Enjoy some Spring warmth and light in southern Portugal!

We will gather just after the Spring Equinox, Ostara, which is a celebration of renewal. The Spring sun warms the earth and the birds sing to a different tune. Everything is starting to bloom and grow.

The intention for this yoga retreat is to spark your energy and creativity and recharge your vitality. This is Ostara's promise.

During this 5 night luxury stay in the stunning Casa Fuzetta you can immerse yourself in daily yoga and meditation and relax with time and space to enjoy the house, wonderful food and surrounding area.

I will offer morning meditations focussing on cultivating the heart through joy and equanimity. Asana practice will follow weaving breath work into classical namaskars and creative vinyasa practice. In the afternoons there will be a variety of offerings: talks and workshop style classes, yoga nidra and a sound bath. 

All levels of experience are welcome, whether you are just beginning your yoga explorations or have been teaching for many years. If you are a complete beginner I do recommend joining some online sessions with me before the retreat. In the words of a previous retreat participant:

"Mandy is a brilliant teacher, so well prepared, every session a delightful journey for the mind body & spirit.  She has a wonderful skill for reaching everyone in the group & offering different ranges & levels of practice for each individual to choose from."

All the sessions, planned activities and meals are optional, so you are free to choose how much to join in. However, over the years, I have found that most people love not having to decide or choose what to do each day and participate fully.

ACCOMMODATION

Casa Fuzetta is a lovingly restored 12 bedroom luxury townhouse only 15 mins from Faro airport. Located in the traditional fishing town of Olhão in the unspoilt Eastern Algarve - a gateway to beautiful beaches, islands and natural parks.

The house has plenty of space to escape to if not visiting the town or nearby islands. As well as the rooftop pool, with spectacular views, there are indoor and outdoor Yoga spaces, a dedicated meditation room, treatments rooms, a games room with pool table and a library opening on to an internal courtyard. Though you may not want to leave your room! All the bedrooms are beautifully appointed with large, en-suite bathrooms. 11 of the rooms are offered as single occupancy - one person in a double bed and one is a twin for two people in one room each in a large single bed. 

Casa Fuzetta is an exceptional private home listed in several publications as one of the top 10 retreat venues worldwide. This is a recent article from CN Traveller.

At Casa Fuzetta they are proud to have been accepted as a member of the TreeSisters tribe and they make a donation to enable 100 trees to be planted for every group that stays with them. You can also directly make a donation to TreeSisters work via this link.

This is the first of the very special retreats I have planned for 2025 as I celebrate beginning my third decade of teaching yoga!

• Daily Brunch and three dinners prepared by the Casa Fuzetta team at the house
• A trip to one of the islands with dinner there
• Dinner in Olhão
• Daily yoga and meditation with Mandy
• Sound bath
• All the wonderful spaces, including rooftop pool (heated when needed), to enjoy at the house
• Time to explore the quaint, fisherman’s village and harbour. Saturday morning market is highly recommended!
• Time and space to be as active or as quiet as you wish
• Bespoke welcome gift
• Yoga mats and props to use in the indoor yoga space and roof top deck
• LaEva gold standard organic units of well-being (wash, lotion, shampoo & conditioner)
• Stylish hammam towels and umbrellas for the beach
• Hand made local wicker baskets for trips to the beach or the market

• Travel 
• Taxi transfer (just 15 minutes from Faro airport) - Mandy can help you to meet others arriving at the same time
• Massages and acupuncture treatments (to be booked before arrival-please indicate interest when booking)
• Travel insurance
• Alcohol
• Ferry to the beach (about 5 Euros each way).

Arrivals from 4pm on Wednesday 26th March.

Check-out by 11:00 Monday 31st March. You are welcome to leave your bags at the house while you continue your adventures in Olhâo if you have later onward travel that day.

The journey from Faro airport should be no more than 20 mins. 

There are always plenty of taxis outside the arrivals terminal. The cost per car is 20-25€.

The house is in the old town of Olhão. Many of the taxi drivers know the house, but not all. If you put Casa Fuzetta into google maps, it will pop up and if you use What3words /// politics.times.mergers it will bring you straight to the front door. 

Otherwise, the GPS coordinates are 37.026272 -7.842708.

When you book you will have access to the  Casa Fuzetta app which contains dynamic maps.

If you are travelling from LISBON

Transport options are: coach, train, or private transfer all of which need a minimum of 3-3.5hrs.

NOTE: trains will be to Faro, from where a taxi on to Olhão will be needed for last leg of the journey (approx.20min).

The public bus/coach, which is highly rated,  goes from Lisbon Sete Rios (central area) to just around the corner from Casa Fuzetta  in Olhão- price currently approx 10-20€pp - see: https://rede-expressos.pt/en/timetables ). This is definitely the cheapest option. Takes the same amount of time as any of the other options and usually operates several times per day. 

For a private transfer from Lisbon Casa Fuzetta suggest speaking to Joao Cordeiro at Domitur Transfers.

Email: transfers.domitur@domitur.pt

Mobile: +351968711581 

Daily brunch and dinner is included.

We will mainly be looked after by the Casa Fuzetta house team.

On one of the days we will take a boat trip to one of the islands and have dinner there - we may be lucky enough to see dolphins!

Another evening we will wander into Olhão to a local restaurant.

All your dinners are included. 

Juice, teas, coffee and water are included at brunch.

Filtered water is freely available at the house.

Alcohol is not included.

Your €650 deposit is not refundable.

For bookings before the end of June, you will pay your deposit in  two parts: €350 when you book and a second payment on June 30th.

Payment plans are automatically added to bookings -you can also pay the balance off at any time. If you prefer not to have the payment plan, please be in touch and it can be removed.

Final payments are due by February 2nd 2025. If booking on or after February 2nd, full payment is required at the time of booking.

Please ensure you have travel insurance. Deposits cannot be refunded. Balance payments can be refunded up to 8 weeks before the retreat. After that I can only refund you if I am able to fill your space - minus your deposit.