Surf & Sol Retreat is an immersive experience designed to reconnect you with your body, the ocean, and a slower, more intentional way of living. Set in the coastal village of San Pancho, our days unfold in rhythm with nature: surf sessions, nourishing ancestral-inspired meals prepared with reverence, and grounding practices that invite presence, strength, and clarity.  There is space to move, to rest, to listen, space to remember what matters when we slow down enough to feel.

Surf & Sol is an invitation to step out of a culture of disconnection and into a way of being that honors creativity, responsibility to place, and care for life. We are not offering solutions or asking you to become someone new, only an opportunity to remember who you are beneath the noise, beyond the illusion of separation. A return to heart, to humanity, and to living in service of love.

This is not a luxury escape built on excess or distraction. It’s a thoughtfully curated container rooted in nature, movement, and real human connection. You’ll spend your days in the ocean, sharing meals, resting deeply, and rediscovering the quiet aliveness that comes from living close to the elements and to one another.

Surf & Sol welcomes people of all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences. No prior surf experience is required, only curiosity, openness, and a willingness to listen. You’ll be held in a supportive environment where you’re invited to arrive exactly as you are.

As you arrive in San Pancho, you’ll be welcomed into the relaxed rhythm of this coastal village—where jungle meets ocean and time begins to soften. After settling into your accommodations, we’ll gather for our first evening together, marking the beginning of our shared journey.

The evening will open with a nourishing welcome dinner prepared by nutritional chef Naano Maddy, alongside co-host Monica of Casa Cura Wellness, offering a thoughtfully curated meal to ground and restore after travel.

We’ll then come together in an opening circle of introductions, creating space to connect, set intentions, and share what to expect over the days ahead.

Every morning begins with a nourishing breakfast, easing us into the day and preparing the body for the experiences ahead.

Days 2 & 3 — Surfing Along Bahía de Banderas

Our surf instructors will meet us at the house and guide us to a carefully selected surf break along Bahía de Banderas. Each session is designed to invite presence, trust, and embodied listening, meeting the ocean with awareness rather than force.

After our time in the water, we return home for a delicious, grounding lunch. The afternoon is intentionally open and spacious. This is time to rest, replenish, journal, nap, receive bodywork, or simply be. Integration is not an afterthought here; it is part of the practice.

Day 4 — Sunday: Open Morning + Malpaso Sunset Hike

Sunday begins with an open morning and early afternoon, allowing guests to choose how they’d like to spend their time. Options may include another surf session with instructors, snorkeling, booking a massage, or exploring town and nearby areas. Hosts are available to recommend local spots, help arrange transportation, and support you in creating a fulfilling experience that feels aligned and easeful.

At 3:30 PM, guests will gather back at the retreat space as we prepare for the Malpaso Sunset Hike. Taxis will pick us up around 4:00 PM and transport us to the trailhead, where Monica will guide the group on this secluded and special journey.

The hike is an easy 1.4-mile jungle trail leading to a scenic, secluded beach just north of Sayulita. Along the way, the path offers shaded stretches, golden sands, and optional extensions toward San Pancho. The full experience lasts approximately 1–1.5 hours.

Guests should bring water, a hat, sunscreen, and a bathing suit. Light snacks will be provided by the hosts.

Evenings: Explore + Play

Evenings are relaxed and unstructured, offering space for natural connection and open plans. You might join the group for dinner in town, explore local flavors and culture, or follow the call of spontaneous joy, salsa dancing, live music, or a sunset walk along the beach.

Our final days invite integration and gentle completion. Participants may choose to participate in a final surf session or engage in optional activities to solidify their experiences. We gather for a closing circle to honor the journey and onward.

Villa Raul is a private jungle retreat in Las Olas Residencial in San Pancho, Mexico. Set on a secluded 28 acre gated beachfront community, the property offers two pools, open-air gathering spaces, and peaceful accommodations designed for rest and connection. Guests are just steps from the beach and a short walk from local restaurants and shops, blending effortless ocean and town access with the calm of a nature-immersed retreat setting.

The compound is composed of three beautifully designed structures: a main house with ocean views, an infinity pool and spa, and two private casitas. The main house features expansive indoor-outdoor living spaces, a large pool terrace, and shaded lounge areas ideal for group meals and sunset gatherings. Solar-powered and surrounded by lush landscaping, Villa Raul offers privacy, comfort, and sustainability all within one of the most desirable beachfront communities in the region.

Naano

Naano is the retreat’s nutritional chef, with formal training from Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts. His work integrates nutritional science, functional cooking, biohacking principles, and ancestral food practices to create meals that support recovery, energy, and long-term well-being, particularly for bodies spending extended time in the ocean.

Monica

Monica is a designer, researcher, and artist whose background in human-centered design and behavioral research informs the structure and flow of the retreat. She focuses on shaping environments and experiences that encourage presence, clarity, and meaningful connection.

Together, Monica and Naano serve as on-site hosts and grounds coordinators, supporting guests throughout their stay and helping them feel grounded, oriented, and at home in San Pancho. The retreat reflects how they live daily, intentionally, embodied, and rooted in simplicity, centered around shared meals, time in the ocean, movement, rest, and thoughtful conversation.

Grisel has been practicing yoga for 15 years now. Ashtanga yoga was her first exposure to the discipline of Yoga. Travelling to southern Mexico to live in an ashram (yoga center) and a monastic life of meditation and yoga. Training in various yoga lineages: Vinyasa, Shivananda, Iyengar, Restorative Yoga, Kundalini, and meditation practices has become a passion for intentional living and as tools for self-care and self-knowledge.

Rhea is the retreat’s lead facilitator, supporting guest communication, retreat flow, and emotional grounding throughout the experience. She holds space for community care, reflection, and optional wellness and somatic workshops designed to support presence, integration, and nervous system regulation.

As a Massage Therapist for 15+ years, she believes healing our human relationships is not without healing our relationship to the earth.  The heart of her work involves the practices of self-exploration, attuning to the deeper subtleties of the body, and gifting us the agency to grow emotionally, mentally, and physically. She weaves her work into an expression of beauty, imagination, and possibilities with the intention to liberate the truths we carry within. 

Santa Madre Adventures is a locally owned business based in San Francisco, Nayarit, rooted in a deep respect for nature, the ocean, and water-based adventures. Their team consists of friendly, qualified, bilingual instructors certified in water rescue and first aid, with safety, awareness, and personal care at the core of every experience.

They offer thoughtfully designed tours and activities that honor the wild beauty of the Riviera Nayarit while providing a fun, professional, and meaningful experience for each guest. For them, the ocean is a place of reflection, learning, community, and play, and surfing is more than riding a wave, it is an invitation to understand how the ocean works, build confidence through knowledge, and cultivate a responsible relationship with the sea.

They are committed to environmental stewardship and see us as active protectors of the territories we move through, sharing not only the joy of being in the water, but the awareness needed to care for it.

Psychologist and certified surf instructor. She loves the ocean and always looks for ways to be in the water—surfing waves, paddleboarding, snorkeling, or exploring beaches. She began surfing five years ago, and her drive to learn has helped her progress quickly. She is one of the operational leads, and her favorite Adventures activity is surf lessons.

Pamela (Pame)

Extreme sports enthusiast with high energy. He has worked in ecotourism for over 15 years and has surfed for more than 15 years. Certified surf instructor and ISA (International Surf Association) judge. Instructor of the Surf & Skate workshop in San Pancho. Co-founder of Santa Madre Adventures. His favorite activity is snorkeling at Coral Island, though he is deeply passionate about surf lessons.

One of the longest-standing guides at Santa Madre Adventures. A nature explorer who loves to travel and discover new places. She has been a tour guide for over 10 years, is scuba certified, passionate about snorkeling, and enjoys longboard surfing. Part of the operations team; her favorite activities are snorkeling, Coral Island, and the Marietas Islands.