Wellness vacations are more than just a trend—they’re a transformative travel experience. Discover how Mexico’s leading resorts are redefining wellness travel with innovative programs and luxurious amenities.
Read on for a short list of some of Mexico’s top resorts offering well-being for mind, body and soul.
Melia Hotels: Wellness On- and Off-Site
If you’ve recently booked clients in a Paradisus by Melia property, you’ll be familiar with their fun Destination-Inclusive offer. “This new program allows our guests to immerse themselves into the local destination with renewing activities like visiting a local cenote guided by a Mexican shaman or exploring the beauty of a nearby canyon in Los Cabos,” says Sara Ranghi, Marketing & Brand Management Director for the Americas Region, Melia Hotels International. “These unique experiences allows our guests to go beyond a standard all-inclusive vacation and connect them with nature and the beautiful surrounding environments that our resorts are located in.”
On-site, the resorts each boast a beautiful YHI Spa with a menu of treatments inspired by local products, not to mention “immersive wellness retreats with SUDA, an international company that specializes in designing specialty wellbeing experiences,” adds Ranghi. “A fully immersive holistic experience, these retreats are designed to help relax, detox, and reconnect our guests’ mind, body and soul with nature through a calendar of sessions guided by international wellness trainers that mix yoga, meditation, movement, breathwork and stretching with art experiences. These retreats have been very well attended, and we expect to announce more in the coming months.”
Of note: Paradisus Los Cabos transitioned into an adults-only resort early this year, making it ideal for a kids-free getaway. Book The Reserve premium rooms for an elevated experience. In Riviera Maya, Paradisus Playa del Carmen offers a Family Concierge premium section for clients who want to take the entire family on a beach escape.
For more information, visit melia.com.
Rancho La Puerta’s Wellness Proposal
With 4,000 private acres of gardens, mountains and meadows in Tecate, Mexico (just one hour’s drive from San Diego), Rancho La Puerta is ideal for clients who like to include fitness in their wellness experience.
“Rancho La Puerta provides a luxurious, unique wellness experience, offering guests a holistic reawakening and spiritual mental escape,” says Roma Maxwell, VP of Sales and Marketing for Rancho La Puerta. “Each week, guests are welcomed to its 4,000 private acres of gardens, mountains and meadows from Saturday to Saturday, or for partial-week stays of three or four nights. The Ranch offers over 80 fitness classes, including yoga, pilates and TRX, advanced hiking trails, as well as spa treatments and therapeutic sessions from reiki and sound bathing to Watsu and reflexology massage.”
Maxwell adds that Rancho La Puerta also provides an inclusive, healthy spa cuisine that uses the season’s freshest ingredients from the on-property garden, and your clients can even take cooking classes at the Ranch’s culinary school, La Cocina Que Canta (The Kitchen That Sings). “Plus, specialty weeks at the Ranch are offered year-round, featuring visiting guest speakers, talented performers and workshop leaders—authors, politicians, musicians, artists, MDs and other leaders in their fields—to present afternoon learning experiences and evening lectures to inspire guests to leave with a recharged sense of being,” she says.
Maxwell shares the resort has recently reintroduced its Saturday at the Ranch experience, which offers an opportunity to enjoy the Ranch for a full day without the commitment of a week-long stay. “The day includes fitness classes or free time getting in touch with nature or relaxing by the pool, a light breakfast, Mediterranean lunch, a tour of our 6-acre organic garden and a cooking demonstration with an appetizer buffet at our culinary center, La Cocina Que Canta.” The day also includes round-trip transportation from San Diego, CA. The next available date for a Saturday at the Ranch is Aug. 10, 2024, and capacity is limited to only 38 visitors.
Of note: Although the Ranch is mainly geared towards adults, it has a Family Week from July 27 to Aug. 3, 2024. There’s also a new podcast your clients can tune into, RESONATE, hosted by Barry Shingle. It “explores different topics of well-being and life from expert presenters whose core message aligns with the motto at Rancho La Puerta.”
For the season, Rancho La Puerta is running a Summer Loving deal from July 20-Sept. 6, 2024, that offers 10 percent off on any accommodations on a 7-night stay. Your clients can also enjoy two 50-minute Ranch Classic massages, one 50-minute Custom Facial and a bottle of wine (choice of red or white) from Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe region.
For more information, visit rancholapuerta.com.
Healthy Getaways at Velas Resorts
“As a family-owned and operated company, we have the flexibility to innovate and quickly respond to new market needs, tastes and opportunities, which is so critical in the world we live in today,” says Juan Vela Ruiz, VP of Velas Resorts. “Over the past several years, we’ve seen a rise in our guests’ desire for wellness, rejuvenation and active vacations.”
Vela Ruiz points to the brand’s award-winning spas as a key feature that separates their resorts from the crowd, including the new SE Spa that recently debuted at the new Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos with ocean-view cabins, innovative treatments and a signature water ceremony. “The latter, at all of the SE Spas, is a renowned 7-step experience guided by a spa valet,” says Vela Ruiz.
“But beyond the spa, we also recently celebrated successful Wellnessing Getaways at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit and Grand Velas Boutique Los Cabos,” he adds. “Guests participated in activities ranging from strength training and cold plunges to sound healing, yoga and holistic skincare workshops. A continuation from pre-pandemic, we look forward to offering these designated Getaways throughout the year.”
The brand is very attuned to guest satisfaction, and Velas shares it has a growing reputation for innovation in amenities, services, facilities and package offerings. This includes one very tempting treat. “When it comes to wellness,” he says, “we recently debuted Taco Therapy at Casa Velas and a new anti-inflammatory room service menu at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit. Assisting in anxiety and stress relief, improving sleep quality, and boosting antioxidants, Taco Therapy is a tasting experience of four curated tacos that provide holistic benefits for the mind, body, and soul.” All tacos are served in lettuce taco leaves, containing a compound called lactucarium with sedative properties to help promote relaxation and improve sleep quality. “The suite menu is designed to combat the common travel woes of inflammation and swelling, ensuring guests can enjoy their meals guilt-free.”
“Whether travelers are seeking an active vacation with dynamic fitness classes or a serene retreat with holistic therapies, our resorts deliver holistic and transformative experiences,” says Vela Ruiz in closing. “Our commitment to wellness is evident in our offerings, ensuring guests leave feeling revitalized and inspired.”
For more information, visit velasresorts.com.
Paradise Found in the Riviera Maya
The lush Mexican Caribbean is paradise on earth, and “Paraiso de la Bonita, a Luxury Collection Adult All-Inclusive Resort, Riviera Maya, is a hidden gem nestled within the lush jungle of the Yucatán Peninsula,” says Alex Fiz, Area Vice President Caribbean & Managing Director All-Inclusive for Marriott International. “This adults-only sanctuary is a tribute to love and artistic expression, where love transcends time and invites all who enter to find solace and inspiration. Guests can reconnect with nature and themselves, exploring the harmonious balance between simplicity and sophistication in a region rich in heritage and history.”
Fiz shares that the property offers the “resort within the resort” concept, with ten premium suites, private plunge pools and beach access, plus its own private pool, dedicated chef and two exclusive restaurants. “Ideal for discerning travelers seeking renewal, an active vacation, or a sustainable retreat, Paraiso de la Bonita promises an experience of sublime beauty and profound inspiration,” says Fiz.
The hotel will open in late 2024 in Puerto Morelos, just 20 minutes from Cancun International Airport. It will offer 100 oversized, oceanfront suites, a 22,000-square-foot spa, three restaurants, a 5,000-bottle cellar, a sushi bar and a ceviche bar.
For more information, visit the-luxury-collection.marriott.com.
Blissing Out in the Yucatan
Made up of 37 single/double casitas with two family villas, a Presidential villa and a Royal villa spread out across lush jungle gardens less than half an hour away from the “White City” of Merida, Chable Yucatan offers your clients a gorgeous getaway from the hustle and bustle of their lives. Of note: Even the 1-bedroom casitas have a private pool, al-fresco living rooms with hammocks and outdoor moon showers.
“Whoever comes to Chablé Yucatán comes to rediscover themselves. Many guests arrive with that purpose, and others discover it while they are here, but everyone becomes more aware of themselves and their surroundings during their stay,” says Victoria Bory, Wellness Director at Chable Yucatan.
The hotel offers therapies to work physically and mentally, but, says Bory, “even guests who do not seek these experiences practice mindfulness. The property forces you to be present; it is impossible to ignore the landscapes you see, the majesty of the place, and the warmth of the collaborators. Everything brings you to ‘the here and now.'”
It must be said that their spa was the first in Mexico to be built around a cenote, a natural freshwater limestone sinkhole. “We also have a resident spiritual leader, Monica Simone, who guides Temazcal, cacao ceremonies, full moon ceremonies, herbal experiences, oracle readings and sound healing.”
Your clients will be surrounded by native flora and fauna, and Bory notes that just walking around the hotel will make them realize that their “Being is connected to nature and that they impact everything that surrounds them.”
New at Chable Yucatan is their Golf Wellness Course. “It is unique for many factors: there is no dress code or set sequence. It works as a private experience and is challenging even for experienced players,” says Bory.
For more information, visit yucatan.chablehotels.com.
