Serra Calma — Portugal Retreat
A Space to Arrive as You Are
2-7th June, 2026
You've been holding a lot. This is your permission to put it down.
No experience needed
Come alone or with others
All levels welcome
Five days in the mountains of Portugal, away from the noise of everyday life. No pressure, no agenda you didn't choose. Just fresh air, beautiful food, gentle movement and the kind of stillness that actually gets into your bones.
We've thought of everything so you don't have to. All you need to do is show up.
This retreat is for anyone who is ready to come back to themselves.
Whether you are a woman who has been quietly running on empty, or a man who rarely gives himself permission to slow down and ask for more, this space is for you. Serra Calma is open to all. We have designed it to hold everyone well.
Most retreats are not built with men in mind. The language, the marketing, the assumption of who belongs there. We want to say clearly: you belong here. Men who are high-performing, stressed, burnt out, curious, or simply ready for something different have found this kind of experience to be genuinely life-changing. Not soft. Not uncomfortable. Just real.
This is for you if any of this feels familiar.
You have been going hard for a long time and you cannot remember the last time you truly switched off. You keep saying you will make time for yourself and you never quite do. You feel disconnected, either from the people around you or from yourself. You are craving something that actually nourishes you, not just another trip where you come back more tired than when you left.
Everything here has been taken care of. The right balance of gentle structure and open time, so you can slow down, breathe, and remember what it feels like to simply be.
Your experience includes
✦ Five nights at Estrela Serenity Resort, set in the heart of the Serra da Estrela mountains
✦ Airport transfers to and from the retreat
✦ All meals made with fresh, seasonal, local ingredients
✦ Daily movement including yoga, breathwork and guided practice
✦ Guided nature walks and outdoor excursions
✦ Sauna, pool and optional contrast therapy
✦ Exploration of local towns, culture and surrounding landscape
✦ Wine and cheese tasting from local vineyards
✦ A guided workshop on connection, perspective and reset
✦ Time that is purely yours, whether that is rest, spa, gym or simply quiet
Your Days
The schedule is a guide, not a rulebook. We'll make small adjustments to fit our group as we settle in together.
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16:00–17:30 Arrival & check-in
18:00–19:00 Welcome Circle
19:30 Opening Group Dinner
21:00–21:30 Grounding Breathwork -
08:00–09:00 Activating Yoga + Breathwork
09:15 Breakfast
10:30–12:00 Free Time
12:00–13:30 Contrast Therapy Experience
13:30 Lunch
15:00–18:30 Guided Nature Hike
19:30 Dinner
21:00–21:30 Evening Practice — Down-regulating Breathwork -
08:00–09:00 Activating Breathwork
09:15–10:45 Contrast Therapy Experience
11:00 Nourishing Breakfast
12:00–14:00 Free Time
14:00 Lunch
15:30–19:00 Guided Nature Hike
19:30 Dinner
21:00–21:30 Evening Practice — Yin Yoga -
08:00–09:00 Activating Yoga + Breathwork
09:15 Nourishing Breakfast
10:30–12:30 Laughter Workshop
12:30–14:00 Free Time
14:00 Lunch
16:00–17:30 Wine & Cheese Tasting
19:30 Group Dinner
21:00–21:30 Evening Practice — Down-regulating Breathwork -
08:00–09:00 Activating Breathwork
09:15–10:45 Contrast Therapy Experience
11:00 Nourishing Breakfast
12:00–14:00 Free Time
14:00 Lunch
15:30–19:00 Final Guided Nature Hike
19:30 Closing Group Dinner
21:00–21:30 Evening Practice — Yoga Nidra -
08:30–09:30 Closing Circle
09:30–11:00 Farewell Breakfast & Free Time
11:00 Check-out & departures
Each day has been thoughtfully shaped to hold you. Enough rhythm to feel supported, enough space to feel free. Here's a sense of how your time will flow.
Our Retreat Home
Estrela Serenity sits within Portugal's highest mountain range, surrounded by forest, open sky and the kind of quiet that's hard to find anywhere else. Views stretch out over the Mondego Valley. Nearby villages move at a slower pace. The air feels different here.
It's more than a beautiful place to stay. It's the kind of setting that does something to you, gently, before the week is even over.Your Investment
Secure your space with a deposit. Flexible payment plans available. We keep numbers intentionally small, just 15 guests, so every experience feels personal.
Shared Twin
$3489
Shared Twin with Terrace
$3598
Private Queen
$3798
Private Queen with Terrace
$3947
All rooms are private ensuite, designed for comfort and ease throughout your stay. Flights and additional extras are not included.
Questions line: Any questions at all? We would love to hear from you at hello@heldretreats.com
Your Hosts
Simone TopelSimone is the founder of Held Retreats and the thread that holds it all together. An ICF-certified coach, yoga teacher and speaker, she has spent years helping people rebuild confidence, reconnect with themselves and step into life more fully. Her yoga training spans over 650 hours across Rocket, Hatha, Ashtanga and Vinyasa, with specialist training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Yoga for Depression. She has taught everywhere from the beaches of Barcelona to corporate offices at Meta and PwC.
As a coach, Simone works with people on the things that actually matter: self-worth, identity, relationships, career and the quiet feeling that something needs to change. She has designed and led wellness programmes for global organisations including BMW and Moët Hennessy, and her retreats have consistently turned strangers into lifelong friends.
What makes Simone different is not just what she knows. It is the way she shows up. Warm, direct, real. She creates a space where people feel genuinely seen, often for the first time in a long time.
Avi GreenbergAvi is a multidisciplinary wellness coach and one of the most respected breathwork practitioners working today. Certified as a Wim Hof Instructor and trained across modalities including The Art of Breath, The Oxygen Advantage and XPT with Brian Mackenzie, his work is grounded in science and built around one core belief: that stress, when understood and worked with rather than avoided, becomes one of the most powerful tools for growth.
He has coached corporate leaders at Fortune 500 companies, professional athletes, entrepreneurs and people managing chronic illness. He is a member of the Global Wellness Institute's Breathe Initiative, where he contributes to advancing the research and practice of breathwork globally. Over the past four years he has curated and led retreats in Mexico, Grand Cayman and Joshua Tree.
In the room, Avi is warm, practical and deeply skilled. He meets people exactly where they are, whether that is their first breathwork session or their fiftieth, and guides them somewhere they did not expect to go.
Florencia de la TorreFlorencia has spent over nine years guiding individuals, executives and organisations through personal and professional transformation. Her work sits at the intersection of emotional intelligence, mindfulness, yoga and ontological coaching, drawing on training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Yoga Alliance and a background in business administration.
She works with leaders and teams navigating change, clarity and growth, helping them align how they think, feel and act with what they actually want from their lives. Her approach is precise and deeply human at the same time: she has a rare ability to identify the patterns holding someone back and help them shift in ways that stick.
On retreat, Florencia brings a calm, grounded presence that creates real safety in the room. The kind of space where people feel ready to be honest with themselves.
FAQs
A Few Things People Often Ask
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The closest airport to our retreat center is Porto Airport (OPO). Upon registering for the retreat we will suggest which flight to book from so we can shuttle to the resort as a group.
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Absolutely! We accommodate allergies, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and most other common needs, and work with the most incredible chefs to provide everyone with nourishing, beautiful meals on each of our retreats.
When you book your spot, you’ll be asked to share any dietary requirements or allergies so please share your needs with us so we can let the chefs know.
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We will check into Estrela Serentiy at 16:00 on Tuesday June 2, 2026 and make our final departure from the retreat center at 11:00 Sunday June 7, 2026.
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Here’s what’s not included:
✈️ Flights to and from France
🚐 Transportation to the retreat villa (unless add-on purchased at checkout)
💆 Additional spa treatments or excursions not included in the itinerary, such as massages (available to book on-site)
🧳 Travel insurance (highly recommended for peace of mind) -
Not at all, most of our guests actually come solo and meeting new like-minded people becomes one of their retreat highlights. Time and time again, we've seen people arrive as strangers and leave as close friends. Past guests have stayed in touch for years, travelled together, celebrated birthdays, and even started business collaborations!
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It is important to us that we cultivate an intimate and dynamic group setting for our guests. For this reason we have capped the retreat at 15 guests.
For any other questions you might have, please take a look at our general list of FAQ’s or email us at hello@heldretreats.com
Book Your Place
Instagram @heldretreats or by email at hello@heldretreats.com