Month of Travel: Meditation in Puerto Vallarta

It’s been a good year for the Media Guy Struggles. As the leading lifestyle media brand for those curious about the life of a modern (M)ad Man, the website is growing faster in unexpected ways. August marked the best month of all time for readership, advertising, and elevated Q ratings. To celebrate, I took to the road looking for the best food, drink, travel, and places to stay in the world.  The result is the Month of Travel where I tell tales and wax poetic about only the very best in the world. I’ll take you to Russia, Mexico, Lebanon, and Canada. At the end, I hope it inspires you to weave your own story through the fabric of travel. Today I take you to Puerto Vallarta and the magical healing powers of mindfulness that exists under the Mexican sun at the Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway.   

Okay, so where am I?

I don’t really know how it happened or why, but I’m on a Puerto Vallarta beach overlooking the legendary Banderas Bay attempting to emulate Gisele Bündchen, Deepak Chopra, and Angelina Jolie in our mutual quest toward mindfulness through “meditation moments” and yoga.

Ever the skeptic, I was lured to the Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway because of their Mind & Spa amenities and the promise of “promoting a lifestyle full of health and balance.” I spent almost a week meditating in various forms in the very city that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton turn their passion into living love entity and barely thought about the stresses that always seem to haunt me back in my home base of Los Angeles.

I thought I’d loathe the world of mindfulness. Instead, it changed the way I’ve thought about my own mind in the months since.

How did I get here?

A year ago, close friend of mind randomly suggested one day that we sign up for a great week in Puerto Vallarta where I could get in touch with my inner self on a makeshift meditation retreat. One of the best parts—I was told—was that the romantic getaway was only a three-hour flight from Los Angeles. “But there will be no romance for me going solo,” I protested, to which the quick reply was, “Have a romance with yourself. Treat you for once. Give yourself the gift of peace of mind. What’s the worst that could happen?” I was skeptical enough, but per most of life’s best moments, I spontaneously said, “I’m all in” and we were on our way.

A short coach ride from Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport brought us to the gleaming white beachfront hotel. There, the romance began. At check-in, I was treated to a refreshing scented towel, a massage, and a champagne toast. The front office staff, who live the Mexican hospitality dream daily, walked me through the a vast selection of temporary lifestyle changes. Everything from linen and pillow choices to an upgrade to a balcony Jacuzzi room was offered. I was walked through their exclusive in-room aromatherapy where I would be surrounded by lovely scents in your suite. I opted for the sage with lemon grass on days one and two and Sandalwood for the remainder of my stay.  It was then that I learned we would not be allowed any types of stress during our all-inclusive stay. A boy could get used to this (and as you’ll see, I did). Things were about to get interesting.

The Honeymoon Jacuzzi Suite includes a free sunset daily.

As I discovered, meditation days are one of the biggest travel trends of the past decade, and, like a fine suit expertly crafted by an English tailor, you can have them your way at the Villa Premiere. You can bask in the quiet detoxifying air in the luxurious steam and sauna rooms, or take a massage at the end of the hotel’s cobblestone pier that stretches into the bay. Here, you can be treated to the beginnings of mental and spiritual balance with an exclusive body treatment in a setting you typically only see in fancy brochures. Once-in-a-lifetime pampering trace their history back to the days of the Roman Empire, but have picked up steam as ever more of us seek an escape from modern life towards immersion into holistic solitude.

The type of meditation I would be experimenting with traces its contemporary roots to the late sixties and, as I was about to find out, is certainly more on the extravagant without flashy touches or corporate wellness packages.

I checked into my room—the Honeymoon Jacuzzi Suite—and immediately got lost outside where the hot, bubbling water called me to watch the sunset from my clothing-optional outdoor hot tub overlooking the Bay. All of this forced me to be late downstairs to get the lowdown on what to expect from my time at the resort. But none of that mattered because I was promised absolutely no stress upon check-in and as it turns out, I wanted to test limits of that mantra. The goal of this retreat, as I understood it, was to remove all thoughts from our minds so that we could glimpse, if only for a moment, the feeling of enlightenment. (I’m fairly sure I was never promised enlightenment, but from my reading of “Siddhartha” at the time I was pretty sure that’s what they meant.)

The next day I was down on the pristine sands, filling the beach with hopes of enlightenment, and there she was there she was: my Mexican yogi for the day. Not in one of those intimidating white robe reminding me that yoga wasn’t my thing, but rather a beautiful spirit in white leggings there to nurture my journey. After we were given mats and towels to rest our weary bodies, it began.

Desayuno in its simplest of glory.

“Focus on your breath,” our instructor said, in the calmest meditation-yoga tone possible. “Just imagine your thoughts are like orangutans, swinging from branch to branch. When a thought comes, identify it, and let it go.” The goal was to stop our “orangutans minds” from leaping from one arbitrary thought to the next, which can be a source of stress and sorrow. As we moved through position to position, she told us frequently to focus on our breath “going in one nostril and out the other” as we inhaled and exhaled, over and over again.

Breathing and spa treatments weren’t the only thing I did for five days. There was also some exploration and lots a delicious, healthy food. At dawn each day, I watched the light rise about the hotel poolside over desayuno delicately prepared by their amazing culinary staff (more on that later). My favorite treat was the pancakes with fresh berries and a Mexican latte. The simple things in life are not free, but all meals and beverages (yes, alcohol too) were included with my room, so I lived it up. I felt at home by the mere fact my waiter who wound up serving us for five straight days remembered my name and room number by the time my coffee cooled off enough to drink it. With each bite, I breathed with my nostrils, in through on, and out through another with reckless abandon.

And that was the first time I started to realize this whole meditation thing might actually be working. I was focusing on chewing without letting those annoying random thought invade my bliss, when I realized I was really connecting—like, chewing the life out of these pancakes. As the berries begged my taste buds to enjoy the flavors I often took for granted, I thought to myself, “What the heck? I never enjoyed fruit as much as this before.” Then I realized my mind, finally uncluttered, was so focused that I was able to enjoy a meal as never before.

The delectable grilled octopus at the Cafe des Artistes.

Puerto Vallarta is known around the world as a destination with an abundance of culinary delights. As a foodie hotspot, I didn’t have much interest since the Villa Premiere had a host of excellent restaurants ready to accept my bidding, each with its own distinctive style and flavors. At the urging of my meditation partners, I was persuaded to try the iconic Cafe des Artistes and I am sure happy with myself that I agreed.

Chef Thierry Blouet is a legend in Puerto Vallarta and upon entering the Café des Artistes you easily see why. The romantic lush multi-level patio gardens surround you and the twinkling lights engulf your senses. Good thing I already had the orangutans mind training by then because you swoon because of the setting along. The exceptional haute cuisine fuses fresh Mexican ingredients with European techniques to deliver a meal you’ll be hard pressed to find a parallel. I opted for the ceviche and then the grilled octopus with roasted polenta and smoked organic beets, chicharitos mousseline in red wine sauce.

“For me, grilled marinated octopus served with chayote au gratin, spinach, mushrooms, bean sauce and crispy cuitlacoche is one of the best octopus dishes we have ever served at the restaurant. We tried various ways to prepare octopus, always keeping in mind the questions: How can we reinvent it? How can we use it differently? Until this recipe occurred to me” says Blouet.

There I was, reveling in my newfound superpowers, chewing and submerging my being into the flavors I never stopped to full embraced, when I accidentally broke my the rule of allowing random thoughts to engage me and I devised a plan for a project at work the had dominated my workflow for months. In an instant I had mapped the plan out on my iPhone notepad. Ah, the power of breathing and meditation.

Villa Premiere’s Executive Chef Elias Sapien

Just when I thought I reached food nirvana at the Café des Artistes, it was in the very spot where I indulged in the bayside massage that I was spoiled with a dining experience that I doubt my life would be complete without. In one of the most overwhelming dinners ever created, the Villa Premiere’s Executive Chef Elias Sapien created an private and elite menu* and I am still left wondering why and how I was worth of such haute cuisine. Sapien, was at the table the entire evening making the night that much more special, adding his unique layer of humor and explaining how to blend regionally-source ingredients into his recipes. The fun came to light in the “Go Fishing” fishing course where shrimp-filled fish bowls bubbling with dry ice were served and we actually caught our meal with the fishing poles they supplied. 

I wonder how many hours of meditation he needed to gain the clarity needed to dream up that brilliance….

On the third day of meditation, I finally did it. I reached the glorious moment we had all been striving for: For a moment, my mind went truly blank and it happened in one of the best private beaches in the world: Las Caletas, Mexico’s Garden of Eden. Access to this enchanting coastal haven runs through Vallarta Adventures, I’ve had excellent times with Vallarta Adventures in Cabo San Lucas over the years, so entrusting my meditation relocation to them was an easy call, especially since the Villa Premiere worked with them to set up a, isolated, off-the-beaten-path day of relaxation underneath swaying palms and the gentle barks from the seal sanctuary that resides on the island. 

The bliss came as I was lounging on my sequestered hammock while trying one of the four specialty drinks they made for me there. It only lasted only a few seconds before the orangutan burst in and I thought to myself, triumphantly, “I have no thoughts in my head!” which, of course, is a thought, so I had to start all over again. But for that moment, I nibbled on that transcendental state that had only been rumored. I have to admit; it was an incredible moment of enlightenment that seemed to last for hours.

In the months since these elevating stages of mental paradise, I have replicated it regularly. I never forget it and I suspect that if you get the chance to try it—really, actually shut your brain up for a few days—you’ll find that place where all happiness and transparency begins. 

And, to think it all started for me on a magical hotel in Puerto Vallarta.

Coral Salad with a collection of herbs dressing and traditional Caesar

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