Originally Posted by ne0ven0m

Just got back from 4 night stay at Miraval Berkshires. 260k Hyatt total for 2 people. This was my first experience any AI, let alone the Miraval line. I went into it with some skepticism, but I came out with no regrets of the points splurge. Really enjoy that they include airport transfer from BDL. Both ways, there was just one other party in the large sprinter van.

From when you walk in, most buildings are connected with hallways. This includes living quarters, spa, dining area, and gym. For outdoors activities, you would usually take a van or golf cart across the main road to the other half of the property. We had a 2 queen bed Dreamcatcher Room, and it was quite plain for a “luxury” resort. I would later find out from the staff historian that these were dorms at one point, which was not surprising.

The food, however, was surprisingly impressive. I had low expectations since it was a “health-conscious” destination, but most of what I ate was tasty. Breakfast and dinner had combo of buffet and menu, while dinner was menu only. Everything except cocktails were complimentary. There’s also a grab and go area with bar and cafe open most of the day as well. One of my first activities was a Chef’s Table, and that was a fun experience with really good food. Overall, the property does well with cooking their meats and vegetables, and less so with grains. Oh, definitely try the ice cream. The brown butter vanilla is one of the best desserts I've ever had!

I’m a slow paced traveler, so doing 2-3 activities a day was the right amount for me. I enjoyed pretty much everything I selected, as did the wife with her selections. The $175 daily credit per person allowed you to have a nearly free stay if you wished, but I opted to take advantage to book a spa treatment pretty much every day. None of it was mind blowing, but it’s good on the level you’d expect from 4-star hotels. The activities I picked were: Chef’s Table, intro to archery, intro to kayaking, flying squirrel, and afternoon tea; in addition to 3 spa massages. They have some passionate employees who led the activities. Pretty much all of them stood out in some way, and added to the experience!

And Hyatt calculates your spend before the daily credits come off, so I got points for a "$3700" stay. Also was my 10th brand, so earned another FNC.