Retreating to a private island resort can be…exhausting. Beyond the initial flight, arriving usually involves coordinating a mosaic of ferries, cabs, and, perhaps, air charters, that can leave you less than relaxed when you arrive and dreading how you’ll feel after the gauntlet home.
I didn’t have to deal with any of that when I visited Prana Maya, a new luxury private island resort off the coast of Placencia in Belize. That’s because while Prana Maya feels like it’s a world away, getting there is surprisingly easy: once off the plane, it’s 10 minutes to the resort. It turns out that an easy arrival was one of partner Steve Hall’s concepts for the resort, and part of why Prana Maya is located where it is.
“Steve’s goal was to create a resort that would feel remote, but that was still accessible,” explains Ginny Izydore who, with her husband Keith, has been charged with bringing Hall’s vision to life. “We want the experience to be effortless for our guests, but immersive and even transformational.”
Prana Maya’s intent begins with its name. Prana is a Sanskrit word that translates to life force or vitality. Maya honors the ancient roots of the region. “Infusing the resort with a sense of place was very important to all of us,” says Keith Izydore, who, like Ginny, is a longtime hospitality executive with Ritz-Carlton, Blackberry Farm, and other luxury brands. “The more we learned about Belize, the more we wanted to share its culture with our guests.”
Floating Spa and Sleep-Inducing Beds
Amazingly all of the elements work together in a way that never feels forced or weird. The spa, for example, floats above the resort from a breezy aerie accessed via an open staircase that spirals as it climbs, offering views of water, jungle, and beach. Treatment rooms are named for the Maya word for various earth elements; doors and signs were hand-carved from Belizean mahogany by local artisans. My massage began with an inhalation and brief rubdown with aromatic copal oil, which has been part of Maya ritual cleansing and purification ceremonies for centuries; most of the other products are made in Belize exclusively for the resort. Post treatment found me on a terrace, sipping warm hibiscus tea and cloaked in a white fluffy robe — which like the crystal wine glasses, soaps, lotions, bedding, and other amenities — were all personally tested by the Izydores prior to being used by the resort.
“Starting from scratch has been an experience,” says Ginny. The couple’s personal commitment carries over to other areas as well: they personally visited farms to determine where beef, produce, and other products would be procured, and had staff uniforms custom-made by a seamstress in the area. I learned that my perfect sleep each night came courtesy of Steve Hall, who purchased beds with silver mesh grounding mats, which, utilizing a copper wire that runs from the bed, through the floors, and into the earth below, balances electrons in the body, much the way electrical appliances are grounded. All I know is that my sleep was deep and uninterrupted.
The Villas
Beyond the sleep-inducing bed, my villa was outfitted with a stunning array of local art, more of those gorgeous carved doors and designer touches like cool coffee tables, sculpture-like light fixtures, and stainless-steel kitchen appliances. At 3,300 square feet, the two-bedroom, two-level villa would have been perfect for two couples. Both bedrooms, one up, one down, have indoor and outdoor showers, a terrace or verandah, and deep soaking tubs. There are seven multi-bedroom beachfront villas in all. Though each has a different décor and layouts vary, they all have private pools, big terraces, and high ceilings. The inn has 10 hotel-style suites.
Guests can dine in their villa or in the open-air restaurant; menus feature a tasty combination of American-style and Belizean dishes like puffy pockets of fried dough (called fry Jack) that improve nearly anything you put inside them, grass-fed steaks and burgers, giant salads, and, of course, local fish, shrimp, and lobster.
Beyond the Resort
When I wasn’t eating, sleeping, or relaxing at the spa, I slowed down and enjoyed my destination, taking out a paddleboard at dawn to meet my neighbors, which, that morning, included a manatee and an eagle ray, lounging at the pool or floating in the ocean. The resort will organize fly fishing, scuba, or deep-sea fishing as well as excursions into Belize’s jungly interior where you can hike through an orchid-strewn rainforest, explore Maya ruins, or try cave tubing through a twisty labyrinth of rivers and caverns. You can also hop aboard the resort’s shuttle boat for the five-minute trip to Placencia, an easygoing beach town filled with shops (including a great bookstore called the Literary Lizard), restaurants, galleries, and a wine bar. You can even take a food tour, as I did with Taste Belize, and learn the difference between salbutes (soft and puffy fried tortillas, showcasing tasty savory toppings but no beans) and garnachas (crispy, and serving similar toppings including beans).“We purposely didn’t make the resort all inclusive because we want our guests to enjoy Placencia,” explains Ginny. “It’s part of the experience of being in Belize.”
I was up early on the last day; after returning from my paddleboard excursion, I checked out, hopped aboard the boat and, just a few hours later, seamlessly re-entered the real world. Relaxed and at ease, I felt like I’d been gone for weeks.
Feature image courtesy of Prana Maya Island Resort
