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Daniel and I were prepared and already in motion to sunset the travel retreat destinations from our company. But then, the mystery retreat happened. We tried a land retreat back in 2012, and we struggled a lot due to the cost of the function and the struggle to meet the quota of the hotel.
If you have a location in mind, please leave a comment at the bottom of this article. We are looking for destinations with activities, points of interest and more about the experience than just a conference space in a hotel. If you want to see more of our events, check them out here.
Our agent, Sherry, specializes in land retreats though her company is Cruise Planners. She does more business in land-based destinations.
Plans are in motion for the next retreat. Get notified through email before the general public. If you sign up to be notified, you are not obligated to buy a ticket(s) for the event. Once the email drops, the seats have the potential to sell out pretty quickly.
Crochet Mystery 2023 cost $3500 per guest if they were doubling up in a room or $4250 per person if they didn’t want a roommate. Roommates can be arranged, but we strongly suggest you invite others so you know the person and trust them. Any travel destination has fees that need to be covered.
This included:
- Hotel at the airport so you could fly in or drive in to meet the party the day before we go together.
- Coach to the final destination and back to the airport at the end.
- Room at the final destination.
- Meals & Private Dinner Settings
- Activities (some activities included free bottled water). All activities have limited numbers in small groups. Mobility such as climbing, walking, and more may not be avoided depending on the activity. Be flexible and realistic.
- Beverages with some limitations. (2 alcoholic beverages were served per guest just for supper). Traditional drinks were available throughout the day.
- Mobility services and bellhops throughout the resort (this could vary in the future depending on the location.)
- Unlimited internet.
What isn’t included in the price is airfare. Not everyone flew to the location. Some drove. Airfare, by our agent, will be arranged for you, and tickets will be given to you a week before you go. The location of starting location will be known a month prior, but the access will have been sold and closed for any further bookings.
Daniel and I purchased and asked for donations of gift bags for each guest. This shouldn’t be expected. You are to bring your projects and yarn. We may be in a location without options to buy yarn. Ticket pricing didn’t have this built into the cost to cover it.
We brought in two Stitch Ambassadors at Mikey’s expense, again not built into the costs. This shouldn’t be expected.
During Covid, Daniel was obsessed with doing a mystery destination with the crocheters, not knowing where they were going. Yes, for most people paying a fee to attend something and not knowing the goal is too much mental stress. So this type of event isn’t for everyone who must have all details upfront. Daniel and Sherry have elevated taste in travel and expect locations to be fully serviced and the service to top-notch expectations. Yes, sites can slip up, but with Sherry’s background and networking, she can find details in advance.
Yes, even Mikey doesn’t know where he is going, so you cannot juice him for details.
During this past retreat, the overwhelming majority wanted to sign up for another mystery. It wasn’t expected if people could have signed up at the resort, they would have. The problem is, we didn’t expect it to have another location decided.
We had several people insist that once the location was known, the day we got there, they would have signed up for it. In this case, it wouldn’t have been a mystery. It defeats the purpose of a mystery. Not all of our events are a mystery.
Things in advance are known, such as mobility details. Tina below did the archery and other things at the resort. She even came with us on the nature walk but opted to stay in the visitor’s centre instead of doing the uneven paths. She was gracious.
Guests with mobility issues need to be shared with our agent upfront. Sherry, our agent, hand-picked the location of the rooms for the guest to ensure the walking was minimal. Guests like Daniel and I had rooms further away from the main activities.
Our agent worked into the schedule of private meals and activities at the resort. They kept our party separate from other guests in the resort for the evening meals. This allows us all to sit together. Some meals were served family style while other meals were buffet. No, we didn’t rent the entire facility for our party.
The retreat had several locations to set up for dinner. Sherry, our agent, took advantage of the multiple locations.
The worst part of vacations is being nickeled and dimed to death with up-charges. In our retreat, activities by the resort can be over $100 per person each time. It was worked into the activities that each guest received one resort activity for the day. If you skipped a day, you could bank the activity for another day.
Beverages were included with limitations throughout the time at the resort. Sherry made our visit all-inclusive.
So while the total amount sounds scary, if you had to pay each time you ate or drank a beverage, the costs would be far higher.
Crocheters started with enjoying the resort amenities, but as the week went on, more and more went to crochet during off-times. Most crocheters were from different time zones and flew in the day before this started. Some guests need more time to acclimate to the change.
The location, such as the last one, had a spa. Spa services at not included in our pricing as not everyone will use them. The location provided a free shuttle to town and back whenever needed. This may be rare and not expected at every location we visit.
The deposit to hold your spot is non-refundable. Be sure to be fully committed before you go. It can be refunded if another guest is found to replace you, but as an event gets closer, it reduces the time for people to save for it. It’s harder to sell your spot, if not impossible. Our agent will be recommending travel insurance if you have a last-minute cancellation that is emergency based and falls under the criteria of cancellation.
There may be a waiting list if the retreat sells out. We are limited to 50 people, which includes Daniel and I. We want one coach bus to reduce the expenses of renting a coach bus for both ways to the final destination. We will not add more to keep the group small and make it easier for a land destination to handle our services.
