best Christmas and New Year retreats

Have a happy, healthy and relaxing Christmas. Start the New Year feeling your best self. Escape the mayhem of the holidays and treat yourself to a life changing (and fun!) adventure. Here’s our top picks of healthy Christmas and New Year escapes.

Enjoy a new year adventure in this award-winning destination with jaw-dropping views of the rugged coastline and ocean

New Year Madeira Yoga Retreat

Dates: 28th December – 4th January

Escape the usual new year and take time out for yourself to spend a whole week in this tropical paradise. With yoga twice a day, a selection of hikes that show off the landscape of Madeira, delicious veggie/plant-based food and the culture and friendliness of the locals, return home feeling refreshed and ready for 2025.

Madeira is situated not far off the coast of North Africa, an island full of raw, natural beauty and adventures. Madeira may be small in size but it makes up for it by everything else being on a grand scale. To begin, it boasts Europe’s highest sea cliffs, and over 1300 hiking trails and even shows off the world’s largest firework display annually. This volcanic island really is a sight to behold.

For our new year yoga holiday in Madeira this December, you will be staying in one of the oldest Quintas on the island. Perched high above the bay of Funchal with sweeping views across the city and out to sea it feels like home from the moment you arrive.

A vast estate, the property is a working farm with a vineyard and a long, fascinating history! There are beautiful gardens to enjoy and a swimming pool, anyone for a cold water dip?! This is not a remote location, only a 15-minute walk into the city even though it feels like a fully secluded estate.

Honestly, there are so many adventures to be had in Madeira, that we struggled to create an itinerary that squeezes it all in! However, we have managed to put together all the best bits of what this incredible island has to offer.

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A 6-day retreat filled with juicy Vinyasa, Yin yoga, breath work, journaling, and a New Year’s celebration at a beautiful retreat centre in the hills of Andalucia

New Years Yoga Retreat In Spain

If slowing things down to focus on YOU and your well-being as the year comes to a close, having time to reflect on the past year, and getting clear about what you desire for the year to come is important to you, then THIS retreat is for you!

Join us for a 6-day New Year’s Yoga Retreat filled with juicy Vinyasa, Yin yoga, breath work, journaling, and a New Year’s celebration at a beautiful retreat centre in the hills of Andalucia, South of Spain.

Imagine combining empowering Vinyasa and Power yoga with potent practices like breath-work, journaling and yin yoga – at the turning point of the new year. Practices that help clear stagnant energy, provide a fresh perspective on life, and offer a chance to slow down while boosting your energy.

We couldn’t think of a better combo for New Years!

Each day varies a little bit yet always starts with a 2 hour morning practice of dynamic yoga, pranayama and meditation. You can expect long warm-up’s, plenty of time to flow, play and try new things. And an extra long Savasana of course!

Our morning classes are physically demanding and not suitable for complete beginners to yoga. With that said, as long as you’re ready to move, sweat and are open to challenge yourself (in a good way!) you’re more than welcome to join us!

In the afternoon we come together again for deep-stretching yin yoga and meditation on some days and on others a playful asana workshop.

This retreat includes one guided group breath-work session, as well as the opportunity to book one-on-one session. Throughout the week there will also be 2 guided journaling workshops.

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Spend your New Year in the beautiful city of Essaouira. Enjoy culture and history on a city tour, hike along the coast and surf in the perfect conditions

New Year Adventure Yoga Holiday Essaouira, Morocco

Dates: 28th December – 2nd January

Spend your New Year on our adventure yoga holiday in the beautiful city of Essaouira, Morocco. Enjoy culture and history on a city tour, hike along the coast and surf in the perfect conditions.

All whilst being based at a serene and sustainable hotel in your very own ‘Ecodome’. Immerse yourself in yoga twice a day and leave feeling reset and ready for the year ahead.

Our days will be full of adventure and activities and include Yoga, hikes, water-sports, stunning scenery and delicious food, plus a setting intentions workshop, to get clear on your goals for 2025.

Escape the longer darker days in the Northern hemisphere and come and explore Essaouira, Morocco. The average temperature is 18 degrees celsius with highs of 20.

What makes this holiday so special is the stunning venue. Nestled in the Swiri countryside amongst the Argan and Tuaya trees, our boutique hotel is a peaceful haven a mere 10 km from central Essaouira. There is a swimming pool to cool off and shaded areas to relax with a good book.

Yoga will be in a newly designed wooden yoga shala with a glass front looking out to the argan farm. The bedrooms are in ‘Ecodomes’ and have been built with the utmost respect for sustainability, from local materials found in Essaouira.

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Spend Christmas on the Island of Ortigia at a stunning historic retreat sanctuary of peace and renewal, perched above the sea.

Christmas Yoga Retreat in Sicily 

Dates: 21st – 27th December

Located on the Island of Ortigia, A stunning retreat sanctuary of peace and renewal, nestled in a historic, perched above the sea.

This enchanting destination is a healing oasis for wellness, offering transformative yoga and healing programs. Overlooking the crystal-clear waters and infused with the island’s timeless energy, our Ortigia retreat invites guests to immerse themselves in restoration and healing, and the profound beauty of nature.

The small Baroque island of Ortigia and the historic centre of Syracuse, is widely considered one of the most beautiful destinations in Sicily. Inhabited for over 3,000 years and renowned for its Greek heritage, it is a UNESCO landmark for its “remarkable testimony of the Mediterranean cultures over the centuries” and makes for a perfect weekend escape in any season.

Dotted with impressive church facades, outdoor restaurants, elegant piazzas and surrounded by a crystalline sea, Ortigia is more manicured than Catania, less overrun that Taormina and as delicious as Palermo.

Begin each day with the soothing rhythm of the sea as you flow through revitalizing yoga and meditation, followed by a nourishing brunch crafted from the finest local ingredients. In the afternoons, immerse yourself in the serene beauty of Ortigia, swim in crystal – clear waters, before indulging in bespoke wellness treatments that rejuvenate body and soul.

This intimate and boutique retreat offers the perfect escape to nurture your body, mind, and spirit during the festive season.

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Coastal walks, cosy fires, yoga twice a day and delicious plant-based food near the sea in Cornwall

New Year Yoga Retreat in Cornwall

Dates: 30th December – 3rd January

Join us for a special New Year yoga retreat in Cornwall. Time to completely unwind, immerse yourself in your yoga practice and soak up some tranquility.

Reset and revive with this relaxing yet active break, with hikes, stunning scenery and delicious vegan/veggie food to feel energised and ready for 2025.

Kick back, relax, stretch out the Christmas excesses and enjoy the company of new friends.

On our new year yoga retreat in Cornwall you will welcome the new year in with lots of yoga, pampering treatments, walks, fabulous healthy food and workshops you will be actively relaxing the whole time. There’s a special evening schedule to bring the New Year in with setting of intentions, meditation, a delicious vegetarian feast, and dancing.

Our retreats are wonderful in winter with their open fires, story telling, cooking workshops, yoga workshops and invigorating walks. With a daily schedule of yoga in the morning and evening, tasty vegetarian meals, massages and free time to explore or relax. Join us for just a couple of days or a week this New Year.

These retreats are perfect for those who want to get away from the usual New Year celebrations, feel healthy, Alive and set positive intentions for the year ahead.

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A Mexican exclusive beach enclave focused on connecting us to nature, ourselves, and the sanctity of life

Palmaïa – The House of AïA, Playa Del Carmen

Dates: Flexible dates

Palmaïa – The House of AïA, with 234 vegan-friendly ocean-front suites, is a new and unique environmentally conscious progressive wellness resort concept, offering plant-based restaurants, over a mile of secluded white sand beach, a variety of wellness activies, meditation, thai chi and yoga classes and daily “Rituals of Sound” performances, all included in the suite rates and with a minimal carbon footprint.

Strategically situated at the tail end of the most beautiful beach in the Riviera Maya, The House of AïA brings us Palmaïa, an exclusive beach enclave focused on connecting us to nature, ourselves, and the sanctity of life.

Every effort was taken to ensure the original landscape remain untouched to feel the healing authenticity of old-growth trees and naturally occurring, cool-water cenotes.

All guests reside in ocean-front suites: some with swim-out access to the infinity pools, others with sweeping views of the sea, and a few nestled among the ocean-side mangroves.

Guests also enjoy high-end amenities without sacrificing environmentally friendly practices, while the restaurants offer the best cuisine in the region, extensive plant-based options, and impeccable style.

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See the New Year in Yorkshire, Enjoy invigorating hikes from the door, a hot tub with amazing views

New Year Yoga and Hiking Weekend Retreat In Yorkshire

Dates: 29th December – 2nd January

New Year is a beautiful time to be in Yorkshire and to join us on our hiking and New Year yoga holiday. Enjoy invigorating hikes from the door, a hot tub with amazing views, yoga twice a day, star gazing, stunning landscapes, and an alternative New Year where you feel great moving into 2025.

Your days in Yorkshire are relaxed but full. Included in the price are two guided hikes with qualified mountain guides with the hikes directly from the house, delicious plant-based meals, a hot tub and sauna, and yoga to nourish both body and soul.

On our New Year retreats, you can do as much or as little as you like. The itinerary is all organised so you can switch off and enjoy being in the new company of like-minded people and energise or relax, it is up to you.

Our local hiking guides lead the two hikes available during this New Year’s yoga holiday in the Yorkshire Dales. With their depth of knowledge, they also provide an informative tour of the local area, which has beautiful U-shaped valleys and stunning scenery. Feel refreshed with brisk countryside walks with our qualified guides.

As it is the new year, we share a setting intentions workshop to help you get clear on goals for 2025 and what you want to let go of from 2024 so that you start the new year with positivity and focus. With a New Year’s Eve feast and ceremony, January 1st will never feel so good.

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A digital detox at an ayurvedic retreat sanctuary in the mangrove forest by the beach in Sri Lanka

Festive Healing Retreat at Sen Wellness

Dates: 23rd December – 1st January

Sen Wellness Sanctuary

The Sen Wellness Sanctuary is a small, peaceful and modest retreat in a nature reserve set between a lagoon and the ocean in the south of Sri Lanka. It is the perfect place to immerse yourself in natural beauty and relax and rejuvenate your body and mind.

The Sanctuary offers Yoga and Ayurveda retreats all year round and hosts detox retreats and special Signature retreats a few times a year. The gentle rhythm of the sanctuary and the pared back approach and architecture of the place allow for a genuine retreat.

The focus at Sen Wellness Retreat is on rest and connection with nature and oneself. The eclectic and fascinating selection of books available are perfect to fill your time between yoga, treatments and walks on the beach.

You’ll be encouraged to put away your devices as much as possible and allow for a digital detox too. With our retreat sanctuary in the mangrove forest by the beach, we invite our guests to reconnect with nature and feel the vital energy of Sri Lanka.

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New Year Retreat at Florence House, South Downs

Dates: 29th December– 1st January

By the end of the year, it’s easy to feel exhausted. Going on retreat at this time is a wonderful opportunity to nurture yourself. We will be providing a feast for the senses to help you let go of the passing year.

You will move into the next year, feeling light and easy and better able to fill your life with loving grace. The programme offers nurture for all parts of your being – mind, body, emotions, and spirit.

It includes meditation, yoga, deep relaxation, shared time and time for personal reflection, and the opportunity for a massage or other extra treatment if you wish.

We will welcome in the New Year with light-hearted fun and simple ceremony in the beautiful yurt, a celebratory bonfire and a walking meditation by the sea on New Year’s Day.

Also, we will be offering a variety of workshops. They will bring together our experience of the ancient wisdom of yoga. You will acquire practical tips and techniques to help you grow happier.

Florence House offers very comfortable accommodation and excellent vegetarian food. As well as the main meeting room, library and cosy lounge area, the Yurt will be available for anyone wanting space for personal reflection.

There will also be plenty of time for walks on the beach or to explore the stunning scenery of the Seven Sisters Country Park.

Non-yogis are welcome to join us too, to enjoy all that Florence House and its lovely setting have to offer. There is plenty of walking and bird watching on the South Downs and a golf course right next door, as well as the lovely old town of Seaford to explore.

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Have a vegan Christmas at Costa Rica’s first luxury vegan home from home boutique hotel

Mother Earth Vegan Hotel, Tamarindo beach

Dates: Flexible dates

Mother Earth Vegan Hotel, Tamarindo beach | Costa Rica

Mother Earth Vegan Hotel is Costa Rica’s first luxury vegan boutique hotel. Tucked away in a residential neighbourhood just minutes from stunning Tamarindo beach, a popular holiday destination for beaches and surfing.

The family-run vegan hotel features 13 spacious rooms with modern interiors, private terraces and each room has a unique energy painting created by the owner’s son.

The hotel features a natural saltwater pool, a rooftop yoga and healing studio and offers an array of wellness services from yoga, to massage, reiki and sound healing.

Experience delicious plant-based cuisine al fresco from their poolside restaurant – Off the Grid, serving a seasonal globally-inspired menu designed to let mother earth’s ingredients shine through with all of its exciting tastes, vibrant colours and delicious flavours.

With a strong commitment to sustainability the hotel is powered by solar energy and has a water conservation system that recycles grey water into clean water for irrigation. The environment comes first in every decision made – from the cleaning products used through to the ban of plastic water bottles.

Here a magical combination of natural elements and modern architecture create the highest luxury and your home away from home.

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Celebrate the New Year on “The Island of Joy”, offering peace, tranquility & 300 days of sun every year

New Yoga Retreat in Gozo

Dates: Available from the 3rd of January onwards

Are you looking for relaxation, new energy and some time for reflection? This New Years Yoga Retreat in Gozo offers a wonderful way to recharge, explore and be filled with inspiration to make new plans for the year ahead.

Gozo, also known as “The Island of Joy”, offers peace, tranquility, 300 days of sun every year and breathtaking nature. The ideal place for outdoor yoga at sunrise while looking at the waves of Qbajjar Bay, hiking over cliffs and through beautiful valleys, meditation by the sea and other recharging activities that make you feel your best.

You can choose to stay in your own private apartment or in a beautiful hotel by the seaside, enjoying healthy food, daily yoga classes, meditation sessions, hiking or other activities in a tailor-made program designed to your needs.

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A purpose-built retreat centre in Thailand dedicated to your wellbeing, bringing vitality into your body and mind, a place to learn the tools that upgrade your life, relax and enjoy time at the beach

Christmas Yoga Retreat in Koh Samui 

Dates: 21st – 28th December

new years yoga retreat Koh Samui

The Samahita team will guide guests across the range of yoga and meditation practices, core strength work and cycle classes.

Yoga and its techniques include sitting meditation forms, focused breath work that develops into a pranayama practice, and the physical yoga practice of asana. As in our YogaCoreCycle program we also incorporate core strength sessions and cycle work outs. The aim is for you to experience and practice yoga across its spectrum, taking care of the mental and emotional side to the different aspects of the physical.

Every morning involves sitting and breath work practices. Yoga asana practice will be offered on a number of levels that includes experienced self-practice, guided vinyasa classes, explorative asana classes, and restorative afternoon sessions.

Woven into this schedule are different core classes, and alternate cycle classes between silent-sunrise classes to mid-afternoon fun-cycle classes. You are free to attend all sessions or choose those that are working for you on a particular day. Our intention is for you to feel uplifted and clear in what to practice by the time you end the retreat.

There will be a Christmas Eve celebration. The rest of your time will be a nice break from all the crazy holiday happenings and commercial onslaught. Come and really enjoy a genuine holiday break.

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Spend 5 days over the New Year taking time out for you to restore after a busy year with yoga, amazing hikes, stunning scenery and delicious food to feel energised and ready for 2025

New Year Hiking and Yoga Retreat in the Peak District

Dates: 29th December – 2nd January

Join us on our New Year Peak District yoga retreat! Spend 4 nights, 5 days over the new year taking time out for you to restore after a busy year with yoga, amazing hikes, stunning scenery and delicious food to feel energised and ready for 2025.

You will be staying in a beautiful property that has been finished to a high standard of modern comfort and is situated in the Derbyshire dales.

With uninterrupted views across the valleys of the Peak District, you can do as much or as little as you like on our retreats! Relax by the log burner on one of the many cosy sofas, or enjoy the great outdoors on our guided hikes.

Our days on this Peak District Retreat will be filled but relaxing! Included in the price are two guided hikes with qualified mountain guides directly from the house, a setting intentions workshop for the year ahead, delicious plant-based meals, and yoga to nourish both body and soul..

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New Year without the hangover in Spain. Replace with daily yoga, active mountain walks, creative activities & delicious vegetarian food

New Year Yoga Retreat in Granada, Spain 

Dates: 30th December – 5th January

Your Christmas Yoga Retreat in Spain features yoga classes twice daily, exceptionally tasty and healthy plant-based cuisine, and the opportunity to rest and relax profoundly in beautiful surroundings with lovely people.

Join us for a peaceful, secular and harmonious retreat filled with warmth, yoga, laughter, treatments and long walks in the sun.

A relaxing, rejuvenating escapes you’ve been longing for with personal care from start to finish. Take a refreshing dive into yoga and holistic treatments, journal your dreams, eat heartily, make friends with like-minded guests, stroll through ancient olive groves, tan by the pool or stretch out in a hammock and enjoy panoramic views.

Kaliyoga is located in the Biosphere Reserve of Las Alpujarras, a region with strong associations for seekers of health and wellbeing, named locally as Little Tibet after a Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist monastery that was founded here in 1982.

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A New Year yoga retreat in the Welsh countryside, the chance to get away from it all, relax, enjoy walks in the stunning Brecon Beacons National Park and curl up in front of the fire with a good book

New Year Yoga and Hiking Retreat in the Brecon Beacons, Wales

Dates: 29th December – 2nd January

New Year is a beautiful time to be in the Brecon Beacons and to join us on our hiking and new year yoga retreat. Stay in comfort, hike with qualified guides, unwind with yoga and enjoy delicious vegan/veggie food.

As it is the new year, we share a setting intentions workshop, to get clear on goals for 2024 and what you want to let go of from 2023 so that you start the new year with positivity and focus. With a New years eve feast and ceremony, January 1st will never feel so good.

Stay in a family-owned multi-property estate that dates back to 1176, it was originally a farm serving the local monastery. Since then, it has had stunning renovations to create a beautiful retreat space.

Why not stay in one of the main barns? Or maybe, try out a quirky converted wheat silo, perfect for two people. Either way, you will enjoy lots of space and room options.

Of course, get your hiking boots ready to enjoy 2 half-day guided hikes with qualified guides on two of the three full days of the retreat.

With up to 3.5 hours of yoga a day, delicious vegan/veggie food from one of our fabulous chefs and gorgeous accommodation you will feel cared for throughout.

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The idyllic alpine world with the image of Lake Bohinj, nestled among the high mountains of Slovenia

New Year Wellness Break at Hotel Bohinj

Dates: 29th December – 3rd January

The idyllic alpine world with the image of Lake Bohinj, nestled among the high mountains, reflects the architectural and atmospheric story of the hotel that offers its guests complete enjoyment in a wide-open space.

From our hotel, the view stretches across the lake and embraces the entire beauty of the Julian Alps. You will observe and marvel at the drama of the light above the lake between the mountains.

This New Year Wellness break includes morning workouts, unlimited entrance to the spa Finnish & Turkish sauna, outdoor whirlpool,  experience shower and relax room with a salt wall.

Slovenia is an exceptional salt destination, which has developed its salt trade into artisanry. Enter the room with a smile and enjoy peacefulness while breathing in the Slovenian salt tradition. Your lungs will get extra energy for hiking.

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7, 10 & 14 Nights Healing Detox Retreat at Fivelements, Ubud

Dates: Flexible dates

On our Healing Detox Retreat, we embrace holistic Balinese-inspired therapies administered by traditional Balinese healers using ancient wisdoms passed down through direct lineage.

Following the Balinese principal of Sekala-Niskala, which holds that we all live equally in two worlds; the seen or conscious world Sekala, and the unseen or psychic world Niskala, the Balinese healers engage the help of the divine source during each healing session.

This is our signature cleansing programme inspired by the ancient Balinese philosophy that promotes living with purity of thought, speech, and action. It encourages us to align our heartfelt goodwill and thinking with consistent speech and action.

The retreat includes traditional Balinese healing therapies aimed to detoxify and purify the physical body, sekala, and the non-physical mind and soul, niskala, unifying body and mind towards a natural harmonious state of being, and allowing an organic healing process to unfold.

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Experience pure bliss on a remote Indonesia Island where rugged luxury meets unregulated freedom

Yoga and Wellness Retreats at Nihi Sumba

Dates: Flexible dates

This is not an escape from everyday life. It is the return to a life well lived. Where rugged luxury meets unregulated freedom.

A place to connect with something larger than oneself. A haven for the adventurer, for the wanderer. The endlessly passionate and curious. Arrive with an open heart and leave changed forever. This is vacation with a purpose. A destination with meaning. This is Nihi Sumba.

At Nihi Sumba Island we promote all facets of wellbeing. Our focus is to help you leave rejuvenated and rebalanced through a plethora of activities that have been designed to support our mission.

Let the highly trained, healing hands of our Sumbanese Spa staff take care of you as you unplug from your daily life and begin to reconnect to your inner self.

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Start the new year with a detox at Chiva-Som, a beachfront spa resort that brings together Western diagnostic skills and Eastern philosophies to revitalise the mind, body and spirit

Luxury Art of Detox Retreat, Thailand

Dates: 1st – 8th January

Start a beneficial dietary transformation or a more subtle change to achieve the goals you wish to fulfil in 2025.

Our programmes are founded upon our six wellness modalities: Spa, Fitness, Physiotherapy, Holistic Health, Nutrition and Aesthetic Beauty.

Your personal advisor will aid you in discovering the ideal diet, balancing macro and micronutrients while herbal and nutritional supplements ensure your detoxification processes are working optimally to cleanse your body of toxins.

Through our retreat you will discover a new path towards more nourishing foods that will bring your digestive and metabolic systems back to their optimal function for sustaining health.

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Get in touch with one of our wellbeing travel advisors at retreats@soulseedmedia.com to enquire about any of our retreats. Follow our wellness travel inspiration on instagram @tripswithasoul