There are plenty of on- and off-property options for Miraval Berkshires activities; some will cost money while others are free of charge.

View other posts in this series:

• Miraval Berkshires Review: A Pristine Resort in the Northeast
• Harvest Moon and Roost: Simple Dining at Miraval Berkshires
• Miraval Berkshires 1894 Restaurant – An Exquisite Dinner for Two
• Miraval Berkshires Activities: The Best Feature of the Resort (this post)
• Comparing Miraval Berkshires With Alila Ventana: Which Is Better?

We didn’t get a chance to try every activity, but we do have some thoughts on what we did experience.

On-property Miraval Berkshires activities

If you’re looking to just relax at the Miraval Berkshires, that’s certainly possible and welcome. There isn’t too much extra to do on your own, but we found enough to keep us busy when we weren’t in an activity.

Pools

There are two pools at the Miraval Berkshires, one outdoors and one indoors. The outdoor pool is a lovely place just to hang out even if you’re not looking to get into the water. It never got too crowded outside over Labor Day weekend, which is great.

While you’re here, check out the serene rock garden for some quiet outdoor time. Though, to be honest, there isn’t much to do here other than recharging your mental state.

You’ll find the indoor pool near the fitness center. While it’s mostly open during the day, there are times with scheduled swims. There is a sign posted outside the entrance that shows off the times it’s closed.

The indoor pool has three lanes, and is intended more for lap swimming. However, this is probably the place you’ll want to come swim during colder months.

Life in Balance Spa

There is a spa on-site, and your daily $175 resort credit can be applied towards the spa. If you’re looking for a service, you’re going to want to schedule it early on, around when the window opens to schedule your activities. Timeslots get booked up fairly quickly, or so we were told by the phone agent. We didn’t attempt a spa treatment this trip as we were more interested in being active.

I believe there are hot tubs through these doors, but I’d admit we didn’t have a chance to go inside and peek around.

Fitness Center

This is a pretty well-rounded fitness center. You can really tell that the Miraval Berkshires makes a good effort to focus on well-being, and that extends here too. Plenty of machines to use and plenty of natural lighting.

There are also lots of free weights, in the event you don’t want to use the machines.

Also in a corner are some kettlebells and medicine balls. Something for everyone here.

Visiting the animals

There’s a nice walk around the property you could do if you have some time. The path leads around the property and under the main road through Lenox.

When no cars pass by, it’s fairly serene along the walk. Just watch out for golf carts going back and forth. The driving range is on one side of the road and the golf course is on the other, right by Wyndhurst Manor.

There are a few different animals we could see and hear over here. There looked to be a group in the stable, so we didn’t get a chance to venture in and see what else awaited. But we did see a pair of horses wandering around.

I kind of liked the black-and-white cow pattern on this one, but this horse seemed a little more agitated based on all the whinnying.

Golf is free too

One of the biggest perks for golfers is the 18-hole course on property. The historic course and 10-acre driving range are actually free with your stay (greens, cart, and range usage). Club rentals, lessons, and clinics are available for an additional cost.

Note that outdoor golf closes for the season in November and will return in the spring. However, they have an indoor simulator in its place.

You’ll find at least some of the holes adjacent to the Wyndhurst Manor.

Plenty of experiences to choose from to personalize your stay

When you arrive on property, as part of the welcome packet of information, the front desk gives you a booklet that outlines all the activities at the property that month. Of course, the funny part is if you wait until you get on property to choose your activities based on the booklet, odds are it will already be filled. Sure, there are some last-minute cancelations or changes, but I’m not sure the booklet is all that warranted.

You could request this guide for free online before your stay. Or, there is an online version if you prefer not adding clutter to your house.

Also, one other thing to note: it’s probably best practice to re-confirm your activity selections before you get to the hotel, and again at the front desk. Somewhere along the way, we lost the Stretch & Relax 1 course on our second day. The confirmation after booking had it listed, but it was gone when we arrived at the hotel and no one informed us of the discrepancy. We chose not to fight it since our day felt a little too booked as it was, but it’s good to be aware that it can happen.

We did a total of four activities during our two-night stay. Booking activities is possible for both the day you arrive and depart, but try not to be too ambitious. We’ve arranged our discussion of the activities we did from easiest to most challenging.

You can book activities yourself online, but we found it easier to just call and have them do it. Either way, check the activities calendar for what’s available prior to booking your stay. Some of these cost money, but you can use your daily $175 resort credit towards the activities that cost money.

Beaver Pond Loop

This morning walk is off-property, so you’ll need to take a van. Most off-property activities will depart from Millhouse Court, which is just down the hall from Harvest Moon. This walk starts at 8AM and we were back at the hotel by 9:30AM.

This is a low-intensity walk around the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, just a couple of miles away from the Miraval Berkshires.

You won’t need to go off the beaten trail on this walk, which is good because there can be ticks if you’re here in the fall. Our guide, Cruiser, talked extensively about the native plant life along with which species are invasive.

We didn’t see any beavers on the walk, but we saw plenty of evidence of their handiwork. Take this tree, which the beavers toppled over and left it some time ago. Sadly, many of the beavers left the area in recent years as park rangers put up fencing around some of the trees that look ready to fall.

Beavers take about three bites at a time and listen to make sure the tree can handle it. Only one beaver works on a tree at a time to avoid getting squished when it falls. Trees are their predators, in a way.

There are a couple of signs by the pond–a pond that the beavers made themselves. You’ll get to see their lodges out in the pond, which offers plenty of protection from predators. Beavers are actually quite large, growing up to about five feet tall when on their hind legs. Jenn better watch out as she’s also the same height.

We saw a total of two lodges, but neither of them are currently in use.

One bit of an anomaly that we saw on the walk was this white pine. Normally it grows straight up to the sky. But this one ended up getting a few clusters from the same trunk.

Overall, it’s a real lovely walk and a nice start to the day. Not challenging at all, which helps if you’re perhaps sore from the night before.

Fundamentals of Kayaking

A couple of miles in the opposite direction from the beaver pond loop is a rather lovely lake. We were quite blessed by such great weather, as it was an incredibly beautiful day out on the lake. It did get a little windy out on the lake, but overall it’s not too bad.

Before we got out on the water, our guide Casey walked us through how to get on and off, and how to paddle. These kayaks are pretty easy to use and well-balanced, making it a little challenging to fall. You could also use these as stand-up paddleboards, and Casey even encouraged it for those who were brave. I gave it a try and, yeah, it’s indeed pretty easy to use. She said it could get challenging to go from sitting to standing and not fall, but I just went for it and stood up, which was easier. If you have a core, that is.

All of the kayaks were lined up by the shore. We all needed to wear lifejackets as a precaution, but no one fell in from our group. One more thing to know: the lake water is pretty cold, even in late August. Your legs up to about your knees will get wet, so don’t wear jeans or pants.

Along the way around the lake, we saw a bald eagle protecting its nest high up in the tree. You can see it in the top half of the photo below.

These kayaks are one-seaters, so you won’t benefit from others doing the work. Each attendee will need to paddle themselves. I considered this a pretty easy activity, but Jenn lacks arm strength and found it challenging. Go at your own pace.

There are some sea turtles in the lake, but we didn’t get a chance to see them. But that’s OK–we don’t need to see everything on a single trip.

I attempted to take a panoramic shot from my kayak while in the middle of the lake. Overall, I think we enjoyed this activity the most. We’d highly recommend it.

The Way of the Archer

On the other side of the road is where you’ll find the indoor archery range. Before getting started, you’ll get a lesson on how to shoot and when to shoot, so that you don’t injure yourself or others. You’ll also get an arm protector, which is a must. However, somehow Jenn still managed to get a massive bruise on her arm that lasted for weeks. Oops.

There are plenty of 30-lb recurve bows, but there’s also a 60-lb compound bow available if you want to try it out. The one regret I have from our visit is that I didn’t try out the compound bow. But if that’s the worst thing to feel like I missed out on, it was a pretty good trip.

We took turns shooting downrange, starting with simple exercises and then layering on “trick shots” as our instructor called it. One example was everyone loosing their arrow at a single target. Or, a volley that took place one-by-one in quick succession. Jenn showed some progress throughout the afternoon, eventually getting all arrows to stick on the target.

For me, I have to admit that archery is somewhat like riding a bike. I learned how to loose arrows back at UCLA (for fun, not competitively other than just for bragging rights). I was able to cluster them fairly well around the target. Maybe I need to take up some more archery classes back at home.

So why do I consider this more challenging than the kayaking activity? Because there is a very personal emotional element to this archery session. You’re supposed to open yourself up to deeper emotional pains, things that others used to minimize you, and then conquer them over the course of your time here. At the end, you’ll place a balloon on your target and pop it, symbolizing your ability to overcome your challenges. This one is pretty mentally draining if you open yourself up fully.

Zen Bootcamp

And now the toughest activity of our stay–the zen bootcamp. I was hopeful that it would be too intense given the word “zen” in the title, but that was a mistake on my part. Bring running shoes!

The activity starts upstairs, above the fitness center. But you won’t just be indoors the whole time. We did four laps around the parking lot, followed by plenty of different exercises that activated multiple muscle groups. No description I can give can accurately describe everything you’ll do, but it’s nonstop action. If you need to take a breather, then take one.

I had some soreness the next day but Jenn was worse off. She ended up getting quite the workout from this supposed relaxing vacation: she got heavy bruising from archery, her arms were shredded from kayaking, and this zen bootcamp just took her completely out. Come if you’re ready for a challenge, but I found it oddly fun.

Stay tuned for the next installment where we will compare Miraval Berkshires with Alila Ventana Big Sur.