By Jagdeesh Mann,
Special to The Post
(Photo credit: Tripadvisor.com)

At Hollyhock, halfway from where you start to where you want to be could be a five day course in African drumming.

Or a three-day practicum in nature photography.

Or perhaps even intensive work with a Vipassana instructor.

Hollyhock is a coastal retreat located on Cortes Island in the Georgia Straight, and an all-inclusive stay here is unlike most seaside resorts.

The focus at Hollyhock is to change the world and it begins by changing ourselves. The escape hatch here opens inward instead of to a beach dotted with umbrella cocktails.

Hollyhock is a lifelong learning centre on the cutting edge of a unique genre of tourism that could be called ‘Transformative Travel’. It’s a combination of a TED conference and nature retreat where over 85% of guests enroll in one to five day courses on subjects ranging from esoteric yogic philosophy to applied photography and writing.

Tourism as an industry continues to evolve and the modern drive seems to be toward 'authenticity' of experiences. Adventure tours, swimming with dolphins and even bedding with the locals thanks to the ascent of AirBnB have replaced the traditional one week vacation retreat or hotel getaway.

The coupling of tourism with social change is a further step in this modern transformation. This year nearly 2,000 people booked stays at Hollyhock, travelling from across North America and even Europe. The retreat is typically booked close to capacity each year during its months of operation (May to the end of October) – it can accommodate up to 120 guests during conferences. 

Hollyhock was founded in 1982 by a group of friends including Rex Weyler, the co-founder of Greenpeace. It charts a similar course to North America’s original educational centres in Esalen in Big Sur California, founded in the 1960’s. Both share a similar mission to inspire, nourish and support people who are working to make the world better.

In recent years, Hollyhock has hosted leading thinkers, practitioners, and musicians like Andrew Weil, Gabor Mate, and Snatam Kaur. The courses have grown in such popularity that Hollyhock has formed partnerships with local universities on the BC Mainland like SFU, UBC and even the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education.

“Through our partnership with Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue, we offer numerous courses each year in Vancouver,” said Dana Solomon, Hollyhock’s CEO from her office on Cortes Island. “In the coming years, we will continue to grow these offerings in collaboration with our partners.”

From Vancouver, getting to Cortes is a three ferry jump, skip and a hop, unless you are coming direct via floatplane. From the Horseshoe Bay ferry in Nanaimo, you drive north 2 hours to Campbell River, ferry to Quadra Island and then finally on to Cortes.

Leaving our car behind in Campbell River, we discovered that in the Gulf Islands hitchhiking is an accepted form of public transit. Hence we met Vancouver Island teachers Grayson and Alana when crossing Quadra Island for the Cortes ferry, and then Wayne from Fort McMurray on the way back, (big shouts to both of you!)

Combining the mystique of our destination with our shared ‘on the road’ experience gave the journey a pilgrimage quality. That communal experience is as integral to Island life as it is to Hollyhock – your stay includes participating in shared spaces much like you would in a Jewish kibbutz or Sikh temple.

An example is with meals. Because there are no neighbouring restaurants – there are only 1,000 full time residents on the island – three daily meals come with accommodations and are served in a communal langar or dining space.  Shoes are removed and left outside.

The bell for breakfast rings at 830AM and by 930AM the courses begin, occupying the bulk of the day with breaks for lunch and tea. Courses are not compulsory however – for guests choosing to skip school, lounging beachside is a splendid alternative.

As a retreat, Hollyhock itself is comprised of a number of separate structures sprinkled across a vast acreage. These serve as yoga and meditation studios, seminar halls, cabins, residences, shared dorms and a main lodge, all connected through curling forest pathways.

The accommodations can be as eclectic as they are rustic and spare. The yoga studios are shaped like yurts but built from cedar. The sun-weathered beachhouses could be planted in a snow-globe.

Thanks to its go-easy bucolic feel, Hollyhock nestles kindly into Cortes’ woodland surroundings. It’s a sharp break from a past where early settlers clearcut the island and nearly drove local whale pods to extinction. Today Hollyhock is the island’s largest employer and most prominent denizen.

From a small acorn of an idea thirty years ago, Hollyhock has grown beyond its Gulf Island roots and flowered despite its remoteness into a Canadian brand name for social change in education, environmentalism and even civic politics.

With hundreds of new acolytes booking stays each year, the centre’s mission to make the world a better place remains as potent as ever. For anyone seeking a transformative experience, to shake out of a rut, or to find new inspiration, Hollyhock is an ideal place to start the journey. It provides guests a shared space with others of a similar mindset.

It is possible you may find yourself immobilised by a swell of cynicism when planning your next vacation. Afterall, ‘everywhere you go, there you are’. Just know that in BC’s Gulf Islands there is a place striving to be an exception to the rule.

To learn more go to www.hollyhock.ca.