Our Travel Editor, Scar, joined Xanadu Retreat for a week. Here she talks to co-founder Ola about island life, community and sustainability:
Scar Lee interviewing Ola Wozniak
Inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem Kubla Khan, Xanadu means a hidden paradise. Which is an apt way to describe Lombok, Bali’s quieter sister island, with lush hills and perfect waves. I had an amazing week with Xanadu at their retreat, and I was able to sit down with Ola to talk more about the creation and the future of Xanadu.
Ola, you’ve built not one but two amazing surf stays here in Lombok. What made you choose this island to build Xanadu?
I came to Lombok for a surf holiday, already thinking about creating something around surf and yoga.
When I arrived, I fell in love with the island. The forgiving waves, the friendly lineups, full of women – more women in the lineup than men. The community made me think this would be the perfect place to open Xanadu.
What is important to you when hiring people to work in the Xanadu team?
We look for like-minded people who love what they do, and live this lifestyle. People who can put themselves in our guests’ shoes. We’re a small team, so it’s essential that everyone feels like family.
I find it amazing that you can start the week as a solo traveller and end the week with so many new friends from around the world. How important is the sense of community that people build when they’re a guest here, and how do you create it?
This is the most important thing about Xanadu. The connections that people create. That’s why everyone arrives on the same day; it means you only introduce yourself once and can build deeper connections with your group throughout the week
As an introvert myself, I wanted to make sure even quieter guests feel comfortable. We have a fantastic host, Jose, who is able to facilitate those first interactions, and by the middle of the week, those strangers feel like old friends.
I want to talk a bit about the sustainability here at Xanadu. It’s not often something that’s at the forefront of surf retreat culture, so how do you keep it at the heart of what you do here?
Sustainability has always been at the heart of Xanadu, right from the design stage. It’s important to us, given the struggles that the island has with waste and water shortages in the dry season.
We followed the natural slope of the hill, so our buildings blend into the landscape, and all materials were sourced locally.
During the wet season, we collect and filter rainwater for showers, and our solar panels mean we’re almost net zero in energy use. Any power that we don’t use goes back into the grid.
What does the future look like for Xanadu?
We’re working on a new location in Indonesia, which we hope will open in 2027.
Simultaneously, we’re looking at a new location in South America. I don’t want to jinx it, because finding locations, then finding the land and making things happen is a lot of hard work. But keep your eyes peeled.
If you had to describe Xanadu in one phrase, what do you think it would be?
Barefoot luxury with a very homey feel. The warmth that the team feel while being here, and the guests who feel the same.
