Loire Valley Yoga & Wine Retreat 2026 – Four Nights in a Restored 14th‑Century Farmhouse with Pool & Sauna

The farm, La Guimarderie, sits between Chinon and Richelieu in the Loire Valley and has belonged to the same family for over 30 years. It's a working restoration project — four converted barns sleeping up to 15 guests, a new canvas stretch tent in the garden used as the main practice space, and a yurt that doubles as a meditation room or an open-air double bedroom under the stars.

Mornings start with an hour or 90 minutes of yoga, usually under the stretch tent if the weather cooperates, otherwise inside the old barn. Breakfast is served around 9, then the middle of the day is free — swim in the 16m heated pool, read in a hammock in the orchard, play pool or table tennis in the games room, or drive into one of the medieval towns. Afternoon classes are shorter and often restorative or yin. Evenings are dinner in the farmhouse, usually with wine from local producers.

Food is all prepared on site. The kitchen pushes what the garden gives it — salads often come from outside the door — and this year added a cob pizza oven, which guests end up using almost every retreat. All meals are vegetarian or vegan, and the team asks about allergies and dietary needs before you arrive.

What separates this from most yoga retreats is the intimacy and the location. It's not a purpose-built wellness complex — it's someone's 700-year-old family farm, and it feels like it. Groups stay small, you get to know everyone by day two, and the owner is on site. The autumn retreat adds wine tastings in the Loire's local cellars; the July retreat is more straightforward yoga and summer pool time.

The nearest airports are Tours and Poitiers, both under an hour away, and Tours has a train station with connections to Chinon. Pickups can usually be arranged, but it's worth hiring a car if you want to do day trips to Chenonceau or the vineyards.

What's included

- 4 nights' accommodation in converted barns (shared or private) - All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) — vegetarian or vegan - Two yoga sessions most days - Wine with dinner on the Yoga, Wine and Wild retreat - Use of the private 16m heated pool - Wood-burning sauna - Games room with pool and table tennis - Access to the garden, orchard and hammocks - Cob pizza oven dinner one evening - Wifi in the main farmhouse

What's not included

- Travel to and from the farm - Airport or train station transfers - Travel insurance - Optional wine tasting (where not part of the retreat) - Personal expenses - Massage or other treatments (if arranged offline) - Alcohol beyond dinner wine