The Best Yoga Retreat in North Wales
The Best Yoga Retreat in North Wales?! Yeah, quite possibly this could be it. But how do you know?
There’s a few factors to consider when booking the ultimate Yoga Retreat Weekend. The likelihood is that you’re parting with a good chunk of cash so you want it to be spot on. Here’s how to suss out the awesome, totally worth it retreats to the not-so-hot retreats.
Suss out what you want first
Before you start looking for the ‘perfect yoga retreat’, it’s best to start with a general idea about what you want and your main reason for going. Is it to learn more about yoga and practice lots? Is it to spend some quality time with a good friend you haven’t seen in ages? Is it to have a well deserved break? Is it to meet new friends with a common hobby? Whatever the reason, have this at the back of your mind when you start looking as this will narrow down your options.
Check out the location and the venue
Where is the Yoga Retreat? City centre or out in the countryside? What’s the style and standard of the venue? If you’re looking for ultimate luxury, then a venue that’s also a wedding venue may be up your street. Think boutique castle hotel, which may even have a pool or a spa. Or you might want peace and beauty and to be closer to nature. Luxury glamping in bell tents on an eco site in the welsh hills might be more your cuppa. Where you can swing in a hammock watching the sun rise; hearing the birds chirp while you sip your morning brew. It’s also worth checking out if the Yoga Retreat has been held at this venue before. If so, it’s likely because it works well and there was great feedback from past retreats.
Check out the little details
This is your added value for me! People that go the extra mile, in anything they do, is always going to make you smile. Superb customer service is a given for these people and they’ll always greet you with a smile. This goes for the Yoga Retreat Host and also the Venue host. Often they are not the same, which is not a problem but they should be on the same page. The little details make a ‘good yoga retreat weekend’ an ‘amazing yoga retreat weekend’ and better still a memorable one too! Little details could include little treats on your bed when you arrive, or everything you need to make you feel more relaxed, like hot water bottles and a little welcome card with the schedule perhaps. Take a look at the food menu and the yoga schedule. Where’s the little details here? Does it cater for everyone? Is there variety? How are they going above and beyond?
What’s the accommodation like?
For the ultimate retreat, and let’s face it, we want to actually relax at these places! Take a closer look at the accommodation itself. If you’re going to more of a Yoga Workshop or Yoga Training Weekend, your accommodation might be more on the basic side, like bunkbeds in shared dorms. Now you’re not exactly going to feel relaxed, if you’re having to listen to strangers snoring all night, or have to cook your own grub in a shared kitchen. But if you do, then the cost of the weekend yoga retreat should be reflected in the price. We may want peaceful and quiet; warm and cosy; comfy, sumptuous beds to sink into at the end of an energising, rejuvenating day.
What’s the yoga like?
Is it going to be Ashtanga all day, everyday or even handstand workshops, day in day out!? Now that might be tough one! Hey, that might be great for you but it depends what you want. Think about how you want to feel during and after the weekend. A great Yoga Retreat should cater for a variety of abilities and offer a variety of styles too. Check out the schedule too. A great Yoga Weekend Retreat schedule should include more restorative sessions in the evening, with more energising sessions in the morning to get you moving. While an afternoon session, likely after lunch could be more of a hands-on workshop. Yoga Workshops are a brilliant opportunity to pick up some new tips and techniques. A chance to ask questions that you might not normally do in your weekly class. Think about what you want to achieve from the yoga weekend. Check out the Yoga Teachers too; what’s their experience like? How many years have they been teaching? What’s their usual style? If you’ve not met them before, perhaps try one of their online classes first to get a feel for what to expect.
What’s the food like?
Check out some pics if you can as this will give you an idea of the standard and quality of food. The food alone can make a huge difference to your Weekend Retreat away. Be sure to check out the presentation of the food, again, this will show you the little details. Some retreats don’t put food high on the list, and it ends up being more of an afterthought, or worse still a buffet! This is a huge mistake! You want your host to be aware of the energy you’re burning over the weekend, in your sessions and the food should reflect this. You’ll likely be eating more in each meal than perhaps you do at home. It should have plenty of variety of good quality ingredients, with more vegetables, fruit and wholegrains. Preferably mostly organic, if possible. It should most definitely be plant-based or vegan as meat and dairy is more difficult to digest and make you feel sluggish and lethargic. Think of it as a detoxing weekend if you’re not used to plant-based/vegan usually. Most importantly, it should most definitely be delicious! Check out No. 8 below!
Hidden extra costs
Make sure you find out exactly what’s included in the Yoga Weekend Retreat and compare it to others. Whilst some may have additional costs on arrival, for example, you might have to source and pay for your own dinner offsite. There may be some retreats that have you help wash up after meals, which is a kind thing to do of course, but if you’re wanting to relax and switch off, then you don’t really want to be doing chores on your ‘relaxing’ weekend away.
Reviews, reviews, reviews
Now these will tell and reveal all! The good, the bad and the ugly! Read them all. What was great, what wasn’t! This is also where you’ll spot those little details and any added value.
These are just a few of the factors to consider, when thinking about the best Yoga Retreat in North Wales, or anywhere in the UK for that matter. Good luck with your search.