Two weeks on Phu Quoc built around adding muscle. Total Shift, the package we recommend for muscle, gives you 8 one-to-one personal training sessions over the two weeks to progress your lifts, 3 meals a day and 6 protein shakes a week to fuel growth, and a Nova Vitality 1:1 on nutrition, hormones and sleep, the things that decide how much muscle you build. A body composition scan measures your lean mass and body fat.

Nova prices by the night, and you choose the package. Elevate covers training, recovery and two meals a day. Burn adds two personal training sessions and three protein shakes a week. Total Shift gives you three meals a day, four personal training sessions and six shakes a week, plus a 1:1 session on nutrition, hormones and sleep.

The location is a big draw. Phu Quoc is a tropical island with white-sand beaches and national parks, and Nova is set in a peaceful garden area with a river running alongside. The facilities are all on-site, so you never have to travel between training and recovery. There’s a 22-metre rock pool for laps, a running track, an obstacle course, and padel and volleyball courts available for a fee.

The coaching team is led by James, a functional fitness and wellbeing coach who mixes hybrid conditioning with meditation and mindset work. He’s competitive—he’ll push you in sessions—but he also makes time for mental health, which is a refreshing balance. The founder, Nick, started his own transformation journey in Thailand and brings that personal experience to how the retreat is run.

What's included

- 13 nights / 14 days in a private en-suite room at Nova (standard villa; bungalow and villa upgrades available) - Training Monday to Saturday: unlimited classes, including HYROX, and full use of the gym, running track, obstacle course and 22-metre rock pool - 3 ice baths and 3 saunas a week - Body composition scan - Meals Monday to Saturday: 2 a day (Elevate, Burn) or 3 a day (Total Shift) - Personal training: 2 sessions a week (Burn) or 4 a week (Total Shift); none with Elevate - Protein shakes: 3 a week (Burn) or 6 a week (Total Shift) - Padel: 1 hour (Elevate, Burn) or 2 hours (Total Shift) - Nova Vitality 1:1 session on nutrition, hormones and sleep (Total Shift) - Nova kit: training shirt (all packages), tote bag (Burn), full kit and drinking water (Total Shift) - High-speed Wi-Fi

What's not included

- Flights - Travel insurance - Visa fees - Airport transfers (US$20 a ride per car, up to 6 people) - Meals on Sundays, and the third daily meal with Elevate and Burn - Room upgrades (Forest View Bungalow +US$25 a night, Deluxe Villa +US$50 a night) - Treatments and personal expenses