— MARA ANDRADE , GENERAL MANAGER

2021 , the hotel focuses on the playful Acapulco heyday era of the 1950s , where hunky movie stars and glamorous starlets flocked to its pristine beaches in search of fun and frivolity . Mi Amor ’ s owners wanted to explore this concept in a post-pandemic environment — a love that feels connected and playful , adventurous and possibly even seductive . In other words , far removed from sinks full of dishes and divisions of labor spats that consumed couples in the pandemic lockdown .

With just 17 rooms and a spa that has the footprint of a one-bedroom apartment , it ’ s easy to overlook the importance the hotel places on their treatment philosophy , but that would be a mistake . The spa staff are all native to the area and have been trained in the “ Mayan mindset ” as well as a variety of well-known modalities , most recently with reiki and breath work to complement the “ sensual connection ” pillar of the hotel ’ s brand refresh .

“ How do you reconnect to each other in a world that is pulling you every which way ?,” asks Hotel Mi Amor General Manager Mara Andrade .“ First , you must root yourself in your surroundings .”

The service begins before the guest enters the treatment room . A host hands the guest a fresh flower fastened to the end of a pen and a clipboard with a paper that says , Hello and welcome . Why have you come to us today ? Please , be as detailed as possible so we may meet you in the moment . From the onset , the Mayan ethos is at work , drawing on a sense of place to answer that why in the client ’ s body . Through a copal cleansing and rooting ceremonies to the use of historical talismans and indigenous botanicals , the practitioners carry this sense of place thread through the entire treatment process . At the end of the session , the practitioner whispers in Spanish a line from “ The Mayan Prayer of the Seven Directions ”: May everything be known as the light of mutual love . n

" Place " is sacred to Mayan culture precisely because it is the very thing that sustains them . Their culture recognizes no delineation between the space and what it provides to thrive .

CITED REFERENCE :

“ Sacred Sustenance : Maize , Storytelling , and a Maya Sense of Place .” Journal of Latin American Geography , vol . 5 , No . 1 , 2006 , pp . 79-96 . https :// muse . jhu . edu / pub / 15 / article / 198089

KATE LACROIX is a hospitality brand consultant and writer living in Boulder , Colorado . She consults for Colibri Boutique Hotels located in Tulum , Mexico , of which Hotel Mi Amor is a part .

34 PULSE n AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2023