Costa Blanca Yoga, Detox & Wellness Escape at La Crisalida Retreats

La Crisalida is a health and wellbeing centre rather than a hotel with a yoga class bolted on. It runs its full holistic programme every day of the year, so you book the dates that suit you and join whatever is on when you're there. A typical day starts with yoga around 8am, moves through breakfast, a guided walk, mid-morning exercise or a workshop, lunch, then afternoon classes, treatments or free time, and finishes with a restorative session or meditation in the evening. You choose what you attend.

The yoga offering is broader than most retreats on the Costa Blanca: Hatha, Hatha flow, Yin, Restorative, Yoga nidra and guided meditation, all taught on an outdoor terrace with views over the mountains and the sea. Classes suit complete beginners as well as people with an established practice — one guest who had never done yoga before left saying every session was easy to follow and inspired her to keep going at home.

What separates this from a standard wellness week is the choice of programme. You can book it as a Relax and Rejuvenate retreat (rest, gentle movement, meditation and treatments), a Yoga retreat, a Detox and/or Weight Loss retreat (fuller activity schedule, daily guided walks, rebounding, the option to juice), a Life Makeover retreat (workshops on the practical, emotional and spiritual sides of where you are now), or a mix of all of them. You can move between them day to day, which is why so many guests return — one has been twelve times.

The setting does real work here. Playa del Albir is a small coastal town between Altea and Benidorm, and the retreat is a short walk from both the beach and the entrance to the Sierra Helada natural park, where the guided walks go. You can swim in the Mediterranean before breakfast and be back for a workshop. Alicante airport is around 45 minutes away by road.

The food is entirely plant-based and included in the price. Menus are built to be light on the digestive system but generous on nutrition, and juicing is included rather than an upsell — you can swap a meal for fresh juice for a day or your whole stay. Unlimited water and herbal teas are available all day. Alcohol isn't part of the programme.

Rooms are simple, clean and comfortable rather than luxurious, and guests consistently mention how spotless the place is. There are two outdoor pools — one heated magnesium pool that stays open all year — an infra-red sauna, a beauty suite for holistic treatments, and plenty of quiet corners to read in. Staff are on reception daily from 9am to 7.30pm CET, and reachable on WhatsApp between 10am and 6pm.

What's included

- Accommodation for the length of your stay - All plant-based meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Fresh juices as a meal replacement, included at no extra cost - Unlimited water and herbal teas - Daily yoga classes (Hatha, Yin, Restorative, Yoga nidra) - Daily guided walks into Sierra Helada and along the coast - Exercise classes including rebounding and core-works - Meditation sessions - Life makeover and wellbeing workshops - Use of both outdoor pools, including the heated magnesium pool - Use of the infra-red sauna - Airport or train station transfers from Alicante (minimum 3 nights, times apply)

What's not included

- Flights - Travel insurance - Holistic treatments and beauty suite bookings - Personal expenses - Additional drinks beyond water and herbal teas