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The Alchemy of Pleasure & Plants: A Transformational Retreat on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast
- Christine Gordineer
- Dec 3
- 6 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Hosted by Lupo Passero & Sherri Burch | Curated by Tranquil Escapes Luxury Eco-Travel & Wellness Retreats
You step off the plane in + Costa Rica. The warm air flows in, salt-scented breeze from the Pacific. Soon you arrive to a tranquil tucked-away sanctuary in the heart of tropical forest — a place where land, sea, ancestral plant wisdom, creativity, and sisterhood converge. This is your invitation to an extraordinary week of healing, presence, and transformation led by passionate women — and brought to life through a collaboration with Tranquil Escapes.
For over thirteen years, Twin Star has journeyed throughout the Caribbean, weaving plant-spirit teaching with cultural immersion, ceremony, and healing. Those islands shaped Lupo Passero in profound ways—offering wonder, grounding, and inspiration that touched every student who traveled with her.
And now, for the very first time, a new chapter is calling....
This March 3–10, 2026, Twin Star Travel—is stepping onto the Pacific side of Costa Rica, into the vibrant, soul-stirring lands of Guanacaste.A place where tropical dry forest meets ocean wind, where ancient trees stand as protectors, and where the land feels like an invitation to rediscover yourself.
It is here that The Alchemy of Pleasure & Plants will unfold.
A New Chapter in Twin Star’s Wisdom Journey
Guanacaste carries a spirit unlike anywhere else—alive, elemental, and humbling. According to Lupo, the land itself feels like an invitation: an invitation to renew, restore, and reconnect, both personally and collectively.
For Lupo, this retreat is more than a travel experience. It is the beginning of a new lineage of learning—one shaped by Costa Rica’s tropical plants, its warm Pacific waters, its people, and the stories that live in its forests.
Meet the Hosts: From Herbal Lore to Sacred Jewelry
Lupo Passero — founder of Twin Star Tribe — brings more than two decades of devoted study in plant-spirit medicine, herbalism, and flower-essence therapy across Europe and Central America. With roots in Italian and Irish ancestral wisdom, Lupo guides participants into the living medicine of the jungle — inviting them to learn, feel, and commune with nature in the most intimate way.
Sherri Burch, master silversmith and jewelry maker, joins the journey with a unique offering: on the final day, participants craft their own amulet, a wearable embodiment of the medicine, intention, and transformation experienced on retreat. What started as a personal spiritual calling blossomed into metal, stone, and intention, a tangible symbol of the inner journey.
This retreat comes alive at the intersection of ancestral plant wisdom, creative ritual, and feminine community, a container consciously held by Lupo and Sherri, with heart, respect, and intention.
What to Expect: The Week at the Costa Rica Retreat
The retreat, titled The Alchemy of Pleasure & Plants, spans March 3–10, 2026 on the Pacific coast of Guanacaste in a sanctuary nestled in Guanacaste.
A Sample of the Journey
Opening + Plant-Spirit Healing Ceremony – Arrival, orientation, planting intentions, and first circle to connect with plant allies through meditation, altar building, and ritual.
Energetic Hygiene & Protection Practices – Learn ancestral traditions for cleansing, aligning chakras, and working with tropical plant allies for protective and restorative medicine.
Ocean Day at the Pacific – A full day by the beach at scenic spots like Playa Avellanas or Playa Negra: swimming, walking the shoreline, reflecting, letting the ocean’s energy infuse the retreat.
Medicine-Making with Plants – Create flower-essences, herbal remedies, and hydrosols, guided by Lupo, to deepen your personal relationship with the plants and integrate their healing.
Creative Ceremony with Metalsmithing – Under Sherri’s guidance, craft a personal amulet: a symbolic piece linking your intentions, the plants, and the spiritual journey, to carry home.
Community, Rest & Renewal – Each day includes nourishing meals, time to rest and reflect, yoga, meditation and optional activities (from journaling in the gardens to local cultural excursions), curated to be supportive, grounding, and transformative.
Accommodations are private bungalows tucked into the forest, offering comfort and serenity: private baths, terraces, cooling airflow, and proximity to both jungle and coast — blending simplicity, nature, and quiet luxury.
As part of this retreat, Sheri and I will also offer guided yoga practices and meditation. These gently immersive class is designed to complement the essence of The Alchemy of Pleasure & Plants retreat—inviting you to slow down, settle into your body, and awaken the senses that help you receive the world more fully.
We begin with slow, somatic-inspired movement to soften tension, open the hips and heart, and reconnect with the natural pleasure of being in your body. Each posture is guided with intention, allowing you to explore sensation, breath, and intuition at your own pace.
As we transition to meditation, you’ll be led through an earth-centered visualization that weaves together plant energetics, sensory awareness, and mindful presence. Through breathwork and gentle prompting, you’ll explore how pleasure can be a pathway to healing, grounding, and deeper self-knowing.
This practice is an invitation to:
Reconnect with your body’s natural rhythms
Strengthen your mind–body relationship
Nourish your nervous system with ease and spaciousness
Cultivate gentle pleasure through movement, breath, and awareness
Prepare your heart and spirit for the deeper plant medicine teachings throughout the retreat
Whether you’re new to yoga or seasoned in your practice, this class meets you exactly where you are.It’s a soft landing, a warm opening, and a beautiful energetic companion to the transformational work you’ll experience during the retreat.
Guests can join a gentle yoga and meditation class designed to ground the body and open the senses before diving into the deeper plant-spirit work. Through slow, somatic movement and a guided plant-connected meditation, you’ll soften into yourself, reconnect with your breath, and settle into the rhythm of the land. This practice offers a calm, nourishing space to unwind, unwind, and align with the healing energy that shapes the rest of the week.
Visit the travel page on Twin Star’s website and look for “The Alchemy of Pleasure & Plants — Costa Rica March 3–10, 2026.”
Select your accommodation type (private bungalow with bath, shared, etc.), rooms are first come, first served.
Submit the deposit of US $600 to hold your spot.
Flights are not included — plan your arrival to Liberia (LIR) — shuttle pick-up will be arranged from the airport to the retreat center.
Once registered, consider coordinating with Tranquil Escapes: we can help with travel logistics, flights, extra excursions, or post-retreat add-ons to create a truly seamless, elevated experience.
Why This Retreat Matters — Especially for Eco-Luxury Travelers
This is not just a vacation. It’s a return to roots, a reclamation of ancient plant wisdom, an invitation to slow down, listen, feel, heal, and create. For eco-conscious luxury travelers, this retreat offers the rare blend of comfort and authenticity: modern, private, thoughtfully curated accommodations and meals, and deep immersion into land, medicine, community, and ritual.
For those drawn to conscious living, wellness, and personal transformation, the blend of botanical healing, spiritual ceremony, creative expression (through metalwork jewelry), and natural beauty offers something rare: a kind of soulful reset.
And for someone like you, with a passion for sustainable, meaningful travel, this retreat aligns beautifully with what you envision for your clients: immersive journeys that rejuvenate, restore, and inspire.
From Tranquil Escapes — Let Us Help You Curate That Journey
I had the fortune of being a student of Twin Star for the first time 11 years ago and it changed my life. I am honored to be part of this retreat and look forward to this new sacred journey. As the founder of Tranquil Escapes, I understand the power of plant-spirit medicine, sacred travel, and heartfelt transformation.
If you’re ready to answer the call of the jungle, the sea, and your own inner journey, I’m here to help you craft the full retreat experience: from and travel logistics to arrival, comfort, and even personalized add-ons like journaling guides, packing checklists, or post-retreat integration plans. Click HERE to explore add-ons
If you feel called to join us March 3–10, 2026, now is the time. Spots are limited, and registration is open. Reserve your place through this link.
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