Savor the seasons

April 22, 2025 - If you had to pick one defining characteristic of the Six Senses gastronomic identity, it would be seasonality. As the aromatic, robust flavors of winter melt into the sunny tastes of summer, soil-to-table menus could also be key to vitality.

Understanding seasonality is not a preference but a whole philosophy that promotes wellness and longevity. Eating from the land is a way to connect with it, making your body come alive with every bite. 

Seasonal cuisine is about taste and environmental benefits, but more importantly the key to your energy levels and ultimately your well-being. “Feeling listless and tired all the time has become a common acceptance and a reason why people seek medical attention,” says Farah Condor, clinical naturopathic nutrition practitioner and Director of Eat With Six Senses. “Surprisingly though, the biggest drain on your energy can be too much fuel. Too much all at once, or unbalanced plating, can mean your mitochondria – the powerhouses of your cells – are overloaded so must take a break from turning the nutrients into vital energy. This leaves you feeling more sluggish than before.”

High-sugar, excessive bad fats, highly processed foods and high-stress lifestyles are particularly problematic. Eating food that does not align with nature’s bounty just adds to the stress. “Recent research has confirmed that our friendly gut bacteria change daily and with the seasons. Mother nature knows what we need for each season to stay strong and well. Methods like pickling, fermenting and freezing help us to retain these foods in a way that still helps our health.”

With our “grown in, not flown in” approach to seasonality, the food on your plate at Six Senses is harvested fresh from our region and our own farms or gardens, with our homemade compost ensuring the quality of the soil it is grown in. You’re not only receiving nutrients from the plants but also beneficial microbes from their roots, stems, and leaves to fuel your body and help you stay stronger for longer.

Going back to its roots, Six Senses Ibiza

Ibiza’s geographical location makes it a crossroads of cuisines, but its heritage has remained rooted in its fertile red soil. The chefs animating Six Senses Ibiza’s contemporary food keep you connected with the island’s terroir by championing the way nature ebbs and flows at the resort’s nearby farm, Can Tanca.

This year, the focus is shifting from simply growing the produce you see under the vintage tractors in The Farmers’ Market, on your plate in the Orchard, and in your pick-me-up juices and cocktails at the Pharmacy Bar. The farm is cultivating a flourishing new community of changemakers alongside the watermelons. Whether they’re pioneers in regenerative agriculture, spiritual healers, wellness experts or simply people who come to be inspired, this community is gathering at the farm’s new Learning Center, a hub of activity embodying Ibiza’s heritage and soul.  

Many of the activities take their cue from the landscape itself, guided by the ancient concept of genius loci—the spirit of place. A yoga class or sound healing session in the farm’s quiet embrace can be followed by a farm-to-fork brunch with hand-foraged goodness on each plate. A dedicated children’s activity program will also be designed along with the potential to offer the space for pop-up events, weddings and special occasions. Interactive workshops will be developed in collaboration with the hotel’s sustainability partners to discuss the work underway to protect Ibiza’s ocean and forests.

The height of freshness, Six Senses Zighy Bay

Join us for a night of culinary artistry and vistas over the Gulf of Oman at Sense on the Edge, and you’ll enjoy an experience that lingers long after the last bite. During the growing season at Six Senses Zighy Bay, up to 90 percent of the produce is grown at the resort’s nearby farm in Dibba. The farmer sends the list, and our chefs create the menus for the 12-course Journey of the Senses based on the pick of the day. You can stay as long as you like and be as private as you like, which has led to an ‘I do’ or two from the Starlight and Moonlight tables, which flank the restaurant on both sides. 

Environmental responsibility runs through Six Senses Zighy Bay’s veins, with 80 percent of organic and glass waste recycled or upcycled on site, still and sparkling water bottled via reverse osmosis, and a near total plastic ban in effect. That doesn’t mean the food is restricted. While the resort caters to all allergies and requirements, the food is clean and healthy, so it naturally supports all wellness programs and dietary preferences. 

Harnessing the sun at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

In Vietnam, Six Senses Ninh Van Bay has taken the concept of a solar farm literally, with an organic garden, Solar FreshCuts, planted beneath 800 solar panels. The freshly harvested produce goes straight into the plant-based cuisine at The Farmhouse, which is perched on the central hilltop overlooking the beautiful bay. Why not join a cooking class hosted by our Executive Chef to learn how to prepare these fresh meals back home?

In 2024, the resort was one of four to be awarded the Climate & Biodiversity Action Award in the HICAP Sustainable Hotel Awards, in part for its work on biodiversity surveys. These have identified 300 species of flora and fauna, including a previously undescribed flower, now named “Curcuma sixsensesensis” (Six Senses Turmeric) and nine cycads trees, each 100 to 200 years old, which are now protected as Vietnamese Heritage Trees. 

Bite-sized seasons at Six Senses Kyoto

Nowhere is seasonal sustainability more in evidence than at Six Senses Kyoto. It is customary in Japan to divide the calendar into 24 distinct solar seasons, known as sekki. Mapped around the four solstices and lasting approximately 15 days, each sekki serves as a guiding principle for our chefs to craft mindful menus that make natural, local, and sustainable ingredients the hero of each dish. 

Menu highlights include fermented foods that are known to support digestive health such as local amazake cream, crafted from rice and koji (malted rice), replacing traditional clotted cream to leave you feeling lighter and fresher. Here, dishes not only nurture your gut buddies; they also taste divine.

Eat With Six Senses 

Our Six Senses food and drink philosophy – Natural Ingredients, Local & Sustainable, and Less is More – means you can eat fresh, seasonal, and wholesome food and leave every table feeling better than when you arrived. With programs marked on the menus, you can make easy choices without missing out on the fun. 

“Ultimately, dining with us is an invitation to find the joy in the goodness on your plate and feel the energy entering your body as you journey through the property’s local and sustainable culinary culture,” says Farah.