Connecting with Heritage

“Banyan Tree awakens a sense of sanctuary through an interconnected ecosystem of wellbeing experiences.”

Communities have used the banyan tree as a space to gather peacefully and connect for centuries. Much like the tree it was named after, the Banyan Tree brand offers spaces across the world for guests to seek respite in the beauty of nature. For over 30 years, the brand has aimed to pioneer holistic wellbeing, evolving its offering to meet the needs of modern travellers looking to reconnect and rediscover themselves and one another.

Launching in the summer of 2025, Banyan Tree brand is bringing its new wellbeing immersion programme, ‘Banyan Tree Connections’, to four of its most breathtaking locations in the Maldives, Thailand, Mexico and China. Bringing together the brand’s 8 proprietary pillars of wellbeing, the programme is designed to connect couples, whether partners, friends or family, with a two- or three-night immersion in shared movement, mindfulness and bonding rituals.

Banyan Tree Connections represents the deeper values of interconnectedness between self, others, and nature that the brand is offering. The spa and wellbeing practices they provide are rooted in an interconnected ecosystem of wellbeing experiences, designed to nurture a joyful and balanced way of life

Activities included in the programming are designed to be concise enough to carry on when guests leave the retreat, but powerful enough to create a lasting impact. Banyan Tree believes the multi-sensory experience, alongside the deep respect for the space around them, makes it so guests can fully absorb their learnings and take their unique experiences home with them to implement into their day-to-day lives.

The Banyan Tree Connections programme has been built in a bid to inspire guests to better their mental and physical wellbeing. The process starts and ends with rediscovering connections and creating new ones, hopefully deepening a bond, opening the mind, and soaking up the energy and tranquillity of the surroundings. Each pillar of practice offers a chance to reflect and recharge in new, mindful ways.

“Take a step into Banyan Tree Mayakoba to experience deep personal growth.”

Connection: Every pillar that the Banyan Tree has established links back to this key idea. Connecting in a way you wouldn’t have before, sharing an experience, and bonding over your learnings is what this programme is all about. In Thailand, guests can connect through a shared reflexology and herbal oil workshop, or experience the thrill of each other’s company on an adventurous kayaking trip while immersing themselves in nature. The aim is to feel connected by more than words, but from physically being present in different ways together.

Growth: Banyan Tree believes that learning and escaping your comfort zone, becoming grounded and nourished in new ways, is where growth lies. For that reason, some activities, such as the white tea aroma workshop in Anji and traditional Temazcal purification rituals in the Banyan Tree Mayakoba in Mexico, encourage guests to try something new and unusual. Their hope is the fear of the unknown, feeling self-conscious in their unawareness or simply feeling anxious about trying something new is the catalyst to opening themselves up to grow in new ways.

“Connect with nature at Banyan Tree Phuket.”

Practice: The goal of Banyan Tree Connections is to create fundamental new practices that guests will take with them into their day-to-day lives. Starting with a consultation, goals are set with a wellbeing practitioner on site, with personal strengths and improvement areas identified around the 8 pillars of Wellbeing so the guest can focus on what they’re looking to gain from their time. Reflection cards are given to allow guests time to ponder on what they’re learning and look deeper at how these new practices are opening them and their connection with their partner.

Nourishment: Giving space for local heritage, culture and the environment they are in informs the experience guests have, and is a fundamental part of what Banyan Tree offers. This goes beyond food, which in every hotel and resort of Banyan Tree is curated to be something to share and savour together. In the Maldives, guests are taken through a traditional cooking class to learn about the history of what they’re eating. Nourishment during their stay also aims to include mental and emotional nourishment, such as sharing gratitude cards, expressing feelings and supporting each other’s emotional wellbeing.

“Ground yourself in Banyan Tree Anji.”

Movement: Gentle, intentional physical activities like yoga or walking barefoot are designed to help people step out of their comfort zone and build trust with a partner. Private duo yoga sessions, specifically designed for any fitness level, are embedded in every itinerary at each location. By moving together and learning to sync with each other’s movements, it aims to enable a mind and muscle connection and a bond of trust to be built.

Groundedness: Many people travel to escape their everyday lives. Screens, phones and constant distractions can add to life’s stressors. By becoming grounded again, connected to the earth and actively being present in your surroundings, Banyan Tree guests are encouraged to experience the feeling of stability and centeredness. At Banyan Tree Anji, China, guests are taken on a private guided hike through Lingfeng Mountain, to invite a deep connection with the landscape and bring them back down to earth and see it in its raw beauty.

“During the morning groundedness at the beach I close my eyes and feel him holding my hand, and I feel the waves, the wind and also the birds singing. I feel like I’m a part of the nature.” guest of Banyan Tree Connections

Rest: At Banyan Tree resorts, guests make space to rest and rejuvenate. In order to be mindful, guests can make time to let their body recharge. Relaxation techniques, meditation, space for reflection and time to allow the surroundings and natural soundscape to be the only thing stimulating them hopefully allows guests to be actively present rather than distracted. Banyan Tree is moving from passive relaxation to benefit-oriented, holistic treatments led by therapists and supported by micro-rituals involving scent and sound.

“After every session, we both had a sense of very deep relaxation, and this is a state that we go into together, it’s almost like we come out in synchrony in a state of REST.”

Mindfulness: Practising awareness, being present, and developing a deeper understanding of the surroundings. Connecting with themselves and each other in new ways, with sessions in breathwork and sound healing, allows guests to feel encouraged to change their thought process. Take part in gratitude practices, workshops that unpack their belief systems and offer new outlooks on how to be mindful in their everyday lives, as well as set intentions to put everything into practice once they leave.

The overarching theme of the Banyan Tree Connections experience is a holistic approach to well-being that aims to emphasise interconnectedness between loved ones and the self. It allows participants to disconnect from their fast-paced, technology-driven lives and reconnect with themselves and their partner, creating pure connections that are life rarest luxuries.

Explore our Sanctuaries

Hazel Ooi
30 May 2025