Mexico can be a great place for a wellness retreat that allows you to renew mind, body, and soul. While any vacation is likely to provide the chance for rest and rejuvenation, there are many luxury resorts where you can take that up at least a notch while surrounded by jaw-dropping scenery.
The best wellness retreats in Mexico have all the right ingredients, including opportunities for a variety of outdoor activities, yoga and meditation, beautiful pools, a spa with stress-melting treatments, healthy but delicious cuisine, and sometimes the chance to delve into unique cultures through ancient Mayan rituals too.
These wellness resorts offer all you need to leave you feeling re-energized and ready to take on the world.
Good to Know
With your goal to enhance wellness, the last thing you want to do is end up with major stomach issues that can ruin your trip. While tap water isn’t safe to drink in Mexico, most resorts and hotels do provide bottled or filtered water for their guests, but for those who are sensitive, it’s a good idea to bring a purifying water bottle for an added layer of protection.
You’ll want a reusable water bottle, not only to avoid contributing to the world’s plastic problem but to purify the water. The LARQ Bottle PureVis™ is ideal as it can eradicate 99.9999% of contaminants, including bacteria like E. coli in 3 minutes with just the touch of a button. If you bring the LARQ Bottle Filtered with a Nano Zero filter, the taste and purity will be improved as well since the filter removes lead, heavy metals, and even chlorine.
With your essential hydration items packed, you can look forward to total bliss with a fun and relaxed getaway that supports your good health while leaving you with memories of a lifetime.
Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas, East Cape
Most visitors to the southern tip of Baja California stick around the Los Cabos area, but one of the best wellness resorts in Mexico can be found 90 minutes from Cabo San Lucas (an hour from San Jose del Cabo International Airport). Located on what’s known as the East Cape along the Sea of Cortez just north of Cabo Pulmo National Park, Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palma is a dream.
Not only does the resort have a beautiful, expansive beach lined with clear turquoise water for swimming, snorkeling, and diving among what Jacques Cousteau referred to as the “world’s aquarium,” but numerous wellness experiences. The luxurious spa offers a menu of pampering treatments that include facials, massages and wraps like the Mother Earth aromatic body wrap. Chakra alignment, breathwork, guided meditation, yoga, and Reiki are all available for healing, mentally, physically, and emotionally. A steam room, sauna, and hydrotherapy whirlpools are available too. The multiple dining venues include the East Cape’s abundant fresh seafood and a bounty of Baja vegetables.
Casa Tara, La Ventana, Baja California Sur
Located less than an hour from La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur, and about 2.5 hours from San Jose del Cabo Airport, Casa Tara is renowned for its yoga and wellness retreats. Guests can spend time practicing downward dog and sun salutes, kitesurf the waves in one of the world’s best spots, swim with whale sharks, or just relax and soak up the incredible scenery from the beach. There’s a beautiful infinity pool to lounge around, and paddleboarding, kayaking, hiking, and mountain biking are all possible too.
World’s away from the party scene in Cabo, it’s all about wellness here and eco-friendly throughout. The five-star restaurant serves fresh, organic local cuisine from fishers and farmers, including the grilled catch of the day that comes right off a local boat.
Rancho la Puerta, Tecate, Baja California
Located just across the U.S. border in the little town of Tecate, nestled in the hills of Baja California wine country about 75 minutes from San Diego, Rancho La Puerta is one of the world’s top destination spas. Family-owned and operated since 1940, it started as a place to pitch your tent and dine in the kitchen garden. Today, that same kitchen garden is a cookery school where guests can learn to make authentic traditional Mexican dishes like jalapeño frittata with goat cheese and courgette flowers.
On the grounds, there are walking and running trails, tennis and pickle ball courts, while Pilates, yoga, and barre classes can be enjoyed in studios overlooking picturesque vineyards. At the spa, indulge in treatments using herb-infused oils, including heavenly massages, and healing reflexology.
Palmaïa, The House of AïA, Playa del Carmen, Yucatan
A five-star wellness resort, Palmaïa is the perfect place to find your inner peace. Nestled on a 14-acre property along the Riveria Maya, it’s nothing like your typical all-inclusive property. The focus is on the connection between mind and body through sound baths, energy healing, yoga classes, guided meditation sessions, and more, all while immersed in a breathtaking setting with a vibrant jungle vibe. Special retreat programs are offered too, from sample wellness retreats to options for women-only and couples.
At the Atlantis Spa, guests enjoy therapies utilizing the healing properties of Mother Nation in serene treatment rooms. The menu includes ayurvedic treatments, Temazcal ceremonies, prehispanic rituals, steam room sessions, and much more. This is a resort sure to please vegans and non-vegans alike, with dining focused on local, plant-based cuisine.
Our Habitas Bacalar, Yucatan
Our Habitas offers the most exclusive stay in lesser-known Bacalar, just north of the Belize border on the Yucatan Peninsula. There are no sprawling resorts in this up-and-coming destination but you can enjoy a five-star wellness experience. Overlooking Balacar’s stunning lagoon, it blends environmental preservation, a focus on wellness and restoration, and plenty of luxuries. Free diving, paddleboarding, kayaking, and catamaran cruises are all available, while the spa offers floating meditation, temazcal ceremonies, and treatments that combine local ingredients like coconut, cacao, and melipona honey.
The on-site restaurant has a menu that highlights plant-based cooking centered on a “food is medicine” belief with seasonal dishes using the freshest ingredients available, hand-selected by local farms.
Haramara Retreat – Sayulita, Riviera Nayarit
Located just over an hour from Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific Coast in the area known as the Riviera Nayarit, Harmara sits on 12 oceanfront acres with lush jungle and a quiet private beach. It’s a secluded paradise for taking a break from high-tech gadgets and recharging with the help of Mother Nature instead. There is no electricity other than in the yoga studio and restaurant, so you can forget about all of those interruptions that can prevent you from achieving true wellness. That said, if you feel the need to connect occasionally, you can return to the “real world” in the small town of Sayulita nearby.
The aim here is for total relaxation and detoxification, complete with walking trails, yoga and meditation classes, and an open-air spa. The daily menus feature gourmet meals based on fresh, local, organic ingredients that are available that day in the local farmer’s markets and fish markets.
Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit – Puerto Vallarta
Located just nine miles from the center of Puerto Vallarta, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit sits on one of the best beaches in the area with wide, soft sands and gorgeous clear blue waters for swimming, snorkeling, diving, boogie boarding, and more. Complimentary snorkeling gear and boogie boards are included. The property also has a massive three-tiered infinity pool.
The highlight beyond the beach is the spa, complete with plunge pools, hydrotherapy, an ice room, and holistic treatments. The SE Spa Water Journey is a special treat, where the restorative power of water will bring you on a multi-sensory journey that can be a transformational experience. There are also various ceremonies and rituals designed to restore well-being, along with daily yoga, Zumba, Pilates, and even Polynesian dance classes.
Take the experience to another level by booking one of the Wellness Suites. These ocean-view suites come with your own private terrace that has massage beds and a Jacuzzi, Lifecycle recumbent bicycles, exercise kits, and separate bedrooms with aromatherapy kids.