Even without its array of superb spa facilities, the Monterey, Carmel and Santa Cruz area, a destination noted for its inspirational landscape and serenity, would still be a place for meeting attendees to find physical and mental renewal. The fact that many of its meetings-oriented hotels and resorts have exceptional spas and health-oriented activities to match only adds to its rejuvenating quality.
Inspired by nature and Native American healing arts, the region has deep roots in spa and wellness traditions. It is home to Big Sur’s Esalen Institute, now in its fifth decade, a retreat property known for its meditation programs and natural hot springs steaming among rocky cliffs above the sea. In recent years, hotels and resorts from Big Sur to Santa Cruz have opened or expanded spas, many of them also in spectacular settings.
“Monterey is a natural spa destination. There’s an instant sense of relaxation and well-being upon arrival,” says Lauren Siring, national account director for the Monterey County CVB, adding that wellness is infused into the region’s green-oriented lifestyle.
“You can even see it in our approach to food, so much of which is locally grown and organic,” she says. “Sustainability is important here.”
Monterey
One of the region’s newest spas is Accista Spa at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort & Spa (www.monterey.hyatt.com), a 22-acre property nestled among the cypress groves that line the Del Monte Golf Course. The 12,000-square-foot spa incorporates wild and organic local elements into its treatments, including seaweed, Pacific sea salt, acorn, artichoke, fennel, cypress and juniper.
According to David Lambert, the Hyatt’s director of sales and marketing, Accista Spa has quickly become an integral part of how the hotel is marketed for meetings. At the same time, he notes that negative perceptions about resort spas, a legacy of the AIG Effect, are fast receding.
“We stress the fact that your attendees are not locked in a box, that this is a distraction-free place where attendees can relax and unwind,” he says. “We’re finding that more planners are expressing interest in this aspect. The meeting schedules are loosening up, so that attendees can find time to visit the spa or play some golf.”
Even when the meeting agenda is tight, Accista Spa offers plenty of ways for attendees to partake of its offerings, says Socorro Valdez, spa manager.
“During breaks we can set up massage chairs and create a whole spa environment outside the meeting room, complete with aroma therapy and candles,” she says. “And we can reduce treatment times from the usual 60 to 90 minutes down to 30.”
Accista Spa, which is also accessible to groups staying at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands, a sister property, also offers activities that range from yoga classes to nature walks organized by the outfitter Big Sur Guides.
Among the treats for visitors to Vista Blue Spa, located on the top floor of Cannery Row’s Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa (www.montereyplazahotel.com), is watching for whales and otters from its outdoor sundeck, complete with whirlpool tubs and an outdoor fireplace. The spa offers a fitness center and a full menu of treatments, including its signature Monterey Bay Salt Glo, as well as yoga, skin care seminars and exercise classes such as Yamuna Body Rolling.
According to Doug Phillips, the property’s director of sales and marketing, the spa is a big draw for meetings, particularly when it comes to incentives and spouse programs.
“We sit on a marina sanctuary, literally perched out over Monterey Bay surrounded by an incredible variety of marine life,” he says. “And with the spa literally on top of the building, the views are spectacular.”
Adjacent to the Monterey Conference Center, downtown’s Portola Hotel & Spa (www.portolahotel.com) has the extensive Spa on the Plaza, where over 60 treatment choices include aromatherapy facials and massages with coconut balm, warm stones and heated rosemary oil. The spa also has steam rooms, a fitness center and a relaxation lounge.
Carmel
Among the highlights of the newly renovated Carmel Valley Ranch (www.carmelvalleyranch.com) is Spa Aiyana, where some of the many treatment options incorporate the lavender and honey harvested at the 500-acre resort. Treatments at the 10,000-square-foot spa, which includes three double suites with fireplaces that can be connected for events, include the Lavender Honey manicure and the Sweet Lavender Poultice massage.
The resort also sponsors numerous wellness-oriented activities and breaks that can be arranged for groups, including beekeeping, culinary classes, meditative walks and yoga sessions on a hilltop platform with views of the oak-studded valley below.
According to Brian Gipson, director of sales and marketing, both the spa and the resort’s unique activity options have found an enthusiastic reception from meeting planners.
“We have something that’s feasible and memorable for every group,” he says.
The nearby Bernardus Lodge (www.bernardus.com), bordered by vineyards and the Santa Lucia Mountains, is an intimate, 57-room resort with many healthful amenities to please small groups, including tennis courts, a bocce court, a lap pool, a croquet lawn and the 5,300-square-foot Spa at Bernardus Lodge.
Adorned with local artwork, the spa features locally inspired treatments drawn from ingredients grown in the resort’s on-site organic gardens as well as from the ocean and vineyards. Grapeseed exfoliation, a cabernet body mud mask and the use of moisturizers made from chardonnay grapes are part of the spa’s “vinotherapy” menu.
Nearby Escapes
Located within the Pebble Beach Resorts (www.pebblebeach.com) compound, which includes the Lodge at Pebble Beach, the Inn at Spanish Bay and several of the world’s most esteemed golf courses, the Spa at Pebble Beach offers a wide range of treatments in a spectacular setting. Many treatment areas at the 22,000-square-foot, Mediterranean-style spa have French doors opening onto the outdoor environment of forest and sea.
“Much of what we use at the spa is truly indigenous, including an elderflower oil made by a Native American woman from Big Sur who makes products for us,” says Lara Davidson, spa director at the property.
The spa, which recently added three treatment rooms for a total of 11 and can handle as many as 300 guests a day, frequently customizes offerings for groups, according to Davidson.
“We can do a spa fair where we set up different stations within a meeting room and serve wine and hors d’oeuvres,” she says. “You can get a chair massage, a personal oil blended for you, a manicure or pedicure, a palm reading—it just depends on what the group wants.”
Other options include dermatologist-led seminars and pre- and post-massages specifically for golfers. During tournaments, the spa will even do chair massages at the driving range.
“It prevents injury and some people say they can hit the ball better,” Davidson says.
On a hillside overlooking the Big Sur coastline, Spa at Ventana is part of the 243-acre Ventana Inn and Spa (www.ventanainn.com), a resort that caters to executive board meetings, retreats and incentive groups. Along with more traditional treatments such as body wraps and massages, the spa also offers services based on astrology and color readings.
Complimentary daily classes in tai chi, yoga, Pilates and meditation are also offered, either on an individual basis or in customized sessions for groups.
Also in Big Sur, the Esalen Institute (www.esalen.org) accommodates small conferences and retreats for up to 40 people in all-inclusive packages that include accommodations and meals. The 27-acre property offers natural sulphur-fed hot springs, massage treatments, a meditation center and daily classes in yoga, dance and art.
Santa Cruz
Perched on a forested bluff with Monterey Bay in the distance, Chaminade Resort & Spa (www.chaminade.com) is Santa Cruz’s major conference facility and also possesses one of the region’s most extensive spas, the Spa at Chaminade. The spa, which underwent a complete renovation in 2009, includes a patio area with bay views.
“Chaminade takes pride in being a really healthy place for groups, offering hiking trails and locally sourced food,” says spokeswoman Ashley Huffman. “The spa fits right in with the objective of being a rejuvenating location.”
Meeting attendees comprise about a quarter of all spa visitors, primarily seeking to “decompress after their daily sessions,” according to Huffman, who adds that the spa will lead stretch exercises for groups during meeting breaks.
“If groups want lifestyle seminars to be part of the meeting, they can also be built into the program,” Huffman says. “People can also ask for organic menus to be served at all meals.”
After the renovation, the Spa at Chaminade redesigned its spa menu to offer localized treatments based on land, sea, field and mountain themes. A sea enzyme facial or a champagne mimosa massage are among the options.
While not offering a free-standing spa, Seascape Beach Resort & Conference Center (www.seascaperesort.com) in nearby Aptos features a full menu of treatments in the individual accommodations, which range from studio suites to two-bedroom beachfront villas. Facials, massages and a signature treatment called Bamboo Fusion Therapy, where bamboo implements and oils are used to soothe tired muscles, are among the options.
California-based freelancer Maria Lenhart has been writing about the travel industry for more than 20 years.
