quinta galegas, portugal, 5-9JULY 2027

Join us for four days of sunshine, swimming, yoga and beautiful food, in a lovingly restored 18th century farmhouse an hour from Porto.

Get ready for:

• an idyllic rural location nestled in a river valley, surrounded by mountains

• twice daily yoga practices to uplift/energise and restore/unwind

• a lovingly restored 18th century country house with big beds, giant bathrooms, and sumptuous communal spaces to hang out in

• bright, spacious and stylish commodation

• delicious seasonal food cooked with so much love by our hosts Catherine and Simon, including organic produce from the vegetable garden

• natural lake style swimming pool with water from the mountain spring, lake side lounge area and wood-fired hot tub

• 5 acres of abundant natural beauty with orange groves, olive trees and expansive organic vegetable, herb and flower gardens

• workshops, walks and massages as optional extras

• an honesty bar to enjoy a glass of Portuguese vinho verde before dinner

• lots of free time to sit, lay, read, swim, wander, time for solitude and for great conversations with others

our retreat home

Welcome to Quinta de Galegas, where you’re free to jump into a pool filled with mountain spring water, wander through the orange grove or stroll over to the courtyard in time for our evening meal. Simon and Catherine, a couple from the UK whose kids are now grown up, have made it their mission to create a real sanctuary in the Portuguese hills as their home and retreat space for us lucky guests.

Set in 5 acres of land, the grounds feature orange groves, olive trees and expansive organic vegetable, herb and flower gardens. Everything has been thought of here, and whether you’re taking in the scents from the herb garden or sipping a drink on the terrace, it’s almost impossible not to feel the stresses of life receding as the moments pass.

Pick a place to relax in the sun: poolside loungers, a seated terrace area or the swing seat. Hop in the hot tub or lie in the hammock as the afternoon winds on. If you want a quiet indoor space to unwind and read a book, there’s a beautiful lounge, library and bar space to enjoy. If you’d like to wander up the village for a coffee, the village of Ribeiradio is a 10 minute stroll.

timings

You’re welcome to arrive from 3pm on Monday, where you’ll be welcomed with tea and cake (or a cool drink if you’d prefer!) before our opening practice at around 5pm.

The retreat will close after lunch on Friday, before taxis arrive to take us back to Porto airport (please see the travel section, below for more details).

DAILY RHYTHM

Everything is optional on this retreat - we’d love you to honour your need for movement or stillness, quiet or social time.

You’re welcome to sleep in, or wake up for a swim or morning journalling practice, which we offer on the terrace at 7.30am. Fruit, tea and coffee is available from around 7am.

Morning yoga practice is at 8am, held in the cool wooden-floored lower ground floor studio at the Quinta. We teach an accessible practice to bring you back home to your body.

We’ll have a hearty brunch at 9.30am, then there’s time to relax and read by the pool, swim, hike or run or go back to bed! Lunch is around 1.30pm, then in the late afternoon we’ll come back together for a yoga practice focused on slowing down and resting.

There’ll be time to shower and change before meeting on the terrace for a drink before dinner.

In addition to morning yoga we usually offer an optional circle, a workshop and/or a “move and write” session, as well as yin/restorative yoga, depending on the needs of the group.

Food, glorious food

Eating is a big highlight of Quinta de Galegas life! Three meals a day will be lovingly prepared by Catherine and Simon, with tea, coffee and herbal water available all day. Snacks are available but you almost certainly won’t need them! Expect delicious and plentiful vegetarian food partly grown on site and fresh orange juice squeezed from trees from the orchard.

Breakfast will be a buffet of local bread, jam, eggs and cheeses, fruit, porridge and chia puddings. Lunch tends to be a salad or soup, vegetarian sushi or fritters, with a delicious pudding to follow. For dinner we’ll enjoy a curry, stew or wood-fired pizza.

Alcoholic drinks are also available to buy from the honesty bar, prices vary.

rooms and prices

There are five luxury bedrooms in the main house, two single occupancy and three twin sharing rooms. All are ensuite with a shower or roll-top bath.

Then there are three simple but elegant bedrooms in a converted stable block next to the natural swimming lake - two are twin and one is single occupancy. Each lakeside room shares a toilet and shower block at the end of the block.

Lastly there’s a luxurious glamping tent option available in the Orange Grove camping field, with a stylish shower and toilet block.

All room rates include yoga, food and your accommodation at Quinta de Galegas. Taxi transfers to and from Porto airport are additional - see the travel section below for more information.

Massages and similar treatments are optional and are priced at around 60-80 euros (booking details will be sent nearer the retreat).

A deposit of £200 secures your place, then you’re welcome to pay in two additional instalments. Final payments must be made by 1 June 2027.

Main house accommodation

All rooms in the main house have ensuites. There are two single occupancy rooms available (one double, one king, both ensuite); the remaining rooms are based on two sharing, with one single bed and one king-sized bed in each room.

Bedroom 1

Superior ensuite with roll top bath, shared occupancy (2 sharing, one single bed, one king size bed)

£1100pp (or price could be split with a higher rate for the king bed e.g. £1150 and £1050 for the single)

Bedroom 2

Double with ensuite bathroom, single occupancy

£1300

Bedroom 3

Kingsize with en-suite bathroom, single occupancy

£1400

Bedroom 4

Superior ensuite with roll top bath, shared occupancy (2 sharing, one single bed, one king size bed)

£1100pp (or price could be split with a higher rate for the king bed e.g. £1150 and £1050 for the single)

Bedroom 5

Ensuite with shower, shared occupancy (2 sharing, one single bed, one king size bed)

£1045pp (or price could be split with a higher rate for the king bed e.g. £1095 and £995 for the single)

poolside accommodation

Poolside twin sharing rooms with shared shower/toilet room

£900* per person

Poolside single occupancy room with shared shower/toilet room

£1100

Glamping

Single occupancy bell tent with double mattress and shared shower block. A camper van is available in Orange Grove orchard to charge your phone and squeeze your own orange juice!

£900

travel

Once you arrive to Porto airport, the Quinta is approximately 1 hour by taxi. Once we receive your booking, we’ll advise the London flight to book on the Monday and Friday (if you’re not flying from London we’ll let you know timings to aim for to arrive into/depart from Porto). There will be a group taxi booked to and from the airport to align with the recommended flight; if you are arriving on a different flight, we can pass on taxi details for you to arrange your own transfer, or you can book an Uber or Bolt from the airport. The taxi transfer fee is additional and usually works out about 60 euros total per person for return travel.

retreat facilitators

Any questions? Just contact me.