About OYA
OYA began as a private home, then a friends-only gathering place, then — slowly — the sanctuary it is today. Every part of it has been shaped by hand, and by the people who keep coming back.
Our story
In 2018 we bought eighty-eight acres on the north coast of the Dominican Republic — half-cleared, half-jungle — and built one long wooden table under a thatched roof. Friends began arriving. Then teachers. Then strangers who became friends.
Six years on, OYA is a small constellation of cabins, shalas and quiet corners. We host eight to ten retreats a year, keep a few rooms for travellers in between, and open the property to facilitators we believe in.
We are not trying to grow loudly. We are trying to keep what makes this place worth coming to.
Philosophy
We move at the speed of the land. Days here are long because they are unhurried.
Care for the soil, for the staff, for the food, for the guest. It’s the only currency we work in.
Things break, weather happens, the power flickers. We tell you the truth and we fix what we can.
We will never be a resort. Keeping OYA intimate is the entire point of OYA.
Meet the team
Most of our team lives within ten minutes of the property. They are the reason every guest is greeted by name.
Founders. Hosts. Permanent residents of the front porch.
Head of kitchen. Grows the garden she cooks from.
In-house yoga & sound. Lifelong surfer.
Ground operations. Knows every road in Samaná.
Sustainability & community
We don’t talk about sustainability much, because we’d rather just do it. Solar hot water and pumps. Composted kitchen waste returned to the garden. No single-use plastics. Local hiring before anything else. Every retreat funds a small portion of our annual programme with the school in Jamao.
Come see for yourself
The best way to know OYA is to spend a few nights here. Apply for a retreat, book a stay, or just write — we’ll write back.