Casa Jacaranda sits in Nadadouro, a small village on Portugal's Silver Coast about an hour north of Lisbon by car on the A8. The house is enclosed by walls and fencing, with the retreat apartment on the ground floor and Jim's own flat directly above. Two long-term residents live in the top-floor apartment, so the building is never empty. Dexter the dog is usually somewhere about, mostly keeping his distance unless you offer an ear scratch.

Your space covers the full ground floor, roughly 150m². There is a double bedroom, a reading room with a sunny patio, multiple desks, a large dining table, a sitting area and a fully equipped kitchen. You have your own entrance, fibre-optic Wi-Fi and free parking. The covered south-facing terrace is where most people take coffee or a glass of Portuguese wine at the end of the day.

The coaching is the reason people come. Jim Dempsey has more than 20 years in fiction and publishing as an editor and writing coach, and runs The Fiction Therapist. He co-hosts the Wordplay writing events, which meet monthly in Lisbon, Caldas da Rainha and Tomar, and writes regular columns on writing for WriterUnboxed.com. Sessions can cover story development, structure, voice, editing or whatever is blocking the pages, and they are built around your project rather than a set curriculum.

What separates this from a group writing retreat is that there is no group. The programme is one-to-one, so the schedule bends to how you work. You can take more coaching, more writing time or more walks, and Jim adjusts day by day. Arrival days are flexible and you can extend your stay if you want longer.

The setting does a lot of the work. The village sits between the ocean and the Lagoa de Óbidos, with pine woods, beaches and the medieval town of Óbidos nearby. Caldas da Rainha, a city with cafés and a daily market, is minutes away. Surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, cycling and hiking are all available in the area, and Jim can help book water sports if you are travelling with a non-writing partner.

What's included

- 6 nights accommodation in the private ground-floor studio - Welcome drink - Specialised writing workshops - One-to-one coaching sessions with Jim Dempsey - Free excursions to sites of interest - Nature hikes with a trusted guide - Pre and post retreat support - Wifi connection

What's not included

- Airport transfers - Flights - Travel insurance - Visa fee - Meals - Additional treatments - Additional activities not included in the itinerary

More wellness retreats in Portugal