Welcome

We want choosing your retreat Room to feel personal, clear, and unhurried. Our booking process combines a simple deposit with a real conversation, so you can understand the Rooms, ask questions, and choose the best available fit.

This guide explains the First Wave, standard deposits, Room selection, payment milestones, Room sharing, availability, and cancellations.

1. What the displayed retreat cost means

Each displayed cost is the complete retreat cost for one participant choosing that Room or bed. It is not a lodging-only cost.

The complete retreat cost includes the retreat experience and the accommodations associated with the selected Room or bed. The website’s What’s Included section will provide the complete inclusion list.

Room 8 has two participant choices:

• Queen: $2,700
• King: $2,900

The Room 8 card may show “From $2,700,” with the full Queen and King choices explained in the Focused Room view.

Some arrangements, such as couples sharing a bed, private takeover of a shared room, or another unusual occupancy request, are handled through a personal conversation. We will not publish a one-size-fits-all cost until the arrangement has been discussed and approved.

2. Public room availability

We use three simple public room statuses:

Available

The Room can still be selected. Viewing, touring, or asking about an Available Room does not reserve it.

Reserved

A participant has paid enough to secure that specific Room. For this retreat, “Reserved” is the final public status; we do not use a separate “Booked” status.

Unavailable

The Room cannot currently be selected. Visitors may still tour it, ask questions, and tell us they are interested. After a personal conversation, the retreat team may keep a private, informal interest list and contact interested participants if the Room later becomes Available. The retreat team manages this follow-up case by case; no automatic public queue is promised. Expressing interest or joining the interest list does not guarantee the Room.

A participant may still enroll in the retreat while asking about an Unavailable Room. Their retreat deposit secures a place in the retreat under the applicable deposit terms, but it does not secure the Unavailable Room.

We do not use Held, Booked, or Waitlist as public Room statuses for this version. An informal interest list may be maintained privately by the retreat team.

3. The First Wave

The First Wave is the early-deposit period for participants who want to establish their place in the Room-selection order.

• The First Wave deposit is $200.
• The $200 payment is non-refundable.
• The First Wave remains open through September 30; the public payment path switches on October 1.
• Priority is strictly chronological, based on the timestamp of the $200 payment.
• The $200 secures a retreat place and priority position; it does not reserve a particular Room.
• The $200 counts toward the 50% payment required to reserve an Available Room.

Around September 1, existing First Wave participants are scheduled to receive the Room tour and selection information. Formal Room selection is currently planned for October 1.

When it is a participant’s turn, they may choose from the Rooms that are still Available and bring their total payment to 50% of the complete retreat cost for that Room or bed. The original $200 First Wave payment is credited toward that 50%.

We understand that someone may not be ready to reach 50% immediately. We will begin with personal, case-by-case communication rather than an automatic pressure-filled deadline.

4. Standard deposit after the First Wave

Beginning October 1, the standard retreat deposit becomes $400.

• The $400 payment is non-refundable.
• The $400 secures a retreat place.
• The $400 does not reserve a particular Room.
• The $400 does not create chronological Room-selection priority.
• The $400 counts toward the 50% payment required to reserve an Available Room.

After October 1, a participant may reserve an Available Room by selecting it through the personal booking conversation and bringing their total payment to 50% of that participant’s complete retreat cost.

After the First Wave transition, there is no chronological Room-selection priority. An Available Room is secured by the participant who first reaches 50% and confirms the Room with the retreat team. There is no separate deadline for reaching 50% or choosing a Room, but waiting reduces the Rooms that may still be available. We will remain in personal contact and encourage deposited guests to stay current with the selection process.

5. How a Room becomes Reserved

A Room becomes Reserved when:

1. The Room is currently Available.
2. The participant has selected that Room or bed through the personal booking conversation.
3. The participant’s total payment has reached 50% of the complete retreat cost.

The prior $200 First Wave payment or $400 standard deposit is included in that 50% total; it is not added on top.

Once these conditions are met, we update the public Room status from Available to Reserved. The Room is then secured for that participant under the retreat’s payment and cancellation policies.

An inquiry, interest-list request, email conversation, $200 First Wave payment, or $400 standard deposit alone does not reserve a specific Room.

6. Shared Rooms, roommates, and special arrangements

Rooms with multiple beds are shared inventory by default. Each displayed bed cost is the complete retreat cost for one participant.

Participants may tell us about:

• A preferred roommate.
• Roommates they do not want to share with.
• Sleep schedule and noise preferences.
• Comfort with open-air or air-conditioned Rooms.
• Bed-placement or mobility needs.
• Any other compatibility considerations.

We will continue using a compatibility conversation when matching participants. An early Room assignment may remain provisional while matching is underway.

Couples sharing a bed, private takeover of a shared Room, separate-bed shared-Room discounts, and owner-approved pricing exceptions will be discussed individually. These arrangements are not guaranteed until the details and cost are confirmed in writing.

7. Payment milestones and remaining balance

Milestone 1 — Establish your retreat place

• Pay $200 during the First Wave.
• Beginning October 1, pay the $400 standard retreat deposit.

Milestone 2 — Reserve an Available Room

• Select an Available Room or bed through the personal booking conversation.
• Bring the total amount paid to 50% of the complete retreat cost.
• The earlier $200 or $400 payment counts toward this 50%.

Milestone 3 — Pay the remaining balance

• Accepted methods are PayPal, Venmo, cash, and check.
• All payments are in USD.
• The preferred option is to bring the remaining balance in USD cash and hand it to the retreat team on the first day of the retreat in Mexico.
• Paying the remaining balance in cash also avoids the transaction fees that must be added to payments made through PayPal or Venmo.
• If the participant is not bringing cash to Mexico, the remaining balance is due Friday, April 2, 2027—before retreat week—through an accepted payment method so the retreat team can convert the funds to cash and bring them to Mexico. Earlier payment is welcome and preferred when practical.
• When a USD cash payment is received in Mexico, Yelapa Yoga Retreat will record the amount and date received and send the participant written confirmation by email or message.

8. Changes, cancellations, transfers, and refunds

• The $200 First Wave deposit is non-refundable.
• The $400 standard deposit is non-refundable.
• The payment used to reach 50% is non-refundable.
• The final payment is refundable only if the Room is successfully rebooked.
• A booking may be transferred to another person under the carried-forward published conditions.
• Compassionate exceptions may be reviewed case by case, but a refund is not guaranteed.

9. Communication and team member follow-up

Our self-service process intentionally stops at the deposit and Room-interest stage. A member of the retreat team will follow up personally by email to:

• Acknowledge the payment.
• Confirm the participant’s place or priority position.
• Discuss Room interest and availability.
• Explain the amount needed to reach 50%.
• Confirm a Room only after the reservation requirements are met.
• Answer questions about sharing, payment, travel, or special arrangements.
• Record interest in an Unavailable Room without promising that it will become Available.

Viewing a Room or using a Room-specific interest action passes that Room into the conversation as an interest, not as a guarantee.

Contact: yelapayogaretreat@gmail.com

10. Quick booking summary

During the First Wave

During the First Wave, a participant pays the $200 non-refundable deposit. This establishes their place in the retreat and their chronological priority for Room selection. They may then review the Rooms and discuss their interests with the retreat team. When it is their turn to choose, they may select from the Rooms that are still Available and bring their total payment to 50% of the complete retreat cost. The original $200 counts toward that 50%. Once the retreat team confirms the selection and the participant has reached 50%, the Room becomes Reserved for that participant.

Beginning October 1

Beginning October 1, a participant pays the $400 non-refundable standard deposit. This establishes their place in the retreat, but it does not create chronological Room-selection priority and does not reserve a particular Room. The participant may review the Available Rooms with the retreat team. To reserve one, they select an Available Room and bring their total payment to 50% of the complete retreat cost. The original $400 counts toward that 50%. The Room becomes Reserved once the retreat team confirms the selection and the 50% requirement has been met.

If a Room is Unavailable

An Unavailable Room cannot currently be selected, but a visitor may still tour it, ask questions, and tell us they are interested. The retreat team may keep an informal interest list and contact interested participants if the Room later becomes Available. Joining the retreat or paying a deposit does not guarantee that Unavailable Room.