Tulum Retreat

Posted on Tue Jul 5, 2011 09:25 AM PDT

I went to Tulum, Mexico for my summer retreat and it gets better every time I go.

I highly recommend this beautiful, glorious place for anyone of any age who wants to get away, find health and look years younger. It's a journey, but so worth it. You fly into Cancun, then drive about an hour and 45 minutes to heaven.

Once there, you can stay at a number of great hotels on the Tulum Hotel zone. It's like Gilligan's Island -- if you want the grass hut, you can rent one, or they have a number of beautiful hotels not on the beach. I stayed at Casa Violeta, in the Magnolia suite. What a treat! It was right on the gorgeous, turquoise water. Every room comes with beautiful linens, showers, and continental breakfast.

Once there, I quickly sought out private yoga instruction and massage. After all, I needed my fix and this was the only time I could do something set in stone, religiously every day without having to run off to train someone. And that's exactly what I did -- I created my own program for wellness. I found my way to yoga class with Tomer Tsadok, an Israeli who traveled half way across the world to live and teach yoga in Mexico.

I hired him to come everyday at noon, for our group. I can't recommend Tomer enough. I was with a group of people and we were all at different levels in the practice. At first I didn't know how this would work, teaching a group class, but he couldn't have been better and he inspired us all. Tomer taught the class with great skill and guided all of us carefully through our own levels. Not everyone in our group was there for fitness or yoga but all it took was one class and the entire group wanted to show up everyday. After every class, we'd all have healthy home-cooked meals, swim, sun and massage.

We used two healers who did amazing body work. Carlos and the Mayan healer, Daniel, who was extraordinary and self-taught. "I hear from above what needs to be worked on in your body," he said. He begins by burning incense and chanting an ancient Mayan prayer over your body, while sucks negative energy out of your congested areas with his breath. He balances your energy and aligns your spine. In all my travels I've never had a massage experience quite like this one. He is truly gifted and has the powers to heal. Apparently people from all over the world come to see him who can't walk, or who are very injured and he helps cure them. His contagious smile and great presence make you feel safe even though a few times I found myself opening my eyes to see what prayer or mantra he was doing. He has been healing for 30 years and truly has a gift.

The food in Tulum is superb and makes it easy to stay on a healthy track, as there are multiple ways to make smart choices. We mostly had home-cooked meals but one of our favorite restaurants we tried was called Hartwood in the Tulum Hotel zone. Founded by two Manhattenites, who packed their bags and took off south of the border to live their dream. This was a rustic sanctuary in the middle of the jungle, it was off the chart -- quite possibly the best meal I've ever had. Everything was so fresh -- no chemicals, preservatives, etc -- the way I always recommend to eat.

The lentil and beet salad are to die for. The red snapper is divine, cooked whole in a skillet with oil with fresh herbs. The kitchen has no stove, no walls, just an open fire pit where everything is cooked to perfection.

There is something magical about Tulum that's inspires you to be healthy and motivated, possibly because you are constantly immersed in all the elements of nature; jungle, water beauty, and fresh air. It's not opulent by any means but it's the simplicity and tranquility that bring me back again and again. I cannot wait to plan my next retreat.

For a super summer beach bod, check out some of Nicole's easy-to-do exercises: