SPA DESIGN

Spa consultants Baker (left) and McDonald (right)

The spa is built around a natural sinkhole

The Spa at Chablé Yucatán Chablé Yucatán’s spa which “blends ancient mysticism with modern curiosity” is of particular note

For Bova, a lesson in making tortillas, a tequila tasting session or a celebration of the annual Day of the Dead festivities with local community groups may provoke as much joy as a carefully tailored hydrotherapy treatment. “You’d have to stay for weeks to enjoy the full range of experiences we have here,” he says. According to Chablé’s brand manager, Liliana Castellanos, the company calls this philosophy ‘redefining wellness’. “We think it’s the most innovative aspect of our portfolio,” she explains. “It allows us to touch the hearts of our guests through both the tangible and intangible. With so many distractions in the world today, we invite our guests to go back to basics and to value the important things in life in an unforgettable setting. Our aim is to speak to them in a real and honest way.” It’s a bold claim, but Chablé, and parent company Hamak Hotels, can fairly point to the fact that it spent 12 years developing the concept and building the hotel, which finally opened in 2016. Every detail has been accounted for. The results are quietly spectacular.

Modernism meets memory Spread across the sprawling grounds of an 19th century hacienda, once home to one of the region’s most important sisal carpet factories, the hotel is a self-contained paradise. Winding trails lead through pockets of jungle and past verdant organic gardens (a source for restaurant and spa ingredients), a deer park, tennis courts, golf course, several pools and a cenote – a natural sinkhole common to the Yucatán Peninsula – which the spa is built around. 72 spabusiness.com issue 2 2019

“We really want people to experience a modern interpretation of traditional Mayan rituals,” says Amy McDonald