Spring Yoga & Meditation Retreat in a Provence Farmhouse

You're staying in a large French farmhouse on an estate in Goult, a village in the Luberon Valley about an hour from Marseille. The property has olive groves and views over the rolling hills. There's a heated pool, a tennis court, a billiard room and a home theatre, and the gardens are one of the reasons the organisers have come back three years running. Rooms are first come, first served — single en-suite rooms with a king bed, double rooms with a shared king (two of them, one a primary suite), two rooms with twin beds and a private en-suite, and a quad room with four twin beds.

Yoga runs twice a day, with a heavy emphasis on meditation. No meditation experience is needed. On arrival day there's a single afternoon welcome class; on departure day there's a morning class. Midweek, two afternoons are left free of classes to allow for a bigger excursion. Christopher Golden leads the practice; Krissy Jones, who founded Sky Ting in New York, joins as a guest teacher this year. Mats and props aren't provided — bring a mat, a strap and at least one block, ideally two.

Food comes from Flannery Klette-Kolton, and the cooking leans on what's in season locally: light breakfast, brunch and dinner daily. Two dinners are left open so you can eat out in nearby towns — one group dinner will be organised. Alcohol isn't included. There's also a wine tasting with a wine master at the estate winery during the week.

This is not a tightly programmed fitness camp. The schedule leaves most afternoons free, and you'll want a car to use them well — the Luberon's markets, villages and vineyards are the point of being here. The organisers connect people who want to share a rental. Most guests fly into Marseille (an hour's drive) or take the train from Paris to Avignon (45 minutes away).

The closest comparison would be a yoga holiday with a strong sitting practice attached, rather than a retreat with a fixed daily programme from morning to night. If you want two classes a day and the rest of the time to yourself in a part of France that's at its best in May, this is squarely that.

What's included

- 7 nights, 7 days in a French farmhouse in Goult, Provence - Views over olive groves and the rolling hills of the Luberon Valley - 2 daily yoga and meditation classes (single welcome class on arrival day, morning class on departure day) - Two midweek afternoons free of classes for a longer excursion - Wine tasting with a wine master at the estate winery - Light breakfast, brunch and dinner daily - Use of the heated pool, tennis court, billiard room and home theatre - Group dinner organised on one of the free evenings

What's not included

- Transportation to and from the retreat house - Flights - 2 dinners out on the town - Alcohol - Yoga mat, strap and blocks (bring your own) - Car rental - Travel insurance