Miraval, Tucson Arizona - Day Five

This is the water aerobics pool.  Just your garden variety large pool but check out the surrounding mountains.  You can watch the weather appearing over the Santa Cantalina Mountains while participating in the class.  It's a beautiful view.  Under the eaves behind you, you will find two nests containing the cutest little barn swallows.  Mom and Dad are flying around regularly gathering meals for the kids.  All of the other pools are the resort style kidney or oval shaped, smaller, and surrounded by palms.

I got up early today so I could breakfast in time to take the Cardio Drumming class.  But I decided to take it easy.  I went to three classes yesterday so I deserve a break.  Of course, I attended water aerobics at 10.  It was a major workout today both cardio and resistance.  Now I have the grueling task of my 80 minute massage(!).  No other exercise on the program today. Later...  the massage was fabulous.  The extra 30 minutes is worth every penny because every muscle gets a little extra attention.  My favorite parts

rock formations near spa entrance

were the small muscles in the hands, face and ears lobes.

Thunder and lightning are in the vicinity.  Luckily the resort supplies umbrellas at every entrance.  The class on Anti-inflammatory Diet was really informative.  I have taken copious notes that I will try to transcribe next week after I get home.  On the way out from the nutrition class, we discovered that the spa shop was offering champagne and meringue cookies along with 15% off anything in the store.  I partook of the champagne, but with 15% off, the baseball cap was still too expensive at $34.

Enjoyed a wonderful dinner with new friends.  Did I tell you that Miraval doesn't have a 'friendship table' like so many resorts have?  It's nice to have an option to socialize, but usually it's more comfortable to sit by yourself.  Here at Miraval it was the norm to sit by yourself.  But tonight I really enjoyed spending time eating dinner, having good conversation and sharing a meal with kindred souls.  I hope I get to meet up with them again soon.

Miraval, Tucson Arizona - Day Four

the bar

   I finally made breakfast without ordering an egg main dish.  Instead I had a cheese blintz with blueberry sauce.  Of course I still added a turkey sausage and chicken sausage.  Followed by tons of berries with honey lime yogurt.
    It started raining before dawn and at 10am it was still pouring when water aerobics was set to start.  Since there was no thunder or lightning, Melissa was willing to get in the pool with the four of us that showed up despite the weather.  Thank heavens - because this was my only exercise for the morning.
    The lunch special today was a chicken breast marinated in yogurt and balsamic vinegar.  Yummy - along with a cucumber salad.  This didn't prevent me from having the incredibly tasty orzo salad with sundried tomatoes and basil.  At 1:00 I participated in the balance class and then stayed for the "On the Ball" class at 2:00.  Both were also with Melissa who is a fabulous instructor especially for those of us who are up in years.

veggie and cheese snacks at the bar

   The facial at 4:30 was wonderful.  I'm not crazy about the mist that makes me claustrophobic, but I stuck it out to be good to my pores.
    As you can see from the picture at left, I had a lovely time munching in the bar where I ordered yet another bottle of wine to be stored under my room number.  They have the most amazing blue cheese - it is either Maytag or roquefort.
    Dinner had all of my favorites.  Tomato basil soup was one of the starters.  Then I had filet mignon prepared medium rare with carrots and onions in a balsamic glaze.  The filet was placed on top of a bed of creamed spinach - something I don't normally like - this was fabulous. The bread, which changes every night, was foccacia served with a garlic olive oil.  The butter/oil changes every night to go with the bread.
    So I came to Miraval because I got a really good deal.  I found a deal that did not include a lot of treatments because I am here for exercise.  So what did I do tonight?  I made an appointment for an additional massage not included in my package.  Not just a 50 minute treatment, but a full 80 minutes.  I am definitely looking forward to tomorrow (except that it is my last full day!).  Next time I will go with the deal that includes a lot of resort credits for treatments and not pretend that I only want the free exercise classes.

Miraval, Tucson Arizona - Random Thoughts

• Miraval's elevation is over 3,000 feet so my breathing is a little short.  It also explains my lightheadedness.
• My big sister and spouse would love this place.  They provide golf lessons, so she could probably get a round of golf arranged.  They would both love the spa, gym classes, lounge, and dining.
• This would be a great place for the group of seven fine ladies (KO's Gang) that are still together 45 years after meeting in high school.  There is the challenge course and yoga for the ones who go for that sort of thing, at least 4 pools for lounging that we all enjoy, spa treatments for relaxing, decent wine list for sharing at dinner or in the room, a variety of activities but enough free time to laugh and cry together.
• If you have a sensitive bum bring your own toilet paper.  The provision here is a bit rough.
• The desert environment contains lots of little lizards - not a bother.  But there have been several tarantula sightings.  I only saw one near the gym and I hope I don't see one near my room like others have.
• There is a wider mix of people here than any other destination spa I have been to.  Several blacks, a few Asians, over a dozen men and not all of them with their spouses.  Of course the larger population is still mostly women either traveling alone, with friends, or doing a mother-daughter outing.  And there are all ages and sizes.

Miraval, Tucson Arizona - Day Three

     Once again I started with a big breakfast. They had turkey bacon today instead of sausage, so

courtyard outside my room

of course I had to try it.  I ordered the special scrambled eggs which came with a chipolte salsa, tortilla chips and cheese.  Since I couldn't eat the salsa, it wasn't the best choice.  But the beautiful fresh berries and yogurt took care of any remaining hunger.  Actually I kept eating the fruit long after being full.  Maybe I will be better at lunch.     I wanted to go to the Power Punch Plie class, but the instructor said it was not for someone with bad knees or any other joint issues.  There aren't that many classes with resistance training so I worked extra hard at the water aerobics class.  Many times I don't even take the weights, but this week I will.  The lunch special today was a medium rare flatiron steak with a red wine sauce.  Extremely tasty - which I accompanied with a big salad and a yukon potato.  There was also a really tasty quinoa salad with roasted vegetables.  And of course I finished it all off with a brownie.  The prickly pear iced tea was a nice change.  I'm afraid the Chi Gong class will not wear off many of the calories consumed at lunch.

   It's a slow day today.  The only other item on the agenda I was interested in is the class on exercise and aging.  The class was interesting and lecturer entertaining, but once again we started almost 10 minutes late.  I have to get over my aversion to lateness before I come back.

    Dinner was a surprise.  I had the vegetarian entree which supposedly was 180 calories.  It was extremely filling and very tasty.  Containing beans, zucchini, artichokes, and several other veggies I can't remember.  Since I was being so good with the entree I went with the flat bread again which this time had fresh mozarella, fennel, carmelized onions and baby squash.  Yum!  

Miraval, Tucson Arizona - Day Two

stream running through resort

The sight and sound of water running through the resort is very relaxing.  It also helps to counteract the sight of hundreds of cacti and sand everywhere.  A cooling sight in near 100 degree afternoons.

The day started with an egg white omelet with mushrooms, scallions and cheddar cheese; from the buffet I added turkey sausage, chicken sausage, whole grain toast and lots and lots of fruit with honey lime yogurt.  They have four special egg dishes each day and you can also get eggs anyway you want.  Then my favorite water aerobics.  It was a great workout. 
     I overate at lunch as well:  big salad, then salami, cheese, crackers, and a chocolate coconut almond bar for dessert.  The afternoon was busy with a lecture on Mastering Metabolism, On the Ball weight and balance training, Posture Stretching on a foam roller, and finishing off with a deep tissue massage. 
     Dinner was another overeating extravaganza - I have to do something about this!  Although so far the extra exercise has kept off any weight gain.  This is my first full day and the server no longer has to be told about my bell pepper allergy.  She came prepared to tell me exactly what I could have off the menu.  All starters and entrees change every day so someone on the dining room staff must be coaching them.  Great service!  So I ended up with the flatbread with goat cheese, beets and arugula; followed by the best pork tenderloin I have ever had.  Extremely tender, perfectly cooked with a chili rub and prickly pear sauce.  I couldn't have the salad so they substituted mushroom asparagus risotto which was fabulous.  The portions are supposed to be small but I couldn't finish my meal---as much as I wanted to!  So I took the vanilla bean flan with fresh berries back to my room for later.

The only down side was that out of four classes the instructors were late four times.  Not a good impression for me - a chronically on-time, usually early person.

Miraval, Tucson Arizona - Day One

view of my private patio

First impressions are running high.  The desert scenery is breathtaking even though it is man-made.  There is a waterfall running near my room so the only sounds I hear are of running water.  This photo is the view from my room.  The patio extends from the french doors, seemingly right into the desert.  My room is huge for most standards.  They say 300 square feet, but it seems larger.  The king bed is piled high with ultra puffy, soft pillows and comforter.  The comforter adds another foot to the height of the bed.  The decor is southwestern, but without the bright orange and red.  Mostly brown and earth tones instead which is very relaxing. 

Unlike all the other spa resorts I've been to, Miraval has a bar/lounge open from 4-9 with free hors d'oeuvres.  I will try to take a picture tomorrow.  The veggie platter is missing the ubiquitous celery, carrots and radishes and instead sports asparagus, jicama, cauliflower, heirloom cherry tomatoes.  There is also a giant platter of cheese - probably 10 different varieties.  I've purchased a bottle of red and a bottle of white wine for partaking over the next couple days.  They keep the bottle at the bar or let me take it back to my room.  In addition to a nice selection of wines, they have a menu of special cocktails and the back of the bar is lined with favorites such as Dewars, Jamesons, Glenlivet, Hendricks, Beefeaters.  Miraval has all the beauty of a destination spa with the conveniences of a resort hotel.

The dinner menu changes daily and contains four starters and four entrees.  With my bell pepper allergy I will be limited because many dishes are prepared in the southwest style.  However, they are bending over backwards to accommodate my culinary needs.  They encourage you to try something you might not like because they will gladly replace it with something else if it doesn't suit.  Tonight I'm being brave and ordering grouper.  I'm very glad I did.  The arbol chili rub was spicy enough to mask any fishy taste (I'm very picky about fish!) and it was light and flaky as promised.  It came on top of yams and topped with a jicama/watermelon salsa and a watermelon coulis.  The small portion size allowed me to enjoy the blueberry crumble/creme brulee for dessert.  It is going to be a struggle to keep my weight under control.

If I ever get hungry I will try the smoothies made to order with any number of interesting items.  They are included in the price.  And there is no tipping anywhere at the resort - not at the bar, dining room, spa, anywhere.

Canyon Ranch revisited

I'm happy to say that Canyon Ranch has reinstated the ability to view all four rates.  Now I can get serious about when I can get the best deal and hopefully find some special along the way.

Red Mountain, St George UT, another special

Jetsetter has just announced a deal at Red Mountain for $215/night instead of the regular $400/night.  $245/night starting September 12 and on weekends.  This is all inclusive for 2 people.  Not bad!