Blog - Playa Viva Luxury Eco Resort, Mexico

Playa Viva’s Power Couple: Eli & Serafin

In an industry that so often puts hotel owners on a pedestal, Playa Viva puts its team front and center. To celebrate our 15th season we want to give you an insight into the heart of Playa Viva. This month we are introducing you to Eli and Serafin, the ‘power couple’ of Playa Viva who manage our housekeeping & maintenance teams respectively.

David: When did you start working at Playa Viva (PV)?

Serafin: I joined PV right at the beginning when the land was being prepared for construction, a year before the hotel opened in 2007

David: What work did you do?

Serafin: I did everything. I started “mochando” vegetation, loosening sand, I actually dug the first hole for construction and then, as we progressed, I helped as a bricklayer and in carpentry working with bamboo. A little bit of everything, it really was all hands on deck during that first year, it still is really.

David: And you Eli, when did you join the Playa Viva tean?

Eli: I started a month before the end of the first season. So I already have 14 complete seasons with Playa Viva and one month of the first. I started in the laundry which looked very different then. We had one machine but there was never enough solar power to run it so I had to take all the sheets back and forth to Petatlan which was far from ideal.

David: I remember you told me after a few years that if a laundry wasn’t built in the next construction, you would leave Playa Viva.

Eli: Yes, it wasn’t efficient for me to be coming and going from Petatlan. Now we have a lovely laundry area with plenty of machines and drying lines that overlook the mountains and palm trees. It must be one of the most beautiful laundry room views in the world. So I got my wish and I am happy for my team to have that dedicated space

David: And your Serafin, you went from being a construction worker to what kind of job?

Serafin: I was a construction worker during the construction, from there they moved me to work in the maintenance team because Michel, PV’s architect, recommended me. I want to think that he liked my way of working, and could see my love for working with wood.

David: I remember what Michel told me is that “Serafín is the person you want in charge of maintenance because he knows everything. Serafin knows what you need before you need it.” That’s how you came recommended and has been our experience. Now I have a lot of confidence that when we ask you for some carpentry work, we know you will make a work of art, you do everything beautifully.

Serafin: I remember that the first year I struggled a lot with the way the team worked. I remember them telling me: I want this, and once it was done, they made me change it and do it another way. Now, I can skip that middle part because I know better how to anticipate the needs of the hotel. Little by little I am getting to know the needs of the project. When you work you learn and discover new things, these are things that time and dedication give you.

Eli: For me, I had never worked before. This is my first job, it just happens to have lasted 14+ years and I am now the manager of the housekeeping department. Currently, 10 people work with me. First, we were 3, then 5 and now we are 10, as the hotel grew, so did our laundry team.

David: What attracted you to working at the hotel?

Eli: Well if I’m honest, initially it was the proximity to my home and that my husband worked here already, there was that safety net. I loved that the design concept being all wood, it is different from the other hotels in the region, which are all glass and concrete. Beyond the design, what makes me proud to work here is the concept the hotel has for caring for nature and the environment, how Playa Viva helps in the watershed because truthfully no one had cared about the communities before.

Serafin: I think that PV opened the doors for us to feel proud, and to be able to say that I belong to a company, to a project that benefits my community and where they let you realize your potential and discover beautiful things. Every time there is construction, I know that it is going to be hard work but it is nice to know that the more Playa Viva grows, the more impact and opportunities there are for other people in the community.

David: And now we have a second generation of locals working with us, including your son. Tell us how you feel about that?

Serafin: I remember that one day you called me on the radio and asked me how I felt working with my son… It’s something that I didn’t consider… but it’s very nice. When he started here he really was still a child in my eyes, but now I see him being part of this team and having an impact in the same way Eli and I have had and I realize he is a responsible young man.

Eli: I feel very proud and grateful that thanks to the work Playa Viva gave us he was able to study at the University in Petatlán and get his degree. He was the first in both our families to do so and won’t be the last, our daughter is now attending the same university and learning English. These are small things but we could have never imagined being able to have gone to university. Playa Viva has been our university/ life training.

David: What does the community think of Playa Viva?

Eli: The community is very grateful to Playa Viva for helping, especially when it comes to education because the truth is that before many families did not have the resources to allow their children to stay in school beyond the age of 15, instead the boys would be sent to work and the girls sent to get married and begin their own family. But now thanks to the “Adopt a Student” program many children in the community have been provided with the funds, tools and support to be able to attend & finish high school and you can see the positive ripple effect of that daily.

Serafin: Playa Viva is not just the hotel, Playa Viva is its surroundings. People recognize that Playa Viva has created a bridge between the community and the hotel and thanks to that all of the communities in some way or another have benefited from the project.

David: At what age did you start working in the fields Serafin?

Serafin: Where I grew up in Rancho Nuevo, as soon as you can handle a machete you start working. You leave school and go help your parents: work with firewood, tend to the crop… there is always something to do

David: So the ‘Adopt a Student’ program has made a difference?

Eli: It has made a huge amount of difference, from the moment they started supporting the individual students you could see the shift in the communities. There are fewer youths working in the fields, fewer girls getting married young and the children have higher expectations for their future prospects. You can also notice more pride in the children and a greater understanding of the environment and watershed thanks to all the volunteers teaching regenerative education, which really is a gift.

Serafin: We, in the communities, feel lucky that Playa Viva attracts people from all over Mexico and Internationally to come and support our children’s education. Over the years the children have created beautiful bonds with the impact team, especially Colleen, Ariel & Ximena, they are like idols in the community and for that we are fortunate. The fact that this is something Playa Viva has decided to take on, to create that bridge and help the communities to improve their situations is very nice.

David: Wow, that is really special. Thank you for sharing all that. On a less serious note, we are asking everyone we interview the same question, “What is your favorite room?”

Serafin: Room 13. You feel different there, the architecture and being surrounded by bamboo is very unique. For me all the rooms are beautiful but rooms 13 and 11 are special to me.

Eli: For me, it’s room 11, I love the palapa and the privacy you get there, it stands out to me from the others, but it was also one of the first rooms so maybe it’s the nostalgia.

Because it Feels Like Home

Over the last 15 years, Playa Viva has become a cherished home away from home for our valued guests. Here are 15 keys that define Playa Viva:

Friendly – Be among friends – our team is here as your hosts to ensure you engage fully with their community and experience their beautiful Mexican culture. Every need is met with a smile, think motherly love rather than starched uniforms and white-gloves… this is our team’s home as well as yours, we are all a family.
Holistic – A whole systems thinking approach to wellness- when you stay here you are nurtured by nutritious food, revitalized by daily yoga, and relaxed during oceanside spa treatments.
Spacious – Just 19 rooms with access to 200 acres of abundant tropical landscape, including 1-mile of beachfront, a 20-acre permaculture farm, three yoga shalas and a turtle sanctuary.
Transformative – whether you try yoga for the first time, have a go at planting maize, or simply sipping a basil margarita from a hammock is your idea of living on the edge, we guarantee a transformative shift by the time check-out arrives.
Reciprocal – your visiting Playa Viva helps us to help our community. You engage one-on-one with the locals who are proud to share what makes their home special.
Private – A select set of guests contributes to a more intimate atmosphere. By balancing private and public spaces we foster a sense of community and belonging. Solo travelers, couples and families can all enjoy the pristine beach and the peace while electing to be part of something bigger than themselves. At Playa Viva you can come by yourself but you don’t have to be alone.
Inspiring – Spending the night nestled in one of our award-winning, oceanside treehouses and casitas immersed in the luxury of nature will inspire awe.
Local – Excursions and activities are curated to engage with the local community. You are not going on a ‘tour,’ you are sharing real life experiences, immersed in the day to day life of people, locals, who love their community and are proud to share their home with you, their guest.
Grounded – A space that encourages you to find time to be fully present, appreciate all that surrounds you, and let the “immersion in the luxury of nature” be your medicine.
Nourished- From Farm-To-Table food and cocktails and Barrel-to-Bottle wine, we source as local as possible so you can enjoy the most delicious food and beverages with a minimal footprint as you travel.
Thoughtful – It is often said by guests that “Playa Viva gives you not what you want but what you need.” It’s all in the intricate design and service details that we have developed over 15 years.
Peaceful – No soundtrack required, the ocean is your playlist. The Pacific waves will lull you to sleep and provide a show each morning as baby turtles return to the ocean, dolphins play in the waves, pelicans skim the surface, and whales breach.
Immersive – Join new moon ceremonies, cultural celebrations, music and more embracing the opportunity to celebrate life in community.
Genuine – One of the highest-rated B-Corp certified hotels in the world! We do the hard work, now you can just relax knowing you are at a place “Where Your Vacation Meets Your Values.™ ”
Inclusive – “Family friendly, LGBTQ+ friendly, dog-friendly, just unfriendly to unfriendlies.”

Home is where the heart is, so go out for adventure and come home for love, Playa Viva is your beach home and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.

Photo by @wildwellnessguide

Johnny’s Famous Basil Margarita

It’s been almost 10 years since Juan Carlos Solís, aka Johnny developed our Signature Organic Basil Margarita. Johnny has gone on to found his own adventure tour company that manages activities for Playa Viva guests, but this recipe lives on as a testament to his time as a bartender. By popular demand it is still the Playa Viva house drink.

It’s not too tart or too sweet, but it’s just right. It’s so just right, that it’s too good, if that’s possible, so be warned, the maker will be in popular demand!

The key is not only “the mix” but, in this case, “the ingredients”; like everything at Playa Viva the sourcing is taken seriously, not even a cocktail escapes our concept of Food (or drink in this case) as Medicine. Testament to this, we rim our cocktail glasses with Sal Viva, the hotel’s very own brand of salt. Here’s how our partner producer’s the Quintana Family cultivate it:

Originally gifted as tribute to Aztec kings, Sal Viva has been harvested by hand in Juluchuca, Mexico in the same fashion for centuries. Summer rains wash the rich minerals off the Sierra Madre range filling seaside lagoons, eventually bursting past sand barriers, fusing with the salty Pacific Ocean. As heat evaporates the lagoons, peasant farmers hand form calcium drying ponds and rake in Sal Viva.

Playa Viva’s Organic Basil Margarita

Ingredients:

5 leaves of organic basil
1.5 shots of lemon juice
2 shots of 4 Copas organic tequila (or other organic tequila)
1 shot of Controy
1 teaspoon of agave nectar (agave honey – “Miel de Agave”)
5 large cubes of ice
Thin layer of Sal Viva in a dish (for rimming glass). If it is in season we also recommend adding in dried blitzed hibiscus to make a hibiscus salt

Tools of the trade:

Blender
Shaker Glass
Plate for salt to rim glass
Glass

Blending the drink- over ice edition:

Start with the four leaves of organic basil. Place them in a blender, then squeeze in juice from lime, add the tequila and blend (without ice).
Once blended, pour the blended mix into a shaker glass with the ice and add the agave nectar
Margarita should be shaken (not stirred)
Take the remaining lime and rim the mouth of the glass to add moisture so when you dip the glass in a plate with Sal Viva, the salt sticks to the rim
Pour in the shaken mix into a glass for the perfect Playa Viva Organic Basil Margarita.

If you want to make it a frozen margarita, like this, add the ice into the blender at step one, blend all the ingredients together and then skip to step 4.

And there you have it, our perfectly crafted Basil Margarita.

Enjoy Responsibly & tag us on Instagram & Facebook!

To purchase your own Sal Viva, send an email to info@PlayaViva.com and include the words “Sal Viva” in the subject line.

Julia on 15 Years Leading the Playa Viva Team

In an industry that so often puts hotel owners on a pedestal, Playa Viva puts its team front and center. To celebrate our 15th season we want to give you an insight into the lifeblood of Playa Viva. Naturally, first up we have the leader of the hotel team, Julia Garcia, General Manager of Playa Viva.

David Leventhal, co-founder and Operating Manager, interviewed Julia in her office during the first weeks of Season 15 and started with a few rapid fire questions:

Quickfire Qs

David: Julia, do you have a favorite room?

Julia: Of course, I have one, the Private Casita, number 11. That was the first room we built and is still my favourite. We have guests that prefer other rooms but I love the way they designed the space, the light in the roomy bathroom, the large palapa and spacious front deck. You really feel immersed in the jungle there.

David: Do you have a favorite meal?

Julia: I like everything the kitchen team does here and I especially like not having to cook myself. I love Olga’s Mole and the fact that she prepares it from scratch the traditional way but has adapted to offer vegetarian & vegan options for our guests. I also love the Pozole.

David: Favorite cocktail?

Julia: The Basil Margarita, of course, Johnny’s famous margarita has to get a mention. That or a cold wine is my order to enjoy at the bar while the sun sets.

Julia’s story from the very beginning…

David: So, how did you initially find out about Playa Viva?

Julia: I actually found out from the human resources manager of Club Med, where I was working at the time. She told me they were building a hotel right by my town and once I knew about that, I just came directly to see you (David). I was at the end of a contract as the Head of restaurant operations with Club Med and had worked for the brand for over 20 years, so it was a good opportunity for me to move on and I was excited by the prospect of working closer to home for an independent property.

David: Excellent. And what, what is your role now at Playa Viva?

Julia: I am the Hotel Manager. Or the boss’s assistant as I like to say.

David: Haha, Julia, you know that you are the real boss, not me. Back to the interview, what is your favorite part of being a member of the Playa Viva team?

Julia: I will say there are many many things. I am proud that it is a sustainable hotel, and we have always taken care of the community with our social impact programs. And also, I like the experience that we provide to the guests, it is different, unique. It is not just being a tourist and enjoying the beach, the contact with the land, with our community and (Mexican) culture is different. One of the things I love the most is the type of guests we attract, they are different, interesting people.

David: What do you mean by- “We attract different people?”

Julia: Well, we attract people who travel with a purpose. With a sense of their impact and strong values that are aligned with ours. As a local myself, I am proud that we offer them that opportunity.

David: You’ve been working with us since the very beginning, that’s 15 years of fun. Do you have any highlights from your time working here?

Julia: My life has changed a lot in those 15 years. Of course, having Fernando, my son, has been one of the highlights of my life. Being able to raise him in the community where I grew up and within the Playa Viva community where the staff watches after him and returning guests ask about him and have seen him grow up is a very special thing. My son is 12 years old now so I was in my second year at the hotel when I had him so I can track every season of the hotel through his life stages.. One other experience, that now I can laugh at, was early on when you still had to cross the river to get to Playa Viva and we had a period of unseasonal rain. An Austrian family were here at the hotel and we were watching the river get higher and higher as the days passed. As their time with us drew to an end and they had to catch their flight, the river had become, seemingly, impassable.. We had to use an old truck, we filled the truck with water containers and rocks to weigh it down so it wouldn’t float away as it crossed the river. That was stressful for us but, for the family, it was the highlight of their trip, their adventurous escape through the jungle. I still laugh about that and wonder how we managed to get them to the airport in time, but we did.

David: Something, they’ll never forget for sure. Now, as you know, one of the five core values of Playa Viva is to create transformational experiences. So, I am interested to hear how you feel Playa Viva has transformed you?

Julia: When I first started at Playa Viva, I felt I had a lot to share with the project and it’s one of the things that attracted me the most but I have to be honest, with time I realized there is so much more I can learn from the project in return. I naturally was so involved that I invested more thought into our values and it has motivated me not just here at the hotel but at home as well. I mean it could be to do with my age and having Fernando made me more conscious.My past jobs have just been jobs to me, part of my routine, I was looking for something different. I was hoping more than looking.. At that time, before I had Fernando I was just working to survive but I think finding Playa Viva gave me purpose and satisfaction again in my work. I always want to see how we can do more to create transformational experiences for the guests and, in turn, transform our community. The social impact we have in the community, what we are doing right now, in reciprocity with them, for me is one of the best parts of Playa Viva.

David: How have you grown as a person professionally while working here?

Julia: Well I learned to manage a team in a different way. I was more used to a large team and the corporate Club Med environment. But working with a small team is different, you get involved with them, you share feelings with the team. And you know, the fact that the majority of them are from my town. It really is like a family. So, I had a wonderful opportunity to help the team develop into their roles because many of them didn’t know the job and they had to learn because part of Playa Viva functioning efficiently & authentically revolves around hiring local people and developing their potential. I am proud of the group of supervisors we have, they are so good at what they do and are proud to do it which is a huge help to me. Of course, we as a team have different points of view sometimes and some team members have never worked in a hotel before, they have their own land and are used to managing themselves but I think these different life experiences only make the team richer.

David: How have you learned to be outside of your comfort zone through challenges you have faced here. I am sure I have out some things on you that you would have preferred to avoid?

Julia:

I will say that I find our construction periods most challenging because it’s not my strong point, I prefer to work with a fully functioning hotel. There are so many moving parts when expanding a hotel so it is super interesting but certainly not an area I am super knowledgeable in and that can be stressful. However, to now be able to lookback and see how the place has developed, how we went from five rooms to eight and then to 12, and then to 19 now. It is like having a baby and seeing him grow. Very hard, very stressful, but, then after the hurdles somehow, you forget all the stress and can appreciate the improvements.

David: What about guests do you have any special guests stories?

Julia: Well, yes I have many, as you know we have many repeat guests here so it really is hard to choose, they are all so special to us. What immediately comes to my mind is when Teresa and Zak got married here. After visiting a few times they told me that they wanted to re-do their vows here and I was like ‘wow, such an honor,’ what do you need, how can we help? It was our first wedding here so it was super special, they got married in the private casita and she was wearing this beautiful dress and he was so handsome. The team lined the paths with petals and then they enjoyed time on the beach together, it was very intimate. I was the photographer, I took pictures of them at the beach and she always says how the photos are on the wall in their living room so they have daily reminders of Playa Viva. Teresa and Zak come back every year and it is so nice to share those memories with them.

Read a blog about the Playa Viva guest experience written by Teresa here

David: I can so clearly remember you strolling in and asking for a job here. Think back to when you first walked in the door of Playa Viva, can you tell me what you first thought?

Julia: I was like, wow. This is so beautiful. And I was so proud that we were building this place here right by my hometown. It was just like my dream was coming true. All the time that I was working away from Juluchuca I was always just hoping that ‘Oh my god. I hope they build something close to my town so I can live at home and come to work every day in 15 minutes.’ And when I saw it in real life, it was like a dream and I said ‘well I hope that they have space for me to play a role here.’ That’s when I handed over my resume and I remember you looking surprised. I really feel like I manifested the opportunity.

David: What makes Playa Viva special to you?

Julia: I definitely identify with the values and I like the way that we are working closely with the community. Playa Viva is the community and the community is a part of Playa Viva. This was never even a consideration in my previous jobs. When we host school children from the local communities here at the hotel, on the farm or at the turtle sanctuary it is wonderful to see and great that the hotel and our team can act as an example for them. That sense of community means when guests visit they aren’t just visiting a hotel I truly feel that we are giving them the community experience. It is not something easy to coordinate or something we are expected to offer but that connection with the community and being able to help them is very special to me. I think we lead with honesty and that passion and authenticity drives a unique experience that can’t be replicated, it is a success story unique to Juluchuca and our team. Because of that I am so proud to be part of the Playa Viva family.

Quinceanera: Playa Viva Turns 15

Honoring Place: A Note from our Co-Founder and steward, David Leventhal

Honoring place. Honoring people. What is more Mexican than a Quincenera? A coming of age celebration and now 15 years in, Playa Viva is no different. What does make us different? It’s a question that naturally comes up during big milestones. As I presented Playa Viva at conferences in Mexico this Summer (at Sustentur and Travesias/Futuro Destino), it has become clear that we do the same as many hotels, what we do differently is that we do it all. Not just one or two items, or three or four, we do it all. As one guest put it, “You check all my boxes, even boxes I didn’t know I had.”

For our Quincenra, we wanted to celebrate what makes us different in an absolutely quintessential Mexican way. As a result of a recommendation by the artist and photographer, Adrian Wilson, who photographed Playa Viva for the NYTimes, we found artist Uriel Sánchez at his stall inside Mexico City’s Mercado Central de Abastos. We asked him if he could take some of our quintessential Playa Viva sayings and mottos and turn them into his signature signs traditionally used in Mexican Markets.

Many of these sayings have come from you, our guests, over the years. Such as “Playa Viva: All the Luxury, None of the Guilt” which came from a guest who wanted to explain why she loved Playa Viva so much.

For all our return guests we look forward to having you back for Season 15. For those of you who haven’t experienced all that makes Playa Viva so special, we look forward to having you join us for our Quinceanera. We have so much to share this year from our expansion of the ReSiMar SEI efforts with 4 great young women leaders spearheading each node of the project, to an expanded farm tour, to an updated spa and beachfront yoga deck. We are also adding more local farm producers up the watershed and updating our wine selection so that by the end of Season 15, all our wines can be local (Mexican), organic, sustainable and traditional (aged in clay), all part of “Eat Local, Drink Local.” Playa Viva is definitely maturing into an amazingly talented, beautiful and powerful being. We look forward to hosting you in 2023/24 and “checking your boxes”, immersing you in the luxury of nature and hosting you “Where Your Vacation Meets Your Values.”

Here’s to another season of abundance, regeneration and reciprocity, see you soon, David

Regenerating a Watershed: How Playa Viva’s Culinary Offerings and Guest Experiences Shed Light on Efforts to Regenerate the Region

Playa Viva’s culinary offerings go far beyond offering fresh, farm-to-table organic Mexican fusion dishes three times per day. As one of the world’s most highly-rated B-Corporation hotels and a destination for guests who care about what they eat, consideration of the food ecosystem is paramount. “What we offer is not just a beautiful array of food, it is a reflection of over 15 years of hard work building our permaculture farm and strengthening relationships with farmers, ranchers and small food producers in the local community. It is motivating for my team to know that Playa Viva’s respect for each producer and the origin of each food item is evident to all guests.” Playa Viva’s head chef Marco Antonio Fernández Valdés.

This dedication to uplifting the community is reflected in the culinary experiences and offerings available to guests. These include:

Redefining roles for women- Juluchuca Women’s Cooperative

Playa Viva’s Permaculture Team farms 20 acres of land using regenerative, permaculture methods. Beyond supplying the hotel with organic produce the team is driven by the aim of transitioning the entire watershed to permaculture methods through education and best practice sharing and creating demand for organic produce which supports sustainable revenue streams for local farmers. This past year the hotel’s Permaculture team founded the Juluchuca Women’s Cooperative, which aims to facilitate capacity building in organic production, including getting women into farm production roles traditionally reserved for men, strengthening social networks, and creating space for mutual support. Through the design and establishment of multi-strata forest gardens at the home level, women develop skills in organic production and seasonal planning; permaculture design and land regeneration techniques. The cooperative currently has a focus on filling the supply gap for local organic products such as coconut oil, tumeric and moringa.

Guest Experience: Playa Viva offers tours of its 20-acre farm 2 times per week so guests can learn how the team has been spearheading regenerative permaculture in rural Mexico for over 15 years. During the tour guests see first-hand the impact of the women’s cooperative and have the opportunity to assist the women in preparing the turmeric, moringa and coconut oil ready to be packaged for sale in the boutique and at regional markets.
Playa Viva’s Farm Tour is Available Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30AM at a cost of $30 USD per person (13 years and over).

Supporting the 2,000 Year Old Tradition of Artisanal Salt Production – Dona Quintina and her Family

Dona Quintina and her family have been harvesting mineral-rich, unrefined salt in small batches in Las Salinas, for hundreds of years. This painstaking work has grown increasingly difficult due to climate change in recent years. While most salt farmers use plastic to line drying ponds or “eras” as they are called, Dona Quintina’s family is one of the last in Mexico committed to traditional 2,000-year-old techniques of harvesting this lagoon salt. The family form the drying ponds with clay, sand and water mixed by “dancing” the mixture to the right consistency, then utilizing a pumice stone to create a smooth drying surface for the salt. Playa Viva supports this non-toxic and traditional means of “farming” salt by ONLY purchasing salt, even if more expensive, harvested by Dona Quintina’s family. The salt is served on the table at every meal and sold in Playa Viva’s boutique, aptly branded as ‘Sal Viva.’

Guest Experience: Guests can take a trip to the beautiful salt flats that are framed by thriving green mangroves teaming with birdlife, just a 15-minute drive from Playa Viva. During the visit, guests learn about the ancient process of farming artisanal lagoon salt, assist with the harvest and share stories with the 96-year-old Dona Quintina, and her family.
The visit to the Salina is part of the “Local Tour” offered by Johnny Adventures through Playa Viva at a cost of $40 USD per person*.

Cultivating Culture- Mario’s Milpa

Corn or maize is entwined in Mexican life, history and tradition. It is not just a crop; it is central to the Mexican identity. Local farmer, Mario Vargas, and his family, have collaborated with Playa Viva’s permaculture team to become the first local supplier of organic maize to the hotel. The kitchen uses it daily in handmade tortillas and tamales. In recent years local farmers in the watershed have adopted agroindustrial techniques that rely on pesticides causing degradation in the soil, water and community health. Playa Viva supported Mario with capacity building through access to tools, knowledge, and skills to transition (back) to more organic, permaculture-based farming methods. The Vargas family is now a success story to promote and engage other families in the watershed about the benefits of permaculture farming.

Guest Experience: For guests wanting to meet Mario and his family, walk through his corn fields, get their hands dirty in the field planting corn in a traditional manner, and see the benefits of regenerative permaculture firsthand; Playa Viva offers an excursion to Mario’s farm. After time in the field, guests visit Mario’s home to make masa, form and cook tortillas over the fire, and share a meal together around the family’s table.
The Tour of Mario’s Farm is offered by Playa Viva’s Permaculture team on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at a cost of $45 USD per person.

Off the Grid Farm – Cacao and More – Gutierez family

The Guiterez family lives at the top of the Juluchuca watershed, located around 1,250m (about 4,100 feet) above sea level, at the headwaters of the river that eventually fills the estuary which runs through Playa Viva. The Gutierrez family grow arguably two of the most important products Playa Viva sources externally, cacao and coffee. The coffee is served at the hotel daily alongside freshly prepared coconut milk and the cacao forms the base of many dishes including the guest’s favorite, mole (meat & vegan based options available).

Guest Experience: Beyond sampling their products in the hotel, guests have the opportunity to visit The Guiterez family and enjoy stops in local communities as they travel one hour via quad bike from sea-level into the Sierra Madre Mountains. Guests are received with open arms and a delicious homemade meal by Don Jesus, the charismatic family patriarch who enjoys sharing the stories of their self-sustaining life in the mountains. Guests will also experience a tour of the farm, and orchards, learn about the Guiterrez family’s contributions to Playa Viva’s watershed regeneration project, ReSiMar, and relax at the source of the river that sustains life in the watershed. A pure experience of life in rural Mexico.
The visit to the Gutierrez family is part of the “Sierra Tour” offered by Johnny Adventures through Playa Viva at a cost of $125 USD per person*

*prices are subject to change

From Farm to… Gastronomic Showcase

Recently our head chef, Marco Antonio Fernández Valdés was invited to present at an event celebrating Guererro as one of the foodie capitals of Mexico.

Marco presented alongside chefs from a zero-waste restaurant in Guadalajara, two of Acapulco’s most highly-regarded eateries, and a new fine-dining spot in Zihuatanejo. They each prepared one dish to make a 5-course feast celebrating modern Guerrean cuisine.

The challenge was to use the best Guererran produce, a state traditionally dependent on agriculture for its GDP, and create a dish that is symbolic of Mexico. Tasked with course two, Marco put forward a sophisticated raw vegan take on a classic Mexican broth-based dish. The dish that delighted the eyes as much as the tastebuds was constructed using avocado and passionfruit stuffed jicama rolls, in a bright pool of beetroot, ginger and lemon finished off with a dusting of turmeric powder and edible flowers. The ingredients which included beetroot, turmeric, ginger, dill, lime, celery, tomato, salt, Malabar spinach seeds, cumin, and pineapple in the broth alone, were all sourced from Playa Viva’s 20-acre permaculture farm to ensure fresh, abundant flavors.

Playa Viva’s Permaculture Coordinator Osmaira Hernández, Regenerative Education Coordinator Ximena Rodriguez, and Samantha Ordóñez joined Marco during the presentation to explain to the guests how the food on their plate was available to them thanks to our 15-years of promoting regenerative agriculture and conservation within our watershed. This work involves encouraging local farmer to transition back to organic, sustainable farming methods. This is accomplished thanks to our permaculture team creating deep relationships with local farmers. Success also comes from engaging students through regenerative-focused programming at local schools and working with people in the community to educate them about conservation and celebrating the bounty of natural wonders they have access to.

Chef Marco had this to say after the event

“I felt proud to be able to give the opportunity to the guests to really think about the story and effort behind what they are eating. What we put forward was not just a beautiful plate of food, it was a reflection of years of hard work on our permaculture farm and within the local community. Events such as this help me reflect on the incredible produce we have access to and return to the hotel reinvigorated with new ideas to serve up for our guests beachside at Playa Viva.”

Plates presented by the other chefs included a white coconut mole sauce with fried plantain and abalone, a Mexican take on a veal dish and a tres leche slice with coconut sorbet and a chocolate and raspberry garnish.

When Guests Become Family

We are lucky to have a lot of returning guests, year in year out, who have become part of the Playa Viva family. We asked Teresa and Zak, who enjoyed their 9th visit this year what keeps them coming back:

We booked our first trip to Playa Viva in 2013 after seeing a few positive reviews online. The hotel was fairly new and had only five or six rooms so there weren’t a ton of people who had visited – let alone left reviews! By the time we arrived to Juluchuca we were feeling that we had come with little in the way of assurance – only hope and fingers crossed. At that time you had to drive into the puebla to access the road to the hotel and that road…had a fair bit of water flowing across it! As the taxi stopped to consider how to (whether to?) negotiate the water, Zak and I looked at each other thinking “what have we gotten ourselves into?” Not many minutes later we had arrived at the hotel. We got out of the taxi and walked under an extended pergola that opens into the heart of Playa Viva. By the time we caught view of the ocean something inside of us had already started to shift.

Over the years I’ve come to think of that pergola as a labyrinth of sorts – leading you away from the world and towards an opportunity. Your time at Playa Viva can be whatever you need it to be – we have spent time exploring our surroundings and going on excursions, or doing a self-guided study/retreat or barely ever leaving our beach lounger and all have been exactly the right vacation at the time.

That said, there are a few things we look forward to every year:

Feeling safe in the dark is really special. It’s nourishing and it leads to a creativity and an energy that we return to Playa Viva every year to renew.
Eating with strangers. This is something we were a bit concerned with before our first trip but somehow at Playa Viva it just works! Even if you travel with a group or retreat, take a few cocktails or meals with some of the other guests. Some very cool people find their way to Playa Viva and you owe it to yourself to meet them.
The amazing food. Zak and I typically arrange our travel around food so no matter how amazing Playa Viva is we wouldn’t return if the food wasn’t good!

The picture above was taken by Julia during our first stay, right after we renewed our vows. Chef Abraham had collected flowers from around the property and made a path from our room to the ocean (this was more than we had done for our actual wedding and we were so touched). As we walked the path, staff and guests were cheering from the common area. It felt like magic.

We met David, the Co-founder and Steward of Playa Viva, our second or third trip. We were sitting on the beach and I saw Viva (at this point, our close personal friend!) very excited to see someone who had just arrived into the common area. Viva, the hotel’s resident dog, is very friendly with guests but I had not yet seen her this enthusiastic or open with a guest – this was someone she knew and knew well. I noticed I was suddenly a little ill at ease – Playa Viva had become “the happy place” we were searching for. At the end of our first trip we had already booked our return. We laugh now to remember that as our second trip approached, we actually considered cancelling. I had become worried that the first trip was just a fluke and that to return would be to ruin the memory of that magical time. We were relieved to discover that our return trip was just as lovely and to return to a place we already knew actually amplified the effects of the vacation. So…now we’re about to meet the owner and creator of this magical place and…what if we don’t like him? Can we still return? Will it be the same? I laugh now to remember this because meeting David was only a bonus to the Playa Viva experience and one that fits perfectly with the energy of the place!

Eleven years later there is a much better (and always dry!!) road that leads into Playa Viva, the staff is much bigger and there are a lot more rooms but there is still time and space to feel safe in the dark, get re-connected to nature and feel the magic. The staff always cares as much as they did our first year and they have become a sort of family to us – it’s a true joy to see them every year and we cry every year when we say goodbye. It’s an important week in our calendar, knowing we are giving ourselves this chance to feel joy. And the picture of our vow renewal hangs in our living room still, reminding us daily that magic does exist.

Theresa & Zak, 9-time visitors

Children Driving Systemic Change

By Ximena Rodriguez, ReSiMar Regenerative Education Coordinator.

“How much of our perception of life is influenced by the place we live in?” This is one question on my mind, as well as, “How often do we have the opportunity to understand the relationship between our life and our neighbors?” And, concerning our watershed specifically, “Do the local children understand how the river, and what happens along it, impacts their lives and their communities?” These are the things that Maestro Belén and I constantly ask ourselves especially due to our role as Regenerative Educators in the Juluchuca Watershed. In celebration of Earth Day 2023, Professor Belen and I organized a field trip for 32 children from the 4 communities in the watershed. Don Jesus and his family hosted us all in the mountains at the headwaters on the Gutiérrez farm for a series of fun and educational activities that had the specific aim of teaching the children about the ripple effect of decisions within the watershed and how the four communities of the micro watershed can come together and embrace their place to better protect this delicate ecosystem.

One of the most impactful games we coordinated was simply to get the children to line up and hold a blue piece of string. Don Jesus sat holding the start of the string, as the community elder representing the source of the river and the mountain community he has worked his whole life to protect. We highlighted that in holding the string they were all connected on that spot in the same way that the river connects all of their communities from the mountains all the way down to where it meets the ocean. If one community does not respect the river and the sustenance it provides then the communities below will suffer the consequences.

Don Jesus started the flow, first with a bottle of water and then some fruits so the children were rapidly passing items down to the next person in line, actively mimicking the river’s flow. The child at the end of the string representing the ocean was about to get lucky as a basket worth of fruit was heading her way and then Belen and I questioned the children, “what happens when the fruit reaches the ocean?”, the response “well nothing, it’s organic”… interesting. Then Don Jesus started the flow again but this time with pieces of trash, unsurprisingly the children didn’t want to touch the trash, Belen asked “do you think the river wants to carry the garbage? And what happens when it reaches the ocean, or piles up and blocks the flow upstream?” The immediate realization on their faces was rewarding to see and after a few pieces of trash, the kids at the ‘mountain’ end of the river (string) started refusing to send trash down. They were even more concerned when we mimicked the effects of deforestation and overuse of water by cutting the string and making the group separate. The children from each community may not interact much in their day-to-day lives and each community has its own issues to overcome, however this simple exercise showed them that the decisions they, their parents, and their fellow community members make have a much greater impact on other families than they may have realized.

This field trip was designed as part of a larger effort of immersive community experiences which are important to our wider project to regenerate the watershed.

Giving the gift of knowledge is a beautiful thing, connecting children with elders like Don Jesus is a beautiful thing and inspired children returning home and sharing their learnings with elders in their communities is a truly beautiful thing. So beyond providing development opportunities, we have experienced through this field trip and the resulting social engagement, that the children act as a crucial bridge to drive cultural change within the elders of the community. This, in its simplest form, is the basis of our Regenerative Education curriculum which we have been developing alongside experts from Harvard for the past 3 years. The curriculum, which is tailored to our watershed encourages knowledge sharing, understanding of the history of place and promotes the urgency of recognizing the environmental problems and how the community handles their responsibility when it comes to protecting nature.

Reflecting on the excursion, our Regenerative Education Coordinator Ximena Rodriguez shared, “In reality, what our regenerative education curriculum has taught us is that the children don’t need to listen to lectures, over and over again, about the importance of the river. They need to see it, need to experience it, and most of all, it’s vital for them to share time together to understand the dynamics of their role and of each of their communities. It was beautiful to see the children engaged and asking questions to Don Jesus Gutiérrez and see them learning through games and playtime, but principally, through sharing stories.”

We strongly believe that change is a holistic process and in order to transition the watershed to a more prosperous, regenerative, whole-systems thinking approach, it is necessary to spend more time in the communities, have more presence in the schools and to strengthen the relationship with parents and teachers. Empathy and respect are our best teachers to understand how the four communities of the micro watershed can unify and embrace their territory. Happy Earth Day!

Playa Viva Achieves Highest B-Corp Certification Score Awarded to a Hotel to Date

Playa Viva is proud to announce that we have been awarded B-Corp Certification with a score of 110. That is the highest score of any B-Corp Certified hotel to date!

Certified B Corps are for-profit brands that use the power of business to build a more inclusive, equitable and regenerative economic system for people and the planet. B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.

Brands must secure a score above 80 to achieve B-Corp Certification. On average, B-Corp certified hotels tend to receive scores between 80-88.

Community, Environment & Guest Experience All Come First

Operating within the hospitality industry — an industry that has a significant global environmental footprint — Playa Viva’s mission is to transform the experience of what a hotel can be, both in terms of the hotel’s community and environmental impact as well as the guest’s journey. As the founding hotel launching the Regenerative Travel Member Hotels collection, Playa Viva’s ethos is driven by its core values to use cleaner, more abundant and transparent – energy, water and waste streams; promote and create biodiversity; create transformational experiences; promote meaningful community and to create a living legacy.

Since opening in 2008, Playa Viva has been an immersive celebration of what is authentic and unique to our location within 200 acres of nature reserve on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. As a brand built on the highest standards of environmental and social impact, below are just a few of the commitments that secured our B-Corp certification:

Spearheading and funding the non-profit ReSiMar, a community-driven watershed regeneration project (which works in five nodes: education, sustainable fisheries, water, conservation, and permaculture) and on-site sea turtle sanctuary, La Tortuga Viva, that protects endangered species. Playa Viva is committed to donating at least 2% of sales each year, regardless of our annual financial performance, to support these projects.

Playa Viva aims to source everything from organic linens to sustainably harvested building materials locally. In 2022, a collaboration with award-winning architecture firm Nomadic Resorts fused traditional local craftsmanship with cutting-edge regenerative construction methods to create six new innovative bamboo treehouse rooms crafted from materials grown on site. The treehouses were recently awarded in the AHEAD Awards 2022 – Lodges, Cabins & Tented Camps Global Category.

The extensive on-site permaculture farm provides approximately 10% of the hotel’s food stock with surplus supplied to local restaurants and the village, while another 20% is sourced from small farmers, ranchers, and fishermen in the watershed and local ecosystem.

The property runs on 100% off-grid solar power, solar thermal hot water, and on-site gray- and black-water processing.

Located on 200 acres with a full mile of pristine beach, Playa Viva’s team is dedicated to reforesting the landscape, including the low coastal forest and globally endangered lagoon mangrove to promote the long-term restoration and regeneration of the ecosystem and its biodiversity.

Words From Our Owner on This Honor & the Path Ahead

On the announcement of our B-Corp certification, Co-Founder and Owner of Playa Viva and Co-Founder of Regenerative Travel David Leventhal said:

“We started Playa Viva in 2008 as a regenerative endeavor and our certification is a testament to our staying true to our core values, walking the walk and being committed to creating the planet we want for future generations, leveraging travel to deliver that positive change.

“This is currently the only certification we felt was worth applying for, and we are very proud of the score that resulted from our 14 years of operating a hotel that met our values for creating meaningful community and transformational experiences.

“Our goal is for constant improvement, and we will be using the detailed B-Corp analysis data to guide us. We invite fellow B Corps and other social and environmental impact endeavors to join forces in leveraging Playa Viva’s proven and measured success for even more impact and to serve as a model for hotels, guests and investors that hospitality can be a successful model for creating meaningful change.”

Join Us

In an era where consumers are increasingly voting with their purchase and investment decisions, staying at Playa Viva is a vote for a holistic, community-driven regenerative shift for human health, restoring biodiversity, regenerating natural resources and building more resilient local culture and economies.

Playa Viva’s experience indicates that care, determination, strategy, and patience can yield remarkable impact. Especially in an area such as the rural town of Juluchuca and the local watershed that have been ignored by governments, NGOs and other groups.

Playa Viva’s B-Corp Certification further proves that these locations are actually exactly the places with abundant resources that should be leveraged to meet the ambitious international climate targets.