Relax, reset, rejuvenate

Miraval Berkshires is more than a spa. It’s a whole well-being experience.

BY LINDSEY HOLLENBAUGH

Upon arriving at Miraval Berkshires in Lenox, guests are asked to pick a word, an intention, to describe who you are and to help guide you through the experience.

You are prompted to complete this sentence: I am …

All I could think was, well, I am … confused?

Like most Berkshire County residents, Miraval Berkshires is a place I drive by, a marker along Route 20. It’s the large Gilded Age cottage on the hill, built in 1894 by John W. Sloane. I point it out to visiting family members as an example of what we know as quintessential Berkshires.

The 380-acre property, formerly known as the Cranwell Spa and Golf Resort, underwent a $132 million transformation in 2020 to become part of the Hyatt’s all-inclusive Miraval property. (There is also a Miraval resort and spa in Tucson, Ariz., and in Austin, Texas.) All most locals know of the Miraval takeover is that it created quite a bit of road work and construction.

So when I was invited to experience 24 hours of the Miraval journey, I happily agreed, imagining a luxurious day of lounging in a quiet hotel room, maybe a swim in an indoor pool and a hot buffet breakfast – all the things you’d get in an ordinary luxury hotel stay.

But Miraval is anything but ordinary, and it’s much more than a hotel.

How so? For starters, when you book your stay, you need to call to make a reservation. Once you book, you are then connected with an Experience Planner who helps you schedule your classes, or experiences, during your stay.

At Miraval, they ask you to focus on the experience, not the bill.

But seriously, I asked, how much is a night here?

“Pricing does vary on time of week and time of year,” said Emily Castro, account director for Nike Communications, which was coordinating my stay on behalf of Miraval. “A typical onenight stay can range from $499 to $800plus, per person, per night. The cost of a one-week stay (seven nights) can range from $3,600-plus per person.”

While that can seem like a lot for a hotel room – and to be clear, for me, it is – I soon learned you’re getting much more than a bed to sleep in. The price includes your meals during your stay, resort credits to spend on your choice of spa services, activities or private sessions, and a handy Miraval bag and water bottle upon arrival.

When I checked in on a rainy Tuesday morning, I was greeted by a friendly valet parking attendant who requested I leave my luggage in the car; they would see it made it to my room. At check-in, I was given my itinerary with the schedule my Experience Planner and I had agreed on – something called “Yoga for Laughter and Letting Go” was first on my list – and a cellphone number to text if I wanted to change

“Miraval offers over 75 activities weekly,” Castro told me. “The guests typically create an itinerary that blends activities with spa services and private sessions with Miraval specialists to create a well-rounded experience that is personal to each guest’s intention.”

I was given a tour of the building, which is really a series of wings connected by a long carpeted hallway so you never have to walk outside to get from your room to classes and food. Seating areas arranged around roaring fireplaces popped up along the hallway with signs designating they are “device-free zones.”

When I made it to my large room with two overly plush queen-sized beds, I thumbed through the booklet that outlined the “experiences menu,” broken down into groupings: well-being; culinary and nutrition; farm and garden; outdoor adventure; yoga and fitness; and the extensive spa menu.

About half of the sessions are included in the base price, while others have an additional price. I chose a mix of free fitness and yoga classes with a $79 Cocktails with the Chef class that evening right before dinner. The following day, I had a 100-minute spa treatment scheduled.

For the first few hours, I wandered around the quiet halls trying to understand what this was all about. What would motivate one to come here, spend this money and do this experience? I saw groups of women walking together, a few expectant mothers enjoying a babymoon, and many people like me, alone. (I did see a few men, but primarily women on my visit.)

I stopped by the Harvest Moon Restaurant for lunch where I enjoyed a buffet of vegan cauliflower macaroni and cheese, lemon chicken, and a sausage and kale soup. For breakfast and lunch, the restaurant offers a buffet and an a la carte menu. Dinner is just the menu options, all of which are included in the price of your stay. Alcoholic beverages can be purchased for an additional price.

During my tour, I was tipped off that a common complaint among guests is that the portion sizes are too small.

“So, don’t be afraid to order more than one dish, or get something from the buffet and order off the menu,” I was told by my guide at check-in.

While the servings were small, I found the food, especially those ordered off the a la carte menu, to be excellent.

A text message alerted me that my first class had been canceled. (I later learned that this is a downside to having  such specifically trained instructors – if someone calls out sick, there’s rarely someone who can easily fill in.) I consulted one of the many interactive menus on the walls of the hallway, found out what other classes were still open and booked a 25-minute fitness class on balance.

From there, I filled my time by walking the grounds – there is a heated outdoor and smaller indoor pool, as well as a lap pool – and touring the spa, which was my favorite place to relax when I wasn’t in a class or session.

You don’t have to have a treatment booked to use the spa area at Miraval. The women’s locker room was equipped with a hot tub, saunas and pretty much anything you’d need to stay there, even 

if you didn’t have a room: showers, lockers, robes, towels and any toiletries you may have forgotten. There was also a cozy relaxation room where I spent most of my downtime reading or just napping.

During the 4 p.m. Cocktails with the Chef class, while sipping the Planter’s Punch cocktail Chef Adrian Bennett showed us how to make, I met a group of women who met each other last year while staying at Miraval. They enjoyed their time and each other’s company so much, they decided to meet up again.

I bumped into them and a few other familiar faces as I went from class to class – another woman from Kansas City, Mo., shared with me her favorite classes – especially a floating meditation class where you hang from silk hammocks and are rocked gently. Another guest told me to try the petit filet mignon for dinner, a recommendation that proved delicious.

What I liked best about my overnight stay at Miraval were the surprises: On a whim and right before bedtime, I took a 45-minute meditation class and found it so relaxing and helpful. Weeks later, I still use some of the breathing techniques I learned to help me fall asleep. I tried an aerial yoga class, doing backbends and downward-facing dogs while hanging from silks attached to the ceiling. It was way more accessible than I originally thought it would be and only slightly dizzying.

The biggest surprise was how much I enjoyed the alone time. I ate all my meals alone, and when surrounded by others doing the same thing it felt completely natural. For once, I could pick whatever I wanted to do and when I wanted to do it. I could see the appeal of doing something like this as a busy working mom. And I could see that to really get the most of the experience, you have to do at least two nights.

Miraval also offers day passes, which could be a good option for locals wanting to try it out.

The price (per person) for a day pass is $399 per day, Monday through Thursday; $449 per day Friday and Sunday; and $499 per day Saturday. This includes $210 in resort credits to spend on your choice of spa services, activities or private sessions, lunch at Harvest Moon Restaurant, plus complimentary smoothies and specialty coffee drinks.

When I drove away the next afternoon (my luggage already safely in my car after being retrieved by staff during checkout time from my room while I was busy in a session), I was already thinking about how or when I could get back for a day trip, or gift a stay to one of my aunts for her birthday.

Because while Miraval is just down the road from my house, it feels like a world away when you’re immersed in the experience, and for that, I’d say, it’s worth every penny. ■