PAINTING IN OAXACA WITH ME

DATES: WED. SEPTEMBER 25TH - WED. OCTOBER 2ND 2024

Pack your bags, paints and brushes and spend 6 days, 7 nights painting, discovering and exploring exciting Oaxaca city with me!

Escape your everyday, energize your soul and immerse your creative self in exotic Oaxacan culture, food, textiles and colour.

Our days will be packed full of visual and sensory experiences to leave you feeling full and packed with inspiration and energy.

OUR HOTEL:

Our hotel is beyond compare with a Michelin 5 star rating. Otro Oaxaca immerses travellers immediately with her beauty, authenticity and locality.

Sited directly across from the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzman and its pedestrian-only plaza, the hotel appears unassuming from

the street. But behind its historic façade is a contemporary compound that extends the vibrancy of the public square through a series of picturesque

courtyards, a lively roof terrace, and cultural spaces. Architecturally designed, mixing traditional Oaxacan textures and materials, it’s warm, inviting,

unmistakably Oaxacan and quite unlike anything else in town.

Otro Oaxaca has 16 rooms, is modest in scale and always intimate. There’s a rooftop plunge pool and a subterranean spa whose 20-foot circular pool feels

like a man-made cenote, lit from above by an open porthole. And in a city as food-focused as Oaxaca, it’s only natural that Otro’s restaurant should present

chef Saúl Carranza’s personal take on the classic flavors of the region.

PAINTING:

We’ll be doing watercolour, gouache, acryla gouache and pen and ink. Exploring florals, collage, landscape, still life, figures and abstract in a variety of

styles, techniques and mediums. I’ll be doing a much loved hands-on approach with detailed one-on-one instruction. All levels are welcome!

The Pièce de résistance is a group collaborative painting on the last day with a theme of our choice! (or it can be a surprise) Bonding with like minded

souls and making lasting friends.

TRIPS:

We have planned a full day with an excursion to Herve El Agua, Tlapazola and Teotitlan. We will be picked up and taken to the native site of Herve El Agua

for a morning hike down to the petrified water falls and then cool off at the natural pools. Brunch is next and then onto a hands-on red pottery workshop

in Tlapazola. We’ll play with clay and make our own sculptures or figurines. Shop too for a favourite piece to take home. Our last stop will be

Teotitlan where we’ll meet a family of weavers, learning about natural dyes and the weaving process.

We will also visit the Botanical gardens in the city on one of our lunch walks.

INCLUDED:

- 7 nights accommodation.

- Round trip transport from Oaxaca International Airport to and from our hotel.

- Day trip to Herve El Agua, Red pottery studio in Tlapazola and weaving in Teotitlan with brunch.

- 7 breakfasts and 7 dinners.

- Entrance fee to the Jardín Etnobotánico

- Exclusive use of the outside covered courtyard for painting, or inside in the cozy bunker if inclement weather presents.

NOT INCLUDED:

- Airfare to and from Oaxaca city.

- Art materials.

- Alcohol.

- Insurance - you will need travel, medical and cancellation insurance.

- Spa treatments.

- Lunches - I have not included lunches as I feel that this will be a time where you can explore the variety of Oaxacan cuisine and all that it has to offer. We

can visit the restaurants I have lined up as a group, or you can discover ones yourselves. It’s free time and meals I hear are not expensive.

This will be a vegan, vegetarian plant forward retreat, but if you are craving something else, this would be your time to find it!

DEPOSITS, REFUNDS AND CANCELLATIONS:

A deposit of half is required upon registration and signup. A refund for your deposit can only be issued within 1 month of signing up, if you have a change of plans.

Second and final payment is due 1st July, 2024. All funds after that are non refundable due to planning and logistics.

If I have to cancel, due to sickness, family emergency or force majeure, a full refund will be issued, OR I reserve the right to defer the retreat to such time as and when I can make it.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

At this time, all 10 rooms have been sold.

The hotel only has king size beds. So perfect for 1 guest, but if there are 2 of you, you will have to share the big bed!

The trip is now guaranteed and will go ahead. There will also be a waitlist as well if you didn’t get a spot. More rooms can possibly be added for more guests. If you want to be on the waitlist, please email me at: carolyngavin@rogers.com

An information packet will be sent out soon after signup. This will include my travel assistant Sequoia’s contact info. She will be able to answer all your questions. The packet will also include a suggested materials list, a full itinerary (subject to change) as well as more information on visiting Oaxaca, the hotel spa treatments and a packing list. She will also be sending you a form with personal info and dietary needs.

Sequoia will co-ordinate all round trip details from Oaxaca airport to the city and back, as well as all correspondence with guests.

The retreat starts and ends exactly on the dates specified. Extra days prior and after are your own responsibly. You will be able to stay at Otro Hotel before and after for extra days, depending on availibilty. The hotel has extended its special rates to my retreat guests for 2 days before and 2 days after.

All levels welcome! Hope you can join me for a once in a lifetime experience.

I’m happy to answer any questions or concerns you might have. Please email me at: carolyngavin@rogers.com

INSURANCE:

You will need travel (flight cancellation), medical (in case of an emergency or you get sick and need to see a doctor or go to the hospital) and any other insurance you have, and you will need to provide Sequoia with this information.

COVID:

All recommended immunizations are advised, as well as a covid 19 rapid test of proof of being covid free. If you arrive and you're sick, you will need to quarantine in your room. We cannot afford to have anyone else sick or myself. If you get sick during the trip, please let everybody know as soon as you can, so we can keep everybody as healthy as possible. It is advised to bring some testing kits with you.

TAXES:

I have included all taxes on this trip including the 19% hotel tax, tax on all our meals and our excursion tax.

TIPPING:

All tipping is included but you’re welcome to share the love, especially on our excursion, local lunches and for the person who services your room.

PRICE IN USD:

1. Shared room per person. Double occupancy (2 per room only) - $5200.00

Deposit of $2600 is required upon registration to secure your spot

2. Private room. Single occupancy (this if for a single person only) - $5600.00

Deposit of $2800 is required upon registration to secure your spot