Do you automatically associate Mexico with warm sunshine on your skin, white and ochre sandy beaches, palm trees full of coconuts swaying in the wind and a deep blue, refreshing ocean? Having already lost part of my heart to the colourful and lively Mexico a few years ago, I was now even more looking forward to exploring a part of the country that was still unknown to me, namely the beautiful Pacific coast, together with Nina. Our destination is the tiny village of Quimixto near Puerto Vallarta, where instead of cars there are boats and instead of stress there is a lot of good mood spreading Mexican music. Thanks to the lovely Sindy from On Secret Trails, where you can book very individual and really unforgettable Mexico trips, we became aware of the great Xinalani Retreat. In this enchanting boutique and eco resort, you can not only take care of your body, mind and soul as part of a spiritual retreat, but also have some wonderful and very special experiences as a normal hotel guest.
And not all hotels in Puerto Vallarta offer the opportunity to feel like a real master of life, so when considering options, I recommend paying special attention to the famous Melia Hotel Puerto Vallarta.
In this article I would like to share our favourite moments in Quimixto with you. Maybe you are looking for an inspiring place for your next trip? Read here why a few days at Xinalani Retreat will recharge your batteries in no time and what extraordinary experiences await you here on Mexico's wild Pacific coast!
Pure nature at the Xinalani Retreat: Far away from the hustle and bustle of Puerto Vallarta
After landing at Puerto Vallarta airport, it's time to close your eyes for a moment and get through. The city is very noisy, has - at least for our taste - little flair and is apparently full to the brim with tourists who are looking for fun and an exciting nightlife. One hotel block follows the next. But after your driver has dropped you off at the harbour terminal and you have boarded the small boat heading for Quimixto, all the tension quickly falls away, I promise!
The boat trip to the Xinalani Retreat takes about 45 minutes, depending on the waves a few minutes shorter or longer. Already at the first view of the long sandy beach shimmering in a soft gold, bordered by large round rocks reminiscent of the Seychelles, as well as the bungalows covered with palm leaves on the hillside with the lush green mountains in the background, our hearts leap: we will spend the next 5 days in this wonderful idyll in the middle of nature, simply WOW!
Next, we'll go on a journey through the charming streets of Puerto Vallarta, but don't forget about healthy sleep and good rest, one of the great accommodation options is the Hotel Mio Vallarta on hotel-mio-vallarta.puertovallartahotel24.com.
The great speciality of the Xinalani Retreat is its really secluded location - there is not even a road leading to this oasis of nature!
You can only reach this place of peace and quiet by boat.
The sound of the waves will be your constant companion throughout your stay. You will hear it especially intensively when you fall asleep in the evening or when you wake up, because almost all rooms and suites are open-plan. Our retreat had only a thin blind facing the ocean, so you are connected to the elements in a wonderful way. The hotel's hillside location also gives you a fantastic view of the deep blue Pacific from every room. This view alone makes your everyday worries seem small and somehow far away.
On our first afternoon at Xinalani, we even saw a whale swimming past on the horizon in the distance from our room!
A daily yoga session and delicious, healthy food are the basis for a balanced routine here at Xinalani Retreat. At 7am each morning, traditionally prepared cinnamon coffee, a cup of hot and spicy ginger tea, crunchy granola in yoghurt and fresh fruit energise the 8:30am yoga session. This takes place either in the Jungle Studio, the Meditation Cabin, the Aerial Yoga Shala or the Greenhouse and is included in the room rate. As are three more sumptuous meals later in the day. Hot Yoga and Aerial Yoga can be booked as private classes at any time if you are interested.
Dinner on the beach & a campfire under the stars
In between the healthy stretching of your muscles and the feasting, you'll also have plenty of time to relax and unwind on the truly beautiful beach or by the small pool, or take a leisurely stroll through the village. Every Friday evening there is a dinner on the beach. While you enjoy the freshly prepared tacos by candlelight and torchlight, you can dig your toes into the sand, which is still wonderfully warm from the sun. You can round off such a perfect evening with a small campfire with marshmallows on the beach, which you can also book at the hotel at any time.
On horseback to the waterfall in the jungle
Of course, you must also explore the enchanting, unspoilt nature outside the hotel. The perfect way to do this is on horseback, for example to the waterfall not far away. Carlos lives directly in the village of Quimixto and has 9 lovely horses in his stable. On two of them we ride at a walk through the lively village, cross two glittering rivers, trot through narrow passes carved into the rocks, and finally reach the rushing waterfall with its small restaurant. After enjoying a refreshing dip in the cold water, we sit down at the table with a Pepsi and watch the brave girls and boys who daredevilly jump into the pool from a height of an estimated 10 metres to much applause and cheering from the restaurant guests.
We found the excursion really mega nice and enjoyed every second with the horses to the fullest. Unfortunately, you can only book a group hike to the waterfall directly at the hotel, which we honestly didn't find that appealing. Sindy from On Secret Trails will be happy to help you make contact with Carlos and his horses!
Swimming with wild dolphins in Puerto Vallarta
One experience that has been on our bucket list for ages is swimming with wild dolphins. The fact that this has finally happened here on the Pacific coast of Mexico makes Nina and me really happy! The Xinalani Retreat takes us to Puerto Vallarta early in the morning in a small boat, because the dolphin tour starts from here with a short introduction by marine biologist Christina. With the help of a short video, she explains many interesting facts about the porpoises living here in the bay. Afterwards we immediately go out into the open sea. It takes about twenty minutes until we spot the first dolphins. By the way, they don't live together in a single large school here, but form individual small groups.
About 130 of these fascinating animals live permanently in the north of the bay of Puerto Vallarta. The chance that you will actually be able to swim with wild dolphins is very high here!
The best thing about this tour? Only 4 people are allowed in the water at a time. The others wait in the boat until it's their turn. This ensures that things don't get too chaotic under the surface of the water. Nina and I are the last to go and are already totally excited. The moment when we finally let ourselves glide into the ocean from the edge of the boat with fins and mask and dive under the surface is simply indescribable. Within seconds we are surrounded by 5 curious porpoises that playfully circle us and come very close again and again. I only have to stretch out my arm to touch them, it's amazing! It also seems like the dolphins really want to look me in the eye, because they keep coming right up to my face and interacting with me. Yes, it really is a kind of playful interaction, not just swimming with these beautiful animals.
Unfortunately, the curiosity of these intelligent mammals towards us clumsy humans doesn't last very long. After about a minute or two, we probably get bored and they move on. But believe me, those moments underwater, those looks from dolphin eyes, will be etched in your memory forever!
Testing your limits during an ice bath meditation
In preparation for the ice bath meditation, we first learn some breathing exercises according to the Wim Hof method. Calm, consistent inhaling and exhaling is repeated several times until a pause in the form of 1.5 minutes of holding one's breath follows. Changes in the body are already noticeable at this point. Like a corset, the shortness of breath settles on the lungs, the throat becomes stiff. It seems as if this long pause for breath is not even remotely feasible, but it is. But still: never has an "inhale" from the yoga teacher accompanying this meditation felt more relieving. Now that we have learned the correct breathing technique and the body has been able to prepare itself at least a little for what is to follow, it is time to take off our clothes and make our way to the tub filled with ice water - a queasy feeling sets in.
Standing in front of the tub, on the surface of which the blocks of ice float as a deterrent, it is now time to summon up all one's courage. First one foot hits the cold water, then the second and suddenly the whole body, including the arms, is immersed up to the neck in the Arctic water. Within seconds it feels as if the whole body is cramping together, which at first can only be endured with gasping breaths. However, under the guidance of the yoga instructor kneeling at the edge of the tub, after a short time it becomes easier and easier to breathe more calmly and evenly.
The first minute is the hardest. And so it is. Even if you can hardly feel your whole body, including your hands, the three minutes come to an end surprisingly quickly. It's up to you whether or not you go under for a short while. To warm up the body, it's now time to go out into the sun and get the blood flowing again with energetic Tai Chi exercises on the beach. What an accomplishment, but in the end it makes you a little proud and really energises you for the rest of the day!
Feeling the connection to your inner child in the Temazcal
Already during my spiritual retreat in Tulum, Mexico, I was able to have the special experience of a Mexican Temazcal and found this traditional ceremony very impressive again here at the Xinalani Retreat. A temazcal is a kind of round steam bath that you can enter through a tiny opening in the crawlspace after asking the higher powers for permission to enter. The entire ceremony is led by a shaman. It begins with cleansing your aura with sacred smoke and mentally feeling your intention for the ritual.
For example, do you want to let go of or change something useless or obstructive? Now is the time to internalise exactly that and take this intention into the Temazcal!
After you have asked for admission for yourself and all your relationships, you take your place together with the other participants around the fireplace in the middle, where later, in separate passages, glowing stones provide the necessary heat for sweating. The shaman leads through the ritual in seven rounds with chanting, prayers and sacred herbs burnt on the stones, each dedicated to a different part of our being. For example, everything masculine, everything feminine or even our inner child. The end of the ceremony and the final purification is a bath in the ocean, which is also wonderfully refreshing after the humid heat in the temazcal.
Well, does that sound like a special place and an unforgettable experience to you? Would you also like to explore the wild Pacific coast near Puerto Vallarta? How would you like a yoga retreat in Mexico? We look forward to your comments here on our travel blog!
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