We did the same thing for two weeks in Mexico. It cost about $8k for a team of 5, including one guy flying from Argentina.
In productivity terms, we juiced payroll by ~50% for a two week period and got much more than 50% extra work done. We worked 12 hours a day, in sync from sunup to sundown, and it felt great because lunch or coffee breaks were a dip in the pool or a beer on the beach.
In team-building terms, it was fantastic. We have one guy working remotely and getting in the same room with him for two weeks was a great way to help him understand how we're making product decisions. Also, we brought a bluetooth boombox and learned far too much about everyone's musical tastes.
@brezina is right - build and ship stuff. We did bug/issue triage together every morning, and played show-and-tell constantly. Having everyone working at extremely high velocity is self-reinforcing.
In productivity terms, we juiced payroll by ~50% for a two week period and got much more than 50% extra work done. We worked 12 hours a day, in sync from sunup to sundown, and it felt great because lunch or coffee breaks were a dip in the pool or a beer on the beach.
In team-building terms, it was fantastic. We have one guy working remotely and getting in the same room with him for two weeks was a great way to help him understand how we're making product decisions. Also, we brought a bluetooth boombox and learned far too much about everyone's musical tastes.
@brezina is right - build and ship stuff. We did bug/issue triage together every morning, and played show-and-tell constantly. Having everyone working at extremely high velocity is self-reinforcing.
If it fits your budget, I highly recommend it.