Discover the beauty of the Algarve region in Southern Portugal through a curated experience of movement, food, wine, and adventures. We offer this all-inclusive week as a celebration of our senses and our spirits. This awe-inspiring destination has been seducing travelers for centuries with its rugged coastline, sandy beaches, whitewashed fishing villages, architectural elegance and cobbled streets.
Our team is comprised of ieva, Elia, and Chef Eva and we bring our collective passion to guide, serve, and host. We have curated a unique all-encompassing experience that blends our backgrounds in movement, meditation, food and wine. Each day, Elia and ieva will lead you through playful and restorative practices integrating yoga, qigong, and meditation. Inspired by the terroir, we will share delicious homemade meals created by Chef Eva. In addition, ieva will host educational wine tastings drawing upon her expansive sommelier background.
Our home for the week is a boutique country villa and offers everyone a seamless blend of luxury, comfort, and beauty. Its exquisite grounds and fresh interiors offer the perfect space to ground, expand, and unwind. When we aren’t soaking up the beautiful grounds of Quinta Bonita, we will be exploring the surrounding region and savoring local food.
Each day there will be free time to breathe in the sea, sunbathe poolside, and relax in the botanical gardens. Treat yourself to the gift of travel, self-care, and connection. We take care of the logistics, while you take care of yourself.
Join us!
Elia Mrak uses the power of the healing arts - Somatics, Qigong, Dance, Bodywork, and Fitness - to support people and strengthen communities worldwide. He is a trauma-informed educator and approaches his work through a nervous-system and systems-centered lens. This means that he creates safety and containment by attuning to each unique individual while also supporting them to show up with more capacity in the larger systems they are in - friends, family, community, and society. He believes we can also do profound work through laughter, playfulness, and fun. He also performs, choreographs, and produces art. Elia has dedicated his life to working with the body. It is his gift, and he would be honored to share it with you.
ieva Aldins believes that the potency of our connection within facilitates our outward connections. When we learn to truly love and care for ourselves, we are more authentically able to care for others and share ourselves. Through these connections, we blossom.
ieva is a yoga teacher, sommelier and travel enthusiast. She uses the modalities of yoga and somatic movement to help people care for all the layers of their being, to heal, to soften, to strengthen, to open and to go within.
Eva Mrak-Blumberg is the chef and owner of Spoondrift Kitchen, a personal chef service based in Portland, Maine. She uses food as a vessel to create community and ritual in our lives. Her cooking highlights ingredients that are locally sourced and shine in their simplicity.
Eva cooks as a way to tell stories -- inspired by her many travels, ancestors, and the farmers who grow the ingredients she uses. Join Eva at the table for a collective experience that nourishes, inspires, and connects.
Payments will be collected in three installments. A 34% deposit will hold your spot, a second 33% payment will be due July 26th, and the final payment must be made by September 26th. You may pay through this site or contact ieva to make a direct payment in USD. If you use this site, a bank transfer has the least fees but credit cards are also accepted.
Deposits are non-refundable but are transferable.
Our villa is a luxurious sanctuary of comfort to make your home for our week together. The villa and your room will be refreshed throughout. Once you arrive in Faro, we will take care of the rest.
Using fresh and local ingredients, Chef Eva will curate 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 5 dinners in the comfort of our villa. (one lunch & dinner out on the town are included))
These daily practices are an opportunity to dive deeper into your practice. They are offered to enliven and recharge your energy.
Our workshops offer a deeper dive into the practices and are designed to restore your energy, reset, and regulate your nervous system.
Get a taste of the Algarve's untouched nature, unique landscapes, sweeping coastlines, tiny towns, fresh cuisine and local people. 4WD Jeeps will provide our transportation and lunch is included.
Embark from the marina on a traditional Portuguese sailboat, anchor at sea and explore the famous rock caves of the Ponta da Piedade coastline with the option to swim.
Whether you are a connoisseur or just starting, ieva will lead you through the wines of Portugal with education and passion, including a blind smelling exercise to enliven your palate and senses.
Visit 4 different restaurants on foot, tasting traditional Portuguese dishes & drinks. Our guide will share their knowledge and give you a broader perspective on the cultural of this historical city.
Early morning coffee is provided and tea is available throughout the day.
We want to spoil you! Your gift bag will be filled with travel enhancements and mementos of our experience together.
Transport is provided from Faro airport. For arrivals, vans will leave the airport at 3pm. For departures, vans will leave the villa at 8am. Please book your travel accordingly.
You will be responsible for getting to Faro airport to meet our transportation that will take you to our villa
There will be one free night in which you will have time to shop, explore and get dinner in Lagos or the nearby seaside town of Sagres.
Here are some examples of what days that we have excursions will be like:
Sample 1
7am: early morning coffee, tea & Fruit
8-10am: Movement Class / Breathwork / Meditation with Elia
10am: a nurturing breakfast prepared by chef Eva
12pm: We will set off on an excursion together. This may include sailing in the grotto of the Algarve, visiting a local winery, or a walking tour of the area to learn the culture and history. Lunch will be provided.
free time to relax, rest & restore
6pm: indulge in a curated dinner by chef Eva
Sample 2
7am: early morning coffee, tea & Fruit
8-10am: morning yoga with Ieva
10am a nurturing breakfast prepared by chef Eva
free time to relax & explore the estate
2pm: enjoy a light lunch by chef Eva
4-6pm: Movement / Meditation / Yoga Workshop by Ieva & Elia
6pm Dinner out on the town of Lagos
Sample 3
7am: early morning coffee, tea & Fruit
8-10am: Movement Class / Breathwork / Meditation with Elia
10am: a nurturing breakfast prepared by chef Eva
free time to relax & explore the estate
2pm: enjoy a light lunch by chef Eva
4pm: educational wine tasting with Ieva
6pm: indulge in a curated dinner by chef Eva
