Guide To Hyatt's Miraval Resorts: Locations, Experience, How To Book

I stayed at the Berkshires one a couple of months ago. I suppose I came in with the wrong expectations and thought it would be pinnacle luxury at that price point - it really wasn't. The rooms themselves are drab and not much better than a Hyatt place (minus the bed), zero soundproofing between rooms... The food was pretty bad across the board, whether at the restaurant or at the take out station (literally gas station quality). Coffee was awful too.
But I guess people come in for the activities and not for nice rooms or great food. Those were good, with excellent facilitators even if a lot of them are outrageously priced. Over $100 for some meditation classes, even in NYC that wouldn't happen. The real positive was the wonderful staff, really terrific, well intentioned and friendly service.

Lake Travis is not "a creek".

Berkshires seems to be the weakest of them, but while they are pretty nice properties, they are definitely far from "peak luxury." The pricing is mostly due to the "all inclusive" nature of it. If you're looking for wellness resorts, there are far more upscale ones (particularly in Europe and Asia, and also at a very high price point).

Yeah that's kind of why I prefaced with saying I probably came in with the wrong expectations, and would potentially explore another property now that I know what to expect better.
But I would also argue that it's FAR from being all inclusive. You get pretty bad food and some basic activities included, but you still have to pay a lot of money for the more interesting ones. You could easily spend several thousand dollars on top of the room rate that is already in the 4 digits. But I guess it works and people pay - the place was completely full.

I have stayed at all 3 and always thought the food was great. It is not filet and lobster but good variety and healthy choices and you can order as many entrees and apps as you like. I also thought the included classes were great especially the ones that involved the climbing and confidence courses. I never once felt like I was in a Hyatt Place room

I’ve been to all 3 properties multiple times (just got back from Austin). It’s always good to learn new things & experience different methods. I highly recommend the $500 Day Pass. Especially for Lenox, there is a brand new Element nearby with better lodging, though all the properties have added new units if you can book into them.

I live < 1 mile from Miraval Austin. Cypress Creek does run near the property... maybe that's the creek in question?

“ The food was pretty bad across the board, whether at the restaurant…”

One thing to keep in mind is that it’s a wellness resort. I thought the food was really good when you keep in mind the priority was health. Would a lot more fat, salt, sugar, etc. make for a full luxury dining experience? Sure. But that’s not what they offer.

Compare it to one or the Germany luxury spas where they don’t really feed you at all:

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/t-magazine/cathy-horyn-buchinger-wilhelmi-fasting-clinics.html

100% agree with the other commenters about Miraval Berkshires. I went in 2021 expecting a lovely new property. The truth is that they refurbished an older property, and the rooms came with plenty of issues. Our "upgraded" room was awful, small, and not luxurious, which was a surprise for the cash price point. Food was good, but after a few meals, we definitely wanted something else and used our credits for a chef's cooked meal. The spa was a let down (bad massage and felt unprofessional). All in all the activities were good, but I would not stay here again.

And if you go to the Arizona location, you can pair your trip with a visit to the largest airplane boneyard in the entire world, which is a true must-do for all AV geeks. Or you can fly to PHX instead 🙂

What happened to the planned Miraval in Virginia?

In this article, you mention that you value World of Hyatt points at 1.7 cents each, but you *also* just posted an article within the same hour ("How Much Are Airline, Hotel, and Credit Card Points Worth?") where you estimated their value at 1.5 cents each. Seems like one of these articles may need an update?

John - I was actually very excited about being able to eat in a healthy way. The self service salad bar at lunch was decent, and dinner was a-ok but everything that came from the kitchen at breakfast, lunch or the coffee bar self serve area was really terrible. I remember having tacos that were completely disintegrating in my hands, and the eggs in the morning were so greasy I gave up. It has nothing to do with more sugar or fat or salt, it was just low quality and poor execution, unfortunately.