A love letter to Basque Country
Some journeys take decades to come full circle. Our Basque Country retreat isn’t just an itinerary—it’s the merging of moments, places, and people who have shaped a lifetime of adventure.
Let me rewind to a summer in my 20s—one of backpacks, train rides, and wide-open possibilities. San Sebastián, Spain, was on our radar, and a well-worn rail pass carried us there.
I can still taste the ice cream cone on the beach in Biarritz—the salt in the air, the sun on my skin, the quiet thrill of stepping into something new. That was the day I went topless for the first time—a rebellious act of liberation, a faux pas where I was raised, but here? Here, it felt like freedom.
In Basque Country, a fabulous meal was always just around the corner—but for a backpacker with champagne taste, that meant bottles of Rioja in the park (no glasses needed) and fresh string beans from the market, cooked with a view over La Concha Bay.
The Michelin stars were something from another realm at the time, but tapas bars and hikers’ hostels satiated the tastes of European cities.
Fast-forward a decade, and the beaches of Tulum, Mexico, became home to a 30-something-year-old me, who needed ‘just a little break’ from big-city life.
Back in the day, before Tulum became the mainstream travel hub it is today, there were only a handful of wanderlusting souls who heeded the call of the Tulum vortex—arriving with nothing but open hearts and sandy feet, ready to embrace something different.
Seeing the need for an oceanfront space to move and breathe, I built a simple platform—a sanctuary for yoga, meditation, affirmations, and self-discovery. One by one, travelers from across the world unrolled their mats at the original Utopia Tulum Yoga Studio, seeking something deeper than just another destination.
The bonds formed in those days—the ‘old school Tulum founders club’—run deep. Even now, long after the jungle has transformed and the world has discovered this once-hidden gem, those of us who were there in the beginning carry those moments with us, forever imprinted on our souls.
Little did I know that two brothers from Spain who practiced in the space regularly were legendary in the Rioja wine region. The playing field leveled in Tulum. Everyone was a barefoot hippie back then, no importaba de dónde vienes or who you ‘are.’ It was the real-real. Layers peeled back—real. Hearts wide open—real. We run deep.
All of us, no matter where Tulum has spit us out to now, are bonded for life because we are the witnesses to what happened there. In the thick jungle by the sea, before the throngs of tourists heard about it, before there was any development on the jungle side of the road, before ‘Tulum-chic’ was an adjective. We created that. And it was ours for many years… all ours.
Time moves on, and we all grow up… Perfect bodies soften into parental shapes, sun-kissed tans with hammock marks on the skin are replaced with laugh lines and sunscreen. Responsibilities kick in, so bartending and tour guiding no longer float the boat. Babies snapped us into reality, reminding us where we needed to be to fulfill our life’s calling.
Nearly twenty years later, with my new husband and our new life, I visit Rioja to see how my old friend Javier is doing—now running the winery of his late father, his ancestral calling, what pulses through his veins.
Tempranillo. A taste of the past—his father’s wines, steeped in old-world tradition, aged the way they always have been. And a glimpse of the future—his own, a bold new take on Rioja, where innovation meets legacy. Some of the best I’ve ever tasted.
Their posada, dating back to the 1600s, in the heart of a medieval village in Basque Country, houses the cellar with damajuanas and casks from another time. The house is authentic, unpretentious, and genuine, just like Javier and his family.
I meet his beautiful, amazing wife, Rose, who helps me dream up the retreat adventure from her insider’s POV.
Javi charms my hubby, of course, taking him for cañas at every tapas bar in town, introducing him to everyone he knows.
They’ve known him since he was a boy, running through the streets, helping his father with the family wine business, and learning the ropes that will be his legacy.
It’s funny how things unfold eventually. A string of perfect events over decades of time culminated in one of our most fabulous retreat experiences—bringing together everything I hold dear into one heartfelt and meaningful adventure.
Blending a high-end boutique hotel with sea views and Michelin-starred dining, with an authentic 1600s posada deep within the medieval walls of a hilltop town in the heart of Rioja, we’ve curated an experience steeped in history, connection, and magic.
This Basque Country retreat is a special one. It asks the adventurer to step in authentically—to experience the finer things no matter the container and to witness the authenticity beneath the layers.
This retreat is a gem for the special connoisseur of life and adventure—where old-world meets new on the shores of Northern Spain.
A moody lover, waiting with open arms to pull you close, whisper secrets in the wind, and leave its blood-nectar lingering on your tongue—a taste of history, adventure, and something that feels like home.