Where to Take Your Wellness Journey in Quintana Roo

Want more from your Mexico escape than a good tan? Allow me to guide you through my favorite ways to embark on a relaxing journey through Quintana Roo that will leave you completely refreshed. 

When one vacations in Mexico, they usually think of sun, sand and never-ending cocktails. Well, yes you can get those in the Quintana Roo region of Mexico, which includes luxury resorts from Cancun to Tulum. BUT — the next time you venture to the Cancun region, why not consider your own wellness? Our parents knew how to truly relax on a vacation by flying and flopping on the beach. Time to try a bit of balance ourselves with a little adventure and a true dedicated time to refresh.

Take back your vacation and make it what it was truly meant to be, a time to relax, refresh and return home renewed!

Wellness is something we all deserve. Vacations were once known as a time of relaxation, but lately it seems everyone must be on the go all the time—even when taking some time off. Which is probably why the desire for wellness travel is now on the rise. According to Anne Dimon, Co-Founder and President of the Wellness Tourism Association, “The wellness travel sector will continue to grow and develop for two basic reasons: 1. As an increasing number of consumers adopt healthier lifestyles, they will look to work elements of wellness into their travels. 2. More consumers will use their vacation and holiday time for self care and that may mean learning more about themselves and the tools they need to meet their desired state of health and wellness.”

This article was originally published on Travelocity.com. Click here to read the original post. 

What is your desired state of health and wellness? Let me help you plan your next wellness journey with a look at my experience in Quintana Roo, Mexico.

Below are some of my top picks for journeys that entice you to focus on your wellness. These resorts embrace your desire to relax! What type of wellness journey is best for you? Pick your favorite below and get planning. I bet one of these speaks to your inner self!

Water Lover

This was my second visit to the Grand Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach’s remarkable luxury spa. This is hands down both the most luxurious and best design of any hydrotherapy circuit I have completed in North America. The Gem Spa does offer awe-inspiring spa treatments utilizing chakra-balancing gems, but the focal point of your stay will be the unique ten-step hydrotherapy ritual. The sophistication is over the top here and my next visit must include a homage to such a remarkable spa. You deserve to see this luxury spa for yourself.

Mystic Mayan

Remember I mentioned that your wellness journey needed a bit of balance? Well one of my days in Mexico started with a trip to a cenote, an actual working Mayan Village and a journey to the Mayan ruins of Coba. You have to see my Instagram post here to get the true feel of the range of this journey. Your own journey should be just as balanced.

So, when I arrived at the beachfront Grand Hyatt Playa Del Carmen Cenote Spa, I had truly come full circle. After visiting a cenote in the jungle, I was now relaxing in one that was as perfect for a day refreshing by the ocean as one can get. Time seemed to stand still as I watched the colors rotate into the water’s reflection.

Don’t miss the top of the cenote lounge as you leave. As one enters the resort’s outdoor lobby, they are greeted by the cenote crest topped off by the blue ocean surf as a backdrop. This view is as spectacular as you will feel after visiting the Cenote Spa.

As awesome as the lounge was, their spa suites must not be denied. My spa suite made me feel as if I was in a lush rainforest complete with modern amenities, of course. My massage therapist was the most caring one I have encountered in a long time. She made sure my comfort was her number one task. Afterwards, find time to relax in not only their cenote lounge, but also their outdoor sitting areas that inspire lingering.

Luxury Enthusiast 

The Grand at Moon Palace is known as the most luxurious all-inclusive in Cancun. It is also one of the most family- friendly all-inclusive resorts I have experienced. Yes, luxury and families do go together at The Grand. So when a part of the family wants a little “me time”, head to the Awe Spa. Awe is inspired here at every turn. From the time you reach the entrance, one already feels that your spa experience is about to be a very special time. Before you even begin your journey, the waterfalls, healthy nourishment and lush lobby already have your shoulders dropping … and hopefully your blood pressure, too!

The Awe Spa is not just a pretty face—their spa treatments deliver. Here you may just get the best massage you have experienced in a long time, I know I did. One of my best tips to relax on vacation is to schedule a spa treatment as soon as you arrive to shake off the routine life, and then get a massage right before you return home. What better way to top off a wellness vacation!

Eco Experience

Speechless is what you will be when you enter the Muluk Spa. My travels around the world did not prepare me for this destination full of history, preservation, art and relaxation. The Hotel Xcaret Mexico delivers a space where one never has to leave nature all while staying luxe and local with jungles, caves and rivers throughout both the spa and the resort.

This wellness spa is designed to make one feel they never have to come indoors to find serenity even when they enter their cave-like spa cabins complete with your own personal cenote. This world traveling spa expert was impressed. I could have spent the entire day there! See my video here for a virtual experience of the cave-like coolness of my spa suite. As one is on the walkway to your own spa suite with private cenote, you can already feel the change in the temperature.

I so enjoyed my time at the Muluk Spa, the environment makes one feel as if they have arrived at a mystical sanctuary created just for their comfort and awe. Holistic experiences here follow ancient traditions. I enjoyed a massage and facial in one of their traditional cave-like cabins with my own private cenote.

Spa Expert 

If you are a true spa travel gal, the Fairmont Mayakoba is for you. First off, entering the resort is like a trip to zen. As you weave your way down the entrance past the mangroves, your stress eases as you are greeted at the entrance of the hotel with a cool scented towel and spa water. This AAA-5 Diamond and Rainforest-Certified resort is cradled within over 250 acres of tropical rainforest. While I did not get to experience their accommodations or beach, it is said to be one of the most spectacular in the region. This is truly a resort and spa that I am dying to return to and explore in detail.

The Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Mayakoba lives up to the name. Fairmont does not lightly bless one of their hotel spas with the name Willow Stream. Each has to have that something special that makes it unique to the region to attain the status.

Fairmont Le Montreux Palace utilizes its surroundings due to its waterfront location, while the Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Mayakoba embraces the mystical backdrop of the surrounding tropical jungle and natural lagoons. The essence of local textures, colors and scents of the Mayan culture is reflected throughout.

My pick for the best spa treatment in the Quintana Roo region is Fairmont Maykoba’s Honey in the Heart. This pure bliss experience uses honey to represent the sweetness of life. The treatment was influenced by this traditional Mayan blessing, “All good things. No evil. Honey in the heart. Thirteen thank yous.” Even for someone that gets pampered a lot, this had to be the most pampered I have felt in a very long time.

Honey is extremely hydrating for the skin. Your spa treatment begins with a hydrating honey body mask, which is removed under a Vichy shower. You are reclined on a wooden table shaped like a jungle leaf, the most beautiful Vichy shower suite anywhere. Afterwards, you are gifted a small Mayan cup filled with a sip of the local honey. It is recommended to take small sips throughout the rest of the day to re-energize you back to the real world. As you exit the spa, be certain to head to the garden where your honey makers live. Here, the lives of these stingless bees are on display. See the doorkeeper bee in charge of who enters and exits the hollowed out log hive. I felt honored to see them at work and bowed to them in namaste fashion.