Thursday 1 May 2014

Yoga on Holiday
Retreat in Portugal
The Beautiful Beaches of Sintra
http://thelodgeportugal.com/


Found:  Another beautiful destination to practice yoga on retreat
May 17-24, 2015

From the airport in Lisbon, the staff at The Lodge will pick you up and in 30 minutes you are in Praia Grande, the big beach, on golden sands, looking up at dazzling cliffs and watching the sun dance on the waves of the Sintra coastline.  

The Lodge is beautifully situated up on the cliffs and about a 10-minute walk down to the beach.
In the grounds of The Lodge we find a landscaped oasis inside freshly painted terra cotta walls, outside a rugged natural paradise.  Palms and flowering plants, large green spaces that just ask you to practice yoga under the sun and shade.  A pool, sauna, and jacuzzi for relaxing or relieving aching muscles after a myriad of sports activities available by the staff, or which can be arranged for you by the staff:  surfing, climbing, mountain biking.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lodge/247720988718382



Or, as my husband and I did this past week, relax, swim and for me practice yoga, 3 times a day, just because there is quiet, sun and a whole day in front of you do do whatever you want to do.

Ralph, Fabian, and Petra were on site to take care of any need, offer assistance and local expertise on where to go for the best grilled fish, the best view, the walk to Cabo de Roca, the most western point on
the European continent, and for us even a lift to the town of Sintra a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

http://www.sights-and-culture.com/Portugal/Sintra.html

In addition to returning to enjoy the amenities and be once again on a self-retreat, I whole-heartedly
recommend this destination to my students.  I would like to bring a group next year during the May holidays, when it is mid-season at The Lodge, the weather is gorgeous and we can customize a retreat of yoga and activities for a long holiday weekend, "les ponts de mai"  ou "une semaine de retraite", a week-long holiday.

Our beach walk:

Praia Grande offers a great swell all year round, attracting surfers and body boarders.  The World Bodyboard Championships are held here every year.

Praia das Maçãs got it's name from the large quantity of apples that used to appear on the beach carried by the brook that crosses the lowland where there used to be numerous orchards.  This was the first of the Sintra beaches to owe its fame to tourism.  Holiday houses and eateries appeared in 1888 and a tramway terminus was built.   The tram linking the beaches to Sintra feels like a journey back in time.




Azhenas do Mar is a village carved into the cliffs.  A natural sea water swimming pool and an elegant restaurant overlooking the waves rolling over the rocks await you here.









View at Cabo de Roca, to the south.







 The rooms and the breakfast room.



Details for our retreat!
May 17-24, 2015




Notes:  The rates below include a fabulous breakfast each morning with many home-made specialities.

They encourage the participants who are taking advantage of the sports activities also to make a sandwich/lunch from the breakfast table so you

can have a meal on the road in your activity.  Dinner is on our own.



For the yoga week, my rate is lower as my expenses are lower- getting myself to Lisbon (as opposed to the work I do on Milos), so I can offer the yoga week at 200 euros, if you book early, by Feb 1, 2015. On top of the rates you see below.  If you book after Feb 1, the yoga week is 250 euros.
There will be a 90 minute classe each am before breakfast and an evening time to be determined on the request of the group vis-a-vis
any sport activities you are choosing.  The rate is fixed for the week.




We found very reasonable  flights on Vueling last year:  http://www.vueling.com/es

If you are unfamiliar with the Sintra area, it's indeed worth a Google search to see all there is to offer there.  It's a wild natural place with it's own ecosystem and many cultural UNESCO heritage sites, as well.  It is not far from Cabo de Roca.   

The price includes breakfast, lunchpack, and use of the facilities like pool, 2x jacuzzi, 2x sauna, archery range etc., fresh fruit and tea all day, use of communal kitchen and bbq area.
  
Rates in May for lodging and breakfast:  Add 200€ for yoga, Early Bird before Feb 1.  Add 250€ for yoga after Feb 1.

55,- € per night and person in double room w/ private bathroom (385,- € per week and person).

75,- € per night and person in single room/ with private bathroom (525,- € per week and person).

Airport transfers (one-way) cost 50,- € for 1-3 persons and 75,- € for 4-7 persons.
(accordingly 125,- € for 8-10 people, 150,- € for up to 14 people).

Dinner calculations are up to you, an average price in a normal Portuguese restaurant is 12-15 euros...  
http://www.sintraportugal.net/things-to-do/beach-sintra-portugal