The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Reflect, recharge, reset…
In Andalucia, five sublime new wellness retreats are offering a well-deserved dose of activity and sunshine, says Isabella Noble
Through the medium of winter strolls and yoga in the park, this past year has cast a light on the unparalleled importance of exercise, downtime and natural spaces for our mental and physical health. As we venture back into the world, travel experiences that prioritise eating, sleeping and exercising well and interacting with nature, while also getting under the skin of a destination, will be top of the list – better yet if they’re in such a gorgeous, rewarding location as Spain’s sun-soaked Andalucia, where the wellness scene is blossoming.
Here in the southernmost region of mainland Spain, a series of inspiring, mind-grounding wellness and fitness retreats has sprung up in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with local businesses adapting as people look to get outdoors, explore more slowly, travel to smaller and more offbeat destinations, and devote trips to some much-needed recharging, resetting and reflecting.
The most exciting of these new ventures draw on Andalucia’s beautiful, varied natural environment to stimulate mind and body with a seductive range of activities: from yoga on the sweeping blond beaches of the Costa de la Luz to hikes through the rugged Alpujarras mountains and horse-rides among the whispering cork forests of Huelva.
REBOOT IN VEJER DE LA
FRONTERA
Few places soothe the soul like the hilltop white town of Vejer de la Frontera, inland from the windswept, beachbejewelled Costa de la Luz. The Vivir by V… retreat, started in autumn last year by the team behind the Hotel V…, is rooted in Vejer’s historical intrigue and the sublime landscape surrounding it.
The setting for activity-filled retreats here is a beauty of a 12-room boutique hotel spread across a sensitively reimagined 17th-century house in Vejer’s evocative old town. Days start with yoga and meditation on the rooftop and breakfast feasts in the shaded courtyard, followed by Ayurvedic massages in the ancient subterranean aljibe (cistern), soaks in the roof-terrace hot tub and afternoon vinyasa sessions. Among the highlights are adventurous hikes with conservationist Carlos Milburn, along lesserknown trails through the Parque Natural del Estrecho, the Barbate wetlands or the Parque Natural Los Alcornocales. Internationally influenced meals, courtesy of chef Alejandro Reyes, use seasonal, organic ingredients sourced from local producers. Three-night retreats from £1,904 including meals, activities and transfers. vivirbyv.com
FIND CALM IN SURYALILA
Sunrise asanas in Europe’s biggest yoga dome are just the start of blissful escapes at this respected, sustainability-driven retreat centre, tucked in the foothills of the Sierra de Grazalema (an hour from Jerez de la Frontera). Set in a century-old, whitewashed country house with sky-blue trim and views of rural Cádiz, Suryalila was founded in 2012 by Vydia Heisel, who has taught yoga around the world for decades. Now, it is offering extended stays for remote workers and varied retreats fusing yoga with outdoor adventure.
On the popular Adventure & Yoga retreat, you will hit the Grazalema walking trails, cycle the 36km Vía Verde de la Sierra, join daily yoga (with a range of styles), try a flamenco class and more. Suryalila’s wildly imaginative vegetarian meals are fuelled by organic produce from the on-site permaculture garden; its 800 olive trees provide the divine oil; and furniture from India and Indonesia fills the rustic-chic farmhouse, which also has a salt-water pool, massage rooms and glamping yurts. Five-day full-board Aventure & Yoga retreats from £525/£712 per person in a dorm/private room. suryalila.com
CONNECT WITH THE OUTDOORS
IN HUELVA’S CORK FORESTS
Hidden among the flower-filled meadows, rippling cork forests and ancient stone villages of the untouristed Sierra de Aracena, north of Huelva, Finca El Moro has brought fresh life to a onceruined 18th-century farmhouse. As the world came to a stop last year, yoga teacher and ski instructor Daisy Tudor took the reins from her parents, Nick and Hermione, who have welcomed guests at the finca for 30 years.
Putting her own stamp on El Moro, Daisy is hosting week-long yoga retreats from May to September this year, with twice-daily Hatha and Vinyasa practice in a view-laden, open-walled shala. The two Yoga Ride weeks (May 16-21 and June 6-11) combine yoga sessions with daily riding adventures in the hills.
This year’s retreats begin just as the wild flowers burst into bloom, and the Sierra de Aracena’s quiet walking trails sit right on the doorstep. Accommodation is in three stylishly converted, pool-equipped, internet-free cottages overlooking the chestnut groves, while the vegetarian meals are all about organic homegrown ingredients. Six-night Yoga Ride retreats cost £1,152 with meals, transfers, rides and yoga. fincaelmoro.com
UNCOVER MARBELLA’S SOUL-SOOTHING SIDE
Peek over your shades, past the superyachts and infinity pools, and you’ll be blown away by Marbella’s spectacular natural setting on Andalucia’s sunny Mediterranean shore, with the Sierra Blanca mountains soaring behind – the perfect ingredients for a well-beingfocused holiday, with style.
Known for its tennis club, Andalucian-village feel and magical gardens, the five-star Puente Romano (a pioneer since the 1970s) has morphed into a fresh-faced wellness haven with boutique flair. Healthy escapes revolve around the brand-new urban-chic gym (complete with DJ and technologically advanced equipment), martial arts sessions with Mario Simón García, a former member of Spain’s national kung fu team, sunrise yoga on the beach, expert-led hikes into the mountains, dips in the year-round pool, and Mediterranean-infused treatments in the dreamy Six Senses spa (which recently introduced CBD-oil therapies).
New this year, the Active Living package includes a personal training session, private tennis class, biomechanical evaluation and spa time. Among the endlessly impressive healthy-dining options, Eleni Manousou’s vegan creations at sleek Nobu Marbella are an innovative standout. Three-night Active Living package at Puente Romano from £1,193; breakfast included. puenteromano.com
ESCAPE IN THE ALPUJARRAS
Reaching Las Chimeneas is instantly calming: a slowly meandering drive past wide-open mountain panoramas to the whitewashed village of Mairena in Granada’s distant eastern Alpujarras. At this creatively restored, solarpowered 800-year-old house, owners Emma and David Illsley have added yoga retreats to their line-up of muchloved hiking and cooking holidays and unveiled a sparkling-new yoga studio gazing out on the hills.
Options on the 2021 retreat calendar range from a week-long Vinyasa escape to a 12-day Ashtanga programme led by the Parisian Kia Naddermier. All retreats include hikes, history talks, homemade meals and, if you fancy, cookery classes with Las Chimeneas’s chefs, Soledad and Conchi, or (travel restrictions permitting) with London-based, sustainabilityfocused chef Irem Aksu, who has worked with Yotam Ottolenghi.
The exquisite vegetarian-friendly meals on offer include ingredients plucked straight from the organic farm, where you will also find a yoga shala among the olive groves. Seven-night retreats from £690 including meals, transfers, cooking classes and activities. laschimeneas.com
Overseas holidays are currently subject to restrictions. See Page 3