We welcome people from all walks of life and from all faiths or none. No prior knowledge, artistic ability or experience of retreats is required. What matters is a curious and open mind.

A Flores retreat may suit you particularly well if:

  • you appreciate moments of quiet and reflection,

  • you are curious and willing to encounter something new,

  • you can listen and give space to other people,

  • you are interested in participation rather than simply being entertained.

Find out more about a retreat at Flores below.


Is this retreat for you?

What is a retreat?

A holiday centres on rest, sightseeing and entertainment. A workshop focuses on learning particular skills or achieving a defined outcome. A retreat might borrow aspects from both but it is neither. Most importantly it creates a space to step out of ordinary rhythms: to slow down, pay attention and enter more deeply into an experience through place, creativity, conversation, silence and time shared with others.

Our approach to hospitality is inspired by the Camino. When you walk the pilgrimage, there are people along the Way who welcome you, feed you and care for you. In their way, they make the Camino with you. You will usually eat and rest well. But the end goal is not luxury. It is to support your journey.

When we receive you for a retreat, we provide beautiful surroundings, comfortable accommodation and delicious, healthy food. But we focus on thoughtful and shared hospitality rather than an extensive range of choices and amenities.


Hospitality at Flores

Politics are important and some of our participants care deeply about political and social questions. A retreat can also be a rare opportunity to take a break from them.

Politicised topics tend to draw us towards the general: groups, positions, arguments and competing interpretations of the world. Our retreats are intended to create a different kind of space, rooted in the particular: this place, this group of people, this moment and the experience unfolding between us. We try to meet one another as individuals rather than representatives of categories or identities.

We therefore kindly ask participants to refrain from discussing politics or politicised issues during the retreat.


A non-political space

There will be plenty of time during the retreat to share stories, memories and thoughts about our lives. But at some moments, we will invite you to stay closer to the here and now: to the place we are in, what we are doing together and what is arising from the experience we are sharing.

There will also be periods of silence, usually in the morning. Silence can feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable at first, so we introduce it gently. It creates room for attention, reflection and for those who may need more space before speaking. You do not need to be naturally quiet or experienced in contemplative practice, only willing, for a while, not to fill every space with words.


Being present

There will be plenty of time for yourself during the retreat but it is also be a group experience. We invite you to enter into the shared rhythm of the days and take part in the activities, meals and gatherings that form the retreat.

We also ask everyone to help with a few light communal tasks, such as setting or clearing the table. These small acts are part of the retreat itself: a way of participating in the life of the group, caring for the place we are in and remembering that we are embodied people sharing a physical environment, not just minds exchanging ideas.


Taking part


If you are unsure…

… whether a particular retreat is right for you, please contact us. We are happy to talk it through with you.