Sustainable Yoga & Wine Retreat

Not your average yoga retreat! This is a sustainable retreat for people that want to do some yoga, and don’t want to take it too seriously. Here, you will have a good time while immersing yourself in nature and culture, exploring the Alentejo region, and enjoying local food and wine.

When was the last time you felt at one with your inner self? Or nurtured your body and mind?

Wait. Is that too zen for you? Let’s try again.

When was the last time you had some good glasses of wine with a cool group of people just after doing the tree pose? Sound better? We’ve got just the thing for you…

These laidback 5 days will fly by at this magical eco-retreat in southern Portugal's Alentejo region!

• Daily yoga sessions in an open-air Shala in the woods
• Healthy brunches and dinners; vegetarians happily accommodated
• One glass of wine with each dinner
• Winery visit with wine-tasting
• Local artisan and/or market visit
• Ample free time
• Plenty of optional activities (for an additional cost)

This sustainable yoga retreat is nestled in a historical rural village off the beaten path, yet located only a 15-minute drive away from the beach. You will stay at a beautiful property surrounded by nature where the hosts will welcome you like old friends. They will tell you about the history, traditions, and local culture of the area while taking you through the beautiful landscapes of the countryside and coast.

Get out of the city, explore a new setting, and unwind with yoga, wine, nature, and friends. This “kinda” retreat is for people who practice and love yoga, and those who are simply curious about yoga and -- cliché alert -- all the amazing benefits it brings to your body and mind. But it’s true! And also fun.

Yoga: Find your sense of calm with daily yoga sessions in the open-air Shala in the woods. The 75-minute yoga sessions are led by Nina, a certified instructor who will tailor the classes to each person’s ability - so everybody is welcome, from beginners to pros! Classes will mix different yoga styles.

Great food: You will enjoy healthy meals onsite, freshly prepared using exclusively fresh, local, organic, and seasonal products (most meals are vegetarian, too!). Menus change with each retreat, but here’s a sneak peek of what you might be served. Feel free to also drool over the French Toast brunch or the vegetarian frittata. At each meal, you'll learn about the origins of the food and its correlation with the local environment and culture. You may also visit the onsite garden if you wish.

Wine: The visit to a local winery is a real treat! You will learn about the producer's sustainable and artisanal wine-making practices before savoring wine and tapas during a paired tasting. See what the winery tour is like. Plus, with each dinner, you'll sip a different natural, regional wine sourced by local, small producers.

When not practicing yoga or partaking in a glass of wine, you'll be taken to visit a local artisan to see their creativity in progress, and/or a market bustling with great food and local products. Wild beaches and nearby trails for hiking or biking also await. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can even try a surf class or horseback riding (for an additional cost). Or, lean into the pampering vibe and schedule an onsite massage (for an additional cost).

So come! Stay amongst the pine and oak trees, enjoy the delicious food and wine (again, it’s a big part of this trip!), and relax at this laidback retreat.

What is it Really Like?

Check out our blog post on Sustainable Retreats in Portugal for an even deeper look into what to expect. Or, watch these three 20-second video clips to get a sense of a typical day at this beautiful eco-retreat center.

• Yoga, brunch, visiting a small coastal town
• Brunch, coastal hike, market visit, early evening yoga
• Free time, afternoon yoga, family-owned winery visit

Group Privatization:
If you want to bring your own group for a birthday, bachelor(ette) party, wedding, special celebration, or corporate retreat, it's possible! We recommend avoiding the crowded high season and coming in spring (April to June) or fall (September to November). The beaches are deserted, and the days are mostly sunny and warm (you’ll need a cardigan for the evenings though).

The yoga retreats are organized year-round. Due to the nature of the eco-retreat center being located in a rural area, this trip will foster tourism dispersal (the antidote to "overtourism") and contribute to the local economy of the region anytime you join. However, if you're looking to explore Portugal further either before or after the retreat, avoiding the high season months (July & August) will help avoid overcrowding.

Spring/early summer (March to June) and late summer/early fall (September to October) are really lovely times to visit Portugal. The weather is pleasant yet mild, making the outdoor yoga sessions, pool time, and short nature hikes very comfortable. Coming in the peak summer months of July and August will be perfect if you love hot weather - and the pool and nearby ocean will help you stay cool!

Our View on Sustainability
Sustainability is a way of life here. Our family has a deep respect and love for the region of Alentejo and we are passionately committed to protecting and preserving her to the best of our ability. Gratefully, we are able to plant our roots here and carry a strong sense of social responsibility to our community.

Our experiences are all based on the amazing nature of this place and our incredible community and we put a lot of effort to protect both. We love to share it with our guests and try to involve them as much as possible. This includes making them aware of our challenges and how can they further help. This is a truly authentic experience composed of small local and sustainable entrepreneurs only.

Sustainable Environmental Initiatives

We make a big effort to maintain and increase the amazing biodiversity among us through the diverse activities explained during the trip. Our eco-retreat center uses solar panels, LED lamps, and local, organic soaps and ecological detersives. We work a lot to reduce waste, reuse as much as we can, and recycle the rest. We have clear waste sorting systems in place for guests, serve mostly vegetarian meals, compost leftover food, and implement organic farming and regenerative forestry practices. The whole trip happens in a short circuit of 20 kilometers, and we are lucky to have nature, beaches, and historic towns all nearby to reduce this trip's footprint. We don't sell or use single-use plastic items. You will see our animals wandering free and happy along our property and the surrounding area.

Accommodation
Being the trip organizers, and the host of the accommodations ourselves, sustainability is part of our lives and business. Guests are welcome to explore every corner of the property and question any concerns they may have. As a small family business, we work very hard to improve every day and create a more positive impact on our environment and in our community.

Sustainable Economic Initiatives
We are a small start-up that works very closely with the local community that depends mostly on tourism and agriculture. The timing of our programs year-round, and especially out of high season, helps the community to guarantee their income all year round. By working directly with local farmers and small food/wine producers, we help them to maintain their projects of family-owned, completely organic productions.

Sustainable Social Initiatives

Being part of the local community ourselves, it's in our own interest to protect it and ensure it develops in a sustainable way. One of the high points of the trip is the visit to the sustainable farm where the grapes are grown before the winery and wine tasting. The tour is guided by the owner himself, a true expert that carries the work of five generations. The whole experience is very much community-oriented and we are very much actively involved in projects that protect it. Our other activities visiting local artisans, teaching guests about our cultural heritage, prioritizing small, local, and sustainable suppliers, and inclusive practices also support our efforts to be socially sustainable. We also discuss with travelers how to act responsibly in this destination and make donations to local organizations.

Responsible Animal Welfare

We are a pet-friendly site, prefer cruelty-free products, source meat and fish from trusted local suppliers, and support local pro-animal projects.

With a capacity of only 12 guests, plus its remote location, this eco-retreat is a safe way to enjoy Portugal. We follow special cleaning protocols adhering to European regulations.

Be sure you have traveler's insurance.