So I was looking for somewhere to totally unwind. To find peace and tranquility and to nurture and nourish my soul for a while. You can imagine my reaction when I awoke to this magnificent, stunningly beautiful place, it was emotional!! My whole experience here was very special, I can’t thank Camilla and Ellis enough. From the get go their communication was great, transfer arranged, home made delicious food prepared every day. My bed was super comfy and my daily yoga class was so much more than a yoga class. Special Memories of which I will treasure forever. Camilla organised some Sound therapy for me which actually totally blew my mind! I highly recommend you try this for yourself. I was speechless for once in my life! It was an AMAZING experience truly! I can’t actually rate Rural Escapes enough! It was everything and more I had hoped for, a soul enriching experience and I feel truly blessed & very grateful for my experience. I can’t wait to go back!! ❣️

I can't recommend it highly enough. Camilla is a very creative soul and is just a genuinely lovely person. communication was spot on. Camilla is very organised and the itinerary had been put together with care, love and attention it really is a journey staying at RE. Ellis is such a talented builder and also very creative - go on the tour of the land with him. it's fantastic. Sean's a fantastic chef and his passion really comes through with the dishes he creates. Nicky was also an absolute joy to be around! (volunteer) veggie food for a week made me a bit apprehensive. don't be! healthy, varied, colourful and just delightful. compost toilets and outside showers. a view you'll never get at home! you get used to them. everything is clean and checked regularly. I urge you to have an experience you'll not regret. keep up the amazing work and I look forward to returning. not forgetting the beautiful dogs and boo! Mani and chuva were a joy to be around. thank you each and everyone one of you. big love and hugs

The most beautiful place. Camilla and Ellis have created a little piece of heaven here. The location is stunning, glorious mountains, never ending vistas and a top class glamping experience. So much more than a break, Rural Escapes has heart and soul ❤️

This is such a peaceful place in a beautiful location. Camilla and Ellis are warm and welcoming hosts. There is a great balance between socialising and solitude with wonderful community spaces for yoga and eating together and plenty of zen spots for quiet reflection. It's under an hour to the gorgeous beaches, I think but we didn't really measure the time as the journey is spectacular. Its a little piece of paradise. If you want peace and relaxation this is the place for you.

A wonderful place to spend some time getting away from it all in gorgeous surroundings. Camilla and Ellis provide a warm welcome and fabulous food, top notch yoga, and a great atmosphere. Highly recommended!

Amazing volunteer holiday with Camilla and Ellis who were so warm and welcoming. Their place is beautiful and comfortable and I can’t wait to return. I so wish I could attend camilla’s y12sr meetings regularly. We also enjoyed the luxury of a massage and sound bath therapy. It was very relaxing being in the heart of nature but with nearby access to local towns and activities. Highly recommended.

The place to go in Portugal for a wholesome, nourishing and beautiful experience. Camilla and Ellis are approachable and down-to-earth. I really enjoyed the yoga classes, the conversations and being in such a peaceful, secluded location overlooking the mountains. Food was delicious, fresh, healthy and varied. I loved spending my days outside, every night I saw a beautiful sunset. I can’t wait to go back sometime!

Awesome! Breathtaking setting. Peaceful place to take a breath, take time out and take stock of your life.

Well, where do we start! Ellis and Camilla couldn't be better hosts and made our stay extra wonderful in already amazing place! Ellis and Camilla were friendly and helpful with anything that you needed, there is an honesty box set up if you run out of supplies. We had trouble with our hire car, and Ellis was straight on the phone advocating for us and helping us sort things out. We did a yoga class with Camilla, she was a knowledgeable and thoughtful instructor and would strongly recommend doing at least one session, as it does really set you up for the day (the class was also reasonably priced which is obviously good). The two dogs Manni and Shuva are SUPER CUTE and made the stay even better, if you're a dog person then you want to visit this resort for sure. Manni even shared a hammock with us at one point which was pretty hilarious. There is also a cat called Boo who is very sweet and came all the way from the UK! The bell tents where really comfy and we slept great there (apparently a lot of people say that). The resort is very eco friendly and uses solar power which is cool. Also looking out over the mountains using the outdoor shower, and using a full kitchen that is built outside is flippin' MAGICAL. There is also a pool that you can cool off in, it's on the edge of the hill so the views are breath-taking. The resort itself is a drive away from the beach, where you can go surfing or body boarding (because Ellis and Camilla were kind enough to lend us body boards), or you can explore nearby villages. On Saturday nights there is a local restaurant that has live music on, you can go in the van with Camilla and Ellis so easy to get to. All in all, a marvelous experience and would highly recommend people to spend some time here. Hopefully we'll come again one day! (Sorry Camilla and Ellis we didn't realise there was a cut off point on Air Bnb to do a review)

Best place in Portugal! We decided at the first day, that we needed to come back to this magical place, Rural Escape, and visit our sweet hosts, Camilla and Ellis. My boyfriend and I had booked 3 nights at Rural Escapes, and we enjoyed every moment of it. In the morning we had yoga classes with Camilla. It was only my boyfriend and I who stayed at the camp at the time, so it was like a private class for us. Camilla’s yoga classes are the best that I have tried so fare. But even though she is a great teacher, the surroundings and setting had a great effect too. In the morning and afternoon Camilla cooked dinner for us, and it’s the best we have had on our 16 days of holiday in Portugal. Ellis showed us around on the camp and told us about how they had managed to build up the camp in the mountains. It was very exiting and fascinating. And they too have the sweetest dogs.

Gorgeous retreat with stunning views, lovely owners and fantastic food! the yoga was really fun too <3

Camilla’s Yoga of the Heart Retreat was a delight from start to finish. I came into the retreat with a heavy heart, directionless, fearful and blocked. I live in London where my pace of life is go go go and coming to the retreat deepened my yoga practice immensely and gave me the time and space to connect with myself and be a human BEING rather than a human doing. Camilla’s down to earth/nourishing approach meant that I didn’t feel afraid to ask for help and I felt we were all on the journey together. Our yoga practices and meditations were wholesome, varied and fulfilling and whilst there were tears as we were working deeply, there was so much laughter and joy too. I had new experiences of Yoga moving away from it all being about Asana’s and feel I have a much better understanding of the ancient principle of Yoga. The setting at Rural Escapes is breathtaking and reminds you to stay peaceful inside. The combination of Kundalini, Flow and Yin, the gong baths, the beautiful landscape, the incredible food and the evening entertainment meant that I feel truly transformed and will be going back to London more peaceful, focused, creative and with an open heart. Highlights for me were our meditation on the beach and dancing all as one on the yoga platform at 10.30 am! Thank you to Camilla and all the ladies on my journey who have become friends for life.

What can i say? Such an amazing place, with fantastic people and beautiful scenery. Truely off grid experience with the perfect balance of nature and relaxation. Our 7 day retreat was more than we had hoped for, lovely bell tent, hospitable and friendly owners and staff, nutritious food and the cutest puppy Shuva (Made my heart melt with every wiggle) along with chilled out Manny the dog and Boo the cat. The Yoga was purely uplifting and soul cleansing, taking us on a journey of awakening throughout our stay with breathtaking views from the yoga platform. I was 6 months pregnant on the retreat and Camilla was so caring and knowledgeable to allow me to fully participate. I can only suggest that you give Rural Escapes a try yourself to really feel the benefit.

Loved staying with Camilla and Ellis, they have managed to bring together the beauty of spiritual practice with off grid living so perfectly, diligently and caringly. Stayed in their gorgeous log cabin with stunning views as you look down the sun drenched valleys. Camilla brought fire to our bellies with her learned knowledge of kundalini practice, which was transformative - I came away from the retreat restored and energised and full of hope. Ellis’ incredible work with the local ecosystems means you can be reassured you are staying in a place completely in tune with nature. Absolutely adored being there, adore both Camilla and Ellis and can’t wait to come again, highly recommended for yogis and those on any spiritual path in tune with their surroundings.

Fantastic yoga retreat in the beautiful mountains near Monchique. Camilla and Ellis were warm and friendly hosts, the yoga classes were brilliant (this one was Kundalini, but Camilla also teaches other types), the accommodation was comfortable, the views were magnificent and the vegetarian food was delicious and copious! Highly recommend.

A fabulous and healthy experience at this yoga retreat. The perfect balance of nature, beautiful mountain views, and nurture, yoga classes that are unique and transforming. Loved food (vegan) bell tents, and fantastic hosts. A very special holiday.

My name is Constança, and I paticipated in Rural Escapes Portugal, a yoga retreat during the first week of September. I only have good things to say, our wonderful hosts are very professional and organized. I was very welcomed by both, the tents are very spacious, warm and cozy. The food is great, fantastic breakfast, lunch and dinner. The yoga teacher was wonderful and very careful with each one of us. The atmosphere was always full of good healthy, positive energy. The place is beautiful and amazing. I highly recommend these reteats, and i want to share this unique experience. I will defintely go again! Thankyou everyone, who was part of this retreat!

Authentic Portuguese glamping experience. So many beautiful activities in nature like hiking, yoga, and pool with a view. All the facilities are self sustainable and very well done. The love put into each aspect of the grounds shines through. Highly recommend for those looking to relax, de-stress, emerge in nature and want an authentic Portuguese experience.

I call this my Magic Place , it’s almost impossible to put into words how Fabulous the whole experience is from sleeping under canvas , delicious vegetarian food , yoga , sharing circles , meditation and silent walks all hosted by the lovely Camilla .. medicine for the soul .. can’t wait to go back x

Such a beautiful and peaceful place for a retreat! Super friendly hosts, tasty food, and really comfy, cosy tents.

Rural Escapes Portugal is a totally gorgeous and extraordinary place. It has been such an honour to run a retreat there together with Camilla, who is one of the creators of the place, and also a very experienced yoga teacher. We held a Summer Solstice Kundalini Yoga & Gong Celebration Retreat in june 2019, and I want to mention a few of all the special moments from the retreat, in order to give examples of what amazing experiences Rural Escapes can make possible. On the summer solstice morning we woke up early and walked in silence through the forest, along the hillsides, up to a lake, where we welcomed the sunrise, meditated, swam and shared. The surrounding was showing up in beauty of all the trees & the views far away, and gave space to feel everything. Another magic moment was the summer solstice evening, when we spent time on the outside yoga platform, with views over mountains and the sunset, connected to the group and later the participants relaxed on their backs in sleeping bags with the sounds of the gong vibrations under the stars. A third very special experience was the daytrip to one of the nearby beaches. We floated with the stream, meditated in the sun, allowed integration, relaxation, purification & connection to all elements. There where so many more fantastic and memorable moments, e.g. showering with view of trees, the shared delicious meals in presence, the hanging out in a hammock listening to wind chime and hearing about the marvellous treatments people had. I felt so supported by Camilla during the whole retreat, and I so look forward to come back and co-create. This is a lovely place I can recommend anyone to spend time & connect with themselves and nature in Portugal.

At Ruralescapes we offer you a unique experience. You can either come as a workaway or as a paying guest. We offer yoga most mornings, gong bath and good vegetarian food all in a beautiful rural setting.