Spending a week at Haramara Retreat in Sayulita with Nourish Retreats was fantastic. As you read before, the resort is fantastic and unlike anywhere I’ve ever stayed before .
But the food was on another level.
I’m not exaggerating when I say this — after traveling through France, Italy, Thailand and Vietnam, some of the best food I’ve ever had while traveling was at Haramara Retreat.
Ordinarily, I would go on holidays in Mexico and eat tons of guacamole, enchiladas and flan…washed down with plenty of margaritas, of course!
Haramara Retreat is a resort for yoga retreats, so you need to stay healthy. The menu featured incredibly healthy meals, mostly vegan, and often dairy- and gluten-free, too! (For the record, margaritas are vegan and gluten-free as well!)
This was my first time eating (mostly) clean for an extended amount of time, and it was eye-opening. I’ve never felt so healthy in my life.
Every meal started out with a vegetable dip with baked chips, carrots, jicama and cucumbers, and a fruit-flavored water.
I loved this beet dip.
And now…get ready for the gorgeous food!
Gazpacho — finely pureed and topped with basil.
Finely chopped tomato, onion, avocado, cilantro, cucumber and mushroom salad.
Coconut cake.
We were served three course meals for both lunch and dinner every day! For breakfast, we had some fantastic granola, yogurt, fruit and eggs.
The next meal:
Vegan creamy zucchini soup. The olive oil and sesame seeds made it so pretty.
Red snapper over vegetables. We had fish on three occasions, and always a small serving. The rest of the time, it was all vegetarian.
Peach cake with coconut and kiwi.
It might be hard to believe that we lived through a fitness retreat while eating a mostly vegan diet, but our meals incorporated so many beans and other sources of non-animal protein.
The next day:
Pear salad with walnuts. I read recently that a pear vinaigrette is a great way to incorporate fiber into your diet.
Chile relleno — a pepper stuffed with cheese and some seriously spicy sauces.
Little baby vegan, gluten-free chocolate cake!
Haramara Retreat’s chef, Hugo, gave a demonstration to our group. I unfortunately missed the demonstration because I had work to do, but the girls raved about how much love Hugo puts into his food.
I don’t want to share his recipes here, just in case he wants them kept private, but I will say that he made his delicious vegetable dips by finely pureeing the vegetable with avocado oil, which you can find at health food stores.
I would honestly return here for the sheer purpose of having Hugo cook for me.
Lunch the next day:
Vegan potato salad with new potatoes.
Stuffed pepper filled with rice.
Chocolate ice cream profiterole!
Up next:
Creamy almond soup with pistachios, asparagus and shaved truffles. My favorite dish all week.
It was as creamy as a chowder — yet vegan! How? Hugo used coconut milk.
More red snapper and vegetables.
Fruit soup in orange juice.
And, finally:
Salad with hibiscus and goat cheese. A great combination.
Portobello mushrooms, creamy polenta, and tomato sauce.
Vegan chocolate mousse. How do you make vegan chocolate mousse? With avocado, believe it or not!
Would you like to eat these amazing meals? Well, here’s your chance.
Nourish Retreats is returning to Haramara Retreat in November.
You heard it here first. The retreat is still being worked out, so the details aren’t on the site yet, but you can check out the site or follow Nourish Retreats on Facebook for updates.
This place is very special. You don’t need to be a human pretzel to do well at this retreat, and even someone as bad as fitness as me can do well and have a great time.
My time at Haramara Retreat was spent as a guest of Nourish Retreats . All opinions, as always, are my own.
