SPAIN
Andalusia
with Jenn, Gioconda & Laura
April 25 – May 2, 2025
Join us for a week in the province of Cadiz, located in the beutiful southern Spain region of Andalusia! We’ll retreat to the heart of Sierra de Grazalema national park, where we’ll have exclusive use of a collection of charming Spanish villas surrounded by the mountains. Complete with hiking trails, gardens and 5 swimming pools, join us as we bask in the Andalusian sunlight illuminating the surrounding panoramic views.
During our week, we’ll relax in our surroundings, and adventure to the neighboring villages of Setenil de las Bodegas, Zahara de la Sierra, El Gastor and Ronda. We’ll have wine tastings and tapas, learn about regional olive oils and experience authentic Flamenco.
We have a limited capacity and are only able to offer this one Spring week in 2025.
Register early to ensure your space!
Vacation Details
Immerse in the peace of nature enjoying rural luxury accommodations, five swimming pools, breathtaking scenery and hiking routes. According to BBC Travel, the best place to hike in Andalusia.
Our retreat venue is a collection of charming Spanish villas nestled in Andalusia’s spectacular national park, Sierra de Grazalema.
Enveloped by nature, our property includes 5 swimming pools, a tennis court, gardens, terraces, and, of course, a fully stocked yoga shala.
Our on-site chefs offer a vegetarian and vegan menu for the week, utilizing all of the freshest ingredients of the region, and our expansive surroundings offer a special opportunity for a welcomed physical and digital detox.
A brief outline of our week together is below.
All days include at least one yoga session and all activities (as always) are optional based on your needs for your retreat.
Day 1 – arrivals, orientation, yoga and welcoming first dinner
Day 2 – After breakfast we’ll venture out on a guided hike to explore the whitewashed villages that serve as gateway to our yoga retreat center. Our leisurely hike (less than 2 miles each way) will take us to Mirador, Big Dolmen and El Gastor Village to familiarize us with our surroundings. We’ll have free time in the afternoon, yoga, dinner and perhaps some massage appointments available.
Day 3 – Morning yoga followed by brunch, then a longer outing to Zahara de la Sierra, one of Andalusia’s most striking villages which sashays up a cliff rock face to a castle-topped peak in the park’s northern reaches. We’ll visit an authentic Olive Oil Factory that still uses traditional and sustainable methods of production. We’ll have a tasting of olive oil, cheese and sherry wine, plus ample free time to explore the village on our own. Back to our homestead, we’ll have a relaxing yoga class before dinner and evening stargazing.
Day 4 – A leisure day of yoga, good food, good company, pool time and more local explorations for those wanting to venture out solo. Massage appointments will be available.
Day 5- After brunch, we’ll have another adventure day wandering the winding streets of Setenil de las Bodegas, the whitewashed village built as caves under the rocks. We’ll sample the local wine, jamón, goat cheese and other tapas, and have ample time to explore on our own. We’ll return with time to relax before dinner.
Day 6 – Leisurely morning with breakfast, yoga and lunch to prepare for our late afternoon / evening trip to the picturesque town of Ronda. Here we will have time to enjoy and wander, but then meet back up for an evening Flamenco show! We’ll be home late tonight.
Day 7 – Our last day is one of leisure – meals, sunshine, yoga and relaxation. Of course, you know your surroundings now, so extra exploration, hikes and revisiting villages are all possible. Our hosts are happy to guide us based on our desires.
Day 8 – Breakfast and departures
The closest international airports are Malaga (AGP) and Seville (SVQ).
We always recommend adding some extra time on the front or back end of your retreat (when possible) to enjoy more of the region!
Our hosts can assist with transfers to the retreat center. The Malaga & Seville airports are approximately 1.5-2 hours drive, There are also trains and buses that you might take to the town of Ronda which is even closer.
Approximate costs of those transfers:
AIRPORT TRANSFER: 180€ per way and car for one, two, three or four people.
RONDA TRAIN STATION TRANSFER: 80€ per way and car for one, two or three people.
There are daily buses from Seville, Jerez or Malaga stopping in El Gastor, the closest village to the Nature Reserve retreat center. The pick up at the El Gastor bus station is just 15€ per car.
Check in on the start day of your retreat is 4pm. Check out on the last day of your retreat at 11am.
The center is not available for early arrival or additional night on the back end, but you might consider extra time in Ronda.
OTHER IMPORTANT FAQs
Meals are vegetarian meals including eggs & dairy. Each house and studio also has kitchen facilities for your personal use. Alcohol is not included with meals but wine is available for purchase on site and in the villages. There is a 24 hour snack table with drinking water, fruit, instant coffee, tea and nuts.
All houses and rooms have private bathrooms, heaters and air conditioning, plus windows that can be opened to enjoy the fresh air.
PACKING:
Please bring plug adaptors for your electronics. Computers and cell phone chargers are designed to work with 110v and 220v. Other appliances typically are not. The center has hair dryers available on request.
Comfortable clothes, and perhaps one nice outfit for our Ronda outing.
Good walking / hiking shoes.
Sandals
Bathing Suit
Reusable water bottle
Easy to carry day pack
Personal toiletries (they are not provided)
Sunscreen
Mosquito repellent
Passport (also have a digital copy accessible)
Personal medications
MONEY
The center DOES NOT ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS. They can take Dollars and Euro.
Your Teachers
Jenn Wooten, RYT500, YACEP, C-IAYT is a certified yoga therapist and yoga educator who has studied yoga and mindfulness for over 20 years. She has been a teacher, mentor and group facilitator in the Austin yoga community since 2004. Her teaching style focuses on embodiment, functional movement, joy and resilience. Jenn teaches trauma-informed yoga classes and leads foundational and in-depth yoga teacher trainings, mentorships and retreats throughout the world. She guides students to respond to life’s stressors through embodiment, breath, self-awareness and self-compassion. Her teaching is engaging, accessible and warm-hearted. Jenn’s gift is her intuitive ability to help students lean into to their own self-authority and connect to their body as a source of wisdom. The core of her teaching is helping people cultivate a yoga and mindfulness practice as a pathway for healing, awakening and wholeness.
Gioconda Parker has been practicing and teaching yoga for 20+ years, and is still learning something new every day. Her enthusiasm for the practice is contagious and her dedication to yoga comes through in every class. Whether you are flowing in her artfully sequenced vinyasa classes, or moving through the layers in yin, her guidance and support keep you safe, steady and focused. In addition to years of yoga training, she also holds a Master’s Degree in Transpersonal Psychology and is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner.
Laura Forsyth RYT500, YACEP, is the founder of One Yoga Global. She began her yoga studentship over two decades ago and began teaching in 2005. Laura specializes in Hatha yoga for all levels, yoga for stress management, yin yoga, restorative yoga and iRest yoga nidra. She has completed coursework in Ayurveda from the Ayurvedic Institute and studied bodywork at the Institute of Psycho Structural Balancing in California. She leads workshops and trainings on special topics and she serves as guest faculty in various teacher training programs. She is deeply grateful to all her teachers including Donna Farhi, Dr. Richard Miller, Judith Lasater, Leslie Kaminoff and so many more.
Enchanting accommodations scattered across meticulously landscaped grounds, each designed to delight with views of lush gardens and majestic mountains.
El Cortillo House
This Andalusian House comes complete with garden, private swimming pool, full kitchen, living room and 4 bedrooms.
ROOM 1 – Two twin beds / private bathroom – female roommate space available!
ROOM – 2 – queen bed / private bathroom – RESERVED
ROOM 3 – queen bed / private bathroom (Single or double occupancy) – – RESERVED
ROOM 4 – Deluxe room (the largest room on the property) with queen bed, private tower and large bathroom with arab style bathtub. – RESERVED
We expect 6-7 to share this house. *scroll on image for more pictures
DOUBLE OCCUPANCY: $3495 per person
SINGLE OCCUPANCY: $3895 (SOLD OUT)
DELUXE DOUBLE ROOM: $3795 per person (SOLD OUT)
(one available with queen bed)
PARAISOS
2 complexes of studios each with a large swimming pool. Each studio apartment has a Queen bed and sofa-bed (a twin bed can be added as needed), kitchen, living room and ensuite bathroom.
These studios are about an 8 minute walk through the preserve to the yoga shala and dining. – AVAILABLE
*scroll on image for more pictures
DOUBLE OCCUPANCY: $3495 per person
SINGLE OCCUPANCY: $3895
An $695 deposit will secure your space.
We will confirm your reservation and offer to set up any balance to run in autopayments through January 2025.
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- 8 days / 7 nights accommodations
- Excursion to Ronda inlcuding a Flamenco show
- Excursion Setenil de las Bodegas, wine tasting and tapas
- Excursion to Zahara de la Sierra including olive oil factory and tasting
- Guided local hike
- All meals from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 8 (minus a couple lights bites on outing days)
- Daily classes with your teacher
NOT INCLUDED:
- Airfare to Spain and transfers to venue (the venue can assist)
- Extras such as massage
- Alcohol (though available)
- Travel Insurance
- Gratuities to Center staff
Refunds and Cancellations: Refund less deposit ($695) before January 1, 2025. No refunds after January 1, 2025. Due to arrangements made with our vacation hosts, there can be no exceptions to this policy.
If you place a deposit, the balance due will be set to charge in equal installments starting the month after deposit through January 1, 2025 unless other arrangements are made.
We HIGHLY recommend that you consider purchasing Travel Insurance. Travel insurance companies like AIG Travel guard and Trawick International offer policies that insure your investment in case you need to cancel (including “cancel for any reason” coverages), coverages for expenses incurred due to to weather & travel delays, personal property loss and emergency travel medical. Please review policies carefully to choose the coverage you need.
We recommend that you consider purchasing trip insurance to protect your investment. Trawick International and Travel Guard are two providers that we recommend. Please review policies carefully to ensure they provide the coverage you need.