Montenegro Fun and Games
The heart of playfulness is a playful attitude Art and Play Enjoy your holidayThe farm is located outside of the Bay of Kotor. A family-friendly retreat designed to reignite joy and reconnect with the inner child, it’s one for solo travellers and couples as well as parents with kids. There are creative sessions on everything from dance to painting, as well as time to enjoy the farm – feeding the animals, collecting eggs or helping harvest vegetables for farm-fresh meals. The excursions include kayaking, hiking to hidden beaches, and trips to Kotor, Budva. You can also relax by the swimming pool and enjoy board games, music, and campfires in the evening. Accommodation options include camping and glamping as well as cabins, treehouses, and a restored farmhouse.
Seven days from £695Children 5-12 £350, Children under five years old are freeIncludes Breakfast, dinner and snacks 3 May to 23 August, responsibletravel.com
Take a creative break in Greece
Discover your creative side on an Exploring Ceramics retreat for a full week on Aegina, the beautiful Greek island. Led by the artist Marina Coriolano-Lykourezos, it’s a meditative, playful experience with an emphasis on self-discovery, being present and having fun. With a maximum of six participants on each retreat, it’s hands-on, with about six hours a day exploring clays and techniques in the studio – no experience is necessary. Accommodation in the Grape House and Lemon House is available, both surrounded by vines, a pistachio tree orchard and just a few minutes walk from Aegina Port and the Studio. Included in the package are breakfast at home, lunch at local tavernas and excursions. Aegina Retreats There are also other workshops, holidays and courses available including creative writing and painting.
Retreats take place all year. The seven-night getaway Explore Ceramics Retreat €1,800 solo or €2,750 For a couple Includes all materials and tuition, as well as accommodation. aeginaretreats.com
Nature connection in Devon
Mac Macartney was founded by Mac Macartney over two decades ago. Embercombe The site is located on the edge Dartmoor and has a rewilding area of 20 hectares (50 acres). The retreats and educational weeks help visitors reconnect with nature and their purpose. Embercombe’s flagship Retreat is The Journey. Six days of guided meditation, self-discovery and connection with nature are designed to help participants discover and take action on their life goals. The site is dotted with shared or private yurts that provide basic, but comfortable accommodation. Vegetarian meals are served in a dining area. All backgrounds are welcome at the retreat.
In 2026, there will be several Journey retreats. The next one is in 2027. 8-13 March, £1,395Accommodation, meals, and activities are included (bursary spots available). embercombe.org
Restorative haven in Andalucía
Experts at the Global Retreat CompanyYellow House offers a luxury sanctuary that provides restorative retreats in nature. It is located around 40 miles from Seville. Yoga and meditation are available, as well as mindful walks, sound therapy, visits to rescue horses on an organic farm, and horse-drawn wagon rides. Accommodation is the former mayor’s house in the pretty village of Higuera de la Sierra – a beautiful six-bedroom refuge with original tiles, antique furnishings and a courtyard with plunge pool. There are many dishes to choose from, including fish stew and stuffed bell peppers. Vegetarians and Vegans can also enjoy these. This is one of several options run by Iberian Wellness Retreats.
Three-night retreats You can find out more about this by clicking here. €1,475Includes all meals, activities and accommodation from 30 April and 2 July, theglobalretreatcompany.com
Mid Wales: Off-grid living
Spirit Horse This is an 80-hectare off-grid site, in Powys. It has forested mountains and flower-filled meadows with tumbling falls. A busy summer programme celebrates both eastern and western traditions, including meditation, storytelling, women’s and men’s circles, plus a festival-style “tribal” gathering, all held in Celtic roundhouses, yurts and temples. Enlightenment Intensives – held three times a years – are designed for people who wish to deepen their self-knowledge through lectures, walks in silence, and exercises. It’s a place for getting back to the wild – there are no hot showers, but there are waterfalls, natural bathing pools and a sauna. In the main barn, three healthy meals are served each day.
Five-night stay Enlightenment Intensive is £500Included in the price are meals 21 May and 6 AugustCauldron of Plenty Festival, £165 Bring a tent, 27-31 August spirithorse.co.uk
Healing with horses in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Meditate With Horses was founded by Katherine Beaumont after she recovered from a traumatic accident through meditation and spending time with horses. The Lake District offers daylong sessions, three-day silent retreats, and longer trips that all draw upon the therapeutic benefits of time spent with animals. The Healing on horseback in Bosnia trip is based in Livno at a ranch and includes yoga, meditation and hiking, along with equine-based therapy. There are daily rides, a chance to see some of the last wild horses in Europe, time for swimming in the river and evenings around the fire. A new trip to Mallorca, including meditation, shiatsu and swimming with horses, launches in November.
The six-night Healing on Horseback Retreat £1,500, 23 May and 3 October, meditatewithhorses.co.uk
Recharge your batteries in Portugal
Quinta Marugo is a wellbeing retreat centre in rural Alentejo, southern Portugal, designed to help people slow down and connect with nature. There’s a range of group retreats, from mindfulness in nature to transformational breathwork, or the option to create a bespoke retreat (solo or with friends). A personal four-day Deep Rest Retreat offers time to recharge in peaceful surroundings and relax by the pool or fire, with a massage and organic meals from the farm included. Optional extras include yoga, qigong, and nature connection sessions.
Four-day Deep Rest Retreat from €585, quintamarugo.com
Men’s rewilding Cornwall
Both sides retreat are for men only, offering space to escape the stresses of daily life and reconnect with a sense of purpose and the natural world. These retreats are located in Europe and the UK, and include a variety of activities from martial arts to cold water immersion. Men’s Rewilding Retreat, at Cabilla Cornwall in Bodmin Moor is one of the upcoming options. The days include yoga, saunas and breathwork. There are also river swims, walks, and ancient temperate rainforests.
Men’s Summer Retreat, from £855Enjoy all the activities, including food, 2-5 July, bothsidesretreats.com
Songs and asanas in Turkey
Designed to be deeply restorative, this week-long Zen Yoga Singing and Sound Therapy The retreat is held in Dalyan near Turkey’s south west coast. Run by yoga teacher Jane Morgan Jones and singer Sarah Warwick, yoga sessions are complemented by singing, with a focus on uplifting chants, mantras and African and indigenous-inspired songs. This retreat is for all levels. A boat trip, sound baths or meditation, relaxing in nature and time for relaxation, optional massages or hammam visits are also included. Daily Turkish brunch and two vegetarian suppers at the hotel are included. Sarah runs singing events across the UK. four-day retreat in Hampshire (which also includes painting) to day workshops in London.
The following are some of the most effective ways to increase your chances of success:Rom £995, 17-24 May, lifesong.co.uk
Digging deep in Italy
Want to make a real difference? The Path of Love is an intensive week-long programme of deep inner work, held at various locations in the UK and around the world. The program combines western psychology with eastern spiritual practices. It includes individual and small group work, active or silent meditations as well as writing assignments. It’s a challenging journey, but participants claim genuinely life-changing results. Miasto, a retreat centre in Tuscany near Siena, is a venue option. It has beautiful sandstone building surrounded by rolling Tuscan country.
Various Tuscany and other options 5-12 March, 25 November-2nd December, €3,190 or an earlybird rate of £2,800 (Accommodation extra from €520), pathretreats.com
Holly Tuppen, Embercombe Entry
All prices are correct as of the date of publication
