Having kids is, hands down, the best decision I’ve made. Motherhood has been as beautiful and rewarding and joyful as the schmaltziest card you got at your baby shower promised it would be. But even in the rosy glow of family life, one runs into the inevitability that your wants and sometimes even needs often come second to those of your children. Even when you make a real effort to focus on your wellness and bask in “me time,” it’s rarely sufficient. Sorry babe, that two-hour hike is beautifully restorative, but it’s only going to do so much. So when I was invited to preview a wellness weekend at Baha Mar, the Bahamas’ leading luxury resort, curated by thee Gwyneth Paltrow’s goop brand, saying yes was a no-brainer. But I really didn’t realize just how much of a hard reboot I was in for.
The Weekend: An Overview
Taking place September 13-15, 2024 (with reservations available to book now), this transformative retreat offers a weekend of curated wellness experiences, including invigorating workout classes and mindfulness sessions led by expert celebrity trainers, sustainably prepared healthy meals, spa treatments, and plenty of relaxation and free time.
Weekend packages, which include all the activities I’ll highlight below, can be booked now by visiting www.bahamar.com/wellness-weekend.
Friday
I arrived in Nassau, a quick 3-hour flight from New York City, and was whisked away to Baha Mar. Composed of three distinct hotels — Grand Hyatt, SLS, and Rosewood — Baha Mar also features (and this is not a comprehensive list by far) a truly impressive water park, a casino, amazing shopping, a golf course, interactive wildlife sanctuaries, a luxury spa, and much, much more. I lost count of the number of restaurants and pools. This is to say nothing of the stunning beach. My first thought was that this would be an ideal vacation spot to bring my kids — there was so much they would have loved.
Someday, but not today. This was mama’s time.
The weekend’s first event is a Mix and Mingle at Marcus Fish + Chop House, an oceanfront rooftop venue at Baha Mar, where you will meet both the other guests as well as the celebrity trainers you’ll be spending time with.
Not only were we treated to a delicious, healthy, Bahamian-inspired dinner with an eye toward sustainability and craft cocktails (I’m still dreaming of a carrot margarita... I know how it sounds but trust me it was delicious), but the decor was a floral wonderland. Watching the sun set over the brilliant blue of the Caribbean was an auspicious start.
Saturday
Saturday begins at 9 a.m. with a 45-minute dance cardio TORCHD class with Isaac Boots. The sustainable, no-equipment-required workout burns fat, builds stamina, and is largely based on Boots’ background as a dancer and choreographer. Boots will tell you himself that the program, which looks easy but is not, is well-named. “I’m torturing you... because I’m a Scorpio,” he says cheekily at one point. But despite the intensity, Boots is funny (“I need you to picture whoever you need to picture underneath you to get lower into this plié.”), engaging, and the first to tell you to take a beat when you need it. We’re regularly reminded that knowing your limits — and when to push them — is an important part of training.
As the session wrapped, even though I was thoroughly TORCHD, I felt amazing... and also hungry enough to enjoy the amazing spread of healthy and delicious breakfast foods. And just then, blissed out on endorphins and eating, the resort’s ambassador flamingos came out to play. There should be a word for the particular joy you feel when some of nature’s most majestic birds strut inches away from you.
After all that excitement we needed to calm down, and I’m guessing September guests will as well. Fortunately, Koya Webb is on hand for a healing flow yoga session.
You know how there are some people out there who just sort of... float? They exude light? That’s Koya. While the session was gentle, she still encouraged us to go into more challenging poses if we felt the urge. “If you fall in this inversion, please laugh,” she tells us at one point. (I did fall. I did laugh. It was fine.)
After the session ends, grab your goop gift bag (I fear the day I run out of my goop Glow Exfoliator) and enjoy the afternoon at your leisure. Starting at noon, guests can enjoy Baha Mar’s beautiful, members-only club and pool, Nexus, founded by Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake, where you can get food and drinks and relax with the other guests and trainers. I enjoyed splitting my afternoon between Nexus and the beach. Because why go to the Caribbean if you’re not going to go to the Caribbean, you know?
In the late afternoon, Wellness Weekenders will get to enjoy a complimentary session at ESPA Spa, where I enjoyed a much needed full body massage. (Do you know a mom on the planet who couldn’t use one of those?)
The day concludes with a choice of dining at one of Baha Mar’s renowned restaurants: Cleo Mediterranean, Marcus at Baha Mar Fish + Chop House, Costa, or The Kitchen (more on that in a bit).
I headed over to Costa, the resort’s Mexican restaurant for a delicious dinner and equally enjoyable conversation with fellow guests. After grabbing some post-dinner drinks in the casino, I quickly passed out in my plush bed.
Saturday
The second full day follows a similar pattern as the first, only this morning you will wake up extremely aware that you were in Isaac’s class the day before. (Thank goodness for that massage.)
The morning begins with Breakthrough Breathwork with Koya and when I tell you this session was basically a religious experience I am not joking.
After mid-morning break with goop delicious smoothies and light refreshments, you’ll enjoy another session with Isaac. And, look, did I take breaks? Yes. But that second workout really gave me a sense that this workout was something I could incorporate into my non-resort life.
With the sessions done, you can once again head to Nexus to relax by the pool with cocktails and other refreshments. I also took time this day to check out the water park with some of my new wellness gal pals, which was so much fun I still won’t tell my kids about it because they would get too jealous.
Guests heading to the Wellness Weekend in September will enjoy a new experience I didn’t get to attend: a late afternoon catamaran cruise. I don’t know about you but I’ve never met a catamaran I didn’t like, and having spent plenty of time on the beach I can just imagine bobbing out on the tranquil waters of the warm ocean.
For dinner, I headed to The Kitchen, Baha Mar’s culinary venue and learning center, for an interactive cooking class where Chef Tevin Kemp and his amazing team worked with us step by step to prepare our dinner. The Bahamian meal consisted of of lion fish with root vegetables and johnnycakes. Now I know what you’re thinking: why would I cook on vacation? I get it. But all the prep and clean up was done for us and the kitchen staff whipped up dessert. Also, if you’re lucky, Tevin will sing for you while you cook. (Voice of an angel, that one.)
After we enjoyed the fruits of out labor, a bunch of us hit the casino and Rosewood’s sophisticated Manor Bar for last night cocktails.
The TL;DR
From the resort itself to the weekend of activities, the amazing instructors to the food, The Baha Mar Wellness Weekend was an incredible treat. I’d say I didn’t know I needed it, but come on: I did because what mom doesn’t need a weekend in paradise focused on her physical and emotional well-being? That said, I don’t think I understood the depth of how badly I needed something like this.
I am still in touch with a number of the women I met and have tuned into Isaac’s Instagram workout sessions... OK not every day because I’m back to #momlife, but some days which I think counts for something. I’ve taken a dive into meditation based on my sessions with Koya, which is something I never thought I would make a part of my daily life, but I have and I think I’ve benefitted enormously. And if a two-hour hike can be restorative, you can imagine how long a weekend on a white sandy beach can sustain the soul...
So yes, next time I head to Baha Mar I just might bring the kids, but I’m so glad I took my first visit just for me.
Packages start at $1,500 and include all experiences listed. For more information on the Baha Mar Wellness Weekend, visit www.bahamar.com/wellness-weekend.
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