By Jeanine Lee Kitchel ©
Twenty years ago Highway 307 in Quintana Roo was a narrow two-lane strip of asphalt that stretched from newly discovered Cancun to Chetumal at the Belize border. This 368 kilometers of jungle road, then called the Tulum Corridor, had precious few stopping points linking it to civilization. There was Puerto Morelos, a fishing village with an army outpost and the car ferry dock to Cozumel. Playa del Carmen, barely a bump in the road, had a population of 500–maybe–and precious little else. Tulum was a dusty pueblo, far from the water, known only for its towering pyramids. Felipe Carrillo Puerto lay further to the south but basically stood alone.
South of Playa at that time, travelers were hard pressed to find any lodging at all. But what could be found were some of the world's whitest sand beaches–exquisite stretches of soft powder without a soul on them. There were no gates, no fences, no security guards. When you spied a sascab limestone road leading to the ocean that looked inviting, you just walked the kilometer or so to the beach and there you were–you and the Mar Caribe.
RIVIERA MAYA
In 2000 the Mexican government came up with a brainstorm to persuade world travelers from Europe, Asia, and South America, to visit this new Costa del Sol and ratchet up tourist dollars. The former Tulum Corridor was renamed the Riviera Maya.
At first it seemed a stretch. Mexico's eastern coast is a long way from Nice and Cannes. But soon, with the help of a new-to-North America concept–the all-inclusive resort–and a string of Spanish hotel chains willing to pump mega bucks into glamorous hotel palaces, the concept took hold. Now 25,000 hotels rooms (plus or minus) dot the Riviera Maya, occupying the choicest sections of beaches.
What's good for tourism is not always good for the environment but in the Riviera Maya there are several bright spots, manifested by a handful of truly luxurious spas. These elegant spots have complied with nature and codes and have not overbuilt the land, as they are striving for perfection.
CREDENTIALS
Although 20 plus hotels in the Riviera Maya are called "spa resorts" one might do well in checking out credentials before plunking down pesos for body work. And what seems to be an unauthorized rule of thumb is this: the more land mass to hotel room, the better the facility.
While the spa's origins date back to ancient Rome, the Maya culture has it's share of naturopathic treatments and alternative ways to heal body, mind, and spirit. In the Riviera Maya, three spas stand out in a field of many.
POETRY OF THE SEA
Ikal del Mar (Poetry of the Sea), two kilometers north of Playa del Carmen at Xcalacoco Beach, bills itself as a small luxury resort. Thirty thatched bungalows were built by Mayan carpenters in the traditional Mayan palapa style, and each of them is linked by a series of winding jungle walkways. The architect planned to build within the jungle rather than bulldoze it. This resort did not compromise the environment but worked with it.
All palapas are self-contained units made up of one large room with a mosquito-netted platform bed. A state of the art sound system and TV are enclosed in a mahogany cabinet, just in case the real world beckons. Off to the side there's a glamorous bathroom that lacks no amenities, along with a private outdoor shower enclosed in a backyard garden. (For those less adventurous souls, there's also an indoor shower).
Attention to detail is the key at Ikal del Mar. There's a tropical butler. A fresh fruit tray and bottle of wine await your arrival. The bed is made up with Egyptian linens. Shortly after check in, a soap concierge arrives carrying a ceramic plate with a choice of natural soaps. She slices off a hunk of your choosing from a rectangular slab, leaving your palapa smelling like fresh herbs and mint.
A front patio with personal plunge pool and hammock completes this luxury package. Beyond the jungle and the private palapas, each named for a famous poet, lays the beach, viewed from Ikal's infinity pool. A two story bar and restaurant with jungle theme wraps the package, but the true basics of Ikal del Mar lie in its spa program.
ANCIENT TECHNIQUES
According to their marketing manager, Ikal del Mar researched ancient Mayan techniques before opening the resort four years ago. Because the Maya relied on the moon's protective energy, the spa's signature massage is called a moon massage, offered at dusk in the sea under moonlight of course, with fire torches surrounding the participant.
Ikal's techniques are based on the Maya belief that lapping waves and night winds could put the participant in harmony with his or her surroundings. Another offering at Ikal is Crepuscular Maya massage which works to straighten out the body much like a chiropractic adjustment, but with a spiritual twist. Keeping with Maya tradition, the treatment is performed outdoors at dusk. The participant lies down on a serape on the ground and two therapists work together, stretching and maneuvering the body, then with twists of the fabric, gently lifting the individual onto the massage table. Those who have experienced this say it feels as if they are floating and afterwards feel totally renewed.
Ikal uses native muds in their treatments and offers nine types of massage plus eight facial treatments, five body treatments, and six body wraps.
WHITE-WASHED ELEGANCE
The old timer in luxury spas in the Riviera Maya is Maroma Resort and Spa, just south of Puerto Morelos, with 52 rooms and 14 suites. First opening its doors ten years ago, Maroma's incredible beach, lush tropical gardens, and white-washed elegant architecture which spreads over 220 hectares can lull one into submissiveness. Although hit hard by Hurricane Wilma, Maroma recovered quickly and has been online since February.
On entering the resort, as you pass through a reception area that is part stone cottage, part office, then through double doors towards the gardens, you feel as if you're on a movie set. This is an extravagant, unbelievable hotel with parrots and peacocks, tropical flowers growing everywhere, and a feeling of largesse–all the way from the wide open beach to the rooms and villas. And the spa, likewise.
A year ago the Kinan Spa more than doubled its space up to 7000 square feet, which also includes a rooftop yoga palapa. Flower petals and healing herbs have been the signature element in treatments here, which relies on ancient Mayan healing techniques, including temezcal (herb infused water poured over lava rocks similar to a sweat lodge) and hot stones massage. Other treatments include Reiki, lymphatic massage, four hands massage and deluxe aroma massage.
To ensure positive energy flow to clients, each building and treatment room has been aligned to the stars to ensure positive energy flow, according to Maroma's marketing director, so that mind and spirit are in harmony.
LA BONITA
Another top spa in the Riviera Maya is Paraiso de la Bonita, an upscale, elegant resort located in Peten Pech on a 14-acre oasis with 300 meters of beachfront. Mexico City architect Carlos Gasselin traveled the globe–Japan, Egypt, Africa, Bali–seeking unique, ethnic design styles and merged them into what became La Bonita. With less aptitude for merging styles, the idea of cross-culturing could have been a recipe for disaster. But Gasselin's sense of style is so heightened that combining these elements works beautifully, as evidenced by the finished product.
Since his wife, Elisa, nicknamed La Bonita, was doing her own worldwide search for effective spa treatments and relaxation techniques, he designed and named the resort for her. At La Bonita's entrance, a pair of stone dragons guards the foyer. One walks into a grand entrance hall with high ceilings in the traditional Yucatec style of carved open beam rafters.
But on closer observation, the eclectic blend of many cultures hits you–Asian, Mayan, African. Accenting this architectural diversity are incredible art pieces from all over the world. Ninety villas with every architectural style imaginable carry out Gasselin's vision, and the villas are named after countries or regions.
THALASSOTHERAPY
In this writer's opinion, the treatments at La Bonita seem to be the best researched in the Riviera Maya. A strong emphasis is put on thalassotherapy, (Thalasso comes from the Greek word for ocean). According to La Bonita's sales director, by incorporating the use of seawater, marine algae, and marine mud, thalassotherapy reloads the body with minerals and trace elements, which are then absorbed into the skin by osmosis.
Several types of thalasso treatments are offered including seaweed body treatment, afusion shower massage, balneotheraoy-hydro massage, aromecean "aroma" therapy, exfoliation, various wraps and facials, moisturizing treatments, massages and reflexology. La Bonita has the most clinical approach of these three spas, paying special attention to high tech machines, which rate the client's body, both before and after treatments.
In front of the spa, two serpents like those at Chichen Itza's Kukulkan rise out of a salt-water pool. Inside the spa there are several therapy rooms, each devoted to a distinct treatment, and also a temazcal room custom designed for La Bonita.
With one foot in the past paying homage to the Maya and their remedies these spa resorts of the Riviera Maya offer 21st century luxury in glamorous surroundings. If you're lucky enough to take advantage of any one of them, you'll certainly come out refreshed. There's only one requirement: bring along a fistful of pesos.
(Jeanine Lee Kitchel is author of the nonfiction book, Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya. Contact her at casamaya@yahoo.com).
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