Leaving on my birthday and spanning past New Years, Brittany and I defied the post-Christmas Omicron odds and made it across the boarder virus-free for eight nights at the yoga retreat I had fallen in love with several years ago near Puerto Vallarta, called Xinalani. I'd been dreaming of going back ever since and it felt like the perfect relax and recharge option after two years of buckling down with this pandemic.
Moderating our international travel nerves, we traipsed through SFO singing a Little Mermaid riff: "I wanna be where the people aren't...I wanna see, wanna see 'em vaxin'." At one point, when ordering snacks on the plane, the flight attendant standing right above Brittany said she had a terrible headache and expressed hope that she's "not getting the 'Roma." But really, until we had to do our COVID tests the day before departure, once at the resort we didn't think about the pandemic much at all. We were outside the whole time, so masks weren't necessary, plus we were in paradise.
You call yourself a backpacker?
We could each barely carry our own
and he'd pile both of ours on his back.
The 40-minute boat ride south to the resort.
Brittany closed her eyes and made an effort to clock her
stress levels so she could compare on the way back.
Xinalani's buildings are built upwards into the jungle hills
With the exception of a couple special events/excursions/massages, each day played out the same for us at Xinalani. There was a set rhythm to our waking hours: we had only to show up. The hardest decisions we made all week were which beach chairs to choose. What follows is an amalgamation of all our days.
We'd wake around 7am in our gorgeous suite, surrounded by netting, to a gentle sunrise.
We'd get dressed for yoga and go down to the restaurant for some tea/coffee and granola (breakfast number one). On the way, we'd usually see Knuckles, the giant spider that terrified Brittany (he was so large that his legs had visible joints). Well, at least she thought seeing Knuckles was terrifying until one morning we didn't see him. Then she realized she'd really prefer he stayed where she could see him. Once in the restaurant we'd sometimes be joined by a furry friend, the coati, who would try to grab fruit or a pastry with lightening speed (to us he was named Marv, like Mr. Sticky Fingers in Home Alone) while the waiter half-heartedly scolded him.
Knuckles
Marv
Next we'd hike up a million stairs to get to one of several outdoor yoga studios, where we would practice for 90 minutes with a local instructor. All the teachers were the same from my visit three years ago. Our favorite was Gerry, with whom we booked a private aerial class (more on that later!). One of my favorite lines from him was "Now we say goodby to the standing positions."
Usually after yoga we'd rinse off and pack up for the whole day because we never wanted to do the extra steps back to the room if we could help it. The stairs aren't messing around - even with our strategizing, we hiked an average of 37 floors per day over the trip.
The time of day was often measured in what we had to slather on our body at that moment: sunscreen, lotion, or bug spray.
One of many paths (with elevation!) around the property
Our entrance
By the way, this was our room:
View from our balcony
Breakfast was always a highlight - and after yoga we'd really felt we'd earned it. There were chilaquiles every day. Every day! Fresh fruit juices, a griddle for made-to-order eggs, freshly baked pastries, and more.
Once finished, we'd declare, "Terminamos!" (as taught to us by a waiter) and then it was beach time.
At 2:30 the conch shell would ring and we'd take a break from reading, relaxing, and swimming to eat more delicious soups, juices, and local delicacies like ceviche and guacamole.
To mix it up during the day, sometimes we'd hang at the bar, where we'd made friends with the bartenders, so we could enjoy shade, music, and refreshments.
Several days we got massages in the afternoon. The spa is built right on the beach and is also open-air, so one can listen to the waves lapping and feel the ocean breeze throughout the treatment. Almost everyone I've told about my return to Xinalani has asked about Angel and his emotional therapy massages - sadly, he chose to leave Xinaliani to focus on family and growing his own personal business. I almost got the hookup for a session with him through his friend at reception, but Angel was out of town for the New Years holiday. Believe me, I tried. Next time!
Serene path to the spa
Once the sun had left the beach, we'd trek up to our room to shower, rest, and get ready for dinner.
The first night at Xinalani was my 35th birthday.
A couple nights later was the hotel's special New Year's Eve celebration, where dinner was set up on the beach with tiki torches and a DJ.
We were sat next to a hot British couple, Gemma and Bean (the former name is real, the latter made up by us for no discernible reason), who we had fun talking to through dinner.
Sitting with them reminded me of my couple friends I had made last time I was at Xinalani, so I texted Jacquie to tell her where I was, and guess what - they were also in PV at the same time, just at a different resort. I would've dropped in shock had I run into them at Xinalani! Still, such a coincidence.
And then every night ended like this, sliding into our cocoons around nine to read before peacefully nodding off to the sounds of the jungle and the ocean, knowing that the next day we would get to wake up and do it all over again.
Unfortunately, at a couple points throughout the trip something did not agree with Brittany's stomach. She was a trooper, but almost all of New Year's Eve day she was propped up in bed encircled by netting, staring at the sea and nibbling on toast, looking for all the world like a 19th century tuberculosis patient.
We had two unusual days - one was an excursion where we chose to go on a waterfall hike, and the other was our private aerial yoga class.
I don't have the strength to describe the entire saga of our "waterfall hike," so I'll give you the short version. We were super confused the whole time because the excursion we were on didn't match the waterfall hike I had done three years ago at Xinalani. It had the same guide, but instead of hiking into the jungle, we got on a boat (cue sea sickness), among other peculiarities. We ended up in the small, colorful town of Yelapa, and Brittany and I just assumed the itinerary had changed, and anyway, there was a waterfall in Yelapa so it was still technically a waterfall hike. Eventually, we got split up from the group and after a long time searching the small town, we gave up and figured out how to take a water taxi (and by this, I mean a water bus) back to the resort. We were not happy, complained, and finally it was revealed that we had accidentally crashed a private yoga group's excursion to Yelapa and people were "too polite" to mention it, meaning we missed our waterfall hike, looked like idiots, and got abandoned. Needless to say, we'll both seethe on this until the day we die. At least it was an adventure.
Also, please enjoy our Adventure Outfits.
Eager and naive
Why are we on a boat?
We made it to a waterfall!
Iguana hustler
Last photo before panic set in
We had really been looking forward to our private aerial class with sweet Gerry. Considering he took photos throughout the entire class in addition to teaching us and keeping us safe, it was quite the deal.
"Mexican ladder" = climbing the poles
and walking the beams to adjust the silks
Our last morning, we were the only ones strolling the beach just after sunrise, taking in our last moments in that special place.
What I haven't expressed yet in this post are all the in between moments with Brittany that made the trip so special. We hadn't been on a trip of this nature or gotten to spend this much uninterrupted time together in years. Being able to relax into each other's company, having so much time to talk and connect, to be silly and to just be there for each other (whether it was me bringing her toast and bananas while she was recovering from tuberculosis or her holding my pressure points to keep me from getting sick on our unsolicited boat ride). Xinalani was fabulous, but mostly I was just really happy to get to be with my best friend.
