Robbin Webb sold his business in Virginia before investing in real estate a few years ago. She started by buying an Airbnb property in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and more recently a half-acre property about 5 minutes from downtown Punta Gorda.
Solstice, a new resort and event space, opens in Punta Gorda on January 5 on a property formerly occupied by Cabana Joes vacation rentals.
“I had been looking for retreats just to get away from it all for a little while after I sold the business and couldn’t find anything,” Webb said. “I couldn’t find anything in a tropical setting, so I knew there was a need for it and I knew I wanted to be in Florida.”
Operations manager Barbara Brement, who has also worked on the property under different owners, said Webb carried out a complete renovation. “The place has really been completely recreated, top to bottom,” she said. “Just the whole vision and mentality, the energy here is completely different than it was in the past.”
As a yoga teacher, Webb and her husband Thomas, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor, wanted a space where wellness was the top priority. While wellness means different things to different people, wellness for Webb means constantly trying to improve.
“It can be big improvements or tiny improvements,” Webb said. “It’s your health, your mind, your body and your spirit growing towards something better. Instead of just stagnating in everyday life, I think we should always be on a mission to grow.
Solstice offers six bungalows, each with its own kitchen and bathroom and each themed around a tropical fruit. While visitors won’t see a pile of oranges in the Orange Bungalow, it’s obvious that fruit inspired some aspects of the design. The other bungalows are called Avocado, Grapefruit, Mango, Guava, and Papaya, ranging from a starting cost of $199 to $252 per night.
Reservations can also be made for the entire site, which can accommodate 17 people, from $1,590 a night.
Individual bungalows have a two-night minimum requirement for reservations, with a three-night minimum for the entire property for intimate weddings, retreats, reunions, or other gatherings.
Resort amenities include a waterfall pool with hot tub grotto, smoothie/margarita bar, daily breakfast and yoga, multiple hammocks, hidden meditation spaces, and a large tiki hut event space .
Different types of retreats are offered at Solstice, some of which are already booked, including a Church Retreat for Women, a Vegan Wellness Retreat, and an Awakened Woman’s Retreat centered on living in connection with Mother Earth, honoring the sanctity of truth with self-love and compassion. 
“We allow any kind of retreat here as long as it’s based on love and betterment,” Webb said.
As well as running different retreats, yoga classes are also offered, with Webb teaching some of the classes herself, having 20 years of experience.
Originally slated to open in September, Solstice suffered damage to roofing, fencing and landscaping from Hurricane Ian, pushing back its grand opening to the New Year.
However, Webb hopes to provide a silver lining amid the recovery of the community she just moved into in April, anticipating that people might find solace in a place she created to provide just that.
“You have to be able to bring your nervous system back to a place where you can regroup and see things from a new perspective,” Webb said. “You can’t just go, go, go in the middle of massive devastation like this. It’s just not healthy. You need to take a break.
Reservations to stay at Solstice, described as “where the sun and your world stop”, are now available on the retreat’s website.
“A space like Solstice is hugely important after devastation because hurricanes are emotionally and financially stressful,” Brement said. “This space gives you solitude. It’s a place to decompress and really reassess what’s important in life.
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