Miraval Resorts Destinations: What’s the Difference?
By Araxe Hajian
Every stay at a Miraval Resorts location brings you closer to creating balance through mindfulness. All our digital-device-free resorts combine yoga, meditation, and wellness offerings with spiritual journeys, culinary workshops, and outdoor adventures to build resilience and shift perspective.
But how do you choose which destination to visit? Let’s start by asking yourself an important question.
What is your intention for your Miraval Resorts visit?
It just depends on where you ground yourself. Each location is one star in a constellation of wellness spanning the American Southwest to the Northeast. The message of mindfulness is the same—as above, so below—yet the experience of wellbeing shifts subtly like the shimmering night sky with each visit, intention, and vista. Read on for a bird’s-eye view of what makes our three properties so distinct. Then click on each one to dive deeper into the nuances and experiences of each resort.
Miraval Berkshires: An Adventure for Every Season
This New England sanctuary perches atop 380 protected acres in the Berkshire countryside. Rediscover your sense of wonder among pine trees and rolling hills and reimagine a route to wellness. Here, you can stay in step with the changing seasons and the various stages of your life.
PROPERTY ORIENTATION
Miraval Berkshires is a labyrinthine journey. It’s a maze of indoor interlinking passageways that connect you in time and space, regardless of the weather. Move through a Gilded Age historic mansion to the elegant minimalism of the Life in Balance Spa—then cross over to a separate extension of outdoor adventure at the bucolic Meadowview Acres Farm.
THE FORECAST
All four seasons means four radically different external experiences each time you visit.
There’s no better place to witness autumn’s stunning leaf transformation from green to red and gold. Following those crisp apple-cider-sipping firelit nights comes a white blanket of snow. Local legend James Taylor croons about how “The Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting.” A different kind of flurry covers the thawing hills in spring blossoms. Then summer’s sunny splendor hums along to Tanglewood’s tones and sends you leaping into the outdoors like a Jacob’s Pillow pirouette.
THE FLAVORS
The food here celebrates the Northeast, featuring fresh ingredients from our gardens and hives. Local farms, orchards, and dairies produce a cornucopia of ingredients – from Western Massachusetts’ first organic market garden to Cape Cod Bay-harvested Patriot oysters.
THE FEELING
Our guests often describe this property as tranquil, idyllic, sheltered, and relaxed. Miraval Berkshires makes you feel like you are in the coziest cavern of culture, comfort, and creativity. It’s like wearing your favorite sweater and sipping a mug of cocoa in the fall or winter; a breath of fresh air, a sun salutation, and the restful shade of a canopy of old-growth trees in spring or summer.
Are you curious about what makes Miraval Berkshires unique? READ HERE TO FIND OUT
Miraval Austin: Balance with a Texas Twist
Miraval Austin is a 220-acre natural sanctuary overlooking Lake Travis and the tranquil Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. Flowering bluebonnets blanket rolling hills among the lush greens of Texas Hill Country. Juniper trees bloom with bright berries. Cypress Creek’s bubbling waters join the farmyard hum of horses, chickens, and ducks.
PROPERTY ORIENTATION
Our Austin property wraps around the Texas Hill Country like a horseshoe with open-air trails and pathways connecting our accommodation coves, Life in Balance Spa, Yoga Barn, pools, and more. It switchbacks through hillside trails and the chambers of your heart, set to the soundtrack of songs from local black-capped vireos and golden-cheeked warblers.
THE FORECAST
The climate is sub-tropical and humid. That means winters, though cold and windy, are short, and summers are lush and steamy. Partial cloud cover protects you from the full intensity of the sun, and all that moisture in the air can leave your skin dewy and glowing.
THE FLAVORS
Big state, big plates. The food selection here is vast, and—like all our resorts— your portions are as large or small as you choose. Miraval Austin is home to the biodynamic Cypress Creek Farm, the brand’s largest, which supplies our kitchens with fresh ingredients year-round, including eggs, produce, and honey. Our food selections celebrate Austin’s distinct tastes (including variations on regional bbq and street tacos) and our executive chef’s secret sourdough sensations.
THE FEELING
Our guests report an immediate feeling of calm when they drive through Miraval Austin’s gates. Green, leafy trees pop against a backdrop of white and beige limestone. Cerulean skies are punctuated by drifting clouds casting soothing light and shadow along the hillsides. The energy here feels light and bright, creating an uplifting mood. There’s a real sense of fun coupled with a happy, hip, and lively vibe.
How is Miraval Austin not like the others? READ HERE TO FIND OUT
Miraval Arizona: Wellness in the Sonoran sunshine
At Miraval Arizona, the sun shines 350 days a year on 400 acres of pristine desert. In the Catalinas’ warm shade, life balances between desert and mountain in a serene space of discovery and quiet reflection. The flowering desert backs up to majestic mountains. Ancient cacti stand tall. Acacia and mesquite trees lend shade, while brilliant blooms sprout from ocotillo, saguaro, and prickly pear.
PROPERTY ORIENTATION
Miraval Arizona is all about the sun—our buildings and guestrooms even orient themselves like a radiating orb: circular, sending spokes out from its center like rays of relaxation. The property embraces you in a spiritual ring of desert paths, yellow wildflowers, and terracotta trails. The surrounding mountains change color with each sunrise and shield you from the city lights for optimal stargazing under dark skies.
THE FORECAST
Did we mention 350 days of sun? That doesn’t mean there are no seasons; it just makes them more subtle. Winters are mild but require layers, as the desert temperatures can vary by 40 degrees, taking you from polar fleece to tank tops in one day. Summers are hot, and the sun is strong, but as they say in Arizona, it’s a dry heat.
THE FLAVORS
Healthy cuisine gets a Southwestern kick as our chefs riff on salsas, tortillas, and tamales. Sip on prickly pear tea or margaritas and watch dramatic summer monsoons roll over the foothills. Fresh and local spices and seasonings make every dish delicious.
THE FEELING
Our guests often say that visiting Miraval Arizona feels like coming home. You’re in the enchanted land of the Southwest, where time slows down. The wildlife looks different—javelinas and roadrunners share your space, and the smell of creosote and desert sage fills the air. It’s a spiritual and sacred space, full of water features and white noise, meandering paths, and desert delights under a spacious sky awash in stars.
READ HERE to take a closer look at what makes Miraval Arizona distinctive.
Join us for a life-changing experience at one of our three wellness resort & spa destinations.