Our Space

Balancé is a surf & yoga retreat on the water in Playa El Tunco, El Salvador. For most weeks of the year, Balancé is a “choose your own adventure” destination where you can book your room, and add any extra activities to your booking.
Visit our accommodations page, and simply follow the availability or book now buttons to check the calendar and make your reservation.  During some weeks, we have scheduled retreats and events on the calendar; you can review those and book a spot on our retreat page. 

Our Surf & Yoga retreat has a calm, salt-water pool right facing the Pacific and the La Bocana surf break. The lightly salted pool feels more like dipping in a river, free of chemicals and is totally refreshing after your surf or during a quiet morning. At Balancé, we’ve kept a focused vision of maintaining a beautiful green space for guests and not overly saturating the property with more hotel rooms or too much structure. In the greenspace, you’ll find a cool ocean breeze all day that brings in cool air off the Rio Grande river right out front, and ample shade under our almond trees. Enjoy a hammock, chill by the pool, stretch out on the deck, or even enjoy your meal from our superfood café. We keep the pool, deck and garden space exclusive for hotel guests only and never offer day passes that crowd the space.

The original structure at Balancé – our Yoga Studio will draw you in from the moment you enter the property. Wide, open air, screened for bugs, and full of energy, the Yoga Studio sits right in the middle of our retreat and is designed to send restorative, healing center throughout the space. The studio is a sacred place where we gather, face challenges, do the most important personal work, and connect with community. We are fortunate to have incredible yoga teachers, each of them bringing something different to the table and always working together to embrace the spirit of wellness within us. Our lead teacher, Lindsay Gonzalez, is one of the most experienced yoga teachers you’ll find and has decades of experience leading yoga retreats, yoga teacher trainings, and has a broad practice geared towards healing. Other than yoga, the studio holds space for cacao ceremonies, meditations,  and workshops such as Breathwork and Chiropractic Therapy.

From healthy breakfasts to fresh fish, and mind-blowing power juices and smoothies, our café is packed with fresh, healthy ingredients and equipment to create energetic meals, not only with outstanding quality but also in a constant rhythm. We make our bread, granola, and nut butters from scratch and avoid packaged products (and the preservatives therein) wherever possible. We accommodate all diets and have vegetarian, vegan, and dairy free options. From hosting retreats, we have vast experience accommodating to challenging diets like severe soy allergies and gluten intolerance and we bring that same experience to our newly opened café.
The café is open from 8am to 4pm to hotel guests and the general public offering breakfasts all day and the fresh made juices you expect at a wellness center. Hotel guests enjoy an early morning “dawn patrol” snack from 6am-7:45am which is packed with healthy flavors and a power-detox juice to start your day.  That healthy spread also includes homemade bread, fresh fruit, homemade granola nut butters and jams, fresh local coffee made in a french press, and a nice variety of tea. 

While we focus on this new phase of learning and growth, we are currently closed for dinner service and are focusing on all-day breakfast and lunch. We invite you to explore the vibrant town of El Tunco, sample it’s great flavors, meet new friends and enjoy a truly authentic El Salvadoran experience. When you arrive, there is a welcome book with great recommendations on where to  eat in town and likewise our reception team is here to help you with any recommendations throughout your stay. 

Follow us on Instagram to see announcements for Pop-Up dinners and special events. 

One of the signature aspects of our space is that we are truly a surf centered yoga retreat. Our founder has been surfing since he was 16 and brings a watermen’s energy to everything we do. We keep one of the best quivers of surfboards you’ll find on the coast; we have boards in all shapes and sizes and catered towards all ability levels and premium fins. Renting with us, you can swap boards out during your trip as the conditions change or if you are ready to try a new shape. 

Our rooms come fully equipped with nice amenities that will make your stay something to remember; each room has a comfortable workstation and chair, and the internet here is fast and adequate for remote working.  We have the fastest fiber optic internet connection currently available in El Salvador. 

A nice perk of several of our rooms is that we offer flexible bedding setups: 1 large king bed or separate single beds are available and makes accommodating retreat groups really simple. Just fill in your booking form at time of booking to let us know which bedding setup you prefer.  Each room also has premium bedding and linens, drinking water that we refill throughout your stay, and mosquito screens to keep any unwanted guests outside.