Three and a half years ago, Matt Dickinson had what most people would consider a dream job at a major commercial real estate firm. But his own dream didn’t look like that at all.
“It was all about trying to find my happy place,” says Dickinson. “At 27, I was living a life that looked great on paper: good job, girlfriend, successful. Everything was generally okay, but for some reason, I wasn’t happy and I couldn’t figure out what it was.”
So he left all that behind to become a founding partner of Maderas Village, a boutique resort on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua that caters to other people who want a place to be productive, not just unplug.
“I just needed a complete change altogether,” he says. “I had always wanted to live in four or five places around the world and be able to jump between them. Maderas made the most sense.”
Dickinson’s concept was less a vacation spot and more a place where people could continue their life in a more relaxing setting.
“When you arrive, everyone is hanging out in hammocks with their feet up,” Dickinson says. “Everyone is relaxed and welcoming. It’s really a lovely experience.”
At Maderas Village, there’s no pressure to completely disconnect from your work obligations. Dickinson and his team have even built a comfortable work space, giving you the opportunity to check in with the office or email your staff for a couple hours after your morning yoga class or surf session, if you choose.
“The basic concept of being able to visit or live in amazing places without having to compromise your career objectives or goals is something I think most people understand,” he says.
Maderas Village accommodates around 50 people at any given time, and they all have access to the on-site recording studio, work space, and common areas. An art studio is planned for the near future, along with a darkroom.
So how did Maderas Village manage to attract a community of like-minded individuals? Mostly word of mouth, but Dickinson also realized the value of platforms like Instagram. Art Director Nikki Brand’s idyllic photography draws people to the resort’s social media feeds as well as its website.
In the evenings, guests are encouraged to join the family-style dinners. But there’s none of the forced socializing you might find at other resorts. The idea is to allow people to live how they want to live, and work how and when they want to work. Some people head here for a week or two in order to recharge their batteries, others spend a month or more to completely relax.
“The environment is self-perpetuating, in the sense that interesting people visit and love their experience, which just attracts even more interesting people,” Dickinson explains.
Dickinson says that despite the relaxed atmosphere, people make connections that they maintain when they’re back in the “real world.”
“A couple of nights ago, I had dinner in the village and sat in between someone from publishing at Universal Music and a community manager from SoundCloud. It was really inspiring to hear them talk about the future of the industry. Guests often make friends and then realize they have complementary business interests and can collaborate to create amazing things.”
And the laid-back atmosphere doesn’t hurt, either.
“Everyone has their guard down, so no one is posturing or positioning,” Dickinson says. “It’s just honest talk about how we can enact change and push ideas forward.”
Photo credit: Jacob Pritchard and Stefan Wigand