Mexico·2 - 8 March 2024
A boutique coastal wellness + cultural experience on Mexico's west coast
Ready to immerse yourself in the mountains, jungles, rivers and beaches of stunning Puerto Vallarta, Mexico? Join us as we soak up the sunshine, culture and enjoy delicious cuisine on the beautiful west coast of Mexico during the height of winter whale watching season! You're home away from home is an authentic hacienda style villa in the heart of PV's best neighborhood - Zona Romantica. The trip is a must for foodies! - Group Size: 8-12 Guests - Luxury Score: 4 (out of 5) - Activity Score: 2.5 (out of 5) - Some Tours Require Moderate Walking - Cuisine: Omnivore (some meat + fish offered), Vegetarian + GF Options *While all of our retreats are LGBTQ+ friendly. Puerto Vallarta is known as one of the most welcoming places in Mexico (and maybe the world) towards the LGBTQ+ community. No matter who you are or how you identify, you will feel at home and at ease in this warm and open town! *Please note we require proof of COVID vaccination (including at least one booster shot) and reserve the right to require a pre-retreat test for all guests*
We wouldn't blame you if you decided to spend morning, noon and night in our rooftop infinity pool with lush garden surrounds and views for days. Living in a private, authentic Mexican villa for a week is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Enjoy invigorating lovingly cultivated yoga classes 1-2x a day in our open-air garden practice area. Class types range from vinyasa, to slow flow, to yin and gentle. We provide top quality mats and props for your use.
The Bay of Banderas in Puerto Vallarta is home to humpback whales this time of year. We will go on a morning whale watching trip (private boat and staffed with local conservationist) to see the pods surface, swim and splash with their new babies and learn about their migrations from our on-board expert.
Our private villa will include a daily made-to-order breakfast with tropical fruits and a specialty Mexican breakfast dish each day. We will also enjoy a multi-course lunch on excursion and two curated dinners with a local private private chef in our villa.
Our villa is just a few blocks from the most beautiful beach in the Bay of Banderas. Enjoy time in a sun lounger sipping a margarita at one of the many oceanfront restaurants, or take a swim in the Pacific - it's up to you!
Enjoy several opportunities to explore all that Puerto Vallarta has to offer with a welcome orientation walk on our first full day to get your bearings, as well as an epic urban hike to the highest point in town to enjoy 360 degree views of Puerto Vallarta's diverse town and coastline.
Our well-stocked and staffed private villa has 7 unique rooms and suites, all with hand-picked local décor and thoughtful touches like local toiletries. The kitchen and all living spaces are open for your needs during the week.
Our villa scores a 100 (out of 100) walk score on TripAdvisor. There are dozens of incredible local restaurants nearby. We will dine at one together for an epic group dinner, and several other vetted recommendations will be provided on our retreat app.
We'll spend a half day heading up towards the mountains where we'll enjoy a guided and curated nature tour and walk through the world-renowned Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens. Afterwards, we'll dine as a group at their open-air on-site restaurant for a gourmet lunch experience with stunning views.
Along with a retreat leader, each Above Yoga retreat has at least two certified yoga teachers on-site who will lead a portion of the classes and support students in their practice. We also often bring in local guest teachers for a class or two! We find that an opportunity to participate in a variety of classes with various teaching styles adds to our guests’ overall retreat experience. Leaders or teachers are subject to change without notice.
Regan will serve as the retreat leader for this experience and handle al logistics on-site. Regan has been on retreat with Above Yoga to Cambodia, Croatia and Morocco and has led her own group trips to Italy so she's well-traveled and a pro at holding space for group dynamics! When she's not exploring the world, she serves as a Senior Vice President at a major national bank in Charlotte, NC.
Karley empowers her students to create space in their minds through purposeful movement in the body. She loves to share the gift of yoga and cultivates thoughtful and fun dynamic flow classes that also incorporate rest and nurturing postures. Expect upbeat and original playlists. Karley teaches at Dose Yoga + Bliss Body Yoga in Raleigh, NC and has taught on this retreat before, as well as in Croatia.
Erin completed her training through Bella Vita Yoga in 2016. She enjoys teaching gentle, accessible yoga classes for people of all ages and abilities, with a particular interest in teaching yoga for veterans, yoga for trauma (PTS/D) and for Traumatic Brain Injury. As a US Air Force veteran, she was introduced to yoga while deployed in Afghanistan. Erin’s classes encourage a functional yoga practice that is true to the needs of your own mind and body. Erin has also been on our Panama retreat!
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DAY 1
Bienvenidos! Welcome to Mexico! You'll be greeted outside the airport by your private transfer and enjoy a short journey to the villa.
Enjoy a leisurely check-in and get settled into your luxurious new home! Join for an optional welcome gathering while our private chef prepares our first delicious meal that we'll enjoy together at the villa. Dinner tonight is casual and family style, so sit back and kick your feet up as we prepare for our week together!
Airport Transportation
Welcome Drink
Welcome Gathering
Private Chef Dinner
DAY 2
We'll wake up to have an invigorating morning yoga flow class followed by a gourmet made-to-order breakfast. Join for an optional walking tour of the area and explore the old town, famous architecture and world-renowned Malecon beach boardwalk.
Feel free to take the rest of the day to explore or shop... or maybe hang by the pool to dive into a new book. We'll gather in the early evening to walk as a group to an authentic + open-air Mexican restaurant for a dinner to remember!
Morning Vinyasa Yoga
Breakfast
Intro Walk
Evening Yoga
Dinner
DAY 3
After our morning yoga class, enjoy another specialty breakfast dish + tropical fruit and local coffee. We'll head out late morning for an hour drive into the mountains to visit the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens (voted top 10 in all of North America). Our guide will let us taste, smell and feel many of the most well-known foods from Mexico including vanilla, cacao beans and coffee bean plants.
We'll have a 4 course lunch on-site with views of tropical birds and the distant mountains. Stay back for a frozen mojito - or use your free time to check out the hiking paths and even take a dip in a cool river swimming hole.
We'll return to the villa late afternoon for free time and dinner on your own.
Morning Yoga Class
Lunch
Guided Tour
DAY 4
After another amazing villa breakfast we'll head over to the marina to go on a morning whale watching boat tour. We will see the giant creatures up close and personal in the Bay of Banderas and even get a chance to hear their underwater songs.
We'll return to the villa late afternoon, so after your morning adventure, you can choose to spend your time on the beach or kicked back at the villa.
Whale Watching Tour
DAY 5
Enjoy our favorite combo of amazing outdoor morning yoga + incredible breakfast eats + tons of coffee. We'll head out for a walk and urban hike up to the highest point in downtown Puerto Vallarta to get amazing 360 degree views. After we wander through flower covered porches and staircases in the neighborhood, it's another 300 stairs to the top, but the payoff is worth it.
We'll be back to the villa by lunch time, so we suggest you grab a beachfront lunch spot and laze the rest of your day away (maybe with a margarita?) Or head back up to the sun loungers on our rooftop pool.
Morning Yoga
Guided Urban Hike
DAY 6
Enjoy our sunrise flow morning yoga class and breakfast (it wouldn't be our Mexico retreat without this blissful combo!) and then we'll head off on a guided shopping tour in the markets along the Rio Cuale.
You'll still have plenty of time to enjoy a free afternoon before a yin evening yoga class and another amazing private chef dining experience at the villa this evening.
DAY 7
Parting is such sweet sorrow! After your final made-to-order breakfast and last cup of delicious Mexican coffee, enjoy free time to grab some last minute photos or handicrafts and then we'll all head to the airport for bittersweet goodbye hugs.
But you're a part of the Above Yoga family for life and we know we will see you on another retreat soon!
Roundtrip airport ground transfers
Daily gourmet breakfasts
1-2x yoga classes daily
4 curated group lunch or dinners
Whale watching boat trip with conservationists
Guided tour of the award-winning local botanical gardens
Guided urban hike
Facilitated journaling workshop
Wine, beer or cocktails with group dinners
Unlimited filtered water, coffee and tea
High quality yoga mats and props provided
Ample free time for shopping, beach walks, pool time
Unlimited use of private villa amenities including roof top pool and courtyard seating areas
A detailed itinerary, packing list and constant support leading up to and during the retreat
Pre-retreat Zoom meeting + private Facebook group
Round trip airfare to Puerto Vallarta
Meals not mentioned above
Shopping or spa services in town
Travel insurance (recommended)
VIEW GALLERY
Private Hacienda Style Villa
Not to be dramatic, but Anna was born to do this. She approaches retreat-planning so confidently, it's hard not to feel at ease, even as an anxious traveler. I don't think there was a single scheduling snafu or hiccup the entire time we were in Mexico—and if there was, she did an excellent job of hiding it! Anna truly enjoys connecting people, putting together well-priced and well-balanced travel plans, and spreading her love of international culture. I look forward to my next retreat with Above Yoga.
Michael, Pittsburgh, PA (2022 Puerto Vallarta)
Anna's attention to every detail is beyond compare! From the moment we booked our retreat, her communication with us was timely and just the right amount. I felt comfortable upon arrival, at every excursion, to our departure. The Villa was absolutely perfect: clean, safe, private and beautiful. The schedule was clear and organized but also allowed for a lot of flexibility and spontaneity - a great balance for a retreat/vacation. Anna's calm energy was also super-appreciated. Even though I know she was working very hard behind the scenes, she always was relaxed, calm and organized which helped all of us, I think, feel the same way during the entire retreat. Truly excellent!
Sarah, Milwaukee, WI (2021 Puerto Vallarta)
Wonderful trip with a nice blend of yoga, sightseeing and unique experiences like the sailboat sunset cruise. The group was small but delightful and easy to get to know. The villa was fabulous and so much nicer than staying in a hotel. The property (incl. the rooms) was stunning, the roof top pool magnificent and the location (only a couple of blocks from the ocean) perfect.
Andrea, Boise, ID (2021 Puerto Vallarta)
I could not more highly recommend Above Yoga retreats!! Anna is so communicative, thoughtful, and knowledgeable, making the whole process of traveling during the uncertainty of COVID as easy as possible! She always seemed to anticipate every question we could possibly have. We had never attended an in-person yoga class before this trip and appreciated how accessible and judgment-free Anna’s classes were. The trip had a perfect balance of activity, relaxation, cultural experiences, and good food. We had such an amazing experience that we spent the last night of this trip planning the next Above Yoga retreat that we wanted to go on!
Laura, Durham, NC (2022 Puerto Vallarta)
Villa was amazing, perfect space, a little tight when all people were participating in yoga class but not bad. The meals were amazing, the events organized as well. Anna you have a real niche for this. The experience was memorable. My wife and I already miss it.
Brandon, Los Angeles CA (2021 Puerto Vallarta)
Anna is prompt in communication. I really appreciated her keeping in contact with us during COVID. She was always open to being asked questions. The retreat venue felt like paradise. The staff we interacted with were very welcoming. I only attended one yoga class and never felt any type of pressure to do more. I can’t wait to go back.
Lori, Winston-Salem, NC (2021 Puerto Vallarta)
Mexico·2 - 8 March 2024·6 nights
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