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"Home away from home, Aleida & Doby are the perfect hosts"

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Sharanam Yoga & Counselling Retreat

Aleida and Doby are the perfect hosts and welcome you open armed to their small and beautiful retreat in Sant Climent de Sescebes, just below the Spanish-French border towards the Costa Brava, Spain. If you´re looking for peace, quiet and a home from home, you have it all here. Aleida has a gentle and hugely experienced way about her, perfect for both the yoga and coaching sessions and for sure you´ll be begging Doby to share his recipes with you! Personal attention, personal healing and a warm homely atmosphere, that is what you will find here!

The Retreat

This is not a hotel, but Aleida and Doby´s charming home which has 4 guest rooms, 2 living rooms, a dining ‘cave’ in the old bowstructure and a yoga space. The house is cosy and it has everything you need such as a private bathroom for each room. The river being part of the property with a private swim lake and stunning surroundings make this a very special and unique destination, ideal for a week away to enjoy total relaxation, peace and nature!

This lovely house is located in the midst of nature 15 minutes walking from Sant Climent de Sescebes, and 30 minutes walking from another village. Cycle or drive to more beautiful historic villages with terraces, restaurants, many wine cellars and with French & Spanish culinary delights everywhere. It is located along a small powerful, very pure river, and between the menhirs, which are ritual stone formations from 5,000 BC. It has 4000m2 of land with vegetable garden and vines. From the gentle hillsides, filled with cypresses and olives which surround the retreat, you can look at the sea of the Costa Brava on the one side and the ski resorts of Vallter2000 and Andorra on the other.

Nearby Girona is a beautiful city and also Figueres is worth a visit with its Dali museum designed by the artist himself! To the east you will find the gorgeous bays of the Costa Brava. Cadaques is a spectacular coastal town and inspiration for Picasso, Dalí and Miró. Then in the West you will find the volcanoes of the Garrotxa and last but not least, southern France with a picturesque coastal region, is just north of the retreat. All these stunning places within half an hour driving.

But if you prefer to stay close to the retreat, the lush gardens offer more than enough space to enjoy a little afternoon nap in a hammock under the trees or to read a book on the patio on one of the lounge chairs. There are bikes, for your use to explore the surroundings.

Aleida & Doby

Aleida Warmelink. After obtaining her Masters in Clinical Psychology at the University of Amsterdam Aleida worked in psychiatry in Amsterdam for several years, while also loving yoga, culture, photography, and organising many creative and social gatherings. In 2003 she started her private practice "Personal Radiance", which developed very successfully. Since then, she has focused on a combination of counselling, body-oriented work and meditation. Aleida is a qualified yoga teacher who takes great joy in explaining the physical as well as the emotional and energetic aspects of yoga. She generously shares the insights she has gained through more than 20 years of experience in teaching and through her work as a psychologist.

Dobby van den Berg. Doby has a passion for travel, music and cooking. As a kid he was always helping his mum out in the kitchen and from there his passion and interest in food developed. He now creates the most colourful and delicious meals inspired by their travels around the world. His latte's and curry's are unbeatable! But his skills are not limited to culinary delights, be sure to get a massage from Doby, his hands work wonders, whether it's Reiki or a traditional massage, you will leave the massage table relaxed and totally re-energised.

Peaceful retreat

Aleida and Doby offer peaceful retreats where guests can enjoy yoga & meditation, a Juice Detox or counselling/coaching. The programs at Sharanam Retreats stand for personal attention, personal healing, flexibility and professional guidance. All of the programs are very complete and include a holistic healthy full board. The retreat is open year-round, Cataluña is stunning all year long. In the summer the many small sand and pebble beach-towns are surprisingly authentic and relaxed. And for many visitors the off-season months are especially inviting for walking and cycling combined with city trips or even skiing!

Green Policy

Aleida and Doby consider sustainability as being paramount and was central in their decision when looking for a new venue. As they have their own little river and lake, they decided against a pool to limit the use of energy, water and unsustainable maintenance products. Furthermore, they:

  • Use organic cleaning products
  • Use recycled paper in the bathrooms and kitchen
  • Use locally sourced and organic food
  • Have drinking water from a local mountain source
  • Have pure uncontaminated natural swim water
  • Have a biological waste water drainage system (so no chemicals allowed)
  • Avoid single use plastics and give their guests reusable bottles
  • Separate waste
  • Save energy where ever possible and use a 100% sustainable electricity provider
  • Ask their guests to fly consciously, if possible come by train (high speed train AVE/TGV)
  • Participate in the '8 billion trees' project

SIS Goodie Bag

FREE 3x meditation sessions (30 min)

Free SIS re-usable water bottle!

Facilities

  • Retreat
  • 3 rooms
  • Single friendly
  • No Spa facilities
  • Girona
  • Free wifi available
  • Open year round
  • Country side
  • Natural small lake
  • No gym
  • Flexible check-in & out times

Location

The retreat of Aleid Warmelink is located in Sant Climent, 60 km and a 45 min drive from Girona airport, 165 km and a 90 min drive from Barcelona airport. Or you could take the AVE speed train from Barcelona Sans (10 min from the airport), which will take you in 45 min to Figueres-Vilafant. From Figueres it is a 20 min taxi drive to the retreat.

Read what our clients have to say...

My holiday was definitely well prepared by Neel from SIS; nice email contact and also quick answers back when I had a question. A very special experience this was! I recommend this to everyone! My first impression of Sharanam Retreat was very nice. The location is very nice, very peaceful area with beautiful nature (mountains, olive trees). My best memory of this retreat is learning to relax again and being pampered by Aleida and Doby; with delicious food, great yoga classes, relaxation massages and good sessions with Aleida. I was there for two weeks, and it was a real gift to myself. I can really recommend this to everyone: quality time for yourself! What I missed during my trip: during my stay it was very hot and next to Aleida and Doby's house there is a river, but it was dry, so there were no places to cool off. You do miss a swimming pool or something similar, but this was compensated for by the fact that we drove to the sea several times, which was lovely!
Ingrid, Netherlands - 29 August 2024
It was all very well prepared. Clear information and a nice SIS welcome gift in the room. Very sweet man Doby picked us up from the airport. When we arrived at the location I saw the fairytale garden and walked through the door to their house and arrived on their very spacious patio welcomed by their dog Hearty (so sweet!) and of course sweet and beautiful Aleid. Very warm people! It was my very first wellness experience, so I can't compare, but the whole week was very complete. The best thing about the week was the delicious smoothie every morning, the yoga classes and the delicious fresh food. What was very special was the walk in the mountains with the meditation at the top, that was so magical! That made the band very close afterwards for the rest of the week. What I missed maybe (in the beginning) was water. I mean, where you can dip / swim in that warm weather. But unfortunately they can't help it, because the river/stream next to their house is dry due to the very bad drought that prevails this summer.
Liandra, Netherlands - 08 August 2023
Read all reviews

We love this

  • The super personal approach and the care and attention you receive at this retreat is truly special
  • Very small scale, max of 4-5 guests at any one time!
  • The coaching sessions in the middle of nature are unique!
  • The food is exceptional! Healthy, colourful, all freshly cooked by Doby and above all absolutely delicious!
  • The retreat does not have a swimming pool, but its own swimming lake, where you can cool off and enjoy a dip in the fresh, clear water, a one of a kind experience!

This not so much...

  • Aleid and Doby have a dog and 3 cats, so if you have any animal allergies this retreat might not be for you. Of course their pets are not allowed in the bedrooms and a light allergy should not be a problem as then they will vacuum every day.
  • For guests looking for a group retreat, this might be too small.
  • No spa or gym facilities

Our tips

  • It's definitely recommended to rent a car if you would like to visit some of the many amazing places, which are all within 30 minutes driving!
  • Don't forget to visit Girona and the Dalí museum in Figueres, which is one of the top attractions in Cataluña!
  • Cadaques is a spectacular coastal town and inspiration for Picasso, Dalí and Miró.
  • But also do not forget to explore the many nearby dolmens and menhirs, 7000-10.000 years old, by foot or bike.
  • Listen to a frog concert in the night around the wetlands that magically change the landscape after spring showers, and then the flowers!
  • In winter see snowy peaks while walking on the wide long sandy beaches of the bay of Roses.
  • See Empuriabrava the largest residential marina of Europe (cute houses along 25km of canals in a village), surrounded by the Natural Park de Aiguamolls with marshes and many travelling birds.
  • Our land invites creativity. On the wild northern part we have an extensive statue garden with 13 iron statues made by the former owner... and space for more.
  • Oh did you know this whole region is called l’Emporda, its Spanish name, Ampurias. The city Ἐμπόριον was founded in 575 BC by Greek colonists.
  • visit the nearby castle of Requesens visible from our house, a very well preserved jewel in old deep forests. You will see Cedar trees originating from the Moroccan mountains.
  • Add an extra weekend to go skiing in Vallter2000 (1hr52min drive) or stay a night in Barcelona or Girona or Perpignan
  • We found a hidden shower-waterfall and gorge 10 minutes from our house, only for people with steady feet.
  • Cross the border and practise your French croissant (25min drive or 4hr walk)
  • Don’t tell the yogis but try the local wines! We have one neighbour with organic naturally fermented wines and one with perfect classical wines. All the surrounding villages sell their own wines and oils in friendly local ‘cooperativa’ shops.

Can we help you?

At Sis...

  • You get advice from true wellness enthusiasts!
  • You do not pay a booking fee
  • You always get a Sis Goodie Bag packed with exclusive extras

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