I was over the moon when I received an invitation from Lucy Robinson PR to stay at Casa La Concha Boutique Hotel in Marbella to join one of their yoga retreat courses for a few days. Not something I have done before to be honest but I grabbed my gym gear and off I went. Casa La Concha is situated in one of the best areas in Andalusia, the Golden Mile and just under an hour from Malaga airport. I arrived after a short 2 hour 50 minute flight from Gatwick and was greeted by a driver sent by the hotel.

As I entered Casa La Concha I was surprised to find it felt so much like a home from home and I struggle really to refer to it as a hotel if I’m honest. The grounds are kept beautifully with a mixture of Tropical and Mediterranean plants, a large swimming pool to lay and relax around or to take that morning swim in. Here you can enjoy one of the best climates of Europe, with more than 300 days of sun per year making it a perfect retreat for any season.

Casa la Concha is a peaceful and luxurious hotel tastefully decorated in a boho chic style, all designed by the owner Marie Helene. There are paintings hanging all over the house that Marie Helene has painted herself and you can see there has been a lot of love and thought gone into the decoration, design and detail. The views from the back of the house are fabulous; great clear views of the mountains. There are golf courses close by for those of you who wish to play.

I arrived, unpacked and met up with the other two bloggers who were there Lorna Luxe and Kiera Liberati We sat in the courtyard and sampled some of the healthy lunchtime snacks all made fresh by Alicia Lamothe. Alicia worked for Odacité, an organic high-end skin care brand based in California. She studied Health Coaching and Holistic Nutrition at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and now currently working for the Spaniard super foods company Baïa Food, in charge of their nutrition content.

 

The food continued to be amazing throughout my stay. Honestly I was surprised how delicious the food was, still full of flavour and was in no way boring, I’m a meat and fish lover so was dreading not having any for my three day stay but I can say hand on heart it was really not that hard as all the meals were tasty and filling. There’s an abundance of fruit available if you get peckish in-between meals but I really did not feel hungry at all. Alicia ran through my diet and guided me to what she thought may have been missing from my daily routine. These are all things we take for granted in our day-to-day lives and over look.

Our day would begin at 8am with a yoga class, these would take place around the property, if it was warm in the sunshine if not in front of the fire as you can see in the pic below, I am the one in the centre to prove I can do it!

I have tried yoga once about 20 years ago and thought I would struggle with the younger more supple ladies in the group but this was not an issue as Adelaide Villalba would check to make sure we were all comfortable with what we were doing and I never felt as if I was being pushed to keep up but I was encouraged to take it that little step further which I needed. Adelaida first started as a psychologist, but on her first time in India her path changed to Yoga and massages.

During my stay I really got to enjoy the classes two a day, they really set me up and the later one relaxed me for the evening.

I had a fantastic fusion body massage from Adelaida this incorporates a fusion of techniques used in the main types of holistic and energizing massages and the channeling of vital energy. This achieves a very deep body and mental relaxation I suffer from insomnia and this massage was recommended to me and I slept well that evening and through the massage itself.

I also had a Kobido, this is a Japanese facial massage it was so calming and combined ancient techniques such as facial reflexology and facial movement to achieve intense and deep stimulation to the face, being pinched and tweaked at first I thought no way was I going to fall asleep but I was off in 10 minutes and normally I talk through everything. Juan Dominguez relaxes you as soon as you enter the room, he started with this Japanese facial massages, creating a lifting effect and after the first treatments, he realised that this massages could be used also to improve the harmony between spirit and body. He is also specialised in Shiatsu Cranial, with the intention to fix the problems from stress like headaches, lack of concentration, insomnia.

I found my stay to be very relaxing and I would return in a heartbeat, the whole experience was relaxing and educational, I will be continuing with my yoga!

Thanks to Marie Helene Burot and their team at Casa La Concha for having me:

Alicia Lamothe: Nutritionist

Baïa: Healthy food supplier

Adelaida Villalba: Yoga teacher and masseuse

Juan Dominguez: Specialist in Kobido, shiatsu craneo facial

Betina Martinez: Designer