but only if you want it.

Both the product of 70's India exploration with interests in Yoga, meditation, Reiki and chanting, the Hunts have done some heavy-duty soul searching. Helen has a background in counseling and psychotherapy; Tim is an expert in holistic stress management, homoeopathy and corporate coaching.

In an enlightening conversation with them over a delicious home cooked curry followed by oven-baked bananas smothered in chocolate and cream, it was reassuring to know that although they've been around the hippy-holistic block, this thoroughly practical pair have come full circle. Having also applied themselves to the everyday challenges of life including raising loads of kids, survived divorces and run businesses, they now have a lot to offer to anyone else trying to make sense of the stresses and strains of everyday life.

During my stay at their bespoke, tailored-to-my-needs retreat, I plumped for a spot of Reiki healing with Helen – a delightfully relaxing experience using the Japanese energy balancing system to ease my frayed nerve-endings after a busy week at work and resolve some relationship issues into the bargain - effortlessly and pain-free.

In my post-Reiki bliss, I asked Helen what I could have expected had I visited her Bali retreat. "A beach-based villa with five double bedrooms and swimming pool," she said casually. "Oh, and a nearby Buddhist temple, spectacular waterfalls, Zen yoga centre and local massage for around a fiver."

I also found out that a typical day there might involve rising at dawn to watch the sun rise over local fishing boats returning fresh from the sea with their catch. For a few pounds I could jump on such a boat and see the dolphins frolicking a little way up the Lovina coastline, from where I might also glimpse the villa surrounded by palms and dwarfed by distant, sleeping volcanoes. Returning home to freshly-squeezed exotic fruit juices and pancakes served by my friendly resident cook, the therapeutic hot springs are just minutes away should I require them by way of the afternoon's entertainment.

No time to dwell on what might have been however; as now with Tim, I tried some very enjoyable hands-on personal development techniques based on his years of research. Again, great results and far from having my head in the clouds, I was getting breakthroughs with my bare feet firmly on the Devon ground. Should you meet this man, ask him if he can make you "headless". He did it to me by way of a stress management experiment – with great and lasting effect.

Lying in my luxurious king-size bed on a rather lazy following Sunday morning, with the perfume of wild flowers from the Discovery garden entreating my nostrils and a stained glass panel above me depicting a re-assuring Christ offering a blessing each time I looked up, I realised Bali could wait a while. Maybe next year…

The Discovery experience truly brings together all that's good about spa life with all that's enriching about going on retreat. As Tim points out: "The retreats I did in the Himalayas were long, silent and the prolonged sitting meditations often painful. It was an ascetic approach to the process of unfolding wisdom. Our Discovery system offers a more gentle way that suits the individual in a more luxurious environment."

In the Hunts' capable hands, you realise it's not really Bantham or Bali you discover with Discovery, it's yourself. Combining spiritual depth with a light touch and beautiful surroundings, there's no need for your inner space to remain uncharted territory.