Connect with nature and reconnect with yourself at one of our relaxation retreats
Venue details
I created Relaxscape as a place for you to escape from the stresses of your everyday life. I hope you'll find it a tranquil and welcoming environment in which to reconnect with nature and recharge your body and mind.
You'll stay in my charmingly restored 100 year old home that combines traditional style and modern comforts, set in a peaceful olive grove surrounded by trees and beautiful views. There is a small dip pool on site to cool off and a superb river beach for swimming, 10 minutes walk from the house. Around the village, you'll also find some peaceful forest walks. In all of the retreats we invite you to explore relaxation and wellbeing by enjoying these restorative natural surroundings.
The accommodation
Choose to join one of the organised relaxation nature retreats or just book a room or the whole place and create your own holiday agenda.
Relaxscape can welcome a maximum of nine guests currently (until I have restored the rest of the property - you can help us go faster by contributing to our crowdfunding campaign!). The comfortable rooms all have private en-suites.
There are three good-sized single rooms, two with showers and one with a luxury bath, and three double or twin rooms with shower and deep soak baths with spectacular views over the olive grove, cork trees and forests. Guests also have use of a large open-plan kitchen, sitting room and dining area, and of course the run of the grounds.
Downstairs, there is a spacious open-plan kitchen, dining and sitting room, where you can help yourself to breakfast, lunch and refreshments and where during group retreats we come together to eat a locally sourced (homegrown where possible!), home-cooked meal in the evenings, or out on the surrounding terraces. There's also the option to eat out at some local restaurants where you can enjoy some more traditional Portuguese food.
Other facilities
If you like to keep up with your own yoga practice while you are away, you're welcome to pick a quiet spot among the trees to lay down your mat, or there is a purpose built rustic wood yoga platform overlooking the olive grove. There are some bicycles available for guests to use and I can arrange lifts into the nearby towns of Ferreira do Zêzere and Tomar.
We try to be as eco conscious as possible at Relaxscape, respecting our environment, using natural materials where we can, re-using and recycling, conserving water, renewable energy, and growing (and eating!) seasonal, organic produce on site. I kindly ask our guests to respect these principles and my home when they stay here as they help to create a more sustainable world for us all.
Some of the Relaxation Retreats planned for 2023
It only takes one click to find your ikigai. Take a look at the retreat listings here for more details of the programme, dates and how to book.
These are run as a mix of week-long and weekend retreats throughout the year. Breakfast, evening meals and light lunches are included.
Retreat weeks usually start on a Tuesday to make travelling easier and so that guests can enjoy a weekend here in Portugal as well.
Prices start from £300 depending on duration, retreat programme and time of year. To secure your booking a deposit of 25% of the retreat fee is required and full payment at the latest two weeks before your arrival date. Deposits are non-refundable unless in exceptional circumstances, and at my discretion.
Day passes for local visitors
If you are local to Cardal, near Tomar and Ferreira do Zêzere, some of the retreats also have day passes available. These entitle you to join in the daily scheduled activities, without staying at Relaxscape as an overnight guest.
Click here for more details and to purchase your pass.
Travel details
One of Relaxscape's best features is that it is in secluded, peaceful location. This does mean, however, that it has no direct transport link (other than a local bus 3 times a day, and taxis from the nearby town 8km away).
The village of Cardal, where Relaxscape is situated, is 20 minutes from Tomar, which has a station with direct trains to Lisbon. Ferreira do Zêzere is 10 minutes away, and has a daily bus service to Lisbon. Lisbon Airport is 1.5 hours drive away and it takes 2 hours to drive to Porto.
I can arrange to pick you up from Tomar or Ferreira do Zêzere. If you would prefer to be more independent during your stay at Relaxscape, I suggest you hire a car at the airport. For an extra fee, I can arrange transfers for you from Lisbon or Porto airports.
If you'd like to extend your holiday to take in some more of Portugal, Relaxscape is ideally situated between Lisbon and Porto, so you could start your trip in one city, relax here part-way through, and then onto your next destination to take in a few more sights.