Two Yoga Retreat Centres in Spain: Valencia Coast and Andalusian Nature Reserve

Lucia Yoga has been hosting retreats in Spain for over 13 years, with around 300 retreats organised and roughly 3,000 guests welcomed across two venues. That experience is what you are buying into: a team that already knows how to feed 20 people with four different dietary requirements three times a day, how to get a group from Alicante airport without anyone getting lost, and how to keep a yoga shala at the right temperature in August.

The Valencian centre is a small hotel set in the real Valencian countryside, near a farming and beach town, about a kilometre from the sea. It takes groups of 10 to 25. There are 16 rooms — 8 twins, 6 doubles and 2 junior suites with bathtubs — all with ensuite bathrooms, air conditioning and heaters. The yoga shala is 90 square metres and can hold up to 35 people, so there is room to spare. Outside there is a large patio for dining and lounging with a dipping pool, a big indoor living room and a garden beside the shala. From the property you look out over rice farms — this is where paella comes from. Valencia orange trees, wide open skies, and the beach a 15-minute walk down the road.

The Andalusian centre sits inside the Sierra de Grazalema nature reserve, an hour and a half from both Malaga and Seville airports. Groups of 10 to 24 stay in a collection of Spanish villas with 17 rooms, each available as single or double occupancy, with air conditioning, heating and free wifi. The yoga shala here is 52 square metres and takes up to 25 people. The property has five outdoor swimming pools, a tennis court, gardens, terraces and direct access to hiking trails. BBC Travel called this the best place to hike in Andalusia. The kitchen here is vegetarian, with special diets catered for on request, and wine available to buy.

What makes this arrangement different from booking a hotel and hoping for the best is that everything is built around running a retreat. The shala is exclusively yours for the duration. The centre hosts one group at a time, so there are no other guests wandering through your sessions. Yoga equipment is included — mats, blocks, straps, meditation pillows, bolsters, blankets, chairs, tea candles, incense, a Tibetan singing bowl — along with a sound system, music connection, and heating and air conditioning in the shala. Wifi runs through the shala, the rooms and the whole property.

Lucia Yoga also promotes leaders' retreats on their own website, calendar and social channels, which is useful if you are still building your audience. They can arrange optional airport transfers, excursions and extra activities at additional cost, from flamenco shows in Valencia to olive oil tastings at a traditional Andalusian factory.

What's included

- Locally sourced healthy meals, with special diets accommodated - Comfortable accommodation - Free full board and accommodation for retreat leaders - Exclusivity of Lucia Yoga's services — only one retreat hosted at a time in each centre - Exclusivity of the yoga shala, reserved spaces and full use of the retreat centre - Yoga equipment: mats, blocks, straps, meditation pillows, bolsters, blankets, chairs, tea candles, incense and a Tibetan singing bowl - Sound system, music connection, heater and air conditioner in the yoga shala - Wifi in the yoga shala, accommodations and throughout the retreat centre - Support for retreat leaders with planning and local logistics - Personalized promotion on the Lucia Yoga website, calendar and social network - Local staff support - Two venues to choose from: Andalusia and Valencia

What's not included

- Personal travel to Spain - Airport transfers (available on request at extra cost) - Excursions and additional activities (available at extra cost) - Massages and spa treatments - Wine and bar beverages (available for purchase at the Andalusian centre) - Travel insurance - Personal expenses