Testimonials

“I had such a great experience hosting the AW Artist Residency at Casa Alexandra. There were 14 of us altogether, some staying for four weeks, some for two. It was an invitational residency bringing together artists, arts professionals and writers from ages 23 to 72 for mutual mentorship, interchange of ideas and collaboration.

We were blown away by the beauty of the villa, the evening sunsets, the private bedrooms where each of us had our own bathroom, the communal areas fostered great conversations on the roof patio, in the living room and at the handmade table from one slab of wood. We loved the craftsmanship and attention to details everywhere, the textiles and the plants reflecting the rich culture of Mexico and the talented artisans that contribute to the uniqueness of the house.

Puerto Vallarta has so much to offer in terms of understanding Mexico. The deeper you go, the more you find such the ancient Indigenous tradition of Papantla Pole Flyers right on the Malecon to the turtle sanctuary with the best guide. The fact that there is a rich contemporary art scene added to our experience that Puerto Vallarta is not just for tourists.

Climbing the stairs to the villa kept us in shape, the church bells woke us up in time for our 7am walk before the heat of the day set in and some of us went for a daily swim down by the water taxies. The location so close to the ocean, great restaurants, grocery shopping at the big market and the fruterias was superb as was the street food. Returning to the US put me into culture shock and I can’t wait to return to Casa Alexandra and Puerto Vallarta.

I almost forgot the most important part. Alicia’s cooking. She and her daughter Marcela (and sometimes guest appearances by sweet little children) made delicious meals for us five nights a week featuring traditional Mexican food. Her husband, Jesus took care of any maintenance problem that came up and Arturo, the house manager was readily available within hours to answer questions and resolve any issues that arose.”

— Ann Weber

“What a wonderful place to come create and be inspired.  I have been coming for the past 5 years, and every time I am more inspired to continue creating.  I love that I have the space and opportunity to create and learn with other sculptors.”

— Grant Phelps

“Amazing experience! I can’t speak highly enough of this retreat – from the tuition, to the setting, to the delicious food and wonderful company. Alejandra and Manuel are the most warm and gracious hosts and make you feel so at home in their beautiful house. The studio is fabulous with its palm trees and views of the sea, not to mention the huge selection of marble and tools to chose from. The retreat really allowed me to get to another level in my carving with all the hours of one-on-one tuition with Manuel and the bonus time in the afternoons for working on my projects. I will definitely be returning and cannot recommend this retreat highly enough!”

— Sofia Guaresci