Amanecer Wellness Retreats

Named after the Indonesian word for “sea turtle,” Casa Kura Kura reflects founder Agathe Fay’s connection to the ocean, shaped in part by her time surfing alongside sea turtles. The secluded off-grid property on Baja California Sur’s East Cape functions as both a private stay and retreat setting, where guests can join customized programs focused on burnout, anxiety, trauma, substance use recovery, teen resilience, or couples’ connection.

Retreats Through Amanecer Wellness

Fay also founded Amanecer Wellness, which creates many of the private retreats hosted at Casa Kura Kura for individuals, couples, and small groups. Programs may combine yoga, meditation, breathwork, somatic therapy, bodywork, massage, Reiki, and psychotherapy, including access to clinicians offering Internal Family Systems (IFS) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Their 4-week substance use retreat adds nurse-supervised detox, on-call medical care, trauma-informed therapy, and nature immersion.

The program is highly customizable, with a wide range of activities and therapeutic modalities to choose from, including guided sessions with psilocybin and ayahuasca. Most retreats are one-on-one, though couples and families can also book a program together. During the four-week substance use retreat, guests have a nurse on call around the clock and can arrange a sober companion to support them through detox.

Fay also leads a small-group retreat called Garden Alchemy, capped at around 10 guests. Over five days, guests harvest plants from the property's gardens and turn them into food, skincare, and herbal remedies, with rituals like a cacao ceremony woven in. The days also include yoga, breathwork, sound healing, and rest, including botanical facials and massages.

Booking the property alone through Casa Kura Kura costs $250 to $1,000 a night. A full Amanecer retreat program costs about $1,500 a day, which covers all therapies, meals, transportation, and program customization, and requires a five-night minimum stay.

An Off-Grid Baja Setting

Guests stay in either the 3-bedroom Hawksbill Casa or the 1-bedroom Flatback Casita, surrounded by desert, mountains, and the nearby coast. The property includes a heated saltwater pool, temazcal-inspired sauna, open-air yoga spaces, edible and medicinal gardens, and outdoor gathering areas. Casa Kura Kura can arrange private chef service and dietary accommodations, while Amanecer can add experiences such as surfing, horseback riding, hiking, snorkeling, cooking lessons, and painting classes.