From Gaia for You

Atmosphere
Features
Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (October 2026). They will be updated if From Gaia For You submits its own information.
From Gaia For You: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Alhaurín el Grande, Spain
From Gaia For You is a small, family-run ayahuasca retreat in the founders’ home in the hills of Málaga province, about 30 minutes from Málaga airport, with an address in Alhaurín el Grande. It is run by founder Danilo Bruni and co-founder Ilse Cecile Bos, who host up to six guests in shared rooms. Four- and five-day packages cost €1,990 to €2,990 and combine ayahuasca said to come from Cofán and Inga communities in Colombia with kambo, bufo (5-MeO-DMT), San Pedro, breathwork and ice baths. Every visible review is five stars, from 148 to 171 on Retreat Guru and 33 on BookRetreats. Against that, no contraindication list, medical staff or emergency plan is published, bufo is given a day or two after ayahuasca, deposits are non-refundable, no legal entity was found, and Spanish police have raided retreats selling the same mix of medicines. We found no incidents.
🎯 At a Glance
- Locations: The family home in the mountains of Málaga province, near a river, with a listed address in Alhaurín el Grande (29120), according to its Retreat Guru listing. No GPS is published.
- Approach: Two night ayahuasca ceremonies plus an introductory dose, up to three or four kambo sessions, a group or private bufo ceremony in the longer packages, optional San Pedro, mapacho, rapé, sananga and cacao, with breathwork, sound baths, ice baths and daily sharing circles.
- Suitable For: Adults wanting a very small, home-based retreat with intensive preparation who accept that no medical staff are named. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
- Costs: €1,990 for Release (four days), €2,450 for Reset and €2,990 for Reconnect (five days), according to its BookRetreats listing and Retreat Guru. Deposits are non-refundable; dates can be moved 60 or more days ahead, or for €300 at 30 to 59 days. Airport transfers cost about $133 return.
- Overall Assessment: A warm, tightly run home retreat with careful preparation and uniformly strong reviews, offset by a heavy multi-medicine program, bufo close to ayahuasca, no named medical staff or emergency plan, inconsistent review counts, no legal entity and legal exposure in Spain. Directory evaluation: C+.
💬 What Guests Are Saying
| Platform | Rating | Reviews | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retreat Guru | 5.00 / 5 | 148 to 171 | Count differs by page; visible reviews to September 2026 |
| BookRetreats | 5.00 / 5 | 33 | One pool shared across three listings; October 2025 to March 2026 |
The positive picture. Reviewers praise the warmth of the family home, attentive hosts, live music and icaros, thorough preparation calls, careful pacing, the small group, the river and nature, and the therapy dogs. One reviewer who describes themselves as a psychedelic-trained therapist praises the holding.
The negative feedback. None found on any platform.
Who is writing the reviews. Retreat Guru shows 148 reviews on the center page, 171 on event pages and “more than 225” in event highlights, while the website claims “265+.” BookRetreats shows the same 33 reviews on all three listings, including five-day stays on four-day listings. Retreat Guru also lists a pool, spa and sauna that BookRetreats does not. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.
🚩 Incident Report
We searched review platforms and English, Spanish, Italian and Dutch-language news for reports involving From Gaia For You, Danilo Bruni and Ilse Cecile Bos.
- Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
- Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
- Theft and fraud: No complaints found.
- Legal action: No police action, raids or lawsuits found. Spanish police have raided unrelated retreats offering ayahuasca, kambo, bufo and San Pedro, including in Sagunto in September 2026, as Diario de León reported, Pedreguer in August 2025 and Tenerife in August 2024, according to RTVC.
Our earlier profile also found no theft, sexual misconduct, crime or police involvement.
If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.
🔍 Critical Notes
Bufo after ayahuasca. The Reconnect program schedules a bufo (5-MeO-DMT) ceremony on the final day, one to two days after ayahuasca night ceremonies and possibly after an ayahuasca micro-dose, alongside up to three or four kambo sessions in five days. No interval rule or exclusion protocol is published. The listings disagree on whether bufo is a group or private ceremony and whether it is included.
Who leads ceremonies. Danilo Bruni describes training in classical clinical therapy, time in a Buddhist monastery and more than eight years with plant medicines; Ilse Cecile Bos describes several years with plant medicines and leads music and space design. A facilitator named Martin appears in reviews. No teacher or lineage is named for the ayahuasca, and no licence is cited.
Who runs it. No company name, tax number or legal notice was found on the website or booking pages. The website also claims to be the “#1 Ayahuasca Retreat Center in Europe on Retreat Guru”; Retreat Guru ranks it first in Andalusia.
Spain’s legal picture. DMT is controlled in Spain, and ayahuasca is “not specifically prohibited, but also not specifically authorized for any purpose,” according to ICEERS; supplying it can be prosecuted, though most cases have ended in acquittal. ICEERS reported in 2020 that bufo secretions were not regulated in Spain, in an article on a 2019 death after a bufo session at an unrelated home in Valencia.
Corrections to our earlier profile. The listed address is in Alhaurín el Grande, not Mijas. Release is now four days, not five, and Reconnect costs €2,990, not €2,890. Retreat Guru shows 148 to 171 reviews, not 14, and 2026 and 2027 prices and dates are published. Spain does not permit religious use of ayahuasca. The venue is in Spain, so the “Amazon rainforest setting” in one testimonial does not apply. A Bruno Maroto, whose biography claims travel to about 100 places in 25 countries, is listed as a teacher on this center’s Retreat Guru account and now co-runs BRUANA Holistic near Coín; his current role here is unconfirmed. We found no source for an expansion to 100 cities, doctor consultations on contraindications, a one-month food guideline, or the geodesic-dome image being this center; those remain unverified.
🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks
All participants complete a pre-retreat screening form on conditions and medications, followed by a one-to-one preparation call and at least two weeks of preparation. No list of excluded medications or conditions is published, no medical staff are named beyond a “health consultant” if necessary, and no emergency protocol is described. The local urgent-care reference hospital is the Hospital de Alta Resolución Valle del Guadalhorce in Cártama, according to Redacción Médica. 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
The center says its ayahuasca is sourced from the Cofán and Inga peoples in Colombia; no recipe is published. Ayahuasca usually combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with chacruna leaves, which supply the DMT, as Erowid explains. Kambo, bufo (5-MeO-DMT), San Pedro, mapacho, rapé, sananga and cacao are also used.
📍 Location, Setting & Style
- Setting: A family home with a garden and terrace in the hills of Málaga province, near a river, about 30 minutes from the airport and from Marbella.
- Rooms: Two shared, mixed-gender bedrooms, each with a single bed and a bunk bed, and a shared bathroom.
- Style: An intimate, multi-modality retreat for up to six guests, with music, bodywork and a psychotherapeutic framing.
Practical guidance: Fly to Málaga and book the paid transfer, or take a bus to a nearby town and a taxi. Meals are home-cooked and vegan-vegetarian, with fasting mornings in the program.
Should You Book?
It can suit guests who want a very small, carefully prepared home retreat, with care. Ask which medications and conditions exclude you, how bufo is timed after ayahuasca, who handles a medical emergency, which entity takes your payment, and how the hosts view Spanish law, and get the answers in writing before paying a non-refundable deposit. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.
The Team & Story
Danilo Bruni describes himself as the founder and lead guide, a former high-performance athlete and musician who has guided his own retreats for several years. Ilse Cecile Bos is the co-founder and handles space design, home cooking and music. Their therapy dogs are part of the household. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.
Prep & Integration Tips
Before you go: Complete the screening form honestly and plan any medication change with your own doctor. After you return: Use the sharing circles and any follow-up session, and arrange support from a qualified therapist at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Up to six guests in a family home | No contraindication list, medical staff or emergency plan |
| Screening form and preparation calls | Bufo one to two days after ayahuasca; heavy kambo schedule |
| Strong reviews; published prices and dates | Inconsistent review counts; non-refundable deposits |
| No incidents found | No legal entity found; legal exposure in Spain |
Book Your Ceremony
Retreats are booked through the center’s website, Retreat Guru or BookRetreats, with dates into May 2027. Before paying, confirm the screening, medicine schedule, emergency plan and transfer terms in writing. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.
Last reviewed October 2026.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.

