FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Aspirational properties: hotels worth a trip
Old Jan 11, 2021 | 10:59 am
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CIT85
10 Countries Visited
All eyes on you!
15 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: JAX
Programs: UA Gold MM, AA Gold MM, Marriott LTT, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,820
Aspirational property to me means great property that's very expensive at nice location and unforgettable experiences.

Miraval Arizona
We stayed there for 4 nights in December with Hyatt's BOGO award promotion and 25% points rebate, otherwise this hotel is very expensive, about $1500 for 2 people per night when we were there. Award point rate is 45K per person or 65K for 2 people per night. The property is about 400 acres on the foothills of Santa Catalina Mountains, bordering State Park and National Forest. I used a TSU to upgrade to Miraval King Suite, with patio facing Santa Catalina Mountains. We were in the 300's Village, sort of centrally located among restaurant, spa, and exercise facilities. The suite was one large room, older with visible wear, but otherwise very nice. 300's Village probably means 3rd set of rooms chronologically, so older until renovations.
We felt perfectly safe with all the COVID-19 precautions throughout the resort. Masks were required at all activities, including exercise classes and outdoor property hikes. Word of advise, spinning with mask on is extremely difficult if you're working very hard.
All inclusive meals and snacks were excellent. I ordered multiple appetizers, main courses and desserts at dinners. I would also get smoothies at the snack bar at every opportunity, usually at least 3 times per day. If I thought the special entree of the day would be insufficient (not enough protein or volume), I would order additional beef
There are a lot of activities and exercise classes to choose from. However, most class sizes are limited to 8 participants so you must sign up ASAP. I was unable to sign up with a few popular classes about 2 months out. Quite a few activities were also not offered, only 4 of the outdoor courses were open, probably due to a combination of COVID restrictions and lower occupancy.
This was our first stay at a wellness resort/spa. My wife loved it and would return anytime.
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