Uplift Your Spirit.
Ground Your Senses.
Recharge Your Well-Being.
October 5th - 9th, 2023 Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Photo courtesy of Andrew Kearns
The Simple Luxury
of Mother Nature
Enjoy four nights and five days of ocean-side sunsets and sunrises set on a beautiful private property situated on a mile of pristine private beach surrounded by lush green palms.
“The Elemental Escape Retreat felt like a beautiful dream the entire time I was there. ”
Meet Your Retreat Leaders
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Melissa Richards
Melissa Richards is a creative marketing consultant and yoga instructor with a demonstrated history of work in the beauty, wellness, and fitness industries. When she is not busy helping small brands creatively plan their digital marketing, you can find her traveling, making art, cooking her favorite plant-based meals from home, and of course, practicing & teaching yoga. Melissa has lived and taught all over the east coast, from Miami to New York City, and resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her goal is to help you find a connection back to yourself through the cathartic and purifying practices of breath and movement. Her knowledge and skillset include two 200-hour Yoga Alliance certified trainings in power and ashtanga vinyasa yoga from The Sacred Space Miami and Ahana Yoga in Miami, FL. She is also part of the Yoga Six team and a respected instructor at LifeTime Fitness center in Charlotte, NC, whose team ranks as one of the country's top five best yoga programs.
Testimonials
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“A Playa Viva motto, "Disconnect to Reconnect," perfectly summarizes the retreat experience. I was somehow able to relax and unwind while simultaneously working and focusing on personal growth and healing. From the exquisite locale to the mindful retreat leaders, this experience provides the perfect mix of challenge and respite.”
Murrill O., 2022 attendee
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“This experience was one of the most amazing and best decisions I have ever made. It was life changing and so rewarding and blew away all my expectations. I cannot wait to go back to this paradise with you!”
Ryan M, 2022 attendee
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“This experience was so well curated - from transportation, food, beautiful surroundings, well designed classes, and meaningful impact. I’ll never forget it.”
Anna H., 2022 attendee
The Spirit of the Playa
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Mindful Movement
Throughout your stay at the playa, we will begin and end our days with mindful movement practices, workshops, and opportunities to connect with the powerful elements of nature and the beautiful community of Juluchuca, Mexico.
We promise to help you feel amazing so you can leave the playa feeling rejuvenated, connected, and inspired.
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Environmentally Conscious
Where your vacation meets your values.
Enjoy the unspoiled beauty of Mexico from a luxurious eco resort dedicated to regenerative practices. You’ll fall asleep to the lullaby of the Pacific Ocean and wake to the warm breeze on your skin.
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Farm-to-Table Meals
We believe food is nourishment and an offering of self-love, and for this reason, it should taste and feel good in the body.
Throughout our stay at the playa, you will enjoy three delicious farm-to-table meals a day harvested by the amazing agriculturalists at Playa Viva's farm. Meals will offer dietary options for everyone, including vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, low to no sugar, gluten-free, and anyone with special dietary concerns.
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La Tortuga Viva
Playa Viva founded La Tortuga Viva (LTV) in 2010 to protect endangered Green (Negra) and Leatherback (Laud) turtles that come to the shores of the playa to lay their eggs.
Since then, LTV has safely released over 450,000 baby sea turtles. You can become part of this vital mission by waking up every morning to help these baby turtles reach shore.
What's Included
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Accommodations
Playa Viva was built from the bottom up with regenerative principles in mind. It runs on a 100% off-grid solar system and uses smart water design to conserve water and replenish the local aquifer with even cleaner water. Each unique casita use renewable building materials harvested on-site from the farm.
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Nutrition
All fresh, organic, and farm-to-table meals, snacks, and beverages, including coffee, teas, agua frescas, and filtered water.
(Excludes Smoothies, Organic Coconuts, and Bar.)
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Transportation
Secure Airport Ground Transport (to and from ZIH International Airport.)
Does not include airfare.
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Classes + Workshops
Daily conscious movement practices (think pilates, yoga, and more magic in between) and workshops to help deepen your connection to yourself and the atmosphere around you.
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Mats + Props for Use
Our movement space is fully equipped with Manduka props, such as yoga mats, blocks + and blankets, so that you can travel lighter and take a load off your travel packing list.
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All Taxes + Tip
Taxes, gratuity for the property caretakers and donation to regenerative trust for Turtle Sanctuary and other social and environmental impact work.
Immerse Yourself
in Nature’s Elements…
Eco Treehouse Casita captured by Ryan Forbes
Retreat Pricing
Please note that the pricing below is for our Early Bird Registration. Pricing will go up starting April 1st, 2023.
A 50% deposit is required to save your spot, but fear not! Payment plans are available. Just shoot us an email to elementalescaperetreat@gmail.com
$2,632 per person
Single Occupancy:
Queen Eco-Casita (2 available)
Perfect for the solo traveler, a one-bedroom self-contained “Casita” (little house). This EcoCasita provides complete privacy, and is the only room outfitted with a Queen bed. These rooms have an unobstructed ocean view and have a private bathroom on the same level and feature sliding doors that that open for a 180° degree ocean view or close for complete privacy.
$2,184 per person
Double Occupancy:
King Eco-Casita (4 available)
Perfect for couples or friends traveling together, King EcoCasitas are one-bedroom self-contained “Casitas” (little houses) that provide complete privacy. King EcoCasitas are each outfitted with a king bed plus two comfortable couches. These rooms have an unobstructed ocean view. King EcoCasitas have a private bathroom on the same level and have shutter doors that can open for a full ocean view or close for complete privacy.
$2,384 per person
Double Occupancy:
Private Casita (2 available)
Perfect for a group of friends looking for more space, the Private Casita is a self-contained “casita” (little house). It is our most private casita, with a large bathroom, a dressing area, and a private balcony with a couch, table and chairs and a wonderful unobstructed ocean view. The room is outfitted with three single beds, but can be fitted to one King Bed plus one trundle upon request.
$2,024 per person
Quad Occupancy:
TreeHouses (8 spot available)
Catered for those seeking a special experience of community, the treehouses are suspended in mid-air by palm trees and are made up of two buildings. Each treehouse has a unique design and comfortably sleep four day beds, (two in each room) as well as a private bathroom. These rooms have a beautiful ocean view. Wake and sleep to the sound of the ocean.
Sample Schedule:
6:30 am turtle release
7 am light breakfast
8 am movement practice
9:15 am full breakfast
10 am-on excursions of choice (not included) or free time
5:30 pm intention setting workshop
7 pm dinner
8:30 pm bonfire
Movement practice at the Yoga Shala captured by @nybemotion
FAQs
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As of June 12th, 2022, a negative COVID-19 test is no longer needed to travel in or out of the country. For this reason, we will not require this health test for travel. Still, we encourage you to be mindful of your health two weeks prior to your departure date. Wear a mask around anyone you suspect is sick, elevate your health with nourishing foods, and maybe skip your daily studio workout for the week before travel. Taking care of your health is not just essential for you to have a pleasant travel experience but also out of courtesy to your fellow retreaters. All activities will be outdoors, and you will spend plenty of time in the sunshine, so you will never feel crowded or unsafe. If you do get sick while we are overseas, our retreat partner has a COVID-19 protocol, and our team will make sure to take care of you until you are back in good health.
On that ending note, please pack travel-size Tylenol, Midol, Advil, cough drops, bee propolis, colloidal silver, or whatever fancies your travel pharmacy.
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We require a non-refundable 50% deposit to save your spot. The good news is, we offer payment plans to make this experience affordable and cost efficient.
If you become sick before traveling to the retreat or have an emergency you have to tend to, note that refunds or exchanges are not available. For this reason, we highly encourage you to purchase travel insurance through https://www.insuremytrip.com.
In the case of a natural disaster like a hurricane, tornado, or COVID-19 national lockdown, our retreat space will offer a replacement date up to one year from the original date of our trip.
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We encourage you to keep an open mind when embarking on this once-in-a-lifetime experience; therefore, if you plan on traveling solo and require room placement, we are happy to assist with roommate matching. Otherwise, we have curated our offerings for those seeking more privacy in single, double, triple, and quad rooms within different properties of the retreat space.
If you have any questions, we're just an email away elementalescaperetreat@gmail.com
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Zihuatanejo Ixtapa International Airport (ZIH). Ground Transportation to and from ZIH is included for our retreat guests.If you need assistance choosing your flight, or would like to fly as a group from Miami, FL or Charlotte, NC, please reach out via email to elementalescaperetreat@gmail.com
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We recommend you purchase travel insurance through https://www.insuremytrip.com in case you become ill before or during your trip.
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American citizens do not need visa to travel to Mexico, but travelers will need a valid, up-to-date passport to travel outside the U.S. For travelers from other countries, please check for rules related to visa and passport requirements.
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Yes, they are available! Although we require a deposit to secure your spot, we want to make this experience as accessible as possible. To set up a payment plan, shoot us an email at elementalescaperetreat@gmail.com. All retreaters must complete their payment plans one month before their retreat arrival date.
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WiFi is included, and available for your use in the common areas of the resort.
All images used on our website are shot by a variety of talented photographers whom are passionate about sustainability and regenerative travel.
Photo credit: Kev Steel, Jaquory Lunsford, Lacy Smith, Adriana Gomez, Andrew Kearns, Sam Dameshek, Ryan Forbes and Dave Krugman.