One of my favorite places to run a retreat is in Mexico – for me it’s close to home, the people are awesome, the food is simply delicious, the spirituality is from the heart, and the variety of price points vary from bargain basement to sublimely exquisite.

Every once in a while a new place pops up and catches my attention and this place in Tulum definitely fits the bill for the WOW factor “OMG-I’m-running-my-next-luxury-retreat-here” experience. Casa Malca burst on the scene making it onto Travel + Leisure’s “Best New Hotels on the Planet It List” in 2016 – which is quite a big deal. It’s got a perfect spot on the beach and rumor has it that the property was built by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar back in the 1980s – but who really knows?

In 2013 art dealer and gallery owner Lio Malca purchased the property totally renovating it and adding additional rooms (there are now 35) filled with amazing art (Keith Haring and KAWS works among others).  True hipster NYC style merges with Tulum laid-back groovy – it’s remarkable how local craftsmen and artisans created a true artistic vision using local materials mixed with fabrics and linens that combine pesticide-free organic cotton with rayon made from bamboo.

There are two restaurants on site that serve up fresh homemade style Mexican contemporary dishes. In their own words: “Close your eyes and imagine the taste of the freshness of our grilled fish, the aroma of our home-grown herbs, the sweetness of our tropical fruits, and the spark of chile and citrus.” Okay, I think I will thank you. 🙂

Tulum has every kind of restaurant you can imagine or desire from mouth-watering tacos to fancy-schmancy. Do check out: Hartwood, Simple, Gitano, Casa Jaguar, Mezzanine – or that little hidden spot, Chamico’s beachside café. Of course your vegetarians will have plenty to eat.

So what kinds of experiences can you expect to have if you run your retreat here? Plenty.

Of course you can visit the Tulum ruins – but expect Disney World as far as all the tourists go. Although it is a beautiful sacred site, there are too many people there for my liking, so perhaps getting there as soon as it opens is a better plan if you want to do a ceremony or something special with your group.

Maybe a better choice would be to visit the ruins of Coba also in the early morning before the tourists arrive – it’s not far from Tulum at all. If you want to have a really long tiring day – you could drive to Chichen Itza and back – if you are running a spiritual retreat it could be worth it.

You might not know this little fact, but there are no rivers in the Yucatan. The whole peninsula is made of limestone with the rivers running underground. Every once in a while the land above the underground water collapses and a perfect sinkhole forms filled with the most crystal clear soft water.

That my friends is what’s called a cenote – and no visit to the Yucatan is complete without floating in one of these underground miracles. Yes, the picture above is REAL. Perfect for a beautiful quiet float or special ceremony with your group. Check out Sac Actun not far from the hotel.

Let’s not discount the fabulous beach right in front of the hotel, horseback riding lessons, or going to the biosphere for a stunning dose of nature. But if you are bored – it’s only because of a lack of imagination on your part.

Finally let’s talk pricing. Nope it’s not cheap. Figure around $500 a night including breakfast (tax not included) for the Junior Suite Garden View rooms – and all the rooms have kind beds, not two queens.

If you are looking for a really sweet lux location this could be the place! Let me know what YOU think and what your favorite Tulum property is and why.

To your wanderlust life, Sheri xox

Want to learn some great tips for creating and selling out your next retreat?

Whether this is your very first retreat or you’ve been running them for years – we’ve got a couple of awesome free trainings for you to help you design the most amazing retreat, as well as pricing it to make a profit, getting it sold out, learning retreat legalities, monetizing your retreats and so much more!! If you are interested, simply click below and you will go to our free training page where you can choose whichever training resonates best with you.

Dr Sheri Rosenthal is known as one of the most sought after retreat strategists for coaches, speakers, and authors — and is the owner of Journeys of the Spirit Travel®, a boutique agency specializing in the planning and management of group travel.

Through her Wanderlust Entrepreneur Community and her signature course, The Retreat Blueprint Program, she has taught thousands of facilitators how to design exceptional retreats that allow them stand out in their niche. She is famous for helping clients plan, fill, and profit from transformational retreats that change lives in a huge way while adding serious income to their bottom lin