Founders ask us this constantly: what does a real retreat cost? Here is an honest answer, using a recent example — an 18-person founders’ retreat at a villa estate in Big Sur, four nights.
The biggest line is lodging. A property that sleeps 18 well, with the kind of common space a retreat needs, takes the largest share of the budget — and in peak season a full buyout is often the only way to get the whole group under one roof. Book it early; the good properties for groups this size are scarce.
After lodging, the costs that matter are food and ground. Private chefs for the arrival dinner and a couple of group meals, transfers to and from the airport, one or two off-property experiences. None of these is huge on its own, but together they are real money — and they are where a trip either feels considered or feels thrown together.
What to negotiate first: the buyout rate and what it includes, the food-and-beverage minimum, and the cancellation terms. Those three decide whether the budget holds. Send us the group size and the dates, and we will come back with a real number — not a brochure estimate.
← All journal entries