Sitting quietly off the eastern coast of the Baja peninsula is a hidden jewel in Loreto called the Villa del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa. Upon seconds of arrival, I went from feeling like I was in the middle of nowhere, to exactly where I was supposed to be.

Greeted with kind smiles and quenching strawberry lemonade, we would soon kick off our Wellness Week experience through a special hand washing ritual—signifying all of our stress and bad juju would be left outside the hotel doors.

SETTLING IN

Checking in was surprisingly simple since we had emailed all of our information and food preferences prior. I always recommend doing this, btw. Help the hotel help you! We were given magical bracelets to wear for the entirety of our stay. No room keys to lose (or get deactivated from being held too close to your cell phone) here. Just this little waterproof accessory that would never fail to let you in your room.

I had a One Bedroom Suite. It was 1,300 square feet of total comfort! With a king bed in the bedroom and a pullout queen sofa in the living room, it could have slept four easily. Not to mention a huge private balcony overlooking eyefuls of the Sea of Cortez, fully functioning kitchen, two bathrooms, two TVs, and (big drum roll!) a washer/dryer. The appliances put my little Los Angeles apartment to shame. Charming touches such as Welcome truffles and your name in colorful pebbles on the master bed represent the warmth of the culture—as well as the resort staff.

The first night, we enjoyed surf & turf skewers under the stars amongst the fire pits and island breeze. There are three restaurants on the almost 4,500 acre property—all of which provide room service and can accommodate gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and even kosher (if notified in advance) diners.

Menus aren’t taken lightly here. Each meal is prepared like a work of art and presented with all the care of a gallery curator. Continue reading “From L.A. to Wellness in Loreto: A 4-Day Diary”