Rest takes more than time off

We only work with properties one of us has stayed at. Before a new place goes on the website, Rita or Mia spends at least two nights there and books the kind of room our guests would book, not the best suite.

We go with a list of questions. Is the practice space quiet, covered and big enough for the whole group with mats laid out? How far is the nearest hospital, and how would we get someone there at night? Can the kitchen cook properly for vegan, gluten-free and allergy diets, and does it use food from nearby? Are staff paid fairly? What can a guest with limited mobility actually reach? If we can't get a straight answer, we don't book.

After that, we go back every season to check that nothing important has changed, and we read every guest feedback form. The four places we use now, Monte da Luz in Portugal, Rumah Tirta in Bali, Hotel Ciasa Lärch in the Dolomites and Sjövik Lodge in Sweden, all passed that first visit and have kept passing it.

Most SOLARA retreats take between 10 and 16 guests. Our writing and photography weeks stop at 10, so everyone gets proper feedback. Our hiking weeks in the Dolomites stop at 12, a group one mountain leader can keep together on a narrow path and bring down safely if the weather turns. When a date sells well, we add another date rather than more places.

Small groups change the week. Facilitators learn your name and your bad knee on the first day, dinner fits around one table, and the property never feels crowded.

Every facilitator is trained and qualified in what they teach, holds a current first aid certificate and has taught groups for several years before they come to us. We take their classes as ordinary guests, talk to people they have worked with and check their certificates. Then they work alongside us for a full season before leading a retreat on their own. Each profile lists their training, so you can see who you will be spending the week with.

A retreat can help you rest, move more and think more clearly about the year ahead. It isn't therapy, medical treatment or a cure for anything, and our facilitators don't work as therapists on our retreats. We don't offer detoxes, fasting programmes or plant-medicine ceremonies, and we don't run intense breathwork.

If you are living with a health condition, please talk to your doctor before booking and tell us what you need. We would rather be honest that a retreat won't suit you than have you find out halfway through the week.