Founded by partners, Sara Elise & Amber Chanel, Apogeo Collective is a bed & breakfast safe-haven for travelers of color, LGBTQIA+ travelers, and allies. It is a collection of bed & breakfast pop-up experiences, with the next iteration, and flagship location, occurring in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Apogeo serves as both an homage to Gioconda Belli- a Nicaraguan feminist poet, activist and author of the namesake collection of poems- as well as the culmination & meeting point of the founders’ individual work. With this collective, the aim is to create open space for guests to tap into apotheoses within themselves. In support of Apogeo Collective’s goal of raising $90K by December 15th (if every reader donates $10, they will make their goal), we decided to chat with the founders about Apogeo B&B’s future.
dapperQ: What locations have you been to as a pop-up B&B thus far?
Apogeo B&B: Just San Juan del Sur. We hosted our first pop up experience last year, with over 45 travelers joining us.
dapperQ: You are now raising funds via GoFundMe to secure a permanent home base location in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Why did you select this location over others?
Apogeo B&B: We’ve traveled to various parts of Nicaragua together five times over the past 5 years, even living there camping on the land for a month a few years ago. It’s a very special place energetically and also very special for us as a couple.
After COVID-19 hit, we decided to return home to Brooklyn while simultaneously working on plans to purchase a flagship location in Nicaragua that we can call our own to serve as Apogeo’s home base. While we’re building that location out, we plan to host another pop-up back at our first pop-up location from February – March 2021.
As avid travelers, and as QPOC (queer, people of color), we quite often have to make serious considerations when choosing a travel destination such as:
Can we be physically affectionate in public?
Will hotel staff + guests be prejudiced towards us because we’re people of color?
Will there be anyone at the bed & breakfast that looks like us or loves like us?
Will we feel comfortable being fully expressive during our vacation?
Unless you’re a person of color, are gender non-conforming, identify on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, or are our ally- it’s likely that you have never considered these questions when choosing a place to stay while traveling. We are working on creating spaces globally for our communities where we don’t have to ask ourselves these questions- spaces to be open and expand in our creativity & wellness- all while feeling held, healthy, safe, and centered. Spaces where we can cultivate joy, balance, rejuvenation and stability. Space for us to play.
It’s our belief that only when we’re in safe and welcoming spaces can we truly allow ourselves moments to slow down, be present, and tap into the flow of sensuality and play around us. And only when we do that, can we fully explore our purpose and understand why we’re here.
dapperQ: Where do you see Apogeo B&B 5 years from now?
Apogeo B&B: We’re raising money to purchase a permanent spot that will service as the Apogeo flagship location in San Juan del Sur, and then hope to host more pop-up’s all over the world in the upcoming years.
For more on Apogeo, visit their:
Website
Go Fund Me
Instagram
Pop up? I don’t know what that means in this context. Heard about you on Marketplace radio.