Algarve Surf & Yoga Retreat with Therapies and Sunshine Food

A typical day starts at 6:30am with coffee, fruit and a small breakfast, plus a snack pack to take with you. By 7:15am you're in the van heading to whichever break looks best that morning — the Algarve has both the sheltered south coast beaches and the wilder west coast, and the coaches pick based on swell, wind and tide. You surf for roughly two hours with instruction, then head back to the quinta.

Lunch is at 1:30pm, served outside overlooking the gardens. After that the afternoon is yours: swim in the pool, book a massage, join a 'soul of surfing' workshop, or nap. At 5pm there's sunset yoga and pranayama in the shala. Dinner is at 7:30pm, communal, cooked by Ben and the kitchen team — it's healthy but hearty local food, not a deprivation diet. You'll eat pastel de nata at some point; it's Portugal.

The accommodation is a whitewashed farmhouse with Portuguese tiles, vines around the doorways and fig trees in the garden. It's a work in progress — the team is restoring it by hand — so expect character rather than a polished hotel. Rooms range from doubles and twins to apartments with a shared living room, which suit families. Some rooms take an extra bed or cot.

Surfing here suits beginners through to intermediate surfers. The coaches run lessons as a group, so you build day by day, and there are different beaches for different conditions. If the waves are flat or blown out, the schedule shifts — the team is upfront that there are no typical days on the Atlantic coast. Yoga is open to all levels, including complete beginners, and the teachers adjust to who's in the room.

The retreat runs April to November each year. It's all-inclusive: three meals a day, surf coaching, yoga, equipment, and transfers to the beaches are all part of it. Airport transfers from Faro can be arranged. There's also a surf school on site if you're in the area and just want lessons without staying.

What's included

- 3, 4 or 7 nights accommodation at the quinta - Three meals daily (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Daily surf coaching with equipment (board and wetsuit) - Daily yoga and pranayama sessions - Transport to and from surf beaches - Use of pool and gardens - Wifi

What's not included

- Flights to Faro or Lisbon - Airport transfers (can be arranged; taxi around €80–€100 each way) - Travel insurance - Massages and spa treatments - Alcohol and drinks outside meals - Personal expenses - Optional excursions