NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The world-renowned Mandara Spa at Atlantis Paradise Island has added a twist to its relaunched Bahamas Botanical Collection: flavorful and refreshing iced bush teas.
The Bahamas Botanical Collection is rooted in island culture and uses the healing properties of native ingredients, specialty Bahamian music and bush tea.
Fever grass, soursop, hibiscus, rose and Sweet Margaret are just some of the native leaf blends that are brewed into a flavorful tea for Mandara Spa guests.
Each tea blend comprises a 100 percent natural combination of leaves, bark and roots, collected throughout the islands of The Bahamas by Pasion Tea Company, founded by Bahamian herbalist Julie Hoffer.
Youlanda Deveaux, Mandara Spa’s regional vice president, Resort Operations, Caribbean and Latin America, said: “The feedback that we have received consistently is that guests feel uplifted and have enjoyed a true Bahamian experience.
“We are taking the pairing of bush teas with spa treatments as seriously as a sommelier would take a fine wine pairing with a great Michelin or five-star-rated dinner.”
Delano Mackey, the spa operations manager at Mandara Spa, is fondly known as “the bush tea sommelier”. One of his roles is to prepare a variety of tasty bush teas daily for spa guests.
“It feels very good to be able to offer guests something Bahamian,” said Mackey.
“It’s an outstanding experience and it makes me feel good to know that I can create something like this. Guests are loving it, and it is a great feeling.
“Some people tell me that I’m supposed to be a butler because I really enjoy anything that has to do with prepping, so this is fun for me.
“I brew these teas every single day. On a slow day, I would do four containers and when it’s very busy, I can make up to 12 gallons.”
Deveaux said: “Delano enjoys conversing with guests about bush teas and he invites all spa guests to take a piece of The Bahamas home with them by purchasing the bush tea blends.
“His thoroughness and passion about what he does is so impressive that we have had guests call him after they return home just to ask for suggestions about what ingredients to incorporate or what to pair with the bush teas they took home from The Bahamas.”
The four bush teas offered at Mandara Spa include: peppermint, feather leaf, orange and ginger tea; Sweet Margaret, peppermint, lime and rose tea; soursop, fever grass and hibiscus tea; and moringa, fever grass and hibiscus tea.
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