The Magic of Mayakoba
by Anne Dimon
“What’s your favourite spa?” It’s a question I’ve been asked often in the decade that I’ve been spa hopping the planet and writing about the industry. The answer is never simple. It ranks right up there with asking a food writer: “What’s your favourite restaurant?” The answers to both questions depend on so many variables. The occasion, objective, budget, whether or not one is traveling (or dining) with family or friends, personal preference of the moment, and in the case of a spa, add length of stay, type of treatment(s) – the list is long.
If someone, on the other hand, asks, “what’s your favourite new resort for a wellness vacation,” the answer practically leaps from my lips – the new Fairmont Mayakoba.
Why? First of all, not all resorts are so in keeping with the philosophy of the “wellness vacation.” Defined as “a vacation where the intent is to promote or maintain a sense of balance and well-being,” a wellness vacation can take different forms depending on a person’s needs – be it fitness, more “me time,” healthier eating habits, stress management, quality time with a significant other, to name a few.
A resort catering to this market niche needs to take all of that into consideration, plus it needs to realize that guests seeking that sense of balance and wellbeing need other things, too. A caring, attentive and personable staff; a connection with nature; healthy cuisine that is more than salad and smoothies; and an opportunity to easily incorporate fitness activities into the holiday, are important. I found all of that available in good quantity beginning with the shuttle pickup at the airport where the driver had chilled cloths and bottled water for the passengers. That thoughtfulness and attention to detail set the tone for my four-day stay.
One of the unique aspects of this beachfront property is its connection to nature. In this age of eco-consciousness, developers of the resort have put nature first – and that goes way beyond the seawaters lapping the pristine sugar sand beach. The sprawling resort and its PGA-level golf course have been painstakingly sculpted around a protected mangrove forest and connected together with manmade lagoons fed by natural underwater springs. Many of the villas hug the shoreline and balconies overlook the lagoon’s olive-coloured waters. It’s as if the wilds of nature are living in harmony with the luxury of artfully decorated guest rooms, fine dining, top-drawer service, a state-of-the-art gym and a world class spa.
Willow Stream, one of the world’s most respected spa brands, offers two levels of treatment rooms, lounges, saunas, whirlpools and a private rooftop terrace with cabanas, a swimming pool and a mineral pool. The spa menu offers a panoply of treatments, including those “locally authentic” – Food of the Gods incorporates chocolate (cacao was highly revered in pre-Hispanic Mexico); the Cha Chac Rain Ritual (Chac is the Mayan Rain God); and Honey in the Heart comes from the traditional Mayan Temezcal ceremony. I’m not convinced that the chocolate body mask is authentically therapeutic, but it certainly feels indulgent.
The state-of-the-art gym is another bonus for those who do not like to mess with their fitness routines. So are the regularly scheduled classes such as yoga, Pilates and something relatively new to the spa scene – capoeira. It’s a blend of African/Brazilian martial arts disguised as dance – beautiful to watch and, like yoga, good for body, mind and soul. Fitness instructor Eliu Flores is considered a master in capoeira.
The resort provides bicycles that guests can borrow to cycle between villas, restaurants, swimming pools and through the mangrove forest to the beachfront amenities, which include an infinity pool, upscale restaurant and miles of pristine beach.
An understanding of the wellness-minded traveler is also demonstrated by the healthy selections offered in the resort’s three restaurants – things like freshly-squeezed vegetable juice-of-the-day, egg white omelets, and roasted Portobello mushroom sandwiches.
I may never be able to answer the simple “what’s your favourite spa,” but until something better comes along – and I will certainly let you know if it does – the Fairmont Mayakoba is my favourite new resort for a four-to-seven day “wellness vacation.”
Anne Dimon is a veteran spa and wellness travel writer, consultant and founder/editor of www.traveltowellness.com. For more information on the Fairmont Mayakoba visit www.fairmont.com/mayakoba.
