It’s that “New Year, New You” season, and if one of your 2016 resolutions is to eat better, why not check that box while enjoying a beach holiday.

With its Six Senses pedigree, we’ve always found Evason Hua Hin a fairly healthy place, both spiritually (with its well-known focus on sustainability) and physically—the solitude and lack of swimmable beaches, in sparsely developed Pranburi, lend the hotel to honest-to-god relaxation and maybe a bicycle ride to nearby Sam Yoi Rod.

But recently added to the list of activities on offer are courses at Matthew Kenney Culinary, an onsite “raw food” school from the US. Aside from the cuisine, which is 100-percent vegan and if “cooked” at all only at low temperatures, what makes this really unique is the standard of instruction and the equipment—ostensibly this is a modern and spacious facility for professional chefs who come from around the world to study for weeks and sometimes months, but there are also one- and two-day classes where civilians like us can learn more about “plant-based” diets (look for it to be a hot trend in 2016, expanding from athletes and longevity experts to the mainstream).

We took a one-day “intro” course that was a far cry from the standard holiday cooking class. This was nearly five hours of theory and hands on “cooking”—bright green smoothies, detoxifying salads and “pasta,” and even a dairy free dessert made from chia seeds. It was tiring, but we returned home with more than a certificate, apron and photo with the chef. It’s not necessary to stay at the resort to enroll in the classes, but rates start at B5,000 for a standard Evason Room. One day courses are B8,000. www.evasonresorts.com/huahin