• Home
  • About
    • The Expedition
    • The Non-Profit
    • The Reality-TV Show
    • The Race
  • Services
  • Travel
  • Blog
  • Press
  • Shop
  • Contact

Cassie De Pecol

  • Travel
  • Fitness
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Women
Cats•Hotels•Mental Health•Travel

CIVANA

January 3, 2020

Happy 2020! I’m so excited to be diving into a new decade of both years and life. As you all know, I turned 30 this year, and there’s always been something about being a decade older when a new decade is about to begin. I was invited to spend the New Year at CIVANA, a wellness and spa resort located in, get this, Carefree, Arizona. Perfect name for a town where a wellness resort is located if I do say so myself. Before we even begin, it’s worth noting that CIVANA is pet-friendly! Woohoo!

Driving the 6 or so hours from LA, I made sure to leave early so as to not hit traffic. It was a smooth and painless drive, and once I got to the town of Carefree, with massive cactus trees and sunshine, I knew I had reached my destination… Heaven! I love the desert, and make it an annual, if not bi-annual thing to drive either to Joshua Tree or Arizona when I can. Perhaps it’s the wide open spaces, or the attention to detail when it comes to wellness, but either way I’m all for it.

Let’s start with the room and welcome gift! I was on a media trip, so I’m not sure if this is to be expected, but I know that they do offer these healthy truffles and most definitely champagne either way, and it was so nice to walk into my room with the activities menu, room service menu, and spa brochure as well as a little welcome note carefully placed on the desk. It really made me feel organized (organized = stress-free) and welcomed. There was also a sage bundle (smelled incredible), bath salts, and did I mention that these truffles are made of all the good (healthy) ingredients? Count me in!

Happy New Year 2020!

CIVANA has an incredible array of classes, varying from “make your own electrolyte mix” class, to arial yoga, mindful journaling, stretch your spine, to TRX, upper body blaster and mountain biking. I’m always a tad bit skeptical about wellness resorts only offering things like yoga and meditation (don’t judge me, I’m still figuring out how to zen out), but CIVANA makes sure to include an array of high intensity classes and excursions as well, feeding the inner high intensity triathlete in me. 

But with that said, I could not resist the resilient spa treatments. You’d be surprised at how many triathletes know their way around a good, deep tissue massage. I decided to switch things up and go for the Thai massage, which left me feeling completely stretched out, worked out, and renewed. Everything I’d expect and more from a 60 minute Thai massage, I wish it never ended! I also got a Marine Oxygen Facial, and as someone who has only gotten maybe two facials in their lives (bad experiences left me never wanting to get another one again), rest assured, I am now IN LOVE with facials. My facialist was soothing, careful, and paid close attention to my skin, recommending three products to me to help balance discoloration and prevent it from occurring in the future. Whether or not they will work, I needed something to commit to as I approach this next decade. The produces smelled incredible, and felt so good on my skin that I caved and bought the trio :). 

Book Your Stay

If you’re like me, then you seek nature when you’re focusing on inner rejuvenation and self-peace. One of the main reasons as to why I also loved CIVANA, was not only how immersive the resort was in nature, with a path to learn and experience all of the local flora, but that it is located right near a conservation area, with acres of untouched wilderness, perfect for biking, hiking, or just taking a light walk amidst the fantastic wildlife and greenery.

While I could go on and on about CIVANA, I’ll stop here and say that I while I arrived anxious and stressed about the new year, I left feeling accepting and at peace with it all. The desert does something to you, and more-so if you’re immersed in a welcoming environment that encourages self-reflection and positive health and wellbeing. Thank you so much, CIVANA, for hosting me. No questions asked, I will be back to experience more classes, more tasty, healthy, and eclectic cuisine, and next time, I won’t make my friends and family miss out on such a wonderful experience (sorry fam and friends, I wanted this experience all to myself LOL). Until next time!

Book Your Stay
0
0 Leave a Comment

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Posts

Tulum, Mexico

Hotel Spotlight: Soneva Fushi

Hotel Spotlight: Secret Bay

Solo USA Roadtrip [Tips]

Find me on IG @cassiedepecol
I want to see things that I've never seen Quietly I want to see things that I've never seen
Quietly happy and live by the sea 🐠Lips by @theyouthqueen
Necklace by @gorjana
Shawl by @planta_life
There’s something so remarkable about the desert There’s something so remarkable about the desert. I’ve always been so captivated and inspired by it, so much so that I don’t think I could live more than a couple hours drive or flight away. One of the perks of living in Southern California is that I find myself traveling to Joshua Tree, CA and Carefree, AZ at least once or twice a year just to feel that special quiet, freeing, and rejuvenating effect that the desert offers. And @mrkishmere is also a huge fan!🌵That said, you guys have seen my posts the past couple years of my travels and stay at an incredible wellness resort in Carefree, Arizona called CIVANA. So when they reached out to me to be their Ambassador, I jumped right on it and haven’t looked back. 🏜🌙So… not only does this mean more trips to my favorite Carefree, AZ resort, but hopefully more trips for you, too! Next time you book, be sure to use the code “AMBCASSIE” for 20% off CIVANA’s best available rate! 👏🏼With everything I’ve been going through lately, I might just book myself a trip out there next week if I can. Some of my favorite things at @civanaresort are the following:- Spa King Room (always what I book when I go there)
- Revive to Thrive Massage
- Pure Radiance Facial
- Any of the hiking trails nearby (morning hikes are my jam as you guys know)
- Desert Bathing
- Rise and Ride
- Paddle Boarding
And their humanBEING workshop… among so many others! Their gym and pools are also epic. My advice is to leave your phone on “Do Not Disturb” whilst there to get the full experience 😌.Let me know if you book and maybe I’ll do a meet up there sometime this year? If you guys would be down for a meet up and maybe little book signing, let me know 🤍Much love to you guys and be well 💛#civanapartner
Just poppin’ in to say hi 👋🏼!Things have Just poppin’ in to say hi 👋🏼!Things have been pretty tough lately; mentally and physically. There’s sooo much I want to say, and I wish I could speak freely about so many things right now, but I also know that there’s a time and place to do so. In the meantime, I’m doing a lot of thinking, reflecting, writing, listening to a ton of podcasts, and doing a lot of inner work.Something that’s helped me navigate life’s trials and tribulations is looking at my life as though I live within my own “Hero’s Journey” story. I don’t think the Expedition was “The Ordeal”, I think that was just my “Call to Adventure”, and now, l’m still in the “Belly of the Whale” 🐳. It makes life easier to comprehend when I have a storyline to follow. Also, everyone is a hero and is on their own journey.Short or long, however you think of it, in my opinion, we have the perfect amount of time to do with life what we want if we commit ourselves. There are millions of small moments that make it. Millions of cells that make you. And thus, millions of opportunities to work within your capability to turn things around or veer of course (in a good way).If you’re like me right now and stuck in a rut, know that time will heal, and things will be okay. These trials and tribulations only make life more interesting; gives it that extra spice.I’m utilizing this time to divert a little bit, to continue to lead the life I want to live based on what I’ve lived up until this very moment. To do a little adjusting and unearth that inner creative and that fire that got me through to where I am today. If life stayed the same, I’d be so bored. I love these changes and I love a good challenge. Hard as they are in the moment, they provide so much learning and growth 🌱
#ad First trip out of the US this year and it was #ad First trip out of the US this year and it was to one of my favorite countries, Mexico! 🇲🇽
James and I had traveled to a destination we’d never been to before, and though we had a few hiccups along the way (held up at immigration due to a drone issue, lack of COVID tests upon departure, and pretty bad sunburns), we had a fantastic trip. Being hosted at the Viceroy Los Cabos was honestly such a treat 🍹.
In addition to our regular travel insurance, we decided to add CAP Tripside Assistance, which goes beyond travel insurance as a travel protection program to give us that extra padding should something go wrong. Many of my friends travel in/out of Mexico with their drones no problem, but technically (I didn’t know this), it’s illegal to do so, and it’s a new rule, which made things more complicated and confusing. So while the drone immigration issue was scary at the time, I felt at ease knowing that I was covered. Actually, CAP would have helped when I was wrongfully detained in Grenada because immigration thought my vitamins were cocaine 🙈.
I’m so excited to be working with CAP. After traveling every country in the world with insurance, having those extra medical and security travel assistance benefits in 140 countries gives me peace of mind. Feel free to check out their IG, @travelwithcap, to learn more!  #captravelassistance #viceroyloscabos #partnership
So, I’ve never really educated myself on Astrolo So, I’ve never really educated myself on Astrology, just the basics like my sign, Cancer. But recently I’ve been finding it more interesting to learn about.
I punched in my numbers on a few online calculators and got the following for my sun, moon and rising. Do any of you guys know what this means? 🫣☀️ Cancer 🌙 Pisces ⬆️ Sagittarius
When I was in my early twenties (before the expedi When I was in my early twenties (before the expedition), I traveled around the world leading eco tours at boutique hotels. From roaming the beaches with guests seek and release baby sea turtles in Juluchuca, Mexico, to immersing guests in the incredible Achuar indigenous community in the Ecuadorian Amazon, to working with local non profit organizations to provide educational supplies to local schools through guest immersion 📚.My passion for responsible tourism continued through Expedition 196, to today. So when I had the opportunity to work with @loscabostourism and @cabo_adventures l, I jumped on it!They hosted James and I for a special camel riding treat on the beach, and educated us on their eco initiatives, which Cabo Adventures is so excited about (and we were, too!). By providing philanthropic grants to save wildlife, to partnering with local organizations to benefit school children, and taking us through the process of their efforts in plastic reduction through their plastic recycling plant, I couldn’t help but be so inspired to have partnered with a do-good, feel-good tour company 🐫🫶🏼.Wearing @revolve#giftedexperience 🤍
I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. 🌊Nothing else.- Nikos KazantzakisWearing @revolve 👒
Theme by SheShoppes

Copyright © 2022 EXPEDITION 196, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | PRIVACY POLICY