About The Retreat

2024 Dates

20th – 23rd June

Retreat to the sanctuary of the Welsh seaside for the longest day of year. We are proud to offer a taste of everything to enhance and improve your wellbeing as we approach the longest day of the year.

Come enjoy the idyllic Welsh landscapes, nourishing plant-based food, restorative yoga classes and immersive healing practices in the company of like-minded people.

With special guest yoga master – Norman Blair. Norman will be attending the Summer Solstice retreat offering a very special yin yoga workshop.

Most activities will be outside at this time of year, as we practice yoga on the beach to the backdrop of orange and gold-drenched skies, rejuvenating your mind and body as the sun rises and sets. Exploring the natural abundance of the area, we will be hiking through the forests and waterfalls, taking a dip in the refreshing lake and enjoying mindful Paddleboarding on the Dovey Estuary.

We do all the planning for you so you can’t just switch off and enjoy beautiful surroundings, mindful activities, fresh air, new challenges, relaxation, delicious food and laughter with like minded people!

Here’s just one of our reviews:

“Brilliant location, accommodation & 5 star food. Treatments & top class yoga. All round excellent value & an incredibly grounded, real retreat experience. The host & organiser Maggie is super welcoming, warm, generous & fun. Can’t recommend this retreat enough”.

The Venue

You’ll stay in a glorious, gothic-style converted chapel in the heart of Tywyn, a traditional Welsh seaside town on the stunning Cambrian Coast. The chapel has been designed with luxury in mind whilst maintaining some of its original charm. Four of the bedrooms include en-suite bathrooms with two further bedrooms sharing facilities.

Our beautifully renovated chapel offers the perfect sanctuary after a day of exploring, with a range of healing treatments to choose from, including restorative sound baths and yoga Nidra to help you unwind and drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Take a dip in our hot tub, stargaze in our serene zen garden, or cosy up by the fire pit for the ultimate relaxation experience.

Yoga

Spacious accessible twice daily yoga practices to energise and ground. Dive into yoga flow and the strengthening yet gentle Scaravelli inspired yoga. Calm the mind with meditation and ease yourself into recuperative sleep with restorative yoga poses and yoga nidra relaxation sessions.

Morning
Yoga. An energising, strengthening and balancing style of yoga with breathing practices inspired by Somatic movement therapy and 23 years of yoga study in different traditions.

Early evening
Scaravelli inspired yoga moving into restorative yoga. A gentle style of yoga that will melt you into a deeply nourishing state of being with bolsters and blankets to support you into a restful state.

Retreat Schedule

Day 1

On arrival we will show you to your room at The Chapel, once you’ve settled in and sampled our delicious cake and fresh juice, you will be treated to a complimentary ½ hour massage or reflexology, to really help begin the process of cleansing the body and de-stressing after your journey.

A welcome yoga session, often held on the beach (weather permitting) will start to calm the body and mind to really get you in the zone! A scrumptious two-course Dinner is followed by a beautiful relaxing yoga Nidra session. For those not wanting to drift off to bed we will light the fire pit, this always goes down a treat at the end of the first day!

Days 2 & 3

We start the morning with a run or walk along the beach, followed by a flowing yoga class after a hearty healthy breakfast our guide Phill the Hill will take you on a variety of scenic walks along the Cambrian coast, exploring the local waterfalls, forests and hills!

A paddle boarding session on the Dovey Estuary, a cold water dip at the waterfalls and wild swimming at the Talyllyn lake are all included as part of your daytime well-being activities.

You’ll be brought back to The Chapel in the afternoons for some peaceful free time, you can either float away in the hot tub in our beautiful zen garden or take an additional therapeutic treatment we offer a whole range of treatments in massage, reiki, reflexology, life coaching and tarot, or you can do whatever you need to allow yourself some special me-time!

We offer an extra early evening activity of restorative (or yin yoga) stretch class, mindfulness session, or breathwork workshop, to really take time to restore the body and nourish it with some deep self-care.

Following a wonderful two course gourmet vegan or vegetarian dinner, you will be invited to join us in an evening activity. Silence in Sound will help you unwind and re balance with a beautiful sound bath and on your last night you will be entertained with wonderful storytelling, welsh fables and song by local musician Gwilym Morus – Baird.

There is always a fire pit glowing the garden, if you want to star gaze at the end of each evening!

Teachers

Frankie Walker

With over her 23 years of yoga practice, Frankie has found many incredible teachers to work with, traditional and non-traditional, in India and the U.K.

She continues to be influenced by the work of Vanda Scaravelli, somatic movement and embodiment practices and is currently a student of Body-Mind Centering with EmbodyMove UK.

Teaching professionally for the last 13 years she is considered one of the U.K’s senior yoga teachers. She is known for her 1:1 work in the post-natal field, with adults affected by autism and with performers rehabilitating from injury and surgery, amongst many others. She now lives in Mid-Wales and teaches locally as well as continuing to lead classes and workshops at some of London’s top studios.

Katy Jones 

Katy is an experienced Holistic Therapist specialising in relaxation techniques, Swedish Massage and Indian Head Massage.

She has studied yoga for over 20 years and her travels across the globe have guided her practice as a therapist. Katy brings warmth, sensitivity, a depth of knowledge and a healing touch to her work. She has trained with some of the leading yoga teachers in the world including Doug Keller, Donna Farhi, Alexandra Pope, Gary Carter, Ruth Gilmore and Uma Dinsmore-Tuli. Katy has a regular practice in meditation, somatic movement and Scaravelli yoga.

Cuisine

It’s no secret that we at Sunset Bay Retreats love our food and go out of our way to make sure that our guests enjoy delicious, nutritious and satisfying meals. We are proud to be partnered with award winning local restaurant Salt Marsh Kitchen who will provide vegan and vegetarian meals.

Retreat Price

Room 1 ensuite

single occupancy £850
double occupancy – twin £1530
double occupancy – king £1530

Room 4 ensuite
single occupancy £795
double occupancy – king £1400
no twin

Room 5 shared bathroom
single occupancy £800
double occupancy – twin £1440
double occupancy – super king £1440

Room 6 shared room with other guests
share a bathroom
single occupancy – £675
double occupancy – twin £1250
Option to add a further single sofa bed please – enquire for price sleeps 3

Room 8: Beach House King Bedroom with own Bathroom – Hill view
Solo Occupancy: £825
Double Occupancy: £1,485

Room 9: Beach House Double bed with own bathroom – Sea view
Solo Occupancy: £725
Double Occupancy: £1,305

Includes

• 3 nights accommodation in our beautiful Welsh Chapel
• 4 Full days of activities
• All meals prepared by specialist vegan chef plus fresh juices and endless herbal teas and fresh coffee!
• Daily Yoga with 20 years experienced teacher Frankie Walker
• Paddle boarding session
• Yoga Nidra and Meditation sessions
• Sound Journey with a full orchestra of bells, gongs and authentic bowls.
• Cooking Lesson
• Complimentary Massage, reflexology or reiki treatment!
• Guided Walks
• Wild Swimming in the Talyllyn Lake!
• Welsh Fables and Storytelling evening entertainment!
• Hot tub
• Cold Water Pod
• Fun and laughter!

Does not include

• Travel to the venue
• Extra treatments – Massage – Reflexology – Reiki – Tarot reading – Life Coaching
• Wine for evening dinner

What past guests have said

Friends
An excellent few days away, packed with relaxation, yoga, treatments, workshops, walks, fun and fabulous food. A truly wonderful and warm host Maggie made us feel welcome from the beginning and she looked after us all. Yummy homemade cake waiting for us in the afternoons, and a delicious 3 course meal in the evenings. Can’t wait to book again on the next one. Just what I needed.

Solo
I loved the retreat from start to finish, but in particular, the yoga was great, the paddle boarding was exciting, the voice workshop was interesting, and I also loved the waterfalls and the lake that we went to. Oh and the food, flawless. I left feeling refreshed, regenerated and ready to take on the world!
Thank you Maggie. You were perfect.

Couples
We had the most wonderful time at our Sunset Bay retreat, cannot recommend it highly enough. It was a perfect three days of relaxation, delicious food, varied activities arranged around excellent yoga sessions and fabulous treatments. Maggie was so accommodating and organised everything for us beautifully, a lovely stay of therapy and fun. Book!

What to pack

• Hiking / Walking Boots
• Comfortable Trainers
• Thick Socks
• Waterproof Jacket – Preferably with a hood/ waterproof hat.
• Breathable materials such as Sympatex or Goretex will feel more comfortable.
• Waterproof Trousers
• Hat
• Gloves
• Small Rucksack (big enough to carry waterproofs, essential medication, water, camera, phone, extra bits of clothes, socks)
• Water Bottle
• Plasters / blister treatment plasters
• Toiletries

Location and how to get there

Tywyn is situated on the Cardigan Bay Coastline close to the foothills of Snowdonia, it is known across the world for its vast beauty from the rolling hills and mountains to the tranquil golden beachfront and stunning sunsets!

Tywyn is right in the heart of the mid Wales coast line, where the mountains meet the sea!

Train or car is the most suitable way to get to Tywyn. POST CODE LL36 9HA

Booking

To book on to this Summer Solstice Yoga and Wellbeing Retreat on the Cardigan Bay Coastline, fill in the form below and we will get back to you within 24 hours. Get £20 off your first booking when you book through Trips With Soul.