Haute Living Magazine, February 2024
Himalayan-born Yogi Rakesh Thapliyal leads an afternoon Lunar Rejuvenation Yoga session, the opposite of a sun salutation in that it is based on calming and balancing rather than warming up and rejuvenation. Lunar yoga is apropos in the glorious locale known as Half Moon Bay, California. And it’s even better in the luxurious surrounds of the Ritz Carlton, just feet from the edge of the dramatic, perilous cliffs looking over the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.
Rakesh is a marvel in himself, exuding positivity and gentle pressure to push further and stay longer in each position. Talk of his guru and various hand-to-face postures fuse wellness with education. He is a star example of the Half Moon Bay staff, who blend warmth and friendliness with top-tier service. Every staff member seems to love what they do and goes out of their way to ensure guests’ experiences are all the glossy ads promise.
The Ritz-Carlton’s Resort Retreat
The hotel’s recently reconfigured Resort Retreat package allows guests to tailor a self-care journey. They can choose from expert-led workshops like Power Bowl-Making, specialized indoor or outdoor meditation and yoga offerings, rejuvenating spa treatments, and more. The resort offers luxurious guest rooms and marble-heavy baths that showcase the luxury the Ritz Carlton is known for, and it also provides a gloriously relaxing full-service spa with 15 private treatment rooms for massages and facials.
Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay’s wellness retreat is a total health experience for the body, mind, stomach, and soul. Activities like coastal hiking, biking, indoor pickleball, and swimming add to the allure of the stunning golf course—one of the resort’s biggest draws. Because of the scenic view, guests lounge at the large Ocean Terrace for cocktails/mocktails and light lunch around communal fire pits. It’s like an apres-ski experience, minus the skiing.
The Ritz Carlton, Half Moon Bay is the San Francisco Bay Area’s only oceanfront resort; the 261-room hotel overlooks 50 miles of pristine California coastline. Despite being 23 minutes southwest of the San Francisco International Airport, the resort feels like a secluded spot on the Scottish coast. Golfers can relish in 36 holes of oceanfront championship golf, and to add to the Scottish experience, at the end of the day, a kilt-wearing bagpiper walks past the Ocean Terrace, playing as the sun sets.
Unlike some wellness retreats, the Half Moon Bay Resort Retreat isn’t about required silence, scarcity, or sweat—it is more of a well-nourished, well-tended-to relaxation. Guests leave a little lighter in step and spirit, feeling un-deprived and life-affirmed. Meals run the gamut from chicory salads and beet juice to racks of lamb and Wagyu beef tartare; drinks range from creative mocktail concoctions to a wine selection from the world’s greatest cellars. One standout menu item is the Half Moon Bay Cioppino, but don’t miss the do-it-yourself s’mores available for those lucky suites with a private fire pit on the terrace.
Wellness weekends have never tasted this good.
All Photos Courtesy of Layne Randolph
