Ninety minutes beyond the U.S.’s southern border in Baja California wine country, Banyan Tree Veya Valle de Guadalupe opens today, marking the brand’s first property in the Americas and its second Veya spin-off.
The 30-year-old, Singapore-based Banyan Tree Group, whose portfolio numbers around 70 hotels and resorts in over 20 countries, road-tested its first Veya in Phuket . To see what its latest iteration offers, Robb Report checked in for an exclusive first look at the wellness-focused offshoot. “The region is pretty well known to Mexicans, but this type of lodging was missing to attract international visitors,” says Ximena Dipp, general manager of the 16-acre property.
“We are a pioneer: Banyan Tree Veya Valle de Guadalupe is a destination-defining opening.” She adds that this is the “first real Veya” in that it’s freestanding, unlike the Phuket property. “Guests will immediately see the difference between a Veya and the Banyan Tree in all the extras in the rooms, how the rooms are appointed,” she says.
Many of those appointments in the resorts 30 freestanding villas are wellness themed. We saw yoga mats, singing bowls, and tablets with meditation guides. What you won’t find are sugary sodas and snacks in the mini bar—instead, expect biome boosting kombucha, shot juices, and a bottle of the resort’s own Pictograma wine, made with the grapes grown on the property.
Each villa also comes with a private plunge pool on its terrace, as well as its ow.