Celebrating our 100th Hyatt Property at the Miraval Arizona- with an unexpected twist.
Last year we booked the Miraval Arizona Resort for 3 nights at 65,000 points per night. I applied a suite upgrade to lock us into a King Suite. The cash value of the three nights was over $7,350, meaning we got about 3.7 cents per point in value. Prior to the stay, I booked several activities to take advantage of a $175 per person, per night credit that applied towards experiences and spa treatments.
We landed in Tucson at 5:30 in the evening, and grabbed our bags from baggage claim shortly after. Wade, one of the Miraval drivers, was just arriving. We waited an additional 15 minutes for another couple to arrive and then began our 45 minute journey to the resort.
Wade told us a little about the area, but wasn’t overbearing, which was nice because all I really wanted to do was close my eyes after a long day.
We arrived at around 6:45, and were welcomed by a warm and inviting lobby. We signed an agreement to keep off digital devices in public spaces, and got checked in.
We were asked if we preferred dinner or to be taken to our room, and we opted to eat first.
The resort features four dining spaces, all in one building. For dinner we ate at the Cactus Flower restaurant.
We were presented with an a-la-carte menu and a drinks menu. Alcoholic beverages were not included, but we could pick unlimited entrees. Cocktails ran $20 apiece.
Our dinner was very enjoyable. I picked the Enfrijoladas, while my wife had the Hearth Roasted Scallops. We also had a chacuterie. We enjoyed 3 cocktails between us and some dessert, then left for our room.
We had a buggy take us, since we didn’t know where we were going, and we were dropped off in front of building 3. Our room was 319. It featured a spacious hallway with two closets, and a bathroom with a standalone shower. There was also a tub, but it wasn’t suitable for anyone larger than a child. (Miraval is an adults only resort)
Beyond that was a living space with large TV, a love seat, and a one person sofa with ottoman.
There was also a gas fireplace.
On the other side of the room was a king bed with two nightstands.
In the back of the room a set of French doors led to a small patio with two chairs, and ottoman, and a small side table.
While in some ways the room needed a refresh, ultimately is was a nice enough space. The bed was extra plush, but we probably could’ve used without the mattress topper. Additionally, we ended up a little too warm in bed throughout the night.
The gas fireplace was lovely but took some finesse to operate. The wall switch was evidently broken, leading to a maintenance worker stopping by to point out a toggle on the insert itself. While this initially solved the problem, we later realized that switching the toggle caused movement of the insert, which resulted in failure of operation. Occasionally jiggling the insert would get it restarted. We also found it odd that the insert featured a screen, as it was not a wood-burning unit.
As at many Hyatts, the TV featured Chromecast, so we were able to cast shows from our phones.
Lastly, as a welcome gift there was a 12 pack of Cherry Coke. Though I don’t remember doing so, I must’ve mentioned it as a beverage preference, because it was on brand for me as opposed to wine or champagne (which we usually end up giving away). We also discovered a lovely charcuterie platter tucked away in the fridge.
My wife and I went back and forth about our first activity: Wings of the Southwest. When we finally woke up at 7:30, we decided to give it a go and rushed to get ready. We made it in time to grab a berry smoothie and some banana bread from the café before the tour began.
Tikka took a small group of us on a 2-hour stroll around the property, where we discussed a variety of the flora and the visible birds. We saw plenty of goldfinches, a coopers hawk, a cardinal, and more along the way.
Tikka told us where we could find great-horned owls around the resort, and we even heard that there were roadrunners about.
We had a break between activities, so we decided to do some slight exploration of the grounds.
Miraval Arizona encompasses 400 acres. The property features a gift shop and a boutique store, a business center, a spa with heated pool and separate hot tub. There’s a fitness center with lap pool, a rock climbing wall, an expansive ropes course, and plenty of spaces for mediation and reflection. Several water features run from the entrance of the property through the public spaces. Many of the rooms are arranged in a “neighborhood” type layout with a courtyard featuring a variety of décor and plants.
Cactus Flower restaurant opened up at 11:30 for lunch, so we made our way there. Lunch consisted of two daily specials—a standard and a plant-based, along with a few standard items, including the Coyote Moon Burger. There was also an open buffet with several options including sandwiches and sweets.
I ended up doing nothing more than the burger each day, as it was pretty spectacular. I later learned that if you miss it at Cactus flower, it’s still available after at the Coyote Moon bar and lounge.
Next up we had our second activity of the day- Honey: A Sensual Journey. Here we were treated to a great discussion and sampling of 7 different honeys. We talked with a Sommelier turned Beekeeper and learned about process, processing, and how taste relates (or doesn’t) to the flower and plant the honey is sourced from.
We followed this up almost immediately after with a Mixology course in the Life In Balance Culinary Kitchen. Here we learned the key balance to a good cocktail (effectively 2OZ Spirit, 1 OZ Sweet, 1 OZ Acid), and made our own Margaritas.
While going through the course we couldn’t help but notice prep going on behind us in the kitchen itself, and we ended up conversing with the chef. It was because of this discussion that we ended up signing up for the “Just Cook For Me” evening dinner.
We had just an hour or so before that, so went back to the room once more to watch a little more TV. We returned at six to the kitchen, which was tucked away behind the Cactus Flower restaurant.
There were 15 of us (the max allowed) seated between two tables. The dinner was a multi-course inclusive of wines. The kitchen was open to viewing, and the chef welcomed us to do any level of participation in prepping the meals.
Because my wife and I don’t drink wine (save for Iced wines and other extremely sweet varieties), the chef was happy to substitute in some delicious cocktails.
The dinner was lovely overall, and it was a very social event. We met new people and had great food. The main course was Pan Seared Scallops.
The following morning we had a 2 hour outback hike scheduled at 8:00. Once again we were reluctant to follow through instead of staying in bed, but ultimately decided to join in. After grabbing some quick breakfast at Cactus Flower, we met outside on the Coyote Moon patio.
We had two guides for this journey, and we made our way off grounds into the desert. There was a bit of elevation gain, but nothing any of us couldn’t handle.
At the pinnacle of the hike, we were amongst a large number of tall saguaro cactuses. While it was chilly outside, by the time we reached that point we had all mostly warmed up.
On our return, we chatted with Jules, one of the guides. We discussed Hyatt, travel, and rock hounding.
All in all, this was a great hike, and I don’t regret getting out of bed for it.
We spent the rest of the morning getting some R&R. For lunch another burger was greatly satisfying. The wife went to a fitness class at noon. At that point I noticed it had begun to rain with some occasional hail. After Kim returned from her class, we got an unexpected surprise: Snow!
We stepped out on the patio as it began to blanket the ground. It only lasted about 45 minutes, and 45 minutes after that it had all melted away. In the interim, we walked around the resort snapping some photos.
It was at this point I decided to inquire about a cash upgrade. I figured since a return was unlikely, I’d give their best villa a shot… as it showed unoccupied. Unfortunately, despite offering $500, the resort quoted me the retail difference of $900 per person, so I opted to stick with what we had.
The creative photography stroll we had booked was cancelled due to the wet weather, but the guide still stuck around to answer questions my wife and I had. We actually learned some new things about our phone cameras!
For dinner that night we enjoyed some cavatelli pasta and the chicken dish. We asked the waitress to have the bartender make us any type of sweet drink. We expected to get something unique, but instead she returned with one of the menu items… which to be fair met the criteria.
On our final morning we enjoyed breakfast at Cactus Flower once more. Like at lunchtime, the options consisted of an a-la-carte menu which featured made-to-order omelets or eggs cooked your way, among other things. The buffet was also open, offering traditional options like bacon, sausage, and pancakes. I was honestly expecting a little more from breakfast here, but it was sufficient.
My wife had the equine meditation booked for 9 to 10, so I went back to the room to pack while she did that. While the resort allows guests to stay until the afternoon on their last day, it still requires vacating the room by 11, so I left our bags by the door to be picked up by the staff.
At 11:30 was my final activity, and the one I had looked forward to most: Sky Island Traverse.
Sarah, Jules, and Tikka all guided us through this adventure 40+ feet above the ground. After harnessing up, we climbed a pole to a platform from which each of the challenges branched from.
There were only 5 of us in total for this, as my wife opted out (with no regrets).
I traversed each section of the ropes course to find it was more challenging than expected. The first portion had ropes on either side to be used for balance, the second section had platforms that swung out, and required more effort. The third portion was a little easier, though the left and right wobble threw me off. Tikka’s advice and reminder to breathe helped me steady myself along the way.
I gave the optional 4th course a try, making it halfway across but unable to move from one rope to the other. I turned back and was barely able to lift myself back up to the platform.
The final portion offered multiple ways to balance, including some monkey bars.
Last was a zipline down to the bottom.
We debriefed by discussing our experience and how it challenged us.
It was as much of an adventure as I had hoped for.
While the activity was blocked at 2.5 hours, we completed it in 2, giving us time for lunch. Kim had black cod, while I had… you guessed it… the burger.
Since our flight wasn’t until the evening, we hung around a couple more hours. Kim joined an afternoon weights class and then refreshed in the spa, while I started punching in this review in the business center.
The resort offers complimentary shuttle service to the airport until 2 P.M. We were advised that Lyft was an alternate option, but that we’d need to schedule the ride a day in advance (I attempted Uber, but advanced reservations were unavailable for a pickup at Miraval). Our driver arrived promptly at 430, and we began the trip to the airport.
Ultimately:
For standard rooms and with 2 people, Miraval is the most expensive points redemption option in the Hyatt system. While we had a lovely and enjoyable time, the resort could use some improvement. Food was good, but not to the standard I’d expect at the price point. Staff was kind, but with the exception of the guides, it felt rather impersonal. But the greatest flaw was the quality of the room.
I’m glad I went, and I wouldn’t tell anyone to avoid it. I would however be inclined to steer people in a different direction.
