Ford and I recently spent three nights at Miraval Arizona, which is a property that has been on my radar for years, as it’s also probably the most aspirational Hyatt property in the United States.
Continue reading: Review: Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Nice review. Can't speak to the rooms, but the "Retreat" suites are brand new and I think a lot of the villas are too.
If you're into wellness now, it would be interesting for us to read comparative reviews of places like Golden Door, The Ranch, etc. I know those are not points properties, but I'm sure Ford could get you an advisor rate.
Stayed at Miraval in 2020 and absolutely loved it, but agree about the limited food selection creating a desire to limit the stay to 2 or 3 nights. The hike is amazing, and you really get to see how large those Saguaro Cacti are, and the adventure course activities are very different than you may expect. I also recommend Malas, Mantras, and Meditation and even went from that course into making my own Mala which I still travel with and use.
All Miraval packages (including when redeeming points) include the following:
Accommodations
*lol*
I’m not sure why rooms aren’t a priority at Miraval, but it’s true across the brand that they’re nothing special. I’ve been to Berkshires twice and Arizona once. Berkshires are new and the exterior looks like you could be at a Courtyard, and the interiors are completely unremarkable. You’ve described Arizona well. And yet… I’m clearly a fan as I’ve visited 3x. The key is to plan ahead. I find the activities to be the highlight of Miraval, although I favor the hiking and adventure side that tend to fill up in advance. Book often and early, cancel when you get there if you’re oversubscribed. They also offer waitlists for full activities and these do tend to clear (see above book and cancel recommendation, lots of guests cancel at the 24 hour mark). While I 100% agree with your assessment about the rooms, it’s one of the rare properties where it’s not the most important factor. I do wish they’d put more thought into that aspect, but come for the experience and you won’t be disappointed.
Maybe it’s just me being my “crabby old man” self, but this place just screams “meh”. Especially at this price point I would expect a lot more across the board. I will admit the food looking ok, though.
I would be very disappointed with that room at those rates. The coffee maker is actually horrible. Bare minimum they should have an Illy or a Nespresso.
Admittedly the 4.5 star rating seems VERY generous when considering the mediocre room setup, the lack of food variety, the exorbitant prices, and the general Courtyard Marriott-looking design. In general I have noticed that when booking high end hotels through Prive or Four Seasons Preferred Partner, your ratings seem inflated when compared to the review.
Thanks for the review. I'll stick to a Four Seasons and find my own Dharma or Chakra or whatever. This is not my cup of tea at all. Sort of like a wellness cruise but on land. Too much interaction for me!
You finally stayed at Miraval after all these years
Plus you earn a brand badge towards a Category 1-4 free night
To those suggesting a 4.5 star rating seems inflated, I totally get where you're coming from. Let me say, however, that in terms of value, I'm looking at this from the perspective of how many points I paid (65K points), and I think that's a fair price.
Second of all, I acknowledged the property's shortcomings, but I really can't understate how beautiful the setting is, and how peaceful the experience was. I think Darin's comment gives another perspective from someone who has stayed, and also had an amazing time in spite of the shortcomings.
Not only is this sensible, but it’s also consistent. Lucky gave Calala 5* and it left a lot to be desired room-wise. Sometimes a stay is defined by almost exclusively by the room (airport hotel), while other times it’s not.
It never ceases to amaze me the many ways that people with apparently disposable income, can be convinced to dispose of large amounts of it.
For anyone who likes the kind of experience, Cas Gasi in Ibiza is an amazing wellness hotel. When we stayed there 2 years ago, it had the same outdoor style of the Miraval, with far nicer rooms and the hospitality of the Fogo Island Inn.
All of this is available in various places in Asia for a tiny fraction of the cost - in nicer resorts too
We stayed in the Retreat and the rooms were quite modern / luxurious, and we especially the outdoor hot tub area. If paying cash, I would definitely book in that newer section of the hotel.
We greatly enjoyed our time at Miraval but would agree with the other poster that 2-3 nights felt long enough.
That room definitely does not look great (I would have been so livid at this coffee maker), but I think that conference room with the dharma activity takes the cake! My goodness, how dreadful does that look, literally reminds me of some office park Hilton in some suburbs. The carpet, the ceiling, that TV stand... I'm sorry but there is literally zero excuse for that when you charge thousands per night, changing a bunch of chairs and painting the walls isn't that expensive. The food, at least on pictures, also give me the same vibe (those cut sandwiches or crudite platters... yikes). I was always curious about this property and this review makes me go "absolutely not" so at least thanks for that haha! I mean for that price and a gorgeous setting, I'd rather go to Amangiri or something.
I completely agree regarding the "Dharma Activity Room." If that picture was in a story about having to sit through a timeshare presentation, I don't think anyone would bat an eye.
Seconded. I stayed at Miraval AZ for 2 nights in December 2020 when Hyatt was running the points rebate deal, traveling with my wife, parents, and in-laws. It was a lovely experience and the property left quite a good lasting impression on our parents/in-laws. A 4.5 rating certainly seems warranted to me.
Regarding transportation from PHX, I recently took an Uber from the Andaz Scottsdale to the JW Marriott in Tucson. It was $116, so an Uber to this resort from the PHX Airport would probably come in right at $100. Surprisingly reasonable!
Ben, why don’t you talk about Authentic Circle
Which is when you stay 4 or more times at a Miraval property
I visited Miraval Arizona for Thanksgiving in 2020 and had the most amazing time.
A few tips for others that might visit:
1. If you are a Globalist, see if you can get a Sunrise Room instead of a Suite. They are modern, have amazing views, and way better bathrooms than the suite Ben got. Love the outdoor shower and fire pit. Overall MUCH nicer and who really needs the extra square footage? Photos and review of the Sunrise King here: https://singleflyer.com/2020/12/01/miraval-arizona-sunrise-room-review/
In fact, when I called to use a suite upgrade, the agent told me to save it and she'd put me in the superior Sunrise room instead (granted this was during Covid).
2. For an activity, you can't miss "All the Buzz". You get dressed up in a bee keepers suit and get to learn tons from a VERY knowledgeable bee keeper. It was so fascinating. https://singleflyer.com/2020/12/01/miraval-arizona-dining-activities-and-the-property/
Oh gosh. I'm an Authentic Circle Member at Miraval and I think you kind of missed the entire point of Miraval. It would have been a much better review if you had spoken to someone at the resort or even another guest as many of the guests are AC. The most important part of Miraval is to dive really deep into the spirituality and the work that is intended when you go to a retreat like this. It is not a "hotel." Dr. Tim and his life partner, Pam, lead and teach many of the advisors across all the Miravals. The marquee attraction is Dr. Tim's Spirit Flight, a 3 hour session that unlocks deep pain. Everyone I know who has done it has had life changing revelations. This is then followed by spa and deep body work. Most people that go to a Miraval are there to overcome a death, divorce, or other life change or to deeply unplug. I've never been to fewer than 2 to 3 spa sessions a day plus activities or classes. We call the people who go and just get a massage the "superficial" visitors who just don't get Miraval. Looks like you were one. It's like the chicken breast gourmet restaurants have to offer the person who doesn’t know how to eat out.
This place is a dump. I went to college in Tucson. So I'm familiar with the area. It is a retirement home at 1k a night. Just a dump run the other way. Not sure if Ben was paid to stay there. DO NOT GO HERE.
Thanks for this review, I was considering it for a trip in Tucson I have next spring.
My experience at the Miraval Berkshires was largely the same. Gorgeous property and good food and activities, awful room (even though brand new) already falling apart, poorly appointed and actually really uncomfortable except for the bed.
My impression is that they spend a lot of time on the product but skimp on the rooms. But the challenge is that at a wellness resort, I wanted to spend time reading, resting, etc, in our room. I think it's a big thing to overlook and I don't know if I can risk that experience again.
Getting completely ripped off and rating the experience 4.5/5, this is why we love the OMAAT reviews!
La Quinta resort comes to mind but it’s “better” - I find it totally underwhelming and way overpriced
With all of the negatives that you mentioned and the price that you paid, it seems quite shocking that it has a 4,5 star at the end of the day...
I get that you almost exclusively review ultra high end properties, but for more than 1000 USD per night in the middle of nowhere, this place seems like a dump...
1. The $175 resort fee would turn me off. That just would make the room that much more expensive and that negates your comment that it is "all inclusive." All inclusive means that it is included in the roomrate, but they are charging $175 per person per night. Not saying you couldn't eat and drink your way through that, but that's not the point.
2. I couldn't help but notice their lack of service for restocking buffets. At what they are charging I would not be happy about that either. It's not an express hotel.
3. I want to point out that some of what they serve is really healthy, but some of what they serve looks healthy or many people think is healthy, but in fact it is not.
4. The views I can't say are so spectacular or so boring. That's the view you get in the desert.
5. I think it is important to note that it the hotel is about twice the distance from Phoenix airport. I point this out because it may be more effective for some to fly to Phoenix. Flying to Tucson pre-pandemic wasn't particularly easy and if you can more easily get to Phoenix it may be worth it.
This is a great resort.
The Sunrise Rooms are nicer. The Retreat Suites are incredible.
It's not a resort fee, it's a spa credit. And most people who go to Miraval spend about $400 to $1000 a day getting treatments. It is also not your typical spa, there are very spiritual treatments such as Himalayan Sound Bowl therapy, acupuncture, Japanese, Thai, and other old world based treatments. It is not a hotel, it is a wellness retreat.
Good review Ben. I would highly recommend reviewing the Austin location. I believe your 4.5 Tucson rating would change to 3.5 if you had another Miraval to compare it with. In fact, my best friend (& OMAAT contributor?) Jamal and I went earlier this year and we loved it. Ask him to write a "guest review."
I stayed there late last month and my biggest disappointment was the food. I don't understand how they don't realize how bad some of the dishes they send out are. Every beef dish was charred and dry, the duck for our last dinner was tough and gamey. Some of the flavor combinations straight up didn't make sense like pouring coconut yogurt over every vegetable imaginable multiple days in a row.
They did cook fish well and I liked some of their salads. Salmon was served for lunch every day but at least you knew what you were getting. The desserts are more conventional and sweeter than I thought for being at a wellness resort.
I did mention all this in my survey and they emailed me saying they would take immediate action--yeah right! They seem content to do whatever they want coasting off of their brand.
We stayed at Miraval Arizona January ‘21 and really had an incredible time. We’ve since moved to the east coast and I’ve been to Miraval Berkshires three times this year and going again in a few weeks. The biggest highlight I’ve experienced are the Equine classes. Can’t recommend enough trying one if you go.
Nice review. How was Miraval equipped for parents with baby? Do you get baby crib on request? I cannot see any cribs on pictures. Is there baby station in restaurants?
Many of the dishes are no dairy, ie no butter or cream, and look flavorless and dry. Very easy to keep if the salad dressings are mostly apple cider vinegar and cooking oils are used sparingly.
Anyone have a problem getting nights/points to post after stay? It has been a week since my stay and no posting. I called Hyatt and was told it could take up to a month. I have stayed at Miraval many times and the posting was quick.
As an Authentic Circle member, having visited Miraval AZ many times, they promise one night on them if one books 3 nights.
They advertised their summer 'sale' & it turns out they're not very transparent at all, as previously, when booking 3 nights, they would give you the 4th night on them (if a member). Now they're saying the 'sale' does not apply to Authentic Circle members & if we'd like the 4th night we would have to pay for it, OR the other option is to pay MORE than their current 'sale' at the Authentic Circle pricing, where one pays for 3 nights, w/ 4th night on them, however it is more costly to go this route.... so 1st timers are essentially receiving better pricing than AC members...Make sense? Sound fair? 🙂 Nope, taking business elsewhere thank you