If ‘regenerative travel’ sounds like an oxymoron, then it’s time for a visit to Playa Viva on the west coast of Mexico. It’s a resort where luxury and a serious commitment to the environment sit together comfortably. Julia Platt Leonard takes us on a tour.
A Trip to Playa Viva on the West Coast of Mexico
You could go to Playa Viva and spend your days lazing on a sun lounger under a palm tree, gazing at crystal white sands and an azure Pacific Ocean. To sustain energy for leafing through the stack of books you brought with you, you’d join other guests for farm-to-table meals, held communally three times a day.
An afternoon foray to the bar for their signature basil margarita wouldn’t be a bad idea, so you could toast another glorious sunset. If you can muster the energy, a short amble down the beach would reward you with a deep tissue massage in a beachside bungalow, as you’re serenaded by the lapping waves of the ocean.
But if that’s all you did, you’d miss out on what makes Playa Viva, well, Playa Viva. While some other beach resorts hermetically seal guests away from surrounding villages and life – Playa Viva not only welcomes that life in, but invites you to journey out to experience it. That could mean a dawn visit to the turtle sanctuary to watch as staff and volunteers release hours-old turtles back into the ocean. Or an ATV ride up the mountain to visit with the Gutierrez family who grow cacao and coffee. The air is cool and the hospitality warm as they prepare you an early lunch of the best black beans you’ve ever tasted, along with tortillas cooked before your eyes.
Baby turtles from the turtle sanctuary at Playa Viva take their first strokes after being released into the water.
Explore the Coast While Leaving Time for Yourself
Other excursions provide a glimpse not only into coastal life but also the work Playa Viva is doing to protect it, like safeguarding the vitality of the watershed which flows from the Sierra Madre mountains down to the ocean. Hop on the farm truck for a tour with Permaculture Manager Amanda Harris. She’s responsible for the 200 acres of land that comprise Playa Viva and helps ensure it’s a healthy ecosystem. She’s smart, passionate, and funny. And if you keep your eyes peeled, you’ll probably spot the lettuce growing that you’ll eat later that day.
Chocolate tamales using 70% pure cacao chocolate from the Gutierrez farm in the Sierras.
But whether you’re hoping for a day fishing or touring a Pacific wetland, don’t schedule anything until you arrive. Why wait? Playa Viva co-founder David Leventhal says it’s to allow time for what he calls the “Playa Valium” to kick in. “I think our lives are over-scheduled as it is, and there’s something about arriving and letting go and feeling like you can do nothing and that’s okay,” he told me.
An Emphasis on Rest
And he’s right. I arrived dressed for cold climes in black and wool, squinting to see so much sun in winter. A host welcomed me, offered a cool drink, and took me and fellow guests on a tour. I shed the black quickly but it took longer to stash my cell phone and computer. Eventually, my breathing grew slower and deeper.
Morning yoga to waken your senses and limber your body.
Morning yoga classes in an oceanside shala (the Sanskrit word for “home”) helped limber up my body and calm my chattering mind. Staff and guests sit together for meals (perfect for the solo traveller) so soon you’re on a first name basis and sharing life stories. It’s luxury but on a decidedly human scale and as they like to say, without the guilt.
Making coconut candies by hand at the nearby village of Juluchuca.
Rest and Rejuvenate at Playa Viva at a Real Vacation
It’s all part of Playa Viva’s reputation as a regenerative travel destination and if that sounds too good to be true (and trust me, it did to me, too), it’s not. Leventhal gets as excited taking guests on an impromptu tour to show how grey water is used to irrigate the gardens and a peek at their solar powered electrical room (they’re 100% off-grid), as he does showing off the latest bamboo-constructed treehouse with lofty ceilings and jaw-dropping ocean views.
The sound of crashing waves lulls you to sleep at a Playa Viva treehouse.
And that’s the thing about Playa Viva – it proves that luxury travel doesn’t have to take a toll on the planet. “You can have so much richness and still be immersed in nature,” Leventhal says. It’s all about small choices like cooking with seasonal ingredients grown on their own farm or by neighboring farmers, to beds made up with organic sheets that invite you to rest after a long day. It’s staying at a place that cares as much about its community as it does about its guests. And a place that leaves you feeling good rather than guilty when you check out.
Leventhal likes to share what a guest once said to him: “You check all my boxes … even boxes I didn’t know I had.”
Story by Julia Platt Leonard
Photography Courtesy of Playa Viva
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