Lava rocks at Ceiba del Mar

Sunrise at Ceiba del Mar, in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. Visit www.ceibadelmar.com to book your stay in paradise!

Waiting endlessly at the airport for my driver to take me to Ceiba del Mar in Puerto Morelos, in Mexico’s Riviera Maya – stressful. Dinners of Zucchini flower and lobster frite soup, a creamy poblano pepper green topped with a dollop of salmon caviar eggs, accompanied by the sweetest violin sounds – priceless.

 

To make up for the initial stress upon my arrival, I ultimately experienced an entire weekend of recuperation and re-birth. After a five hour flight from Boston, it all began with my friend Dawn and I tossing our tired selves on the Cleopatra-like bed at the oceanside pool for about a half hour before heading to the beach for a long walk, watching the Pelicans kamikaze dive for dinner. We also noticed a woman throwing an assortment of whole fruits into the ocean. Not sure what that was about. One of many Maya rituals? Perhaps.

 

Carefree is the mood surrounding a stay at Ceiba del Mar. It really wasn’t a big deal that we were stranded at the airport. There were plenty of drivers jumping out at us, offering the chance to overpay for a 20-minute ride to the resort. For the price of $55, we grabbed one of the nicest drivers of them all.

 

One great night sleep later, we opened the bamboo door to our dumbwaiter-delivered coffee and pastries, to which we devoured while basking in the morning sun on one of our two outdoor terraces (one with a hammock we quickly territorialized). Following our breakfast appetizer, we headed to explore the breakfast buffet (yes, plantains!) before heading out for our morning beach walk.

 

Next, we head to the spa for our two-hour Balsamic massage. I was appointed the amazing Coco, who began my treatment with a biotenser tool and a foot soak. With a rubbery metal sword-like instrument, she tested out my energy. For someone stressed and out of control, energy-wise, the long metal device pointed toward your heart should wave frantically in a circular motion. But alas, my energy was good, and the device lobbed up and down continuously. No need to smudge me with lit sage, but my companion got the extra treatment on that end. Given my sore neck and shoulder muscles, I got the full two–hour treatment, a combination of feathered strokes – literally – and a Swedish massage with eight essential oils that are shipped from the best: England and Spain. I even got a bit of myofacial massage on my carpal tunneled arms. And to top the whole treatment off --- hot stones to align my chakras. Rafael, the new director at the Ceiba Del Mar Spa Resort, knows his spa treatments.

 

After floating out of my treatment room, I snuggled in a lounge chair situated in paradise, and sipped on cranberry apple tea in the open-air transition room. Coco appeared to explain why she substituted Juniper oil for the Mint: “Because your skin seemed too sensitive for the strong oil of mint.” I’m fine with the switch, especially in the midst of listening to the sound of waterfalls, knowing my chakras were aligned.

 

As we walked back to our room, we passed the Ceiba trees, of which the resort name was derived. Ceiba del Mar means “tree of the water." Boston seems like a world away.