Miraval Arizona Resort: A Wellness Escape in the Desert

The moment I step foot on a Miraval property, I can almost feel my blood pressure drop.

Such was the case at Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa, where I recently spent a few days celebrating my birthday with my mom. This wellness-focused retreat near Tucson, part of the Hyatt portfolio, is an ideal place to recharge. I especially enjoyed the spa treatments, activities and delicious meals. Despite a few minor issues with booking and billing, we left relaxed and rejuvenated.

Booking Miraval properties

Miraval has three locations in the U.S.: near Tucson, Arizona; Austin, Texas; and the Berkshires in Massachusetts. The first location outside of the U.S. is coming soon and will be on the Red Sea. There's also the Miraval Life in Balance Spa Aviara within Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa in California, but it isn’t a full Miraval resort.

I have been to each location multiple times and am a lifetime member of their Authentic Circle loyalty program. Each property has a different feel and incorporates activities, challenges, classes and spa treatments. Except for a few select dates per year, resorts are for adults 18 and older only.

Miraval is part of Hyatt and participates in the World of Hyatt program, meaning you can earn points and use points at the properties. At the Arizona location, standard rooms are about $1,000 a night during the off-season in summer, up to almost $4,000 per night in May. Award rates start at 40,000 points per night. If you redeemed 40,000 points for a night that would otherwise cost around $1,000, you'd get a value of 2.5 cents per point, an outstanding redemption. For comparison, NerdWallet values Hyatt points at 2.2 cents apiece.

But booking a visit can be a bit of a challenge because of different reservations and internal systems, and in some cases you might have to call to book.

After selecting “Book Now” from the main Miraval website, you’ll choose a Miraval location and dates.

Available rooms and some of the property’s packages will show up. I say “some” of the packages because each location has special deals. For example, Arizona often has a 5th Night Free package if you book four nights. There are also special offers that pop up throughout the year. My advice is to look online for reservations first and then call to make sure you have the best deal.

Make sure the resort you want is actually the one you end up booking. I’ve had glitches before where something switches in their system and I’m looking at one location when I thought I was looking at another and have almost accidentally booked the wrong one.

Something to note: The rate you see does not include a 25% resort fee that is added to each night or taxes. You will see those included in the total cost per room. The rate does include free activities, all meals, snacks and nonalcoholic beverages. It also includes transportation to and from the nearest airport, which for Arizona is Tucson International Airport.

Some rates include a resort credit you can use for spa services, specialty classes or private sessions. The credit is cumulative, so there’s no need to use it all in one day; any unused amount rolls over to the next.

A 50% deposit is due at the time of booking and is fully refundable until 21 days before the arrival date. The remainder is due when you are on property.

As you count down to your visit, you’ll receive emails to get you excited and give you some directions and suggestions.

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Booking activities at Miraval Arizona

I love Miraval and especially Miraval Arizona, but I do not love their computer systems and booking portals. Because of glitches and limitations, you might hate the place before you even arrive. Trust me, the frustrations will go away when you step foot on the property.

They have gotten better over the past few years and everyone you will call or talk to throughout the planning process is aware of their limitations and will apologize for them, yet the systems issues remain.

Miraval Arizona has hundreds of activities you can choose from, and not all of them are what some people call woo-woo. Yes, you can take yoga, meditation, breathwork, crystal and astrology classes, but there are also cooking classes, hikes, challenge courses, fitness classes and more.

I like being able to explore things I've always been curious about, like the power of crystals or the restorative relaxation of a sound bath.

About two months before your arrival, you can start booking activities and services in an online portal, but finding the portal information can be a bit tricky.

I didn’t receive a link until my 30 days out email, and I had to look closely at the email for the link.

When you go to the portal, you’ll need your confirmation number to log in.

Once logged in, you should see the booking summary with the dates of your stay and tabs to book activities and spa services.

When you select a day, you can start registering for activities. One annoying quirk of the system is whenever you exit and come back, it takes you to the first day of your stay, so make sure you check that the day you want is highlighted before booking activities.

If you have something booked, the time period will be grayed out so you can’t double book yourself.

Once you select an activity, it will appear in your cart. When you are finished selecting things, you will need to confirm all of them before they will appear in your itinerary. I learned this the hard way when I had spent a lot of time choosing things only to have to start over when I didn’t confirm them.

The spa has a different booking area, but the two systems seem to work together so you can’t book overlapping times. From the spa part of the booking portal, you can read about a service and select a time.

After you confirm activities, they will appear in your itinerary, which you can see and print at any time.

If all of this seems a bit overwhelming, an experienced planner can help you choose activities you might like with a phone call.

When you arrive on property, you will receive a reversible Miraval tote bag or a backpack with a water bottle and book inside. The book has descriptions of all of the offerings as well as a listing of everything available by day.

The book separates activities by type, from fitness to wellness counseling, to spirit and soul, culinary and more.

I find this daily list of offerings to be a much simpler way to see everything that is available, and I often change my schedule significantly once I see this. That’s what the on-site experience planners are for. They can add to and change your schedule and give advice.

The Miraval Arizona experience

The Miraval experience begins the moment a driver picks you up at the airport. One thing you will notice right away is there is no tipping, so people are nice and polite just because they are naturally that way and not because they’re working for a tip.

The drive from the airport is about 45 minutes to the 400-acre Sonoran Desert campus at the foot of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Everything is serene with desert vegetation and construction.

The first stop is the lobby to sign a waiver and to check in. That’s where guests get a cellphone sleeping bag, since the campus is mostly digital-device-free. It’s so nice to be in a place where people aren’t chatting on speakerphone loudly in public places.

But don’t freak out. You can still discreetly check your phone. Nobody will confiscate it from you, but if you are using a device in a device-free zone, someone might remind you of the policy and ask you to put it away.

After you check in, I recommend taking a tour of the campus. At first it seems huge, but it’s really not. My mom was nervous she would get lost, but she admitted before we left that she felt comfortable with everything and the property was smaller than it seemed at first.

The lobby, activity rooms, Cactus Flower Restaurant, Coyote Moon Bar & Lounge, Raindance Pass boutique and Palm Court Cafe snack area are in one general location with a courtyard in between them. The one complaint my mom had during our stay was there were not enough bathrooms in this area.

Just a short walk over a stream are the spa and pool, which will undergo an overhaul in mid-2025.

Miraval Arizona accommodations

Miraval Arizona has several kinds of accommodations ranging from hotel-like rooms to private retreats and villas.

They’re scattered around the property in several clusters, and each room has an exterior entrance from a courtyard.

The largest is a three-bedroom 3,120-square-foot Gratitude Retreat with a reflection pool, a fire pit, a full kitchen and more.

Villas are private with multiple bedrooms and large living spaces.

Then there are suites and regular rooms. During my stays here, I have experienced two types of hotel-style rooms, the Native Spirit and the Dreamcatcher. There wasn't much of a difference, as far as I could tell, except the Dreamcatcher rooms were a bit bigger.

All rooms have super comfortable beds with lots of feathers.

All accommodations also have a singing bowl and meditation cushion, a robe and slippers, a mini refrigerator and great bathroom amenities.

Even though the campus has digital-device-free areas, the rooms all have large televisions and Wi-Fi.

There's housekeeping service daily as well as turndown service each evening.

Miraval Arizona classes and experiences

No matter what kinds of activities you like to do, I’m convinced you’ll find something that interests you at Miraval Arizona. A dozen friends celebrated a big birthday with me at the property a couple of years ago, and they all said there were almost too many choices.

The Spa

The Life in Balance Spa is a serene and wonderful place, which will soon look completely different. The spa manager told me they are basically changing everything during a renovation in mid-2025.

What will not change is the quality of the services. Everything I have ever had has been wonderful. There are skin care services, salon and nail care, Energy and Eastern treatments, Ayurveda, scrubs, massages and more. Some are relaxing. Others are therapeutic. All are wonderful.

Currently, each locker room has lockers and changing facilities as well as a sauna, a steam room, a whirlpool, a quiet area and showers.

The gym

The gym, called the Body Mindfulness Center, or BMC, is a large building with gym equipment, exercise rooms, locker rooms and a large pool. It is open all day. Cardio drumming is super fun and is a good workout.

For more free-range activities, there are several trailheads around the property for self-guided hikes.

Yoga and spiritual areas

The area for yoga and meditation classes is called the Agave Center, which is close to two yurts. It’s really cool to do a relaxing activity with a beautiful view of the mountains out the window.

I’m not a huge yoga person, but there are several types offered at Miraval Arizona. An experience planner who guided me during my recent visit explained that the main differences come down to pace. Some yoga classes are slower, some more fast-paced — and one even incorporates aromatherapy with pleasant scents.

During this visit, I attended sessions in a yurt and in the Agave Center. Just one tip for these two places: There is only one toilet in the area and it is in the Agave Center, so if a class is in session, you can’t go in there.

While on the subject of spiritual places, the Kiva area is a bit like an amphitheater with a fire pit in the middle and beautiful mountain views surrounding it. It’s on the other side of the Miraval Arizona campus from the Agave Center. The labyrinth is just behind the Kiva.

Equine, challenge courses and culinary classes

I admit, I’ve never done anything on the challenge course at Miraval Arizona or at either of the other locations. I’m a risk-averse kind of person.

If it’s your kind of thing, you can zipline, walk a tightrope, leap from a tall pole and do many other cool and challenging activities.

I have done some of the equine activities when I have visited Miraval Arizona previously, and I have to say they are life-changing. There’s no horseback riding involved. Instead, the experience is about connecting with the horses, who end up teaching you a lot about yourself.

The culinary and nutrition courses are also really engaging. During this visit, I did a honey tasting and learned what makes honey and bees so amazing.

The food

Speaking of culinary experiences, part of what makes Miraval Arizona great is the food. All meals and snacks are included, and there is a lot of variety of fresh and tasty food with an Arizona twist. Many ingredients come from an on-property garden.

Meals are in the Cactus Flower Restaurant. Breakfast and lunch are buffets, with an additional menu available for table service. The lunch buffet is on a three-day rotation, so if you are staying longer than that, you will notice the repeats.

Dinner is table service only, and there is a variety of appetizers, mains and desserts to choose from. Some items are on the menu every day, and others are on a five-day rotation.

The portions are manageable and are designed so people can order at least an appetizer, a main and a dessert. If you want more or want to try several things, you can.

Both on the buffets and on the menus, items are clearly marked if they are gluten-free, nut-free, vegan or vegetarian. My mom eats gluten-free and loved the notations because she didn’t have to ask about everything.

The Coyote Moon Bar & Lounge is a real bar; it serves alcohol. If you want a cocktail or a glass of wine, get one and add it to your total bill.

I’m not a huge drinker, but I do like a glass of wine with dinner sometimes and an occasional cocktail, and I like the fact I have the option at Miraval. That isn’t the case at some other wellness resorts.

The bar has a food menu and sets up a light appetizer buffet in the evenings.

My favorite food place at Miraval is the Palm Court Cafe. It’s the first place I go when I arrive to grab a golden milk, a tasty and calming drink made primarily with almond milk and turmeric and served either hot or cold. You’ll usually see me with one in my hand. They gave me the recipe and I tried to make it at home, but it was not the same.

A friend of mine says she is still dreaming of the coconut horchata she had during her visit more than two years ago.

The cafe has a smoothie bar, coffee drinks and grab-and-go food that changes throughout the day.

In the morning, the cafe serves oatmeal and breakfast foods and then changes over to sandwiches and snack foods later.

There are always protein bars and some snack breads available. My mom loved the fact three of the four choices were gluten-free.

A coffee station and a water refill machine are open 24 hours.

When the weather is nice, there is also a snack bar by the main pool.

Overall impressions of Miraval Arizona

I love how I feel when I'm at Miraval Arizona. The property is beautiful, and there are many places to get away and hide from people if you just want to relax in a hammock or on a bench and listen to the sound of water or the sounds of silence.

I also love the classes and experiences and always come away with some kind of revelation. This trip, my revelation was how good honey is different from what you buy in the plastic bear.

But even with how much I love it, I do not love how confusing the reservation booking and experience planning can be. I also do not like that I can never figure out the bills.

Overall, Miraval helps me recharge. And I think the company knows the experience is somewhat addictive. The resort offers special discounts if you book your next stay within 10 days after you check out. And because I can’t pass up a good deal, I've already booked my next Miraval visit.

Top photo by Tiffani Sherman.