I was very lucky to attend the Surf Sweat Serve retreat in El Salvador at Puro Surf in October 2021 with my girlfriend. We had the most amazing time. I cannot speak enough for what an amazing experience the Surf Sweat Serve retreat was. Once you book your spot for the retreat, everything is easy going from there. Pixie, her team, and the Puro Surf staff take care of all the details and planning for you so that you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the amazing activities they have planned for you. It is truly amazing how Pixie has created a retreat that is perfect for everyone. If you’re single, a couple, going with friends or going solo, completely new to surfing or yoga, or an expert at both; none of it matters because Pixie has created a retreat that is perfect for everyone and all skill levels. I had not spent much time in the ocean prior to the retreat and had a mild/moderate fear of swimming in the ocean. But those fears completely went away once I got paired up with a Puro Surf instructor and they taught me and guided me through every step of the surfing process. The Puro Surf instructors are ridiculously skilled and so friendly and helpful. Being able to get up on that board for the first time was a huge accomplishment and makes you feel so good. I also only had spent a few times doing yoga prior to the retreat. But Cori, our Yoga instructor for the retreat, was absolutely incredible teaching the yoga classes and helping each person. Truly inclusive of all skill levels and an absolutely amazing way to start the morning. On top of all the Surfing and Yoga, Pixie also has so many incredible activities planned for the retreat. The other incredible activities that we were able to do were processing playgrounds, zip-lining, hiking, exploring El Salvador, and many more. I unfortunately broke a finger while doing some exploring (not due to an activity from retreat), and was not able to participate in several activities towards the end of the retreat, but still had an amazing time relaxing at the Puro Surf hotel and pool. When I did break my finger while in El Salvador, I can’t speak highly enough of how amazing Pixie, her team, and the Puro Surf staff pulled together extremely quickly to make sure that I got the best care. It was absolutely amazing how much everyone helped. The medical care I received in El Salvador was absolutely top notch. The medical staff at the emergency room I went to were extremely friendly and experts in their fields. They took such great care of me that there was nothing the doctors had to do once I got back home other than to watch it heal. I can’t speak highly enough of how incredibly friendly the locals in El Salvador were, how safe I felt during the entire trip, and what an incredibly beautiful place El Salvador is. If you are questioning whether you will be safe in El Salvador, I can tell you that from my experience, you will feel very safe and fall in love with the people, the culture, and El Salvador itself. If you are even considering booking a Surf Sweat Serve retreat, I only have one thing to say, do it right now! You will not regret it. Pixie has this absolutely incredible energy and aura that makes it so that she is able to bring the most incredible people to these retreats. She plans out the best itineraries for the group, always empowers everyone she meets, and always picks locations with the most incredible people and cultures. Every person on our retreat was incredibly friendly and someone you could spend hours talking to and getting to know. You will leave this retreat with incredible memories and a whole group of new life-long friends. I will definitely be attending another Surf Sweat Serve retreat in the future. I cannot wait!
This was one of the best trips my wife and I have ever been on. It was extremely well planned and organized from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. All travel details, other than flights, were handled by the Surf Sweat Serve staff and Puro Surf hotel staff. There was nothing for us to do except show up and have a great time. I think the thing we enjoyed the most were meeting so many great new people from around the USA, yet we were all in El Salvador. Most days we had planned group activities from 7:15 AM (Yoga) to 7:30 PM (Dinner) so there was not much for us to think about except what do we want to do today. The activities were all optional but we chose to do most if not all of them. From surfing lessons, to zip lining, to cliff jumping, to other exercise classes, all were top notch and so much fun. The food at the hotel restaurant was incredible and was so fresh and yummy. The hotel staff was amazing. The hotel had a great pool, incredible views, and great surfing at the hotel beach for "excellent" surfers. The surf lessons for beginners were at a beach about 15 min away by van and the Puro Surf Hotel would transport us a group. Not sure I would change a thing on how Surf Sweat Serve is set up, except if possible maybe try to start the day at 8:00 AM. It took a few days to get over the red eye flight so the 7:15 yoga was a tough slog. Maybe an extra yoga class or two in the late afternoon/evening would help for those suffering from the red eye flights. We would definitely do this again.