Hyatt Miraval Resort Review: Highest Value For Free Nights

Today, we have a guest post from my friend Ben.  He loves to travel and is an American Airlines Executive Platinum and Hyatt Globalist.  After Hyatt announced that they would offer the Hyatt Miraval Resort available using World of Hyatt points, he jumped at the opportunity to book a room.  Here is Ben’s Hyatt Miraval Resort Review.  Please comment below to let us know what you think!  Enjoy.

Hyatt is my favorite hotel group in the world. This past January, Hyatt invested $215 million into the Miraval Group to enter into the “Wellness” arena. I am excited to see what their new flagship property in Tucson, Arizona would provide to Hyatt loyalists, so I booked a three-night stay. The original Miraval location in Tucson is Hyatt’s model for the expansion of this wellness brand to Austin, Texas, and Lenox, Massachusetts in 2019.

 

Hyatt Miraval Resort is unlike any luxury hotel brand …

This property was founded over 20 years ago with a theme of creating mindfulness in everything they do. Their goal is highlighting the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and sense of balance.

You see this in their schedule of activities that start with therapy, yoga, and meditation classes which allow you to apply your focus on adrenaline-pumping aerial tightrope walking and zip lining. This is the culmination of Hyatt’s recent focus on creating an emotional experience beyond all-inclusiveness within their portfolio.

 

As a lifelong foodie, I was interested in the all inclusive food and active lifestyle activities. One interesting item to notes is multi-day packages or award nights comes with a $175 daily/per person resort credit applicable towards spa treatments, bottles of wine, horseback riding or personal training sessions.

Hyatt Miraval Resort Highlights:

• Hyatt credit card sign-up bonus free nights can be redeemed here
• Award nights include $175 a night resort credit per person
• Strict No Tipping policy
• All inclusive Resort chef prepared healthy meals and 100 weekly activities
• No cell phone calls in public area (except courtyard and private rooms)
• Honey tasting classes and Bee keeping course taught by a Sommelier
• Horseback riding and Equine courses taught by famed Cowboy Therapist
• Free parking for guests

 

Booking a room at Hyatt Miraval Resort

You can book directly with Hyatt Miraval Resort for paid revenue stays.

Booking on points requires calling Hyatt’s centralized line to check if the stay is points-eligible and whether there are enough points to redeem because online booking is still not available.

When you call to book a reservation, Hyatt contacts Miraval to have a Miraval Specialist follow up with booking your reservation and discuss reserving spots for the activities on the property. Hyatt Miraval Resort agents don’t have access to the World Of Hyatt interface.

This property is priced higher than Hyatt’s previous top tier – Category 7 (30,000 WOH points).  When you book using points or free nights, the daily resort fees are waived, regardless of status.

You can book your Hyatt Miraval Resort room via:

• Paid nights directly with Miraval (averaging $449 -$650 per night per person)
• Hyatt credit card sign-up bonus 2 free nights (double occupancy)
• 45,000 World of Hyatt Points standard room for single occupancy
• 75,000 WOH points for a suite, and 20,000 WOH points per additional person

To celebrate the launch of Hyatt’s newest Wellness brand, Miraval has a promotion where you get back 50% of your World of Hyatt (WOH) points if you stay before Sept 15, 2017.

For our three night stay, I decided to book using the two free nights sign up bonus from the co-branded credit card and a third night using 65,000 WOH points. As a bonus, the Hyatt Summer promo rebated back 50% of those points!

For award stays, you’ll receive a daily $175 resort credit per person. During our three-night stay, my wife and I received $1050 in combined resort credits by redeeming our Hyatt points!

 

Arrival – Complimentary Airport Transfer

The Miraval Experience starts as we stepped off the plane at Tucson International Airport with a complimentary transfer in a shared Miraval shuttle with another couple arriving on our flight.

The closest Uber from the hotel is 18-20 minutes away, so expect to pay around $50 each way. Miraval’s location is remote and is roughly one hour north of the Tucson Airport.

As soon as we arrived at Miraval, the welcoming team presented us with a lovely tropical fresh drink.

I was impressed that the team knew we would be hungry since we arrived ten minutes before lunch ended (2 pm). They rushed us off to the buffet lunch in the restaurant and sent our bags directly to the room.

 

Check-In at Hyatt Miraval Resort

After having a delicious meal, we checked in. The agent was quick and friendly. There was no line, and we were already pre assigned a room before our pickup at the airport. However, I noticed there was no World of Hyatt signage or priority line.

 

They recognized my Globalist status comes with a 4 pm checkout, no resort fees, and we would be eligible for a complimentary suite upgrade. Miraval made sure they gave us an itinerary of our pre-selected activities and a booklet to help us keep track of the hundreds of programs that occur every week.

We also received Miraval tote bags & water bottles, refillable anywhere throughout the property. Due to a large group here our first night, the agent apologized that there wasn’t a suite upgrade available, but would move me to a Sky Suite on Day Two.

 

Can you hear me now?

They have all the guest agree to the no cell phone usage policy in public areas. I appreciated the absence of cells phones calls throughout the property (except designated places) which creates a true feeling of being unplugged.

However, if you have T-Mobile (like me), you won’t have a phone signal anyway on the property. Wifi works for texting and the internet. The Miraval Specialist advised telephone fees for outbound calls made with the room phone are waived from the lack of reception. It was much appreciated and an unsolicited gesture.

 

Hyatt Miraval Resort Dream Catcher King – Day One

For our nights, I redeemed a basic Dream Catcher King room (nights start at $449 for single occupancy plus 23% resort fee and 12% taxes = $609) with hopes of being upgraded to a Sky Suite on the next evening.

I was pleased with the decent size of the ~425 square feet of space for the two of us. I judge rooms based on their bedding. Miraval’s super soft sheets and fluffy, marshmallow like comforters had me asleep in no time.

The room seems recently renovated. I noticed quality furniture in Southwestern spirit. A few items like the Bose Wave Radio, Keurig Coffee maker, and the high-quality iron shows their attention to details.

All the rooms are one-story bungalows grouped in 100’s, 200’s, 500’s are suites, and 600’s are even larger suites.

 

Hyatt Miraval Resort Desert Sky Suite – Day Two & Day Three

Fortunately, with our Globalist status, we were given a complimentary space available upgrade on the second night. I moved into the Desert Sky Suites (1000 sq. feet) for the remainder of the trip.

Other than the spacious living room, I love the addition of the separate bath tub. Unfortunately, it only fits one person! The four-head shower had the feeling of being outside at the spa. It was very spacious, and I highly recommend that if you have any elite status to request or apply for one of these twelve upgraded suites.

 

As you’d imagine, the crowd is working professionals, “Fitness is a state-of-mind” moms, Mother/Daughter coming-of-age retreats, all-girls weekenders, and even an Ellen show social media winner (awarded two free nights). I noticed that many folks were first timers probably because of the new Hyatt acquisition.

 

Hyatt Miraval Resort Activities

While Miraval has a theme of mindfulness, some of the signature events that I enjoyed most included activities like Desert Tightrope walking and a Capoeira class. The paid classes with Wyatt, a Miraval cowboy therapist, helps you learn to address your fears alongside a horse. Twilight zip lining was equally fun.

Some interesting courses offered were beekeeping and honey tasting. Yes, just like wine tasting which they offer here too with the sommelier-turned-beekeeper.

In the course of three days, I took in a celestial evening yoga course, morning mountain biking course, aerial tightrope walking course, deep tissue massage and spa treatments, a selfie photography class, TRX training, and ate three chef prepared meals a day.

Guests are allowed to just relax at the pool or be as active as they wish. There was no judgment here if you did not want to participate in the activities, but that is how we all got to know each other.

Unlike other resorts, we got to meet other guests here and produced a great sense of community. Many of us decided to sign up for communal dinner every night and got to share stories with one another.

Although I’ve carefully thought over the courses and activities available, I also went with a more relaxed and spontaneous approach. I suggest pre-reserving popular classes like zip lining and challenge courses with class size limitations. With a full team of masseuses, many spa treatments had open availability on-site.

 

Pure Relaxation at the Hyatt Miraval Resort Spa

My wife and I both put our $175 daily per person resort credit to good use with deep tissue massages, Reiki and Thai Massages. You have the free option to have your massage in an outdoor area of the spa.

Prices were typical of a luxury spa. Deep Tissue was $240 for 80 minutes. Miraval is a no tipping property. If you didn’t have a treatment, you could still hang out in the spa all day.

 

Hyatt Miraval Resort Gym – Gonna Make You Sweat!

This was a fabulous fitness center. I didn’t use at all because I was busy learning Capoeira and Aqua Salsa. It was never crowded and opened 24 hours along with all the pools.

 

Dining at the Hyatt Miraval Restaurants – Cactus Flower

One of the highlights of Miraval is the Cactus Flower restaurant featuring a rotating menu every night.

The selection of food at the buffet for breakfast was spectacular. They had the traditional fare of bread, eggs, fresh fruit, oatmeal, and pastries. But I really enjoyed trying pumpkin oats, muesli, black bean brownies or chocolate chip pancakes. I was also given the option of ordering off the menu like simple eggs and bacon with hash browns. Their huevos rancheros were amazing along with their spicy salsa.

It is best described as modern American cuisine with a focus on healthy and locally grown products. All the ingredients were sourced from their own garden or local farmers within two miles from the property.

Lunch would consist of another buffet course and always one lunch special like tasty barramundi (Asian sea bass) or shrimp with risotto.

I must have ended up drinking my daily allowance in Miraval Prickly Pear tea at the restaurant. They even filled my water bottle with it, so I never went thirsty.

The service was top notch. I even tried tipping our server who politely declined and said she appreciated the thought. She said it wasn’t necessary. I was blown away with this level of care for their guests.

Even though they are wellness resort, it never felt I was forced to adopt a particular diet. The meals were the most “cleansing” meals I have ever had! I won’t get into details. Just trust me that you will enjoy every meal whether at the bar, buffet, or the four-course dinner service.

I don’t think anyone could go hungry here. You have the option of grabbing wraps and fruit from the juice bar or ordering a burger or street tacos at the full bar before dinner.

Make sure to make your reservation every day if you plan to eat between 6 pm – 7:30 pm because the dining room can get busy during those times. Dinner was the only non-buffet meal of the day and they set up a four-course meal with appetizers and a variety of desserts each night.

My favorite amenity was in-room dining, also all-inclusive, but with a $15 per delivery fee. Order as much as you want without leaving your room! I chose to go to the dining hall, get a carryout box, and fill it up with items from the buffet to save myself the $15 delivery fee.

 

Service at the Hyatt Miraval Resort

The servers, guides, and the massage therapists… the service at Miraval was out of this world! The staff was allowed and expected to partake in the classes and activities in the same way offered to its guests.

The sense of happiness and mindfulness that each employee exemplified in the Miraval brand was unlike any other resort I have experienced. Their excitement to work in this gorgeous oasis was contagious to us guests and a true cultural experience at Miraval.

 

The Bald Thoughts

Even though Hyatt has just acquired the Miraval Resort this year, there is a commitment to allow Miraval to maintain their culture and independence as a luxury holistic wellness resort.

Whether you are staying here on cash or points, choose a package that comes with the daily resort credit of $175 per person per day. You will have more fun and truly experience all the things that Miraval offers without having to pay extra.

When it comes to service, they are looking to feed you good fuel so you can meditate mindfully. Miraval prepared me mentally before I climbed a 45-foot poll, got on a tightrope, and swung from rope to rope. The key to finishing that course means you need to let go of the rope to get to the next one.

I have learned after this trip to let go of my generalization about eating healthy (not tasty), meditation (a stage before falling asleep), or tightrope walking (only for young thrill seekers). Miraval has taught me that a retreat doesn’t have to be all prayer and all-inclusive doesn’t have to be gluttonous.

Miraval reminded me that a good life is a balanced life. Their nutrition, their activities showed meditation and adrenaline pumping courses could co-exist. I enjoyed the balance of hanging out with active moms and tech startup geeks during Reiki stone massages every day. I will definitely be back again.

Maybe I need to pay more attention to Ellen’s 12 days of Christmas and enter her Twitter contest more often…

Look for more expansion of the Hyatt Miraval wellness brand as Hyatt plans to open additional wellness resorts in Austin, Texas, and Lenox, Massachussets, in 2019.

Thinking of getting a new credit card?  To see the best credit card offers available, go to our credit card marketplace to find your next card.