Month: March 2019

Ceiling height:  approximately 20 feet tall 

Address:          Heroes Oaxaqueños 1, Brisas de Zicatela, Oaxaca, Mexico 

Cost:                  depending on the room, $1600 USD+

E-mail:               sweetretreatsdr@gmail.com

Rigging:

The whole rig is custom-built like a very tall metal gazebo.  Six rigging points were used for the hammock workshops.  The pulley system is tied directly to the columns with metal rungs located at different heights for adjustments.  The columns are covered in concrete flooring.  The concrete flooring is then covered with thin closed-cell foam matting.  There are enough thick mats for people to use.  Ants and cute puppies may visit the circus space from time to time as it is in a semi-open space.  It is all part of the experience in training with nature. 

Review: 

Going to an aerial retreat has been on my bucket list for a long time, but there wasn’t a motivation for me to do so.  Not until I read Jennifer Bruyer’s Instagram.  I have loved her effortless dancer-like movement but haven’t had the opportunity to learn from her.  After taking her workshop from the Apogee Dance Festival, I absolutely love her teaching methodology.  It’s nicely structured, easy to understand and is so inspiring and encouraging.

When I noticed that she was going to be in an aerial retreat during spring break, I took the opportunity to sign up to her workshop at Sweet Retreats, located in La Punta, Puerto Escondido, Mexico.  Going to an aerial retreat has some pro and cons.  The con is that If you can’t get along with a group, you’re stuck with them for a week as you will see them every day.  If you get along, you will have a fantastic time, like yours truly did.

Also, I have never been to Mexico before and the information on the web paints a darker picture than it really is.  Before going to Mexico, I was both petrified and excited to go.  I’ve been to third world countries by myself, but it has been a while.  And each time, I went to a third world country, my digestive system will act up in a negative way.  So, you can understand my apprehension about training with Montezuma’s revenge.  Luckily, I made lots of preparation to avoid any mishap.

Here are the highlights of the retreat:

1. I don’t have to prepare my own food.  I get breakfast, lunch, dinner plus snacks and dessert.  Food is amazing.  So are the chocolate and popsicles.
2. It’s warm in Mexico.
3. The accommodation is a few minutes walk to the beach.  There’s enough time to take an afternoon nap.
4. They do a fun beach photoshoot and an aerial photoshoot
5. They do optional group activities such as, releasing baby turtles and going to a bioluminescent lagoon at night
6. You can relax in a lounge chair or chill in a pool
7. You can purchase an in-house massage or acupuncture session at the retreat
8. If you can still train, your accommodations are steps away from the aerial space
9. Once you have taken the first retreat, you get an alumni discount for the next retreat.  You get a discount if you referred a friend.  You even get a discount if you volunteer to work (which I did because I’m just like to do things).

Here are the considerations that you will need to be aware of:

1. You really can’t escape from wildlife.  The birds will be noisy (earplugs are essential).  You will see all sorts of insects, geckos and the odd tarantula.  The dogs are friendly in Puerto Escondido (not so friendly elsewhere – I got bitten by one when I was in Huatulco and had to take 4 rounds of rabies shots)
2. Don’t drink the tap water.  Even when a waiter gives me a glass of water, I just throw it in a travel bottle with a water purifier.  In addition, get probiotics to minimize traveller’s diarrhoea (I.e. Travelan) and electrolyte powder with vitamins.  That definitely improved my experience with aerial training and everything else.
3. The resort has a reliable taxi driver.  I found that flagging a taxi is a depressing experience in Puerto Escondido as I have been ignored so many times.  Even phoning for a taxi can be disappointing and will get ignored.  Catching a colectivo truck is more reliable if you can’t find a reliable driver.  Also, bring a free tour map of Puerto Escondido as sometimes the drivers get lost.
4. If you are arriving from Huatulco airport, it will be lovely to share a taxi with someone from the retreat as it is about a 2-hour ride to the accommodation.  You can catch a bus, but you need to flag one down from the highway and they come every hour.
5. Be careful where you walk as the sidewalks are either non-existent or are very badly maintained.
6. Be careful of waves on La Punta Beach as they are pretty strong.  
7. You can get easily sunburned, sunstroke and heat stroke (did I get lucid dreams or what?).  Get aloe and sunscreen before you come to Mexico.  They can be expensive buying in Mexico and your brand may not be in travel size bottles.
8. When bringing pesos, it is good to get pesos that is less than 500-peso bills.  Otherwise, locals will have a hard time giving you change.
9. Even though the rooms have a fan, it is hot until the middle of the night and then, it gets cold enough that the fans need to be shut off.  I really struggle to sleep at night and was grateful for the afternoon naps.
10. Although you can get free wi-fi on the retreat, I found accessing the internet on a smartphone was fine, but my laptop computer couldn’t access the internet at all.  When I was outside of the retreat, the package that I bought (Freedom Mobile) for mobile data was useless in Puerto Escondido.  At least, I can still make phone calls.

Overall, my experience at the retreat was wonderful.  It had everything that I would expect a retreat to have for a person like me (I am not a Club Med person).  For the price factor, as a speciality retreat, this is a good price especially when they are bringing in amazing instructors.  I really admire that Jenn manages to teach the whole week even though she was sick with loss of appetite, nausea and stomach cramps.  Hope she feels better.