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Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (November 2026). They will be updated if Behold Retreats submits its own information.

Behold Retreats: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Costa Rica, Mexico and Portugal

Behold Retreats is a US-facing luxury retreat company founded in 2020 by Jonathan de Potter and later led by co-CEOs Sarah Lynn Thomas and Danny Yepez, which began as a concierge booking guests into partner centers and now runs its own branded ayahuasca retreats with contracted healers in Esterillos, Costa Rica, on Mexico’s Caribbean side and in southern Portugal, from $5,500 to $7,650 for six nights, per its website. Against that, it withholds venue locations until acceptance, names no medical staff, contracts through an entity it does not identify further, offers credit rather than refunds, and ranks itself first in its own “best retreats” lists.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Esterillos on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast; a jungle venue on the Caribbean side of the Yucatán, Mexico, disclosed only to accepted guests; and a private estate in southern Portugal, per its Mexico page. It also refers guests to a partner center in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
• Approach: Six-night retreats with three ayahuasca ceremonies for up to 11 guests, plus temazcal, yoga, breathwork, somatic work and integration; Costa Rica and Portugal also sell 5-MeO-DMT weekends and a psilocybin retreat.
• Suitable For: Affluent adults wanting a high-end, concierge-style retreat who verify the venue and staff before paying. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: Costa Rica $7,650; Mexico from $5,500 shared or $7,500 private, waitlist only; Portugal $6,500 or $7,800 on different pages; 5-MeO-DMT weekends $4,000 to $4,500. Refunds are given only if a guest fails medical screening, minus $200; otherwise payments become credit with fees of 10% to 30%, per its refund policy.
• Overall Assessment: Published contraindications, small groups and included transfers, offset by hidden venues, no named medical staff, an opaque contracting entity, credit-only refunds, self-ranking marketing and very few independent reviews. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Independent reviews are very thin for a company claiming more than 1,000 guests: Tripadvisor shows 5.0 from 2 reviews of Costa Rica retreats in 2025 and 2026, praising care, safety, facilitators and food, and its BookRetreats profile has none. Its own testimonials page shows 10 undated testimonials. No reviews of 3 stars or lower were found. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English and Spanish-language news for reports involving Behold Retreats, Jonathan de Potter, Sarah Lynn Thomas, Danny Yepez, Puka Hampiy and its named staff.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found involving guests.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: A June 2026 anonymous comment alleges that a $7,500 PayPal payment for a cancelled retreat went to personal accounts and was not refunded (unverified); Sarah Lynn Thomas replied that Behold does not take PayPal for bookings or route payments to personal accounts, per Minter Dialogue.
• Legal action: None found.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Founder Jonathan de Potter described the original business as “a bit of a concierge service”, per Psychedelic Invest. Sarah Lynn Thomas, with a background in finance, is co-CEO, per its about page, which now lists co-CEO Danny Yepez “In Memoriam” with no date or cause given. The only healer named for Mexico is Puka Hampiy, described as a medicine man of the Wanka Nation of the Central Andes (unverified). Its client agreement names “Behold Retreats SAS” under Hong Kong law, with a mailing address in Nebraska; no registry record was found, and the agreement says services may be provided by independent third parties.

Screening and medical support. Applicants go through medical and psychological screening; SSRIs, MAOIs and cardiovascular medications are listed as contraindications, and the agreement excludes psychotic, bipolar and seizure disorders. No medical staff are named on site; one directory mentions an unnamed staff doctor for screening. The emergency plan is a single sentence, no hospital is named and the Mexico town is withheld. The agreement says Behold “completely disclaims responsibility” for services provided.

Marketing and listings. Behold ranks itself first and second in its own “best luxury ayahuasca retreats” article and first in a cost guide written by its co-CEO. Prices, group sizes from 6 to 20 and retreat lengths conflict across pages, and its agreement contains leftover text naming another company. A 2024 Costa Rica article about an NFL guest was supplied by Behold without a sponsorship label.

Status. Operating, with Costa Rica dates from late November 2026 into 2027 and Portugal in May 2027. The Mexico program has no dates and takes waitlist sign-ups; its Mexico venue moved from Valle de Bravo in 2024 to the Yucatán by 2026. Its former domain, behold-retreats.com, redirects to beholdretreats.com.

Legal context. Behold says it works only where ayahuasca is not illegal, but DMT is controlled in Costa Rica, Mexico and Portugal; a legal summary notes that charging for ceremonies in Costa Rica may fall under trafficking provisions, per Wikipedia. In Mexico the brew itself is unnamed in law, and healers have been arrested importing it, per The Psychedelic Journal.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Ask who will taper any medication with you and who on site can handle a medical emergency. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes it dangerous with SSRIs and other serotonergic drugs and that it is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

Ayahuasca of unpublished origin, served by contracted healers said to follow Peruvian and Brazilian lineages. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Tropical coastal venues in Costa Rica and Mexico and a coastal estate in Portugal, with venue names withheld.
• Rooms: Upscale shared and private rooms, per its Costa Rica page.
• Style: Luxury, concierge-style retreats mixing ayahuasca with somatic, breathwork and wellness programming.

Practical guidance: Airport transfers are included, from Cancún for Mexico; Costa Rica and Portugal programs give their nearest airports on booking.

Should You Book?

Only with caution. Before paying, ask in writing for the venue’s name and address, the legal entity you are contracting with, the names and credentials of the healers and any medical staff, the nearest hospital and how refunds work if Behold cancels. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Behold started in 2020 as a concierge that matched clients with partner centers, then shifted to its own branded retreats under co-CEOs Sarah Lynn Thomas and Danny Yepez, whose Costa Rica community, Resonance, it calls its roots. It names NFL players among past guests (unverified). We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing and plan any change with your own doctor. After you return: Arrange support from a qualified therapist at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

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Last reviewed November 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.