Media Reviews

Travel + Leisure October 2004 Excerpts from "World's Best Spas" by Audrey Davidow, Nathan Lump, and Maria Shollenbarger Maya Tulum Resort's Spa was ranked No. 10 in the World! "A hotel can't compete today without a great spa-in 2003, American spas received 136 million visits, and the industry's revenues have surpassed those of classic leisure destinations such as amusement parks or movie theaters. With so many choices out there (some 12,000 in the United States alone), spa goers are becoming more demanding and more discerning. To determine which spas follow through on their promise of relaxation and rejuvenation, we asked Travel + Leisure readers to rate the best hotel, resort, and destination spas in our ninth annual World's Best Awards survey. Top Destination Spas Rank Name 2004 Score 1 Miraval, Life in Balance, Catalina, Arizona 89.16 2 Cal-a-Vie, Vista, California 87.50 3 The Greenhouse, Arlington, Texas 86.82 4 Canyon Ranch Health Resort, Tucson, Arizona 84.38 5 Golden Door, Escondido, California 83.28 6 Mii Amo, Enchantment, Sedona, Arizona 83.12 7 Hilton Head Health Institute, South Carolina 82.77 8 Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico 82.43 9 Chiva-Som International Health Resort, Hua Hin, Thailand 82.27 10 Maya Tulum Wellness Retreat & Spa, Tulum, Mexico 82.23 METHODOLOGY Results are based on reader evaluations collected in the 2004 World's Best Awards survey. Scores are an indexed average of responses concerning applicable characteristics. For each characteristic, respondents were asked to rate a candidate on a scale of 1 to 5, where "5" means excellent and "1" means poor. Overall scores for destination spas represent an average rating based on five characteristics: accommodations/ambience, treatments, service, food, and value. Overall scores for resort and hotel spas represent an average rating based on four characteristics: ambience, treatments, service, and value. Some spas (those that have their own accommodations but are also affiliated with full-service resorts) were rated in both the destination-spa and resort-spa categories; these spas have different scores for each category."

The New York Times February 27,2004 Escapes Section Excerpts from "In the Yucatan: All Yoga, All the Time" by Jane Gross "On this stretch of beach at the ruffled edge of the Caribbean Sea, 80 miles south of Cancun, visitors speak a language all their own, the lingo of Iyengar, Ashtanga and Anusara yoga. They can balance on one leg in the warrior three pose and do a headstand, and they aspire to a full lotus. Always a counterculture haven, this six miles of rutted road, on the Yucatan Peninsula between the Maya Ruins of Tulum and the 1.3 million acre Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve, has lately become Yoga Central for tourists eager to limber their bodies and quiet their minds- and maybe also surf the waves, sunbathe topless and sample tropical concoctions like tequila and tamarind juice. The epicenter of this yoga zone is a 25 acre beachfront resort called Maya Tulum, which has made itself the destination of choice for high-profile yoga teachers and their students by building state of the art studios, auditioning massage therapists from around the world, and organizing ecotourist excursions. At Maya Tulum, visiting yoga students sleep in thatched roof cabanas, without telephones or electricity. There is no CNN or Weather Channel. The news on any given day is whether the mangoes are sweet and the fish running. The forecast comes from the color of the sky, the crest of the waves and the wind in the palm fronds. Tulum has become a bustling tourist spot where every store seems to sell the same sombreros, turquoise jewelry, peasant blouses, and bars of Mexican chocolate. Until two years ago, there was no bank. Maya Tulum has evolved as well, adding amenities each year: private bathrooms instead of a shared bathhouse; a generator that keeps the lights on and ceiling fans spinning until midnight; beds instead of hammocks, and tiled floors where there was once sand. You can't say anything is permanent down here, we're all in a window of grace. We have this place in this moment, and Isn't that what yoga is all about?"

Yoga Journal April 2003 Excerpts from “Let’s Go Yogis” by Jennifer Barrett “Though her permanent yoga home at Yoga Works keeps her in Santa Monica, CA, most of the time, Seane Corn finds herself traveling increasingly often. Of the tours she leads around the world, the excursion to Maya Tulum Retreat Center in the Yucatan stands out as one of her favorites. The yoga room alone makes the hour and a half shuttle from Cancun worthwhile. “It’s round, with a roof that goes straight up to the sky,” she explains. “After we’re done with yoga, we run right out into the ocean and jump in. There’s nothing better than that. The place has this funky, down-to-earth, laid-back vibe. You can be bare-foot and in your sarong for days.” Organizing the ideal yoga retreat can prove challenging, says Corn. “Many centers don’t have a yoga room, are not on the beach, or are too expensive. Others lack amenities that many vacationers expect, forcing the yoga teacher to act as a cruise director as well. This center is by far the most yoga-friendly, self-contained, and comfortable place I’ve found.”

Fortune Magazine May 20, 2002 Excerpts from “Go Barefoot” by Erik Torkells “This time of year, there’s only one thing we want to do. Go Barefoot! In short, let’s be kids again. To live in a world, if only for a while, where the worst that can happen is that we might stub a toe. Maya Tulum is the first pick of the top ten classic barefoot resorts. Maya Tulum is bare-bones cabanas, sand walkways, and no electricity at night: Maya Tulum is an escapist’s dream come true. The healthy at heart rise every morning for yoga sessions and stick to the vegetarian menu, fish is also available. Sybarites prefer to spend their days on the miles long beach and toast the sunset with killer margaritas. Indulge in the Mayan clay body-mask treatment: After you’re coated in therapeutic mud and left outside to bake, a masseuse rinses you off in the lagoon.”

New York Times Newspaper October 28, 2001 Excerpts from “Centers of Solace for the Self” by Jan Benzel “Tourism and leisure travel are markedly curtailed this season, due to what happened on September 11th. But many destinations offering restoration and solace, a chance to reflect and perhaps begin to heal, are holding steady. Some had cancellations the week after Sept. 11th, but enrollment in programs since then has been strong- in some cases stronger than in past years. The Christmas season at Maya Tulum, a yoga retreat that accommodates 80 in a beachfront jungle setting an hour and a half south of Cancun, Mexico, is fully booked and has a waiting list. The focus at Maya Tulum is on yoga, meditation, and conscious living.”

Sports Illustrated Women September 2001 Excerpts from “Bend And Mend” by Andrew Tilin “Perched on the Yucatan Peninsula’s Caribbean seashore in Tulum, Mexico, the centerpiece of Maya Tulum Resort is a two story tall dining room with marble floors. Dinners are healthfully indulgent, with Mayan enchiladas, lobster, and fresh grouper wrapped in banana leaves. Add a decent wine and it’s easy to see why big time instructors, such a Power Yoga guru Baron Baptiste, flock here.”

USA Today Newspaper September 7-9, 2001 Excerpts from “10 Great Places to Balance Body and Soul” by Kitty Bean Yancey “It’s no stretch to say that we’re a nation of stressed-out strivers. That’s why yoga- stretching exercises and deep breathing intended to balance body and soul- is booming, says Annalisa Cunningham, author of Yoga Vacations. She shares with USA TODAY’s Kitty Bean Yancey some spots to bend and de-stress. Maya Tulum= It’s on the beach and in the jungle near the Mayan ruins of Tulum, and you do yoga in a palapa. It’s very Spartan. Some very good yoga teachers come here to instruct.”

Mademoiselle Magazine March 2001 Excerpts from “Travel like a Millionaire” by John Newton “If you want to go to Mexico but avoid the party scene, fly to Cancun, rent a car and immediately drive one and a half hours south to the more sophisticated, still affordable shores of Tulum. For accommodations, Maya Tulum Resort is the best for bargain luxury- with chic bungalows, ocean front location, and reasonably priced beauty treatments based on traditional and modern Mayan cures, as well as yoga and meditation classes for $8. The hotel restaurant’s food is so good you’ll likely eat most meals there.”

W Magazine October 2000 Excerpts from “A Kick in the Asana” by Ann Marie Gardner “When I signed up for a yoga boot camp in Mexico with power yogi Baron Baptiste, I had no idea what to expect. The setting in Maya Tulum was picture perfect- white, sandy beaches dotted with thatched bungalows.”

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