Ayurveda Detox and Yoga Regeneration Week on Gozo, Malta

A typical day runs to a gentle rhythm. Yoga and meditation are 08:00–09:15, then you have a personalised 60-minute Ayurvedic treatment before lunch. Lunch is the main meal — a detox brunch buffet with warm soups, kitchari-style rice and mung dal, gently cooked vegetables and dishes using saffron, turmeric, cumin, coriander and mild cinnamon. The afternoon holds a second 60-minute treatment, herbal teas and detox water, and free time. Dinner is deliberately light: vegetable or mung soups, warm blended soups, simple bowls with soft vegetables and minimal grains. Fruit is served sparingly, usually stewed, and there is no refined sugar.

What separates this from other wellness weeks is the volume of treatment time — up to 14 hours across the stay, two hours a day, every day. Many retreats offer one or two massages in a week. Here the treatments are the programme, and they are matched to you rather than run off a standard list. The therapists, Arun and Mayadevi, have more than 20 years each and have been practising in Malta and Gozo since 2011. Dr Dinesh Kumar, a senior Ayurvedic consultant based in Tripunithura, Kerala, does the pre-arrival consultation and designs the plan.

Yoga is led by Michelle Bartolo, who has taught for over 20 years and blends Vinyasa, Kundalini and Restorative yoga with pranayama and meditation, and by Wendy, who teaches Hatha, Vinyasa and Restorative. Classes are suitable for beginners through to advanced, and yoga is optional — nobody chases you into the shala.

The setting is a traditional Gozitan farmhouse in San Lawrenz, in a quiet part of the island with views towards Gharb and out to the sea. There are two outdoor pools, a garden, a terrace, a yoga deck, a library and a shared kitchen. Gozo itself is small and slow: fishing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, swimming, horse riding and museum visits are all within reach, and the ferry back to Malta takes about 25 minutes from Mġarr.

The retreat is flexible on length. The standard package is 8 days and 7 nights, but stays from 2 to 30 nights can be arranged on request. Check-in is 15:00 and check-out is 11:00. Airport transfers are not included in the package price — a return transfer is available for €199 per person, a taxi from Malta Airport to the Ċirkewwa ferry terminal is about €30 one way, and a private door-to-door service to the retreat is €80 one way.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation - 3 daily meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Water, tea and juices served throughout the day - Yoga and meditation classes - 120 minutes of Ayurvedic massage and treatment daily - Wifi connection

What's not included

- Flights - Travel insurance - Visa fee - Airport transfers (return transfer available for €199 per person) - Optional extra massage (60 minutes) - Extra night before or after the retreat - Airport pickup and drop-off