Okay—confession. I don’t get out much, at least for a week at a time to beautiful, exotic places. And Maya Tulum was that and more. Located about 1.5 hours south of Cancun, it is a yogi paradise. You don’t, however, have to be addicted to a yoga mat to appreciate the beauty of Tulum and the relaxed flow at the Maya Tulum resort. It was ranked the No. 10 Best Resort in the World in 2004 by Travel & Leisure magazine and it was one of the magazine’s “World’s Best Hotels in 2007.”
My friend, Cathie, and I were looking for a place that was easy (and inexpensive) to get to, relaxing with a body of water. We chose Maya Tulum because Cathie had been there a few years ago with her yoga class and said it was one of the best vacations she had ever experienced. Knowing that Cathie and I have similar tastes, that was good enough for me. We booked our reservations, and arrived on Valentine’s Day.
The accommodations are simple thatched roof cabanas and come in three options: garden, ocean view or beachfront. We picked an ocean view room, and not only was it ocean view, it was ocean sound. The cabanas don’t come with amenities such as televisions or radios. No need. You fall asleep to the sound of the waves breaking on the beach. Really—is there anything better than that? Inside the cabana was a small sitting area, two beds, a bathroom with open shower and plenty of fresh drinking water.
Cath and I went down on an all-inclusive package deal which included airport transfers, two yoga classes a day, 2 spa treatments, two excursions and all our meals. Meals were served in a large round cabana with another excellent view of the ocean. We quickly established roots at a great outdoor table next to the bar. By the middle of the week, the other resort guests knew it was taken, which became a running joke with the wait staff who eagerly awaited our arrival. The food was phenomenal (especially the guacamole and enchiladas with mole sauce!). I wanted to kidnap the chef, Luisa, after eating her mini chocolate éclairs. Thank goodness for all the yoga or my next vacation would be at a fat farm. The wait staff, led by the infamous Martin, is great. Don’t expect service at the speed you might receive at your favorite DC watering hole, but you left your watch at home, right?
My daily regime consisted of watching the sunrise just steps from our cabana and then taking in a 7:00 a.m. yoga class to build up my appetite for breakfast. After all that, a girl gets exhausted, so it’s out to the beach. Picture beautiful white sand and turquoise blue water and sharing it with about fifteen other people who are privileged enough to be in on the secret. Evenings were filled with more yoga and/or guided meditations with our resident harpist, Alvaro. The food was so good at Maya Tulum that we never really ventured out to other restaurants except for the occasional cocktail. I’m not certain what the nightlife is like in Tulum as I was pretty content to be sitting in our front yard (the beach) on an Adirondack chair sipping wine.
If you make your way to Maya Tulum, you definitely want to indulge in some spa treatments. We hated ours so much that we begged and pleaded and traded our excursions in for more spa treatments! I had a deep-tissue massage with Gina, a “joyful feet” massage with Fabian who has the hands of a healer, and a very interesting Reiki/aromatherapy treatment with Chandree. Cathie switched it up with a facial and the Mayan Calabasuchitl, which is a body treatment/exfoliation. Trying to pick a spa service from the menu was like trying to pick a flavor of ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s. Should I have the Mayan Clay Massage, a seaweed wrap or a milk and coconut exfoliation? Frankly, all those tough decisions were stressing me out, but I soldiered through.
For our grand spa finale, we signed up for the Temazcal, which is a 2.5-hour Mayan ceremony for a total release of toxins and physical, emotional and spiritual blocks. The first hour was spent huddled in a clay steam dome wearing only our bathing suits while sitting on palm leaves sweating with five other adventurous folks and our Mayan spiritual guide, Pedro. Pedro took us on a journey through four spiritual doorways with guided meditations to connect us with Mother Earth. Earth my body; Water my blood; Air my breath; Fire my spirit. Oh yeah—and he passed around a pipe as he threw exotic spices on the open fire. Of course, we didn’t inhale. We literally sweated our buns off as we rid our body of toxins. As I told Cathie, “I don’t think my body has been this free of toxins since seventh grade.”
Tulum itself is a small strip of beach with a few hotels (think B&B vs. Holiday Inn), shops and restaurants. The whole place is extremely laid back and casual. People with cell phones and laptops look like alien beings. I didn’t put on a stitch of make-up all week, and getting dressed up was putting on my good flip-flops. We walked everywhere, and really didn’t need to go much further than our resort except to taste test guacamole at other dining establishments. It was our civic duty.
Sand, surf, yoga, excellent Pina Coladas (did I mention the Pina Coladas?), gourmet food, friendly service, top-notch spa services, perfect weather. Yeah—on second thought, you’ll probably hate it. If you decide to suffer through a stint at Maya Tulum, give our friends a big “hello” from Lori and Cathie.
Maya Tulum is one of three R&R Resorts; the others are in Costa Rica and Georgia. If they are anything like their sister property in Mexico, I can’t wait to check them out.
P.S. I’ll let you in on a little secret. Radiance Yoga is facilitating a trip to Maya Tulum January 23-30, 2010. If you’d like more info, go to www.radiance-yoga.net.
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