There are wellness retreats where every hour is scheduled from the moment you arrive. Sensei takes a different approach.

Founded by Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison and physician and scientist Dr. David Agus, Sensei is built around three pillars: Move, Nourish and Rest. The idea is not a dramatic transformation over a few days, but a more personalized look at what your body and mind actually need, with practices you can realistically take home.

Sensei currently has three destinations: Sensei Lānaʻi in Hawaii, Sensei Porcupine Creek in Rancho Mirage, which we previously visited and reviewed, and Sensei at Zadún, a Ritz Carlton Reserve in Los Cabos.

We recently spent four days at Zadún on the Sensei Guided Wellness Experience, and what stood out most was how little it felt like a traditional wellness retreat. We worked out, meditated and had a massage, but also spent long stretches by the pool, relaxed in our private plunge pool and had plenty of time with nowhere we needed to be. That balance ended up being the point.

The Sensei Difference Here Starts With the Ocean

Of Sensei’s three retreats, Zadún is the only one set directly on the beach. It is also Sensei’s first international destination, and unlike Porcupine Creek, the wellness experience here is woven into a larger luxury resort, which immediately changes the feel of the trip.

Zadún sits along the Sea of Cortés in the quieter Puerto Los Cabos area of San José del Cabo, surrounded by dunes, desert landscape and open water. The ocean becomes part of the experience without needing to be programmed into every moment. There are beach walking meditations and outdoor movement sessions, but sometimes it is as simple as having coffee outside in the morning or walking along the water between appointments.

One thing worth knowing is that the water in front of the resort can have strong currents, so this is more of a beach for walking and taking in the view than spending hours swimming. With several pools around the property, though, we never felt like we were missing that part of the trip.

The Package You Choose Matters

Sensei offers a few different ways to structure the stay, and the one you choose really does change the pace of the trip. Discover is the lightest option, while Optimal Wellbeing goes deeper into fitness, nutrition and health data. Rest and Reset focuses more specifically on sleep, stress and recovery.

We chose the Guided Wellness Experience, which felt like the sweet spot. It gave us a private wellness session on each full day, access to group classes, Sensei credit toward additional services and a Sensei Guide who could help shape the stay around what we actually wanted from it.

That starts with My Intention, your first conversation with your Guide. You talk through where you are physically and mentally, what you want to work on and what you do not want the trip to become. The more honest you are, the better. If you want harder workouts, say that. If you are exhausted and mostly need to slow down, say that too.

We kept ours intentionally balanced with a one on one personal training session, guided meditation and massage, plus access to complimentary group classes like yoga, mobility, strength work and meditation. The best part was knowing all of it was there without feeling like we had to do all of it.

The Resort Gives You Space to Slow Down

Part of what makes Zadún work so well is that the wellness does not end when your session does.

We stayed in an Ocean View Plunge Pool Room, and having our own terrace and plunge pool made it easy to retreat between appointments without feeling like we always needed to be somewhere. The room was spacious and quiet, with the kind of indoor outdoor setup that naturally makes you slow down a little.

Every guest is also paired with a Personal Tosoani, who helps with things like dining reservations, transportation and whatever else comes up during the stay. It means your Sensei Guide can stay focused on your wellness goals while someone else handles the logistics.

The rest of the resort is just as easy to settle into. We spent plenty of time by the pool, and meals never felt like an extension of the wellness program. El Barrio is relaxed and Mexican inspired, Humo is the place for a more special dinner with live fire cooking, and Equis is ideal when you want seafood and something lighter by the water.

That balance is what we liked most. You can spend the morning doing something intentional for your body or mind, then spend the rest of the day simply enjoying the fact that you are in Los Cabos.

Give the Spa More Than an Hour

Even if you already have a treatment built into your stay, give yourself time to actually use the spa. The Sensei facilities include treatment rooms, fitness and movement spaces, a lap pool, sauna, steam room and hydrotherapy areas, and the landscaping makes this part of the resort feel especially secluded.

Sensei guests have daily access to the spa facilities, so we would carve out at least one slower afternoon rather than only showing up for a treatment and leaving right after. Spend some time in the sauna or steam room, move through the hydrotherapy circuit, sit by the spa pool and let that be the plan for a while.

At a place built around Move, Nourish and Rest, it is surprisingly easy to focus on the first two and forget that Rest is supposed to count too.

Who Sensei at Zadún Is Best For

Sensei at Zadún makes the most sense for someone who wants wellness to be part of a vacation rather than the entire reason for taking one. The Guided experience in particular feels right if you want access to experts and some accountability, but also want to sleep in one morning, have a long lunch, spend the afternoon at the pool or leave part of the day completely open.

It also works well for couples or friends who approach wellness differently. One person can lean into training while the other focuses on meditation, recovery or spa time, and you are still essentially on the same vacation.

If you are not someone who normally goes on wellness retreats, that may actually be part of the appeal. You do not need to arrive tracking every health metric or speaking the language of longevity. You can go as deep as you want.

The most useful thing to do before arriving is simply think about what you want from the trip. Be honest during My Intention, book the classes you really care about, then leave some white space. For us, that was the sweet spot: enough structure to make the stay feel meaningful, with enough room to still feel like a vacation.

A Note for Holiday Travel

If you are considering Zadún for the holidays, the resort adds a thoughtful layer of seasonal programming without losing the wellness focus. For 2026, Sensei is offering experiences like sensory eating, loving kindness meditation, facial sculpting, a year end reflection session and a New Year vision board workshop.

There is also a Christmas Eve Posada, Christmas dinner at Humo, New Year’s Eve programming, beach movie nights and nature activities, while families have a full calendar through Ambassadors of the Environment.

For a longer stay, guests can also arrange experiences like whale watching with marine biologists, private dining, yacht outings and golf at Puerto Los Cabos.