“Silent Havens for Holistic Solutions” – The Perfect Description for Sacred Spas Created by Christina Ong
by Susie Ellis

I can only imagine how long it must have taken to come up with this spot-on perfect tag line: “Silent Havens for Holistic Solutions.”

The other evening Peter and I attended a cocktail reception given at Donna Karan’s Soho pad for Christina Ong, who was showcasing her Como Shambhala luxury resort properties. I was delighted to see that Mrs. Ong herself was at the reception since I understand she is very shy and not a fan of large social gatherings.

Some quick background if you haven’t heard of Como Shambhala. Shambhala means “a sacred place of bliss,” and Como is an acronym for Christina Ong and her daughter Melissa Ong. Their collection of unique and distinguished properties currently include:

Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos
Metropolitan, London
Metropolitan, Bangkok
Como Shambhala Estate, Bali
Uma Ubud, Bali
The Halkin, London
Cocoa Island, Maldives
Uma Paro, Bhutan

I am sure there will be more. They seem to be on a roll…as each property seems to be another instrument in a symphony they have created. I have had the pleasure of visiting about half of their properties and will see the two in London next month. It is simply understood that no property will disappoint.

When I spoke with Mrs. Ong, her brightest smile came when I mentioned how talented her therapists appear to be. I understand that she screens every single therapist in her collection – and it shows!

The Como Shambhala properties have a dreamy quality and combine nature, yoga, and holistic therapies with expertly trained therapists in a setting that is tasteful and, at the same time, progressive in design. This simple formula works.