Picture a very unhappy woman with so many hangups and baggage (not to mention far too much weight) that life cannot get much more miserable. Fast forward a week and I left feeling truly a different person. There is real enchantment about coming to the Sura Detox Retreat. It is so much more than a detox and far more than a retreat. It is the combination of a beautiful site which offers everything from the pool and sauna, to comfortable rooms, great places to relax, inspiring talks and emotional support, and an an opportunity to meet and get to know the most extraordinary people. But most importantly it is run and organised by the most incredible team of skilled, caring, insightful, intuitive practitioners who know exactly what they are doing which keeps you safe and builds you up to a level you absolutely cannot imagine on the evening you arrive. Even the fasting is made bearable by the way Amida and Dao organise and motivate you. If I have a complaint then I would say that the meal at the end of the retreat looks too beautiful to eat!

If you are looking for somewhere to go and review your life and where you want to go next this is the place for you. Sura Detox Retreat will give you the space to contemplate but more than this there are the people there to help you move forward to change your life. I desperately needed to lose weight (and I mean seriously) and I did. Even better the minute I left I made a commitment to myself that I would keep up the process at home. So did I feel it was worth it? So much and more. Are my children happy? Oh yes - but where did the junk food go and where is couch potato, uber fat Mummy. Gone boys. So, so gone. Thank you Amida, Dao, Benita, Kate, Anastasia, Claudia and all the other Retreaters.

PS The only reason I didn't sleep is because you have to drink water as part of the detox. I shall say no more!

Hmmmmm such a shame about the previous reviewers feedback! as I was on the same week and this is totally contrary to my experience and I believe all the other 16 people I spoke to, every one of them I spoke to was very positive about their experience with Sura Detox.

By the way I know HealthyEater40 left early so didn't complete the programme!, so I wonder how they could give a proper feedback without doing this fantastic process fully?

Anyway getting over my shock of the previous feedback I would like to share my experience.

ACCOMMODATION:
My room was clean, very comfortable and cosy. This is not 5 star hotel and I didn't expect it to be, but I have no complaints. The beds are super comfortable and I unusually slept very well all week.

VENUE:
The grounds in my mind is 5 stars - very beautiful well kept in a beautiful peaceful part of Devon - apart from the birds which seem to love the place with their loud voices . . . who said the country is peaceful.

THE PROCESS:
Juice Fasting for a week is hard. . well certainly the first three days, but by Tuesday I was amazed how generally well I felt and by the final Thursday morning I felt on top of the world. . . my skin was clear, eyes bright, I lost some much needed weight and I really did feel like I had reset my life button.

THE TEAM:
I still can't understand the previous feedback as I found the team and their support therapists to be sooooo friendly an yet professional. I always felt them as approachable, knowledgeable and supportive. For me the daily nutritional talk with Dao was life changing and has given me the tools to make seriously beneficial health/life choices for the future - just for this aspect I would recommend Sura Detox to everyone!!!! and I had a very helpful coaching session with Kate, she is like a wise mother. The therapies I had were divine!!! all of them and they really helped me through the process and last but not least I found the morning wake up exercises and meditation with Amida really set up my day.

CONCLUSION:
As you can get from my title I feel this process with Sura Detox to potentially be a life changing experience and I feel we need many more people like the Sura team in this world offering a genuine experience with integrity. They are real people doing wonderful work and I would highly recommend what they offer to anybody.

ACCOMMODATION AND VENUE:

Quote from SURA website: “Although the venue we use is of the highest standard, and all aspects are of the course uphold our integrity, we do not present ourselves as a luxury "Health Farm" offering blissful pampering”

VERY DATED AND OLD!!! Quite hard to find but lovely in the hills and also nice to be away from the city for a change. We booked the best room they had the LUXURY?!….god only knows what the other rooms must be like….we found the rooms clean-ish but not high standard by any means.

The pool was COLD…..so no swimming in the winter..shame as I wanted to swim everyday….but this was not possible (for £1000 per week you’d think the swimming pool would be habitable all year round)…I was told this was because the pool uses to much energy!!!! Wifi was available but no phone signal.

On the website they highlight how the WALKS are lovely…but they also advise you that you should not walk to far on your own as you will have no energy…….SHOULD THEY NOT HAVE ORGANISED WALKS THEN???!!!

DAILY PROGRAMME:

This is also very misleading on the website…..you seem to think that you would have a day full of things to do….and a good balance of personal time. Not quite….after the TALK at 1330….you have nothing else to do….the team only plan an evening MOVIE…ie put a film on…NOONE went to the film.

In the end myself and my house mates played games in our little house on our own and entertained ourselves….i think it’s a bit of a shame that the team don’t try and plan things for EVERYONE like Pictionary or maybe demonstrations to back up the things we have learnt in the talks….v poor in my opinion. You really are left to your own devices….and when all you can think about is food and its dark…(as it was November) it would have been good to have some distractions.

A Little effort that goes a long way.

OVERALL:
Overall the team seem a little complacent once they have you there, they just seem to sit back, and let you do the rest for yourself.

Unless you approach them they don’t really come to you….even if you miss a meeting or when the MOVIE option wasn’t popular they did not plan anything else, also no group walks or ANY organised activities…..you would be much better off sitting at home fasting and reading the information about the TALKS online than driving all the way to DEVON to pretty much do the same. The talks are very good but most people fell asleep as they are not animated or exciting in their delivery….they could be much better and enthusiastic.

The homeopathy is very good, as are the treatments and Benita is a star.
I think fasting is either for you or it isn’t.

But Ham Farm don’t seem to have much competition on the market and it shows in the complacent delivery of their product.

I first spent a week at Sura Detox in December 2008 and found the experience life-enhancing. I learned so much about food, nutrition - and choices. I went again in February 2010. It was equally as valuable second time around. As always, Dao's talks are the highlight of the week and are always fully attended.

My body said a big 'thank you' at the end of the week, as it felt cleansed and healthy - and lighter! I did struggle part-way through - mostly to do with the psyllium husks!. A major, positive factor was being part of a supportive and enthusiastic group. The group shared knowledge and experiences that was particularly helpful at all stages of the retreat. I very much appreciated being part of a great crowd and it made the whole week that much more valuable. I suspect I might give my body a food-free holiday each year!