7 Reasons to Attend a Yoga Diving Retreat at True Blue Bay Boutique Resort
As I brainstormed ways to welcome in my 29th year, I knew I wanted something relaxing, reflective, and slow-paced, with a hint of adventure. One of my college friends, Malaika, is from and lives in Grenada and has been trying to get me down there for a while. Malaika is a Yoga Teacher and helps put on a lot of retreats in Grenada. She told me about a Scuba Yoga Day retreat at the True Blue Bay Boutique Resort, and I immediately knew I found my birthday trip! I’m always up to challenging myself. I’ve had a paralyzing fear of the deep ocean for years, so I used this trip to conquer my phobia. I started taking swim lessons two months before my trip to help me get comfortable in the water. My solo adventure to the Scuba Yoga Day retreat and staying at True Blue Bay helped me enter year 29 feeling rejuvenated and recharged!
Here are 7 reasons why you should attend a retreat at True Blue Boutique Resort:
1) Colorful Facilities
As soon as I arrived at True Blue Bay, I was immediately happier. The colorful buildings and decor are the epitome of Caribbean comfort and charm. True Blue Bay has a variety of accommodations to suit its guests—villas, suites, and rooms.
The villas are luxurious two-bedroom units with a private lounge pool. They are just steps away from the beach pool. True Blue has four types of suites: Tour Suites, Garden View Suites, Waterfront Suites, and Honeybee Suites. I stood in the waterfront suite, which had a fantastic view of the marina and the bay from two patios! The patio was the perfect place to get some journaling done. Also, my bed was incredibly comfortable. Sometimes, I have difficulty falling asleep in beds other than my own, but the sounds of the water put me right to sleep. The villas and suites are perfect for couples, families, or group trips.
True Blue has three types of rooms: True Blue style rooms, Indigo rooms, and Bay view rooms. These rooms are simpler in design yet still as cozy as the others. True Blue is building more rooms that should be available in January 2019. I toured the resort facilities and noticed that each type of room had a Caribbean chic vibe (high ceilings, vibrant decor, and spaciousness). Also, no matter your room choice, you get a gorgeous view of the garden grounds or the water!
2) Eco-Friendly
With climate change becoming increasingly apparent, I’ve been working hard to become a more environmentally-conscious traveler. True Blue was rated the 2nd most environmentally sustainable hotel in the Caribbean. They even have a Green Group on-site to ensure they do their best to keep the hotel eco-friendly. The new rooms that they are creating will be powered by solar energy!
3) Courteous Staff
The staff at True Blue were incredibly friendly and accommodating. My flight back home was in the late afternoon, and I was able to check out a little later. They fulfill their mission of “making guests happy and being happy while doing so.” One unique feature the hotel offers is a complimentary turn-down service in the evening, where housekeeping freshens up the room, refills the ice bucket, and gives you delicious Grenadian chocolate.
4) Highly Sought-After Spa Services
I made the mistake of thinking I could get a reservation at the Blue Haven Spa upon my arrival at True Blue. The spa is popular among locals and people staying at the resort, so they are almost always booked. They offer all the standard spa services, including special chocolate spa packages like chocolate facials, chocolate body wraps, and mocha body scrub.
5) Daily Social Events & Activities
Social Events
There’s always something happening at True Blue Bay, as they have several themed cultural and food-related nights throughout the week:
Sundays – Family brunch with specials
Mondays – Wings, Beer, and pizza special
Tuesdays – Rum and chocolate tasting
Wednesdays – Street food village with live entertainment
Thursdays – a cooking class
Fridays – a Mexicaribbean night with Mexican and Caribbean dishes and live Latin dancers and music
Saturday – live romantic music
Activities
One of my many highlights of staying at True Blue was taking yoga classes at the Sankalpa Yoga Studio. It’s a beautiful tree-top ocean-view space. The teachers specialize in Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Yin Yoga, Yin Yang Yoga, and Therapeutic Yoga. There are also a variety of water sports activities available to guests.
6) Delicious Local Cuisine
I loved how I didn’t have to get off the resort to taste delicious, authentic local food. The onsite restaurant, Dodgy Dock, offers an array of local and international cuisines. I enjoyed the abundance of fresh fruit juices and tea available during breakfast. Dodgy Dock is expanding its menu to include more vegan and vegetarian options.
The restaurant is a beautiful open space with a lovely view of the marina, but it comes with a price… birds!! There were birds everywhere, and they would try to steal your food, so cover it if you step away from your plate.
7) Boost Your Underwater Confidence & Connection with Nature
Day retreats are perfect for people like myself who have limited vacation time. It was the best of both worlds because I could experience something unique while still having time to get off the resort to explore the country. As mentioned, I decided to go on a Scuba Yoga retreat to push myself to get more comfortable in the water. I took swimming lessons to prepare for the trip. However, you don’t need to know how to swim to scuba dive. Your equipment does most of the work; your biggest responsibilities will be breathing through your mouth and kicking your legs. At first, scuba and yoga may seem like a random combination. But it is the perfect combination if you have any nerves about diving. The yoga relaxed us, kept us present, and regulated our breathing — all practices that lend themselves well to scuba diving.
We started our morning with introductions and a relaxing, gentle-flow yoga session led by Malaika focused on Ahimsa (non-harming). Ahimsa is a foundational yogic principle where we approach nature and all our fellow beings with a deeper awareness and compassion. After yoga, we ate a delicious hot breakfast at the Dodgy Dock.
The Scuba diving portion of the retreat was led by talented staff at Aquanauts Dive Grenada. A major drive behind Aquanauts is conservation through a stronger connection to the ocean. Following breakfast, we completed our short Discover Scuba Diving course (a short video and a quiz), grabbed our scuba gear, and practiced in the pool. This is when I appreciated the small, intimate group size. We were accompanied by two dive masters who worked with us in groups of 2-3 in the pool. We weren’t rushed and were given the attention we needed.
Unfortunately, due to a bad thunderstorm the previous day, the visibility in the ocean was poor, so our ocean dive was postponed. Although I was a little bummed by this, I appreciate the Aquanauts doing their due diligence to check the ocean’s conditions before our dive. Most of the group were first-time divers, so exploring murky waters wouldn’t have been a great first-diving experience. Despite being unable to dive in the ocean, I still enjoyed developing my scuba skill set in the pool, and the interruption gave me another reason to return to Grenada! We ended the retreat with many laughs and a mouthwatering lunch at Dodgy Dock. Another unique part of the retreat was the fantastic people I met. It was a group of 8 people — a good mix of locals and Saint George’s University students.
The Scuba Yoga Day was my first wellness retreat; I’m now hooked! A retreat can be a unique way to explore a new destination.
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Disclaimer: I was a guest of True Blue Bay Boutique Resort, but all opinions here are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. Thanks for supporting the free content on this site!
