64. Choosing a Miraval Resort for Your Next Getaway with Arpita Gupta DePalma and Mindy Stimell-Rauch

Welcome to Point Me to First Class, the only show for employed professionals, entrepreneurs, and business owners who are looking to optimize their higher-than-average expenses to travel the world. I’m your host, Devon Gimbel, and I believe that your expenses are your greatest untapped asset if you know how to leverage them. Ready to dive into the world of credit card points and miles so you can travel more, travel better, and travel often? Let’s get started.

Welcome back to the podcast, everybody. I hope you are all doing amazing, but I know that sometimes you might just need a break. Whether it’s time away completely by yourself to recharge, a chance to get away with your partner to reconnect, or you’re looking for an adults-only retreat to escape on a trip with close friends, there’s a place that delivers rest, relaxation, and serenity that has become one of my favorite go-to points properties over the last few years, and it just might become yours, too. 

And that place is Miraval. For those of you not yet familiar with Miraval, it’s an all-inclusive, adults-only health and wellness resort that originally had just one location in Tucson, Arizona, but has now expanded to two more locations in the US, including Austin, Texas, and the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Each of the Miraval properties is unique and has its own personality, but all of them share in common the resort’s signature approach to wellness, which they describe as immersive, experiential, and based in mindfulness. 

But how do you know what to expect at the different Miraval locations, or how to choose which one is right for you? That is what we are going to be diving into today, and joining me to highlight the best of each of the three Miraval locations are guests Dr. Arpita Gupta DePalma and Dr. Mindy Stimel-Rausch. We’re going to be comparing the resorts, their accommodations, the food, and the activities and services available at each location so that you’ll have a great idea of what to expect from each of these properties. 

But before we get to that, I want to highlight what makes Miraval such a great points option, how to use your points to book a stay, and exactly what you get from this all-inclusive property, whether you book using cash or points. 

You’re going to hear more about what makes Miraval such a fantastic experience in just a few minutes, but what makes it a great potential use of points is just how much money you can save when you book a stay using points instead of cash. 

The Miraval resorts are owned by Hyatt, so you can book stays here using Hyatt points directly, or you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points or Bilt points into your Hyatt account. All of the Miraval properties are all-inclusive, so whether you book a stay using cash or points, your reservation will include your accommodations, all meals and snacks other than alcoholic beverages, complimentary shuttle transportation from designated local airports to the resort, access to the spa amenities, and access to a full list of complimentary fitness and wellness classes and activities. 

All reservations also include a $175 nightly resort credit that you can use for any paid services that you want to sign up for, including spa services or one-on-one sessions with the health and wellness practitioners on site. So if you book a three-night stay, you’ll get a total of $525 of credits per person to use anytime during your stay. And yes, you get that nightly resort credit even if you book your entire stay in points, which I recommend because paid stays at any of the Miraval properties can be pricey. 

During high-demand times of year, single occupancy rooms can cost over $1,000 a night, and that doesn’t include a vomit-inducing additional 25% resort fee that gets added on, bringing a three-night stay to close to $3,500 in cash cost for just one person. But thanks to points, you can avoid the sky-high room rates and the added resort fee entirely, whether you’re traveling solo or as part of a pair. 

And that’s because Hyatt still operates award charts for its properties, including the Miraval Resorts, where you can expect to pay anywhere from 40,000 to 50,000 points per night for a single occupancy stay, and between 57,500 and 72,000 points per night for a double occupancy stay. 

Now, I know that those might not exactly sound like bargain points prices, but when you consider that the paid rates for stays at Miraval, again, can easily average over $1,000 a night, I think this is a pretty solid deal. And because even the award stays booked with points include your transportation, all your meals and snacks, and the $175 nightly resort credit that you can use for any paid services or classes, you can easily pay nothing out of pocket for your entire Miraval stay beyond, of course, your flight or driving costs to get to the resort. 

Booking an award stay using points at any of the Miraval locations is easier than ever. You used to have to call Miraval directly to set up an award booking, but now you can do the entire thing online through the Hyatt website where you can search each property for award availability and book your points stay directly from your World of Hyatt account. 

So now that you know the basics of how to book a Miraval stay using points, let’s dive into the details of what each of the Miraval properties is like and what we love and don’t love about each location. I hope you enjoy this conversation with guests, Dr. Arpita Gupta DePalma and Dr. Mindy Stimel-Rausch. 

Devon: Welcome to the podcast, ladies. I’m so excited to have you join me here today so that we can talk about a joint love of ours, which is Miraval. And I’m really happy to have both of you here today because even though I have stayed at two out of the three Miraval properties, I have not stayed at the third one, the Berkshires one. And I think it’d be really great to have a conversation about our combined and different experiences about each of these different properties. 

So Arpita, Mindy, thank you so much for joining me today. I’m so excited to have you here. And where I’d love to start is let’s just take a step back and talk about our stories about how we first discovered Miraval to begin with, because I think it is a property that not as many people are familiar with. And also give us a little bit of an idea about how many times you’ve been to the specific Miraval property that you have been to and what do you love most about it. 

Arpita, we’ll start with you. 

Arpita: All right, thanks for having me. This is going to be so fun. This is one of my favorite places on earth, I will say. So I discovered Miraval, it was November or December of 2021. I was invited to, actually my chief resident from Peds residency, her 50th birthday. It was a bunch of us girlfriends that kind of always have kept in touch or, you know, still see each other or talk to each other or connect one way or the other. 

And so I was invited to this trip and I went out there not knowing anything. I’d never heard of this place before. I didn’t even realize that when you walk in that your phone and devices are off. Like I had no clue about this place. And I walked in and absolutely died in the transformation I had with the five days that I was there with regards to just the power of being present. And it’s so crazy, we don’t even realize what it’s about until you actually do it. But it’s just bliss is all I have to say. 

So a 50th birthday. And it was so funny, at the end of the trip she was like, so are you guys okay with this? Did you like it? Because I wasn’t sure if y’all were going to hate this. And I was like, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, this was amazing. So it was my very first experience through a birthday party. And I have gone, literally I go every four to six months now. And so it’s like my gift to myself of how I reset and recharge. And I’ve only been to Arizona, so I’m excited to hear about what other people have to say about the other ones too. 

Devon: Absolutely. So Mindy, I know you’ve been to the Berkshires property for Miraval. How did you first discover Miraval? How many times have you been to the Berkshires property? And just what do you like about the experience of going there? 

Mindy: So I am a huge spa lover. And when I first discovered spas I was 30. My mother took me to Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires. And I had also gone to New Age Spa, which is no longer in business. But I went there a few times, including when I was pregnant with my second child studying for my boards. So to me, going to spas is something that I do for my well-being, for my health, to recharge, just sort of like Arpita was saying. 

So I’m always investigating and I’m always looking at different properties. I knew about Miraval. And I think I want to say from Oprah, I think she had mentioned Miraval. And I was sort of eyeing it and trying to get myself there and they didn’t have one close to me. They had, initially, they had the Tucson property, right? So I was eyeing it for a while. And then one of the properties changed over to Miraval in the Berkshires. And it was right around COVID. 

And then I found out they accepted Hyatt Points. So I started this points adventure about 18 to 24 months ago, and this was one of my goals. So last June, I made that goal a reality. And I had vacation time when my husband did not. And I said, okay, I’m going to take myself there. I invited a friend of mine to join me and I would treat her on my points. 

And in addition to that, I went with an acquaintance of mine who was meeting another person in our points group. And these are all people in the points group, which was really, really fun. And we each did our separate things. And when my girlfriend came and met me there, who had no idea what Miraval was, and I told her I was there on points she nearly fell off her chair. And she then started the points game because it was just so fabulous. 

So I’ve been to the Berkshire property twice. So that was the first time, it was for two days. And then my husband and I were talking about what to do for New Year’s. And we had no plans and I said, you know what, why don’t we go to Miraval for the night? So we drove that morning of the 31st and we got there at about 10:30 in the morning. We couldn’t check into our room quite yet, but we partook in all the activities. 

And later on that afternoon, we were able to check in and we had about 36 hours almost from like 10:30 in the morning until about 5pm the following day. So we had two full days of activities for one night’s day. And that included the two massages that we were able to get with that point credit, which was incredible. So that was the two times. 

I also have plans to go with my adult kids in November. 

Devon: That sounds really fantastic. I cannot go with my kids yet, which is actually one of the things that I like about Miraval right now, is that it is an adults only resort. And I think that’s one of the things that for the stage of my life that I’m in, to be able to go to a place where it really is for folks who are 18 years and older, that to me is a huge benefit right now. 

I take a lot of vacations that are much more kid focused and kid friendly, and those are great. But I think one of the things that I love so much about Miraval is that, for me, it feels very much like a place to go for quiet and for rest and for relaxation. 

And I actually first heard about Miraval years ago, a little bit earlier than it sounds like the both of you did. And I found it kind of through just my whole immersion in the world of points and miles. And so prior to finding points, my travel style was very, I don’t know what the right word for it is, but I was very, very adventurous. And rugged is not the right word, but I was basically like, let me see how far I can stretch every single dollar because I just want to travel as far as I can, as long as I can, as much as I can. 

And so it was a very kind of budget conscious way of traveling. And so for me to be on the totally other end of the spectrum, thinking about an all inclusive luxury spa experience, like it had never crossed my radar. It just was not the type of travel that I was used to or that I had prioritized. 

And when I was learning about points and miles at the time, it was very common for, you know, certain airline products or certain hotel products to be kind of reviewed or talked a lot in terms of travel blogs and points and miles blogs. It’s just really, really great opportunities to leverage points and miles.

And that’s where I first read about Miraval. And at that time, the Miraval location that is in Tucson, Arizona, that was the only Miraval property that was even open in the States. And that is a property that’s been around, I think, for decades. It’s not always been owned or managed by Hyatt like it is now, but that property is really the original kind of foundational Miraval property. 

And so when I was learning about points and miles back in 2014, 2015, 2016, this was a property that had come up on my radar screen. And it sounded to me like such an amazing opportunity to use points for something that I might otherwise not have spent the money on. Because one of the things about all of the Miraval properties is because they are all inclusive, they are kind of considered on the more luxury end of the scale of properties. 

They’re not what I personally would consider inexpensive. And certainly the prices for a paid stay at any of the Miraval properties, they fluctuate throughout the year, especially for the Arizona and the Austin properties that are really, really popular more in the winter months when the weather is just amazing and beautiful in Arizona and Texas, when it’s pretty horrendous in most other parts of the country. 

You know, the cash rates for stays at those two properties can be really, really high during the times of year when it’s very popular for people to go. And so for me, the opportunity to be able to use points to just completely outright book a stay at the Arizona property just seemed almost too good to be true. 

This was still my phase where I was learning about points and I didn’t have a lot of experience using them. And I was just thinking, it can’t actually be this easy. You can’t actually just take points and make a stay at a property like this and truly not pay anything out of pocket for the stay itself. 

And so my very first trip was actually to that Arizona location and I think it was towards the end of 2015. I was pregnant with my first child at the time and I dragged my husband out with me. It’s the only time I’ve taken him to a Miraval, but he was great. We spent just a couple of days there and it was really incredible for me. 

And that really opened up the door for me to see, no, you can use points and, like I said, completely cover the cost of your stay. You obviously still have to get yourself to the property either locally or from another flight. But for properties that can easily cost over a thousand dollars a night, especially once you include in taxes, fees, resort fees, all of the things that seem like properties tack on nowadays. I mean, this can be a significant out of pocket savings to use points. 

And so after my first experience at the Arizona property, I’ve been back there, actually, a handful of times. But I can remember when the Austin property, which was the second Miraval in the States to open up, opened around February of 2019. I remember reading about that and thinking how much I’ve enjoyed being at the Austin, excuse me, the Arizona location, I need to check out the Austin location. 

And so I used points to stay there. And even though I think picking your favorite Miraval is sort of like picking your favorite child, like you don’t actually have a favorite one because they’re just so different and so unique. I do have to say that the Austin location is one that the more I have gone to, the more I have fallen in love with it. I think there’s a lot of unique things about it. 

And I’m sure that you both think there’s some really incredible, unique things about the Berkshire’s property and the Arizona property, and we’ll get into all of that in this conversation. But that’s how I first found out about Miraval. And I loved it so much that over the last, you know, almost 10 years, I think I’ve had almost 10 total stays at Miraval. And for me, every single one of those has been booked on points. 

And so this as a whole represents, to me, one of the absolute highest yield kind of points uses that I can think of for my own personal travel. And I don’t think as many people know about Miraval as who would really enjoy it and love it, which is why I think this conversation is going to be so fun for people to learn about something new that they can do with their points. 

And so one of the things that I think would be interesting to talk about is kind of breaking down and giving people an idea about these three individual properties, because they are not cookie cutter. This is not the same exact property that just got stamped in three different locations. Each one of these has its own kind of unique personality and experience. 

And so let’s kind of go through some of the main features of each of these properties. And I thought it’d be nice to start with just giving an overall description of the property itself and kind of what we think is unique about that location. And I’ll start with Austin and then throw it over to you guys. 

But the thing that I love about the Austin location is that it’s located in what is known as the hill country, which I’ve not been all over Texas. Apparently most of Texas is very, very, very flat. But there is this portion of Austin that’s called hill country, which is, not surprisingly, a very hilly area. And it’s just got a beautiful topography. 

And the resort is set up on this hill and it overlooks Lake Travis, which is just really beautiful scenery. And even though you’re not that far removed from Austin itself, you’re pretty close to the Austin airport. It’s like a 25 or 30 minute drive. It feels very removed, which is one of the things that I think is really lovely about this property. 

And the way that the buildings are arranged, it’s not a traditional hotel where there’s just one huge building and all of the rooms are there. It’s actually like 12 kind of separate buildings and each building has maybe 12 rooms in the buildings. And so these feel kind of spread out, you know, there’s a lot of space in between the buildings. 

And the buildings themselves are three stories. And so especially if you’re on the third floor of one of these buildings, the room ends up being situated right above the tree line in this really hilly area. And so the rooms all have outdoor terraces and so you can sit on the outdoor terrace and either look kind of among the trees or over the trees. And it’s just a very, very serene setting, which is one of the things that I love about it so much. 

And depending on the time of year you’re there, you know, sometimes the wildflowers are in bloom in Austin, which is really, really stunning. And at one edge of the property there’s a sort of extended hiking trail area that takes you through this kind of forested area that, again, is just a really nice place to have access to directly from the property. 

But that’s what I love about Austin. Mindy, tell me a little bit about what the property in the Berkshires is like and how it’s arranged and anything that you think is either really lovely about it or some things that you don’t love so much about it, if there’s anything. 

Mindy: So it was a hotel that they then took over. So it existed as a different hotel property and I believe they added some rooms to it. But it has a main sort of house area and then it has other parts that are a little bit more modern. And because it’s often cold in the Berkshires, all the different areas are walkable indoors. So you can get to any of the places, you do not have to walk outside the entire time. 

And actually, unfortunately in June when we were there, it was quite rainy and we did not get to enjoy the outside. It does have a beautiful pool area as well as a heated outdoor, smaller pool area and hot tub in the spa area that is just lovely, that I spent a lot of time in in December, actually, when I was there for New Year’s. That was really beautiful. It was one of my favorite things to do. 

In addition, the Berkshires is a beautiful place. So you can go a day or two early, enjoy some of what the Berkshires are known for, which is culture. And then you can go to Miraval and enjoy your relaxation, which I think is really quite nice. And I love the fact that it is drivable to so many places, right? So if you’re in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Boston, Rhode Island, it’s really quite easy to get there. 

So I am really looking forward to going to the other properties, but it just seemed like I didn’t know how different they would be, quite frankly. And it’s just so easy for me to pick up and in two hours be at this really nice wellness place. 

I mean, the rooms are fine. I wouldn’t say that they’re gorgeous or elegant. I think we had a teeny little balcony. We did get upgraded last time to a suite, which was nice, but quite frankly I barely spend any time in my room, right? So even my showers and all my food, I’m never in the room. So I don’t even take advantage of all the beautiful things, like the soap. I don’t even know that I did shower in my room, honestly. 

Devon: Arpita, tell us a little bit more about the Arizona location. The property, kind of how it’s arranged, or anything that you love about it in general. 

Arpita: Yeah. And I was thinking about this as you guys were talking and I’m like, I wonder if this is why there was such an attraction for me as I grew up in Arizona. So I was there from like, God, third grade through eighth grade. And I hadn’t been back, well I’ve been back once or twice to visit. But, I think some of that draw for me is just that climate and the architecture and just how the landscape looks is so nice. 

But I want to just actually back up and start by like, how would I describe Miraval to people? I would describe Miraval to people, initially I’d say it’s like high school where you go with a bunch of girls, girlfriends or friends, and then you kind of see each other. Sometimes you might meet up in a certain class, but you don’t have all your classes together and you just kind of hang out. 

And then I was like, it’s really more like summer camp for adults, right? It’s just so fun. And it’s the opportunity to try out things that you never maybe would have tried out otherwise. There’s such a variety of activities and classes there. So in addition to the spa, which is amazing, there are outdoor activities such as, I mean, challenge courses, all the things. Things that I would never have done before that I did, finally got the cojones to do it for myself once. 

But there are mindfulness classes, meditation classes, yoga classes, exercise classes. I mean, there’s so many different things that you can do and it’s all, for the most part, there are some classes that do have fees associated with it, but then you have your credit. 

But Arizona specifically, why it’s amazing is part of it, I think, from what I had learned when I was there the first time is that’s where Andrew Weil started his integrative medicine fellowship. And so the food specifically in that location, I think it’s in all locations now, is very healthy. A lot of it plant-based they do have obviously meat and seafood and other dining options that are part of their menu, but the food is very healthy. 

And so one of my biggest attractions is when you get to go and not like feeling like I’m splurging and eating junk food the whole time. Now you can have dessert every single time if you want. But that was a big part of it that, oh, hey, this is kind of cool. This is where he started his integrative medicine fellowship, where he was teaching people how to, like the coursework of it, but also the food and the diet behind it. 

So that’s, I think, a lot of Arizona. Arizona also, I don’t know if the other ones have this, they have a lot of equine activities and that is really special. I think just with the area with the ranches and I’m sure Austin for sure, and maybe Berkshires as well. But that was also one of my first experiences doing an equine experience and it’s not about the horse. And so kind of realizing that was super powerful for me too. 

Devon: Yeah, I agree. You know, one of the things that I love about the Arizona location is it is a really, really large property, at least compared to the Austin property. And the thing that I think is really lovely about that is there’s so much opportunity to just sort of go on walks or meander around. And there are little trails that connect all these different aspects of the property there. 

And it’s set right up against the mountain range. And so just geographically, it’s a really, really stunning location to be in. And I think that’s something that Miraval does really well, is that even though their properties are not, again, out in the middle of nowhere, when you’re on the properties it doesn’t feel like you’re in the middle of a city or you’re right adjacent to a bunch of shops or a commercial center or something like that. 

And I think in terms of the Arizona location, one of the things that really impressed me about it that I think you notice, but maybe not explicitly right away, is that all of the buildings are very low. In that property it’s not like the Austin property where the accommodations are in these two or three story buildings. Everything on the Arizona property is really, really limited to one story. 

Now, the main area might have vaulted elevated ceilings, but the buildings themselves, I think, were very intentionally kept lower. So that when you’re on that property, you feel like you’re experiencing the environment more than you’re experiencing just this man made construction. And I really like how well they’ve tried to blend in a lot of that property with the desert surroundings in terms of the colors that they use of just paint, again, keeping the buildings really low. And I think that adds to just the feeling of peacefulness when you’re there. 

And Arpita, one of the things that you were just referencing was some of the unique sort of activities and sessions that you can take advantage of in Miraval. So yes, it definitely is a spa location. Every single one of its properties has a very extensive and developed spa menu. And we can talk about, in a little bit, what some of those spa services look like. 

But in terms of the activities, I think one of the things that I also love about Miraval is that there is such a great opportunity to explore not only kind of traditional classes where you can go and just hear a talk about a certain subject, but there’s also activities where you can get really physically engaged in them. 

And even though there are some similarities between the three properties, I think they’ve also gone out of their way to curate some of the activities that are available to you based on the specific location. And so maybe we can talk a little bit now, again, about what are some of those activities that are either unique to that specific location or that you’ve just had a great experience doing. 

Arpita, you mentioned the equine or the horse-based activities. And I think that this is something that is conserved across the Miraval properties. But tell us a little bit more about either activities that you’ve loved at Miraval, that you’ve gotten a lot out of, or that you would recommend to other folks who come to you for advice about what they should do when they go to Miraval. 

Arpita: So I’m going to say that, I mean, it’s really hard to go wrong and I could probably talk forever. Like there’s so much stuff there and that’s why, I mean, I’ve continued to go back because they keep creating new activities and events. 

But so the equine one, yes, I had no clue. I was completely clueless what this was about. I thought this was to connect with this horse and take him for a walk and whatever, and learn some skills about a horse. The whole purpose of Miraval is for introspection, self-reflection, like personal development and growth. 

And yes, it can just be a wellness where we think, okay, we’re going to go to the tropical Island and hang out on the beach and that’s wellness and we recharge. But really, Miraval is taking it to the next level where you are figuring out who you are, figuring out where you want to be and where you want to go. And I think for me, this is personally where I was beginning my journey, so maybe that’s also why it resonated so much for me. 

But those horse classes in specific, and the instructors, they’re all very intentionally placed. They all have a background. They’ve all had some sort of transformation in their own lives that they’ve also been able to connect with the animals. And so what they’re doing is teaching you how we have to really be within ourselves and in a good, honest, open, vulnerable place with yourself to be able to communicate with this horse. Not verbally, but with our bodies to be able to get them to kind of do what we’re wanting them to do. 

And so, so many different sessions, communication, building skills, leadership skills, there’s just so many. And inevitably after all of them we’re coming out bawling. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. But for me it was a good thing. I mean, it just helps you kind of really realize where your work is and where you want to grow. So that was one of them. 

One of my other favorite ones is the one-on-ones. And I know we’re going to talk about that in a minute, but just some of the private sessions that I did actually started because I first did a class with that instructor. And so they have a lot of clairvoyance, medium, psychic readers, you know, energy healers. And so you can decide how much you want to go into it and how much you don’t. 

And when I first went, I was like, this is a bunch of woo-woo crap. I’m not doing any of this stuff. And I’m like, I don’t know what they, I mean, who pays for this? I’m not paying that much money, blah, blah, blah. 

And as the time went on and as you start going to these courses and you actually start building a little bit of trust with the instructors, realizing what they’re saying is like, oh my God, that was actually very powerful and very accurate, it kind of gives you that edge to start to explore and maybe do a little bit more and maybe step up, put your toe in a little bit farther into something that you maybe might not otherwise consider. 

And again, I think that’s all a big reflection of where you want to grow, how you want to consider other perspectives in your life and have personal transformation. So that is a big one. 

The spa is always one of my favorites because, again, it’s not just the massage. It’s what you’re allowing them to do and what you’re allowing yourself to release. And energy healing and energy work as part of the spa is amazing. They do a lot of Middle Eastern and Asian therapies as well that are wonderful. I personally did the hot oil. I can’t remember the name of it. I think it’s the Prana Veda where they do the hot oil on your scalp. 

It’s a big, like the whole body is a hot oil rub. And then they pour four quarts of oil into your hair. Oh my gosh, like my hair was amazing for four or five days afterwards, just soft and luscious. And so, there’s just so many different ones. Like I said, I can go on forever and ever and ever, but I think those are some of my favorites for sure. 

Devon: I love hearing about that. And Mindy, before we get to you and kind of hear about any of the activities that you’ve tried or you want to try specific to the Berkshires location, Arpita, I was just wondering, can you speak to or give any tips for folks who are thinking about planning a Miraval stay in terms of what do people need to know when it comes to scheduling themselves for any of these activities or classes or spa services? Do you have any tips for people to keep in mind? 

Arpita: So I would say, and this happens. No matter how much you try to encourage people, don’t overbook yourself, you want to. Especially the first time that you’re there because you’re so excited. So I was like, oh my God, we’re the overachieving, high-functioning, bad-ass doctors that want to do it all. And so the entire schedule is booked. 

And inevitably you’re going to come out of that being very exhausted. So just build in the time for yourself where you’re giving yourself that downtown to sit by the pool and just kind of absorb and reflect on maybe one of the classes or the sessions that you’ve had. 

I would definitely, I think they release the classes 60 days prior to the first of the month. So if you’re going like December 8th, on October 1st they’re going to have released December’s activities. And I might have it wrong. Maybe it’s just October 8th that they release it on December 8th, but I think it’s close enough. 

But I would go ahead and book in advance. Start looking through the activities and what the descriptions are. And go ahead and book the things that sound interesting to you, knowing that you can go back and change it. But things do book up pretty quickly, especially if you’re waiting closer to when you actually arrive. 

And that being said, I’ve also had the mindset of, if you weren’t supposed to be in that class, you weren’t going to be in that class anyway. So whatever happens, happens and it’s perfect the way it is. But you really can’t go wrong. But if there’s some things that you definitely want to do, I would encourage you to try to plan and book ahead for sure. 

Devon: Yeah, I think that’s really great advice because you can always overbook yourself or book yourself into a class or an activity or a session that sounds interesting to you and then you can change your mind. I think you can cancel within about 24 hours of a booked session or class and not have any sort of charge because of that. 

And so that’s a scenario where it does make, I think, a little bit of sense to kind of pile everything on your plate in terms of scheduling things early that sound interesting to you. And then you can filter those out and you can eliminate some of those appointments when the time comes if you show up on property and then realize that you don’t actually want to have every single one of those things scheduled. 

There is an opportunity to get yourself scheduled into activities or classes or private sessions once you are on property, but like Arpita mentioned, if it’s a really, really popular private section, practitioner or even sometimes with the spa services, those can fill up. And so just to give yourself the best shot at getting the appointments that you want, it can be helpful to take a look at those sessions prior to coming. 

And that part of the Miraval experience has actually improved a lot over the last eight years. It used to be really, really hard to try to do the scheduling of your own sessions or classes prior to getting on property. And now each of the locations has an online sort of scheduling platform that makes it really easy to read through the different descriptions of the offerings and to schedule yourself for spa services and classes. So that’s a big improvement over what it used to be. 

Mindy, I would love to hear from you. Are there any classes or private sessions that you’ve experienced at the Berkshire’s location that you particularly liked or that you’re looking forward to trying the next time you go back there? 

Mindy: So it’s so funny that you said about the hot oil treatment, because it’s called the Shirodhara, which I have done before and I was looking for a place to do this again. And I did it and I really loved it. It’s incredibly relaxing having – They drip hot oil on your third eye. And I absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it. So definitely that. 

And I think, you know, interestingly, I am a person that connects deeply with other people and there isn’t so much time in the world to do so in our crazy lives. And I don’t often travel alone. And I think what really surprised me the first time I went, I went with someone I knew, an acquaintance. We drove together, but we didn’t really go together. And I was a little bit nervous to be alone, but I had an opportunity to really connect with a few different people, like two different women and had incredibly deep connections with both of them. That was very interesting. 

I mean, I think it’s a place that allows you to open up your soul, right? And make yourself really vulnerable. And like Arpita was saying, sometimes the classes that you least expect are going to touch you the most. So I had a stretching class that I went to. It was like a 7 or 8 am stretching class. And I thought this is going to be great, I can really use the stretch. 

Well, this guy was so incredible and he took us, in this stretching class, to an elevator in your mind. And I don’t want to give too much away, but if you go to the Berkshires, go to the stretching classes because this guy is amazing. And I was crying, I mean, incredibly so. And I really connected to like the inner child in me, which was really important for me to do. 

So there were classes that were great physically, but I’ve gone to gyms and I’ve had good experiences with that. The classes that really connected with me, one was the stretching class and the other also, well, I did a great breathing class. And the third was cardio drumming, which was super fun. I don’t know if you guys have done it, but that was really fun. And we had a very good time with the other people in the class. And I was with my girlfriend and that was really fun. 

And you were saying, Arpita, about the healthy food. They have the best yogurt, berries and granola at the place in the Berkshires. It is absolutely delicious. 

Devon: Okay, we’re going to dive all into the food experience in just a second. One of the things in terms of the Austin location that I really loved, again, all three of these locations have a really, really extensive menu of different classes. So these are small classes of like 8 to 12 people. There are fitness sessions that you can sign up for and then there are also private sessions that you can sign up for that are just one-on-one with you and one of the practitioners. 

But one of the things I love is that there’s such a variety of different classes and sessions. So you guys have mentioned there are ones that are just very sort of traditional fitness based, like the yoga classes and certain classes around strengthening your back or your arms, you know, doing some sort of just very traditional fitness type of class. They also have classes that are focused around mindfulness, spirituality. They also have food and nutrition type of classes. And then also some of these classes, again, that are based over in the equine centers where you can work with the horses. 

And so I’ve done, I feel like a little bit of everything when I’ve been to Miraval. I’ve tried all the different types of classes and I’ve never had a bad experience in any one of them, but some of the ones that I have really loved is that each one of the properties has, Arpita, you kind of mentioned this, a challenge course. So they have these huge, huge challenge courses that are built on property and there’s a variety of different sessions that you can sign up for. 

And it’s not just about the physical nature of can you climb up some huge telephone pole and stand on the top of it? Or can you work yourself through an obstacle course? I think one of the things that I’ve really enjoyed about those activities in general is that they all have an element of a mindfulness component. 

So it’s not just, can you climb up this big rope net and then balance your way across these hanging boards? It’s that as you’re doing these things you’re either being given prompts by your instructor, or you’re just taking the opportunity to kind of reflect on your own experience of what are the things that are really, really hard for you, or what are things that are really scary for you and how do you meet those experiences, right? 

And I think what’s lovely about Miraval is that physically you are separated from your everyday, your normal life. And so it’s a really beautiful opportunity to kind of meet yourself and to understand, you know, how do I work the way I work when I face some obstacles or some challenges, but in a much more reflective nature than when you are stuck in traffic on your way to work or when you’re having a challenging time at home because your five-year-old just asked you for yogurt and you gave it to them and then they yell at you and they have a temper tantrum, right? 

So I think that these are really, really lovely opportunities to have moments where you can see yourself in a different way than you do when you’re taken outside of your regular routine. I also really like a lot of the food and the nutrition based sessions. And I think it’s unique that each of the locations has, I think some location specific activities around food and nutrition. 

The Austin location, they have their own kind of farm where they have chickens and they grow some of the vegetables that are used on site for the meals. And they have apiaries as well. So you can take some classes specifically around bees and honey, which I think is really interesting. So they have a honey tasting class that you can sign up for in Austin, which I think is one of the really unique ones. 

They also have, because of the location itself, I mentioned that the Austin property overlooks Lake Travis. I think one of the really great things that they have as activities are a lot of water-based activities that you can sign up for. So you can go on kayaking tours if you want. And that’s something that’s not really readily available when you’re at the desert location in Arizona. 

And so I think it’s nice that each of these locations also really do take advantage of their geographic location to offer some really nice nature activities or fitness activities that they incorporate in the location themselves. 

And then in terms of private sessions, I agree, I’ve always tried to do at least one spa treatment when I have gone to Miraval. I think they’re done exceptionally well. They have such an amazing spa menu, you know, traditional manicures, pedicures, if you like getting those, they have an extensive massage menu. And then I really do love some of their Eastern or Ayurvedic treatments. They also have craniosacral therapy and reflexology. 

And I have really enjoyed the Reiki sessions that you can have at Miraval. Those have been great for me. And then I’ve had a lot of one-on-one sessions as well with different practitioners just based on the kind of the things that seemed interesting to me at the times that I’ve gone. 

And the last time that I went to the Austin location I had a session with a practitioner who does sound bowl therapy, where it’s not just that they have the singing bowls that they administer, and you obviously have the benefit, you know, of hearing those, but part of the session is where they place different sized singing bowls on your body. 

You’re fully clothed, laying on like a massage table, but they place them initially around you and then on your chest or on your belly and then do the singing bowls, they activate them. And it’s just a really, really interesting experience. It’s one of the ones that I tried for the first time, the last time I was there and I really loved it. 

I have to be very careful about not scheduling certain massage services, spa services, or like a singing bowl therapy service too late at night because it is so calming and relaxing that you run the risk of actually falling asleep during some of these sessions. And I think they’re so great that at least I want to be awake for them and remember them and not just be lulled off into sleep by singing bowls. 

But there are really so many incredible either group classes, lecture based classes or individual sessions that you can sign up for. And then one of the other things that I’ve done at a couple of the different locations that I think is great is we’re going to talk next about just what the experience of the all inclusive aspect of the meals is for these properties. 

But one of the private sort of sessions or classes you can sign up for is an activity called just cook for me. And this is an experience where it’s separate from just the regular dining experience. And this is around dinner where you get taken into a kind of a separate area of the restaurant or a separate area where a multi-course meal is served. And it’s basically whatever the chef wants to come up with to highlight the local ingredients or just their areas of interest in cooking. 

So it’s a different food than you’re going to get as just part of the main kind of set menu options. But it really allows the chef to be creative and to express their personality in cooking. And I really, really have enjoyed that just cook for me experience. Again, it’s a little bit more intimate. You can sign up with a group of friends or you can go solo and just enjoy this really beautiful dinner. 

And I think especially if part of your daily routine at home is not one that includes you being able to really enjoy a nice slow meal, it’s just a really great experience. It’s for me, at least at this point in my life, very different than my normal dinner experience right now with little kids in the house. And so I highly recommend the just cook for me experience. That is one of the paid services. 

So we haven’t really gone super far in depth in this, but Miraval being all inclusive, when you book your stay there, you automatically get access to all of their included classes or activities that then you can sign up for. And then in addition to that, there are other classes or other one-on-one services that if you want to sign up for, then you incur an additional fee, which you know exactly what it is for whatever service you’re signing up for. 

And so the just cook for me experience is one of those where there is a fee associated with it. But one of the really great things about a Miraval stay is that regardless of if you book your stay totally in cash or if you book your stay totally on points, that baseline every single night of your stay, what’s included is you get a, when it’s the standard rate it’s a $175 credit that you can use on any paid activity or service. And that’s not just for your whole stay, it’s $175 credit per night that you book. 

So say that you book a four night stay at Miraval, you get $175 times four. And that whole amount you get to use to put towards paid activities, spa services, one-on-one sessions during your stay. And so even if you do one of these paid activities, it can still ultimately be included in your stay if it falls within that nightly credit that you get. 

And so, like I said, there are such extensive menus of the different services, the different classes that you can join. So even if you end up becoming a huge Miraval fan, like those of us on this call and you go back multiple times, it is I think impossible to try every single thing that’s there. 

And I agree, Arpita, with what you said in the beginning that I think especially the first time you go to Miraval, there are so many interesting looking things you could do that I think it’s a conserved experience that most first timers will definitely overschedule and overbook themselves and just have classes or sessions back to back to back. 

And that can be a really great experience. But I’ve also had stays where I’ve gone by myself and booked nothing because all I wanted to do was just have no schedule and just be able to enjoy the grounds and the property. And both are equally lovely experiences. 

So let’s come back now to the topic of the food. So Miraval is an all inclusive property. So again, whether you book your stay using cash or using points, all of your meals, all your snacks, and all non-alcoholic beverages are included in your stay. But Mindy and Arpita, let’s talk a little bit now about what dining actually looks like at these various properties and anything that you particularly love or maybe don’t love so much about the way that the all inclusive portion regarding the dining is included. 

So Mindy, let me start with you. What was your experience with the food like at the Berkshires property? 

Mindy: So first of all, I did do activity after activity after activity, so I’ve only actually sat for lunch one time. They have a grab and go, which I think is one of my favorite parts of that, so I’ll start with that. 

So the grab and go is right outside the dining room. They have everything from yogurt parfaits to salads to sandwiches. You can get coffee, ice coffee, cappuccinos, lattes, tea, special juices, flavored waters. And then at some point of the day they have crudités and cheeses out there. So you could really graze your way. And, oh, they also have bags of nuts and chips and things like that. So you could graze your way all day and not actually even have to sit for a meal, which is basically what I do during the day. I don’t tend to sit for lunch. 

And lunch was my least favorite, to be honest. The food was okay, it wasn’t super great. Breakfast was absolutely fantastic. The avocado toast, the yogurt with berries and granola. It had like a quinoa crunch to it, it was superb. I actually asked for a cup and I took it home and I kind of grazed on it for a few days after that. 

And dinner is good. I wouldn’t say it’s gourmet like if you went to a fancy Michelin star restaurant, but it’s good. It’s not amazing, but you can try different things. So right, you can have as many appetizers, cheese platters, entrees, desserts as you want. So if you try something and it’s not to your liking, you could order something else. 

So generally if I was going with somebody else, we would get a couple of different things and we would share. And they did run out of one or two things the last time we were there, when we were there for New Year’s. They ran out of a great dessert. So that was kind of interesting. 

I’m not a huge alcohol person. So I didn’t, you know, I took that opportunity to not drink and to really be healthy. So I can’t really speak about that. And I did not do the just cook for me. I just, you know, I had sort of the basics. But I really enjoyed the breakfast a lot. And I would have them kind of later on in the day. Like I would go and do my activities and then have my breakfast at like 10, 10:30. 

Devon: Yeah. Arpita, what do you think about the food that is at the Arizona location? 

Arpita: So I will, I guess, start by saying it’s the same thing. There’s a smoothie bar that has an a la carte throughout the day that’s a little bit, like all the same main building where you can go and get your grab and go. And a great smoothie bar and coffee bar are there. And they will make your fresh smoothies and oatmeal and all the things for you right there. So that’s super nice. And all of this, like we’ve said, is included. 

I’ve had a couple of different experiences there. The first time I went, we were still closer to Covid, so nothing was buffet style. So it was all having to be seated and served and spaced out. And that was actually probably my best experience because it was very much so catered. 

I took a group of girlfriends for my 50th this past November, which was awesome. And since we had such a large group, they actually seated us together in a separate room and they did family style for all of the dishes. And I picked them in advance so we knew, so that was kind of nice. When you are just going, like even when we went as a group for other meals that we did one-on-one, I would say breakfast, I’m not a big breakfast eater, but yes, there’s a buffet area where they have, you could just eat off the buffet. 

But in addition to that, you can sit and order a la carte off the menu, like your omelets or whatever they have. And they always have a plant-based selection. And they always have, I guess, a meat selection for lunch and dinner. So there’s variety there. 

The thing with Miraval is the portions are kind of small for lunch and dinner, specifically for dinner. And so you don’t have to feel guilty about ordering two or three things is what I would say. And typically when you’re going with a couple of people, we order two or three cheese plates, a couple of other appetizers maybe and a couple of main dishes. And we get to share and decide what we like. 

Two or three of the dishes are consistent every night of the week. And so you have the opportunity to try everything. You don’t have to worry about if I don’t try it tonight, it’s gone. And then typically two to three dishes are new each night. And so there’s a lot of variety. 

It is focused on healthy eating and a lot of it is plant-based. So, you know, if this is your jam, you’re going to love it. If it’s not your jam, there’s going to be a little bit of difference there. Like I personally am trying to stay away from eating too much meat. I will say their burger is amazing. 

So you just have to kind of pick and choose and decide. But overall I’ve not had a bad experience there. If I don’t like what I’ve gotten, I can always order and get something else and not be hungry. I’ve never been hungry there is what I would say. 

Devon: Yeah. Interesting to hear sort of your opinion too about the food selection and your preferences for the different locations, because that really closely mirrors my experience at the Austin location. So every single one of these properties, there’s sort of a main restaurant where all of the meals are served. And then adjacent to that is one of these like grab and go stations. 

And in the Austin location, the grab and go station, it’s in a connected but separate room to the main restaurant. And it also has a coffee bar. And then during daytime hours you can go up to that bar area. They also serve alcoholic drinks and some cocktails that you can order there, but I stick with the coffee menu because it’s really, really good there. 

And the grab and go section where, yes, during the morning, they’ll have different breakfast items that you can just grab out of a cooler if you don’t want to sit down and do a full kind of plated breakfast type of experience. And then midday, they’ll bring out some sort of lunch grab and go options. Again, if you don’t want to sit down and have a full meal, or if you’re in between activities or sessions and you just want to take something. 

One of the things that I think is really great is that all of the rooms actually have a little mini fridge in them. And so it is convenient where if you want to grab some things from the grab and go section, even if you don’t want to eat them right at that moment, you can always pop them in the fridge in your room and then have those for later on that day. 

And then in terms of the actual meals that are offered at the Austin location, they have the traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner servings. I also thought lunch was probably the least well done of the three meals at the Austin location. They have, it’s not a full buffet, it’s sort of a limited buffet. Sort of like a salad bar where you create your own salad then a couple of main dish types of items. And there is still a set menu at lunch that you can order off of. I just found the overall options to be more limited at that meal than it felt like they were at breakfast and at dinner. 

I mean, the benefit is there’s food available all the time. So you could theoretically never actually sit down for any of the lunch servings and still have plenty of food there. But of the three meals, I personally thought that the lunch serving was probably the least well one done at the Austin location. But it’s got my favorite, I think dinner menu, at least of the Austin and Arizona locations that I’ve been to. 

One of the things I love about the Austin location is that main restaurant area, it’s got an indoor component that’s really comfortable if it is really, really hot outside because it’s covered, it’s air conditioned. But then there’s also a really beautiful outdoor patio that’s connected to the main restaurant for those nights where it’s not really boiling hot in Austin, but it’s actually really, really pleasant to sit outside. It’s a beautiful outdoor patio with huge trees. And again, it overlooks the lake. So it’s, it’s really lovely. 

And the dinner menu, as Arpita mentioned there’s always sort of a set number of dishes that you can get most nights, but then there’s also a rotating menu. So even if you’re going to stay for more than one or two nights, it’s not like it’s one static menu where you’re going to be eating from the same options every single night, night after night. And so I like that there is variety. 

And I agree, I think a lot of the plant-based options are really, really delicious. But for people who do not eat plant-based, I don’t want them to get scared and feel like, oh my gosh, I’m going to be forced to be a vegan or to be a vegetarian here. There’s a lot of meat-based options that you can eat there. And so I think that they do a nice job of having a wide enough variety that depending on what your dietary preferences are, you’re going to be able to find something that you enjoy. 

And I do like that they let you, like Arpita mentioned, you can try multiple things. So you’re not stuck to just picking one dinner entree. That also goes for dessert. So if multiple desserts look really appealing to you, you can order all of them and they’ll put them in a little box for you and you can take them back to your room and either eat them later that night or save them for the next day. 

Arpita: Yes, eat them in your robe. Or you can go to dinner in your robe. That’s the other, we didn’t talk about that. Like you can go to dinner, you can walk around the entire resort in your robe all day long if you want. There is no judgment and nobody cares. 

And it’s like, so going straight from the spa, take off your bathing suit, put your robe on head over to the dinner place and eat in your robe. I mean, hopefully your robe won’t accidentally fall off of you. I mean, maybe some people like that, but I would say it’s amazing. Like that is the best thing. That was one of my favorite things. 

The other one of my favorite things is like, we all hate sitting there when we’re done eating, waiting forever for the ticket to come. And it feels like such a waste of time for me, that I want to go. There’s none of that. So since it’s all inclusive, you literally eat, get up and go. You don’t have to sign anything. You don’t have to say what room you’re in. None of that. It is so amazing. So liberating. You don’t even realize how much time that takes from you. So that is a cool little piece. 

And the other piece I forgot about Tucson is they have another little section called the coyote bar, I think, that’s across the street or across the hallway from the main area. And they have flatbreads there and salads. They’ll do guac and salsa and chips at five o’clock with the happy hour and whatever. So that’s another little area that you can go to. Again, everything’s included that you can go and sit if you want something a little bit quicker, a little bit less formal. 

There’s just so many different options. Like food is not an issue there. And again, the first year I went, I’m more plant-based now. The first year I went, I was on a completely normal, regular diet and I had no issues. So there’s definitely so many options. 

Devon: Absolutely. And I’ll just say one other plug for the Arizona location. I mentioned the very first time that I went there many, many years ago was a time that my husband came with me. And he’s a very traditional eater. He’s not particularly into plant-based foods or any kind of specific dietary preference. But I will say that it was a huge plus for him that when you go to the Arizona location, you can actually take an Uber and there’s an In and Out Burger within driving distance. 

And so if you are someone who does not have the luxury of eating In and Out burgers on a regular basis, because you don’t live in the part of the country where those are easy to find, I will say that that was a huge hit with my husband. So for those of you bringing your partners, you can reassure them that if you go to the Arizona location, they can easily get an In and Out burger if they so desire. 

Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s true of the other two Miraval locations. So please keep that in mind when you are planning. 

Last thing before we wrap up our conversation today is I would really just love to hear from both of you if you have any other thoughts, recommendations, tips, advice for people who are thinking about having a Miraval stay. Anything that you would just want someone to know before they make their stay at this property or how to get the most out of their experience. Mindy, you’re shaking your head yes, and so I’d love to hear what you have to say. 

Mindy: Yeah, well I think the best use of going to Miraval is to get there really early and stay really late, right? So they allow you to come and use the facilities as early as 10 or 10:30 in the morning and you can stay until five o’clock the following day. So you can stay overnight at another place and then even the very last night also stay, especially if you’re paying or if you have a limited amount of points. 

So I was helping a colleague figure out her situation in Austin and she only had a limited number of points. And she was going with another friend, so one paid for one night, one paid for the other night, but they wanted to be away for three nights. So they decided to stay, it was an Austin, they decided to stay at the Hyatt in Austin proper, which is lovely. And then go first thing in the morning. 

Some of the places also offer, certainly the Berkshires does, and I think sometimes of the year the other properties do a day pass. So if you are staying somewhere else, you can also go for the day. 

And I was thinking how I could get a friend of mine. So I’m going with a bunch of my colleagues to celebrate, I forgot to mention this, a colleague is retiring. So this is a colleague that I walked through the points game with and she went, she actually has a home in the Berkshires and she went first on a day pass and then she gathered her points and she went with her daughter and she had the best time. 

And when we asked her what she wanted to do to celebrate her retirement, she said, I want to go to Miraval. So we all got cards and we all got points and we’re all going in September to Miraval together. But there’s one person who doesn’t do the points game, so I think what I’m going to do is I’m probably going to invite her to stay in my room, although she doesn’t want to stay with me, but this way she can actually come for the entire day, rather than pay the fee. 

I can just put her in my room, right? It’s like another 20,000 or 22,000 points and she can pay me back in some way, shape or form instead of paying the $400 or $500 for the day. She actually will get a longer day. She’ll get the $175 credit and be able to use the place fully for the entire day. 

So there’s a lot of hacks that you can do. So I actually am thinking, how could I do those hacks in Tucson or Austin and not have to get there late in the day? That would be such a shame coming from across the country and you’d lose an entire day, right? And maybe stay somewhere close by, I don’t know if there are places in Tucson that are close by, for example. Arpita, maybe you can chime in on that and walk me through how to make use of the Tucson location if I want to go during the winter time. 

Devon: Yeah, Arpita, any last tips, recommendations, pieces of advice that you want to make sure that people know about if they’re considering planning a stay at the Arizona Miraval? 

Arpita: So there are two things that I would highly recommend to check out. So if you book as a group, and you need eight people to be in a group, if you book as a group you get a group rate, which can actually be a better deal for you. So you kind of have to look at all the different options. I’ve always gone, well, no, I went once with my husband. And that was probably the most extensive trip because it was just us two. But every time I’ve gone since then, it’s been in a group of eight at least. 

And that affords you a lot. And they’ll go through and do the pricing. You ask for an experienced planner to set you up. They’ll give you the pricing for fifth night free versus just five nights at the group rate versus then you compare it to the points rate. And so I have not, and I was talking to Devon about this earlier, I’ve actually not booked this with points because they don’t allow you to apply your points to a group rate. So you have to pick one or the other and that’s where you kind of have to do the math to figure out what comes out cheaper for you. 

And then also if you’re staying with somebody else in your room, like if I was staying with my husband, that also impacts the rate for the night. So you can’t book the group rate or you can’t book the points rate online just for both you and your husband. It would be for you and then you’d actually need to contact the hotel about adding the cost for the second person in the room. 

So there’s a little bit of complexity there with the points booking if you’re going as a partner with somebody else or as a group. 

The other thing I would highly, highly recommend is if you love Miraval, like me, you get status there as well. And so if you’re there for at least 10 days in a year, they have something called the authentic circle status where it gives you additional perks. So even if you book the rate with the fifth night free rate, for example, whenever you book a rate and there’s a night free, you don’t get the $175 resort credit on that night unless you’re authentic circle. 

If you are authentic circle, then you get that rate on that plus an additional $100 credit for your stay. So that works out really nicely. That’s a very nice massage. That’s one of the nice classes. You get your laundry done once. You can have free room service. You get 25% off their bookstore or their gift shop. I mean, so there’s a lot of perks that come with that authentic circle that is also nice to have. So if you go regularly, I would definitely make note of that and make sure you tell them that you’re authentic circle. 

There was one or two classes, I don’t know if you want to keep going, that I thought of afterwards. I’m like, oh my God, they’re amazing. How did I forget this? 

Okay, so the one class, one of my absolute favorite classes is called power of the pendulum. So as you were talking, it came to me because you were talking about how when we do these ropes courses or these challenge courses, the whole point is to overcome obstacles and challenges and see the power of your mind. 

This class is literally teaching you the power of your mind. She gives you a pendulum to use and basically has you do different things with it with your mind. And it is mind blowing. It is, I have my pendulum right here. It’s right here. And so now I program the pendulum. If I want to ask questions, is this employee going to work for our office? Blah, blah, blah. It helps me answer those things. 

So again, it sounds like crazy woo. If you had told me this three years ago, I’d have been like, yeah, you’re crazy. It’s amazing some of the things. 

We didn’t even cover this at all, there’s a whole section of art classes. Like you can do various art projects and classes. And one of them is the art, I’m forgetting the name of it, the Japanese art of fixing things that are broken with gold. And so they have a pottery thing where you smash the pottery. And again, that’s reflective of something that you are wanting to let go of in your life. And then you’re putting it back together and building it with gold. And so I have my bowl back here. I’m sitting here in my office, so here’s my bowl from there as well. 

So there’s just so many art classes as well that if you like art, that’s another little area too. But I can go on and on and on. 

Devon: Well, thank you for those tips. And maybe we’ll have to do another episode where we get even into more detail about all of the different specifics of these properties. 

But the last thing that I will mention before we wrap up today’s conversation is that I think that this is the type of property where you really can’t go wrong in terms of the way that you experience it. You know, I have visited Miraval with my partner, I’ve gone with girlfriends and I’ve had completely solo trips to Miraval and they’ve all been fantastic for different reasons. 

And so I just really wanted to name that for anyone who’s thinking, well, if I don’t have a big group of girlfriends to go with, maybe I should wait. Or if my partner isn’t interested in coming to this type of property with me, maybe I should wait. I actually think that you can have an incredible experience in all of those different ways. And so please take that into consideration as you are making your travel plans. 

And then the other thing that I would say, and Mindy, you touched on this, was that you said, especially if you don’t have one of these properties local to you and you are going to be traveling, or you’re going to be flying to get to one of these properties and then you land at the airport and one of the amazing things is that they all have shuttles that will come and pick you up at the airport and take you to the property so that you don’t have to rent a car if you don’t want to. But that all takes time. 

And you had mentioned that it would almost be a shame to check in late in the afternoon and late at night. And I’ve had that experience and I think what I have learned for myself personally, after staying a couple of times at Miraval is that if I can in any way schedule it so that I have three full days, that always feels like the least amount of time that I want to be at Miraval. 

I think I’ve gone before where I’ve flown in, arrived in an afternoon, had a day and then flown out the next day. Or even had two days and flown out the next day. And that has never felt like enough for me. And so even though I think any time spent at Miraval is worth it, if you can schedule it so that you’ve got at least three full days there, I think that really helps to get into that whole relaxation mode that Miraval is really about to allow your brain and your body to just calm down and settle down and really just enjoy the environment there. 

And so my tip or recommendation is to try to give yourself, if you can, four or five dates to be at Miraval. And don’t try to rush through it because it really is just such a lovely place to be. So with that, I’d like to thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. And thank you, especially Mindy, Arpita, thank you for coming and lending your experience of the various Miraval properties. 

I was really excited to hear about Miraval through somebody else’s eyes and see it through someone else’s eyes, even though I have been to two of the properties. And so I’m taking away a lot from this conversation. And I know that people who are either hearing about Miraval for the very first time or have heard about it but aren’t really sure what to expect, I think that this conversation will be so useful for them. 

So thank you both for joining me today. I really appreciate your time so much. 

Arpita: Thank you. So fun. 

Mindy: Thanks for having me. 

Thank you for joining me for this week’s episode of Point Me to First Class. If you want more tips on turning your expenses into travel, visit pointmetofirstclass.com to learn more. See you next week.