Sunrise yoga, warm October seas, pine forests and the best company. Notes from our first week on the island.
I’m writing this at the end of October in shorts and a T-shirt. The sun is pouring through the windows of the old finca where we’ve just spent our first week of retreating here. Ibiza has been golden. These are the things I’ve loved and will carry home with me.
1. Getting up early to practise as the sun rises is worth it every time.
The alarm goes off in the dark and you roll out your mat half asleep. Then the sky turns pink and gold over the pine trees, and you’re practising as the day begins. The sunrises here stop you in your tracks, and not one of us regretted getting up.
2. Diving into the Mediterranean sea will never get old.
That colour. Clear, calm, turquoise, and still warm at the end of October. I got in every day and would happily have gone twice. If you’ve never swum in the Mediterranean at this time of year, put it on your list.
3. The stars are mesmerising.
First thing in the morning and last thing at night, the sky is full of them. I could have lain on my back looking up for hours.
4. Pine forests and jasmine are the smell of this island.
Ibiza is so much greener than I ever imagined, and walking through the pines in the warm air is one of my happiest memories of the week. Then there’s the jasmine. Close your eyes, breathe it in, and all is well.
5. Avocados taste so much better with zero air miles.
Everything we ate was fresh, vibrant and grown close by, and you could taste it. Local chefs made all of it by hand, with real generosity and a lot of flair.
6. Eating every meal outside for a week makes food taste better.
I’m convinced of it. It feels fresher and lighter, and you eat it slowly, in good company, with the sea air around you.
7. Firepits on October nights are a must.
Blankets, a fire, the stars out. Some of the best conversations of the week happened right there.
8. Having no decisions to make is the real holiday.
No working out what’s for dinner, no looking after anyone, nothing to remember on someone else’s behalf. Take all that away and what’s left is lightness and joy: naps in the sun, a lie-in instead of yoga, a swim because the sea is right there, and an extra helping of pudding.
9. Time with women in midlife and beyond is the best.
The honest conversations are so refreshing. There was a mother and daughter, a woman just retired, others about to, old friends and first-timers. So much laughter, and so many stories of remarkable women.
10. Coming on your own is how you find your people.
More and more women are travelling solo, wanting adventure and good company to share it with. Don’t wait for someone to come with you. By the first dinner, the women who’d come alone were among friends.
Sunrise, sea, stars and good company. Awe really is all around here.
We loved it so much that we’re coming back next October, for six nights this time, because five went far too quickly. If any of this has you picturing yourself on a mat under those pine trees, book today!
P.S. There are just ten places on each retreat, and one of them is there for you.
Make some space for yourself
Small-group yoga retreats in Eryri, Anglesey, the Lake District and beyond, with wild swimming, walking and good food, all carefully held.
