Nestled on 240 acres in the Ballena Valley and located only an hour outside of San Diego and two hours from Los Angeles, The Oaks is a retreat center for up to 100 guests, hosting private rentals and Oaks programming throughout the year.

Guests will enjoy our modern accommodations, customized experiences, healing hospitality and creative spaces designed exclusively for you to create, rest, connect, and celebrate.

We love guests! The best way to visit us is by registering for one of our retreats or workshops, or attending a private event. We are not open to the general public for tours or visits due the the nature of events we host.

Click here for driving directions.

MAIN LINE: (760) 789-6980

The price does not include travel to or from The Oaks. We recommend renting a car or using a car service.

If you are using and Uber or Lyft driver, plan on spending about $80 each way and plan your pick up ahead of time as availability is very limited from our location. Or contact Royalty Limousine use discount code: THE OAKS for a car service.

Currently we do not offer hotel-like stays outside of our programming times. We are only open to the public during Oaks Retreats.

We offer retreats and workshops at The Oaks. To learn more about our individual programming options and to see our schedule of events, please visit us here.

Retreats help you rest, relax reevaluate where you are in life through options programming, free time, and great conversation. Think “lab.” The cadence is slower and more introspective.

Workshops help you gain knowledge, skills, or make next steps toward your next ambition. Think “lecture.” The cadence is quicker and more informational.

No, we do not offer any discounts or scholarships at this time. We do recommend gift cards, sharing a room, or booking a room in our bunkhouse to reduce the cost.

We believe The Oaks is an immersive experience and best enjoyed staying on property. Therefore, we currently do not allow commuters, RV’s, or day visitors to our events.

Of course! Bring a friend or two! The more people in a room, the more you save!

Groups are also welcome! If you are needing to book more than one room of the same type, let us know and we can help you through the registration process!

registration@oakscenter.com

See a full line up of retreats & workshops

Currently, our programming is designed for adults 18 years old or older. Children 16-18 are welcome to attend with a parent/guardian and are required to share a room with a parent.

Our goal is to keep distractions at a minimum both for you the parent and for our guests, so we ask parents use their discretion.

Currently we do not offer family retreats.

If you’ve recently purchased a gift card or membership, you will enter the code at check out and total will be subtracted from your balance. If you need help tracking down your gift card code, please contact us.

As soon as you register, you will receive a confirmation email that your registration has been received.

Two weeks prior to your trip you will receive an email to confirm your registration details.

One week prior to arrival you will receive an email with details for your upcoming trip and a link to sign up for any additional experiences offered on your specific weekend (massage, trail rides, spiritual direction, private yoga session, etc).

If you did not receive an email, please notify our team.

A week before your visit, you will get an email with all the enhanced experiences offered and a link to sign up.

This includes massage and trail riding when available.

If you did not receive a link, please contact us.

PACKING LIST

We are located approximately 20 minutes from town, so please come prepared. We will provide towels, bed linens, snacks, an alarm clock, USB charging stations, and essential toiletries (soap, shampoo and conditioner).

Dress is casual. Some activities may take place outdoors. Please bring warm clothing during late fall, winter, and early spring months. We suggest layers due to variable temperatures inside and outside.

General Packing List

Heavy jacket or coat for evenings (Dec-Mar)

Light jacket/sweatshirt (Mar-Dec)

Hat

Shorts

Blue jeans or casual pants

Shirts/blouses (short and long sleeved)

Comfortable shoes

Closed toed athletic shoes/hiking boots

Swimwear (Mar-Nov. Pool towels are available. Pool is not heated.)

All daily toiletries (i.e. toothbrush, deodorant, etc.)

Hair dryer and other styling tools

Watch

*The Oaks does not have access to a pharmacy or doctor. Bring enough prescription medications needed for your stay. If your medication requires refrigeration, please notify The Oaks prior to your arrival. There are no refrigerators in individual rooms.

Additional Optional Items:

Notebook or journal and pens

Books

We are excited to announce on some of our retreats and workshops, we will be offering limited spots to go trail riding while on campus with one of our Oaks Equestrian guides during free time! Space is limited and will require a sign up prior to arrival. Guests will receive an email with a sign up link one week prior to arrival.

Oaks Equestrian is not currently open to the general public for trail riding but hope to be in the near future! Stay tuned!

Don’t want to ride but still want to meet all our our furry friends when you attend a retreat or workshop? No problem! Most retreats and workshops include a trip to Oaks Equestrian where you will have opportunities to pet, feed and take as many selfies as you want!

Unfortunately we don’t offer refunds, but can credit your purchase towards a future retreat within the calendar year. Please contact us at registration@oakscenter.com

Oaks Retreat have the option to check in early Thursday for an additional fee. Workshops do not offer early check in.

If your retreat or workshop doesn’t have that option, we recommend staying in the quaint town of Julian, the desert of Borrego Springs, or the beach in San Diego.

If you are flying in/out of SAN, we recommend the following hotels:

Marriott Liberty Station

Hilton Homewood Suites in Liberty Station

The Pearl Hotel

The Lafayette

Courtyard by Marriott

Sheraton Hotel & Marina

Hilton San Diego Bayfront

Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego- downtown

Double Tree by Hilton Mission Valley

Hilton San Diego, Del Mar

L'Auberge Del Mar

Whether you are coming in early, staying late, or leaving the property during free time, here are some places we recommend checking out.

WINERY & VINEYARDS

Milagro, Chuparosa, Vineyard Grant James, Volcan Mountain Winery, Julian Hard Cider

SHOPPING

Olive & Oak, Ramona Family Naturals, Vintage Barn, Downtown Julian, Dudley’s

RESTAURANTS

Marinade on Main, Ramona Family Naturals, Ramona Noodle Company, Jeremy’s on The Hill, Farmhouse 78, Quecho

HIKING & NATURE

Cleveland National Forest-Inaja Trail, Santa Ysabel Preserve
, Lake Cuyamaca, 
Cedar Creek Falls, 
Volcan Mountain, Stonewall Peak, 
Iron Mountain, 
Potato Chip Rock

DESSERT/TAKE HOME

Mom’s Pie

DELIVERY

Orange Crate-restaurants

Instacart- groceries

GROCERY

Ramona Family Naturals, Stater Bros, 
Aldi, Albertsons

DAY TRIPS & BEACHES

Visit the Desert in Borrego

Springs Visit San Diego

Coronado Beach


La Jolla Beach

NEARBY TOWNS

San Diego (1 hr)

Poway (40 min) Target, Walmart, etc

Ramona (20 min)


Julian (30 min)


Borrego Springs (1 hr)


LA (2 hours)

We have intentionally limited attendance to keep the group small. In addition to following CDC guidelines, all group gatherings will be outside or limited in size to ensure social distancing protocols.

Outdoor seating encouraged. Guests are not allowed into other guest’s rooms and single occupancy rooms are available. Please review our guidelines for further information or contact us with any questions. 

If we have to cancel the event, your complete registration fee can be transferred to another retreat. 

No. We are a private retreat center with no affiliation to any organization or faith tradition.

We do host monthly Onsite programming. For more information about upcoming events, please contact Onsite directly.