HILL COUNTRY HAVEN
Miraval has been pampering weary bodies and souls for nearly 25 years at its flagship Tucson, Arizona, resort, and earlier this year the company opened its second property, on 220 acres just outside Austin in Texas Hill Country. Visitors can explore the surrounding Balcones Canyonlands Preserve on guided hikes and horseback rides. Guest rooms and two infinity pools look out onto Lake Travis, where those seeking balance—of both the mental and physical variety—can try stand-up paddleboarding.
DOWN ON THE FARM
The resort’s emphasis on sustainability is most evident at the on-site Cypress Creek Farm. Guests can tend to chickens (which provide the hotel’s eggs) and sample fresh-grown organic produce before having a meal at the resort’s farm-to-table restaurant. Other interactive experiences include mindful horseback riding—which includes grooming, saddling, and painting the side of a horse—or donning a beekeeping suit and becoming an apiarist for a day. Be sure to sample some of the raw honey, with its notes of local wildflowers.
TREAT YOURSELF
Those same wildflowers, as well as other indigenous herbs and greens, are used in spa treatments. Try the Austin Apothecary Massage, which utilizes essential oils from local botanicals. The spa also provides hair, makeup, nail, and skin treatments, including the Vitamin C Facial for glowing skin and the Nature’s Bounty treatment, which delivers the benefits of local honey enzymes.
TEX ZEN
Even the Eastern practice of yoga gets a Western spin here, with Tex Zen Yoga, which is inspired by native son Willie Nelson and set to country music. Other activities include hatchet throwing and line-dancing, but there’s no better way to end your night than sitting around a fire pit listening to folk tales or singing along to “Always on My Mind.”
