Although we had thirteen girls in the lineup, we all ended up with our own glassy faces to groove on. PHOTOS | MORGAN HOESTEREY
Even the local animals shared that same innate Nicaraguan “tranquilo” vibe that inspired all of us to slow down.
SURF AND YOGA? I’M IN! NICOLE DE LEON It’s 8 p.m. and the air is still a balmy
80 degrees, smelling of ginger-infused rum and salt water. I look 180 degrees around me and there are 12 smiling surfer girls from all walks of life and locations buzzing off of the excitement of their second surf- and adventure-filled day. Perched on the top of an expansive Nicaraguan mountainside awaiting a gourmet French meal, we laugh and talk story, each of us fully equipped with our own surfer slang. How did we all get here? How are 13 women in close quarters for seven days getting along so beautifully? One thing is clear, choosing Holly Beck’s Suave Dulce Surf Retreat was the right decision and stirred up some magic. Professional surfer and entrepreneur Holly Beck decided to offer up a piece of her heart in her new home, Nicaragua, by starting Suave Dulce Surf and Yoga Retreats a couple years ago. She holds the retreats at the super cool and “green” Coco Loco resort on Nicaragua’s surf- rich northern coast where the waves vary anywhere between beginner playfulness to advanced shallow barrels. Breezy hammocks, cheerful owners, and all you can drink beers drew us in from the surf at every meal like cartoon characters following their noses. Many of us could have relaxed there for an eternity, but Holly’s energy never waned; she always fired the girls up for the next surf session. “I’m really excited about this chapter in my life. Watching these girls get the best wave of their life and re- evaluate their perspectives on the things that are important in life after interacting with the local kids makes it all worthwhile.
The group of women that I was lucky enough to be with was the largest Holly May / June 2011
has hosted by far. The colorful, bikini- wielding ladies in our group included surfers from Peru, Italy, Texas, Canada, Amsterdam, Chicago, New Jersey, San Francisco and Los Angeles. They all came at different stages in their lives emitting the same passion for surfing. Our cast of adventurers was completed by the instructors: Holly, natural leader and athlete
extraordinaire; Morgan
Hoesterey, mermaid photographer and stand-up paddler from Hawaii; and me, Hatha yoga and surf instructor from Ventura.
Holly has concocted a seamless and stress-free itinerary that comes at a very affordable price and allows the women to truly immerse themselves in the experience without having to plan anything. Whether it was surfing twice a day in the velvet waters out front, doing yoga on the open-air patio, riding horses on the sand, or sledding down an active volcano, this perfect mix of activities had everyone challenged and cheerful. To top it off, we all managed to find hilarity in every situation, including dancing ’80’s moves in our oversized prisoner- style volcano boarding outfits before we hurled ourselves over the edge. And forget crowded lineup rage, I can safely say I have never heard so much cheering and camaraderie in the lineup in my life.
The girls pushed themselves so hard
in all conditions, it was really a sight to see, whether it was the hollow waves on our day three boat trip, or the hour climb uphill to the top of the volcano. Everyone was game. Marcia Soriano from San Francisco recalls, “This trip gave me another perspective of how things can be. We seemed to all have known each other for a very long time. This was the
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best trip I’ve ever taken.” Hester Van Gool of Amsterdam seconded that when she said, “Really, really, really, this trip was just pure bliss!” Upon our bittersweet departure, everyone agreed, this was a trip of a lifetime and one that will possibly be recreated again—I am hoping sometime
down
soon. Meanwhile Holly has plenty of retreats planned for the fall of 2011 and in 2012, and you can check them out at
www.surfwithhollybeck.com.
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Country Western Singer Michele Murray wearing shirred camI and spin short.
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