Let’s help you find where to go on holiday in September – we’ve rounded up some of the best places.

Summer isn’t over yet in September. In fact a holiday in September is best in the Mediterranean for example if you want to avoid the backing heat, yet temperatures are comfortable for the occasional excursions and also sunbathing on the beach and swimming in the sea. The water has gradually been warmed up throughout the summer, and still feels very pleasant even with a gentle breeze.

Besides, with kids back at school, the crowds have disappeared and prices have come down. You are lucky if you can go on holiday in September to benefit from more pleasant temperatures, lower prices, and less crowded places. It’s indeed a good choice to go on holiday in September and enjoy those benefits.

And if you don’t want to fly to the Med there are also home-grown destinations with so much to offer. Whether it’s Ayurveda massages in Wales or outdoor hot tub and spa in Yorkshire, there are plenty of retreats where you can immerse yourself in peaceful seclusion.

If you want to check local temperatures we recommend the BBC weather website for weather reports about two weeks in advance. Once you are away the Met office site provides also useful local details.

Here is our selection to help you find your holiday in September:

In the UK

Ayurveda in Wales: head to South Wales to unwind and relax with a combination of yoga and Ayurveda. Enjoy outdoor hot tub and infra-red sauna, walks in AONB and by the beach. From £570pp for 3 nights, pick your days. (See also photo at top.)

Yoga Cleanse in Cotswold: in early September Rina Golan offers the opportunity to let yourself be nourished, go inwards and pay attention to your needs. Cook together, practice yoga, meditate, walk in nature. From £295pp for 2-night weekend, in early September and October only.

Be Healthily Happy in Yorkshire: Relax with Kundalini yoga, unwind with meditation, refresh and rejuvenate with healthy raw food cuisine, plus enjoy the hot tub and sauna. These are women only retreats offered by Raw Horizons. From £1,095pp for 5 nights, full board.

In Europe

Yoga in southwest Turkey: Huzur Vadisi, one of the country’s best-known yoga retreats is waiting for you, nestled in a peaceful valley amongst olive groves near Turkey’s Turquoise Coast. From £525pp per week.

Fun holidays near Toulouse: get inspired with one-week holidays focusing on yoga, music, dance, cookery or art. From £640pp per week.

Luxury Yoga Retreat in Pelion, Greece: at the foot of the magical Pelion forest where crystal clear water laps rhythmically at the water’s edge. Enjoy vinyasa flow yoga and massages. September only, from £790pp per week.

Further afield

Ayurveda, yoga, beach, and up to 50% discount: If you are craving perfect white sandy beaches, palm trees and warm seas, West Coast Ayurveda Resort in Sri Lanka is located right on tropical beach with a natural lagoon. Treat yourself to a uniquely luxurious holiday with full body massages. Enjoy up to 50% discount on full board accommodation, until 7^th November.

Swim with Wild Dolphins, Bimini, Bahamas: this is a once in a lifetime holiday, the ultimate sacred journey retreat with WildQuest. Plus yoga, healthy food and warm, turquoise ocean. Selected dates in September, from $1,695pp for 6 nights, approximately £1,200.

For more inspiration of holidays in September check our calendar and also all year holidays.

The post Where to go on holiday in September appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.

It’s time to book this year’s summer break to rejuvenate your mind and body. You’ve decided on short haul, but where are some of the best retreats in Europe?

According to ABTA’s annual report, the hot European spots this year include Croatia, with its idyllic islands and Sardinia for its captivating beaches and wild interior. While off some people’s radar, away from the larger cities, coastal Turkey continues to offer dazzling beaches, scenery, and cuisine (see the latest FCO advice and note that Thomas Cook has seen a rise in the popularity of Turkish resorts including Dalaman and Antalya).
Now, what type of retreat? Do you want to stay in a villa for a home-from-own feel or a hotel with the service that brings? Do you want to practice daily yoga or mindfulness – or both!? Read on for our selection of the best retreats in Europe:

ITALY family fitness, cooking and yoga
Think you can’t take a cookery or yoga break with children in tow? Think again. The stunning surroundings in Arezzo, Tuscany are the setting for Mum and Baby Experience’s breaks at this restored stone farmhouse with lake and mountain views. Inside all is well-equipped for babies and children, from highchairs and cots to trained babysitters. Choose twice-daily yoga classes and a cookery lesson or thrice-daily yoga, Zumba, and circuits or a walk. A massage or facial and trips to the medieval town of Anghiari are included.

SARDINIA mindfulness and yoga
Yoga in Sardinia involves a relaxing mix of gentle hatha yoga, mindfulness, pranayama and yoga nidra. Boutique Galanias Hotel in Bari Sardo offers coastal views and panoramic pools set in leafy grounds. Excursions include trips to the local beach, vineyards, diving and kayaking with bike hire available from the hotel.

TURKEY yoga
Turkey’s longest established and best-known yoga retreat, Huzur Vadisi in rural Göcek, near Dalaman, offers a variety of styles. Stay in yurts in a peaceful valley setting surrounded by olive and fig groves. Cool off in the natural stone swimming pool, indulge in a massage or take a siesta in the traditional Turkish ‘treehouse.’ Excursions include boat trips. So popular is the classic, wholesome Turkish food on offer here, they created their own cookbook.

Just think, once your summer retreat is booked you can start planning your winter retreat! Sorry to say but places for New Year are always limited and tend to get booked up well in advance.

Jo Fernandez is a leading UK travel journalist, with much of her career spent working for the London Evening Standard where she was Travel Editor until 2015.
Now a freelance travel journalist and copywriter, she lives in Essex and has one daughter. As a travel expert, she still enjoys jetting off to write travel pieces, with favourite destinations including Mexico, Croatia and, of course, Essex.

The post Quick guide to the best retreats in Europe appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.

When summer gets going, the warmer sun and longer days help wellbeing retreats across the UK and Europe really come into their own. June summer retreats are some of the best.

Home-grown destinations have so much to offer. Whether it’s Ayurveda massages in Wales or yoga in Somerset, there are plenty of June summer retreats where you can immerse yourself in peaceful seclusion.

June is also perfect for European getaways. With the more expensive school-holiday season yet to start, you could make your hard-earned cash go a long way on June summer retreats in France or Spain.

And the blue waters of the Mediterranean and Adriatic beckon too. The coastlines of hidden Greek islands and secluded bays of southwest Turkey are ideal for relaxation and sunbathing, and it’s still not too hot in June to explore the local heritage and landscape. Making them ideal destinations for a June summer retreat.

Here is our selection:

June summer retreats near home…

• Ayurveda in Wales: head to South Wales to unwind and relax with a combination of yoga and Ayurveda. From £570pp for 3 nights.
• Raw Horizons in Yorkshire: Relax with Kundalini yoga, unwind with meditation, refresh and rejuvenate with healthy raw food cuisine, plus enjoy the hot tub and sauna. From £345pp for 2 nights full board.

…and the rest of Europe

• Yoga in south-west Turkey: Huzur Vadisi, one of the country’s best-known yoga retreats is waiting for you, nestled in a peaceful valley amongst olive groves near Turkey’s Turquoise Coast. An ideal place for a June summer retreat. From £535pp per week.
• Creative holidays near Toulouse: Get inspired with one-week holidays focusing on yoga, music, dance, cookery or art. From £590pp for one week.
• Luxury Yoga Retreat in Pelion, Greece: at the foot of the magical Pelion forest where crystal clear water laps rhythmically at the water’s edge. Enjoy vinyasa flow yoga and massages. From £790pp per week. – See above photo.

Fancy a trip further afield, or just need more ideas where else you can go this June? Then you find more in our calendar.

The post Top 10 June summer retreats appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.

Many of our brilliant wellbeing holidays provide a great range of activities, treatments and accommodation at affordable prices. So how can you tell which ones offer the absolute best in terms of low cost and great service?

Good question. So good, in fact, that we’re starting a new series of blog posts, all about our best-priced escapes* – cheap retreats that also offer great value.

To give you plenty of time to pack, we begin with cheap retreats that offer amazing value this August. It’s a peak time for holidaymakers around the world, and especially all of us in the UK who’re trying to bag a bank-holiday bargain.

We travel across Europe, where the weak euro and warm sun beckon. And we stop off in Asia, where August’s monsoons are offset by low prices and the best period for Ayurveda treatment.

August cheap retreats in Europe

Sun and surf
Small classes for yoga and Pilates, surfing, white sandy beaches and a rugged volcanic landscape – all packed into this neat retreat on sunny Fuerteventura. See image at top.
From €465 for 7 nights.

August cheap retreats in Asia

Time for Ayurveda
Head to Sri Lanka for authentic Ayurvedic treatment at the best time of the year for this type of healing.
From £698 per week.

Looking for something different in August, or going away at another time? Check out all our great holidays by activity, date and destination, as well as our current offers and discounts.

Next week we look at luxury summer retreats – escapes that don’t only rejuvenate but pamper you in style too. Catch you then!

* How did we come up with the list? We looked at factors like quality of accommodation, board, choice of activities, airport transfers and other add-ons. We then compared these with length of stay and price to come up with a list of retreats that are not just fantastic getaways but are good for the wallet too.

The post Top 7 cheap retreats this August appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.

Is the thought of dark, wet November days getting you down?
Want to recharge your batteries before winter with relaxing November retreats?

It’s the time to grab a winter holiday in the sun – and avoid high-season fares and rates.  Or just treat yourself to a rejuvenating weekend retreat in the UK. Here’s a choice of November retreats handpicked by Neals Yard Holidays.

In the warm winter sun of the Canary Islands, enjoy the unique Yoga, Pilates and Surf Holidays on Fuerteventura.  With white sandy beaches, set against a dramatic landscape of volcanoes, the retreats offers yoga, pilates and meditation classes.

If that sounds a bit too energetic, try the South Coast Ayurveda Resort in Sri Lanka – nominated best chill out spot by Harpers Magazine.  Offering some of the island’s best Ayurvedic treatments, it’s a “real pampering, a true healing experience”. 10% reduction until 20 December.

November’s your last chance this year to sail with WildQuest and swim with dolphins in the Bahamas.  Snorkeling lessons, daily sailings, coral reefs – and meeting dolphins, plus yoga and a free massage when you mention Neal’s Yard Holidays.

Then, on our doorstep, there’s a great choice of relaxing and rejuvenating weekend breaks. Two great yoga retreats are running in southern England by Chillout in Sussex.

This November, just enjoy chilling out – before the Big Winter Chill hits.
For Neal’s Yard Holidays’ latest offers and travel tips, sign up to our newsletter.

Happy travelling.

The post Where to go for November retreats appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.

Looking for a holiday in October? – In some places it’s not autumn yet!
Recharge with a holiday in October before the cold sets in.

October is a great month for a holiday. You can catch the last of the summer warmth in the Mediterranean with average temperatures still around a comfortable 25 or 26 degrees Celsius, and the sea has warmed up during the summer. The crowds will be gone, and if you’re lucky, you’ll even have a beach to yourself.

Saying that, the UK often has some lovely autumn weather with wonderful autumn coloured foliage. So if you want to stay closer to home, check out our short UK breaks and getaways. Here you can always soak in an outdoor hot tub, or enjoy an evening with a good book in front of a roaring fire!

To check local temperatures about two weeks in advance, we recommend the BBC weather website. Once you are away the Met office site provides also useful local details.

For pretty much guaranteed warmth in October, head to the Canary Islands in Spain, Asia, or Northern Africa for your holiday, see latest choice on our destinations page. And see following our pick of where to go on holiday in October.

Beach, Ayurveda, yoga, and up to 50% discount
If you are craving perfect white sandy beaches, palm trees and warm seas, West Coast Ayurveda Resort in Sri Lanka is located right on a stunning stretch of tropical beach with a natural lagoon. Treat yourself to a uniquely luxurious holiday with full body massages. Enjoy up to 50% discount on full board accommodation until 7^th November.

Yoga and Pilates in sunny Canary Island
Or head for the Canary Islands. On Fuerteventura Azulfit offer yoga and Pilates retreats with surfing at the boutique Lotus Retreat location. Begin your day by wakening your body with vinyasa yoga at the white sandy beach of the turquoise ocean. Relax in the evening with blissful yin yoga and meditation. Please be aware that holidays run Saturdays to Saturdays only, due to scheduled flights.

These are only a few ideas. You can find many more October holidays on our website. Mention Neal’s Yard Holidays to receive exclusive discounts or treats on some of the above retreats.

Be the first to hear about special offers and last minute deals, subscribe to our newsletter.

Updated 9 July 2018.

The post Where to go on holiday in October appeared first on Neals Yard Holidays Blog.