What Actually Happens at a Wellness Retreat in Costa Blanca, Spain

Most people who come to Sana Sana have googled "wellness retreat Spain" at least a dozen times before they book. They've looked at the photos. Read the reviews. Wondered whether it's really for them - or whether they're the kind of person who goes to wellness retreats.

They are. And so are you.

Here's what a week at our retreat in Teulada, on the Costa Blanca, actually looks like. No punishment, no green juice deprivation, no 5am boot camp. Just an honest account of the place, the days, the food and the people, so you can decide for yourself.

Where You're Coming To

Teulada is a quiet, characterful village on the Costa Blanca, set in the countryside just inland from Moraira and Benissa. It is not a resort. There are no tourist shops or poolside cocktail bars. There are old stone walls, fig trees, a weekly market, and the kind of quiet that you don't realise you've been missing until you're standing in it.

The Costa Blanca is the stretch of coast around Alicante, and this part of it - the Marina Alta - is greener and calmer than the busier towns further south. Vineyards and almond groves run down to the sea. The hills behind the village are laced with walking tracks. It is close enough to the water to smell it and far enough from the crowds to hear yourself think.

The house sits above the village with views across the valley to the sea. In the mornings the light comes slowly. In the evenings it goes gold. This is where we spend a week together.

What a Day Looks Like

We don't do 5am alarms or punishing schedules. A day at Sana Sana is structured enough to feel held, loose enough to feel like a holiday.

Mornings begin gently - usually with movement, either yoga or a guided walk through the hills. The landscape around Teulada is beautiful for walking: quiet tracks, citrus groves, sea views appearing between the trees. Nothing here asks you to perform. If you have not exercised in years, that is fine. We meet you where you are.

Breakfast is whole, nourishing and unhurried. We eat together, and we take our time over it.

The middle of the day is yours. Sleep. Read. Sit by the pool. This is not wasted time - it is the point. Rest is a skill most of us have forgotten, and part of the week is simply relearning it. If you want to understand why we build so much stillness into the programme, we wrote more about that in whether a week is really long enough to feel different.

Afternoons bring workshops, therapies, or sessions depending on the week's focus. We work with breathwork, guided reflection, nutrition talks, treatments, and sometimes visiting practitioners. Some of it is active. Some of it is quiet. All of it is optional.

Evenings end early. Real sleep, in a quiet place, does more for your health than most things we'll do all week.

The Food

Everything is mostly plant-based, whole and made from scratch by our chef. Not diet food. Food that happens to be clean because that's what we believe in - not because we're trying to make you suffer. Towards the end of the week there is usually the option of a fish or chicken main, for those who want it.

Guests regularly say the food surprises them most. They expected to be hungry. They weren't. If you are wondering what actually lands on the plate, we go into it properly in what to eat at a health retreat.

Who Comes

Guests at Sana Sana tend to be people who are functioning fine on the outside and running on empty on the inside. People in their 40s, 50s and beyond. People between chapters - an empty nest, a career shift, a birthday that made them stop and take stock. People who haven't paused in years and finally gave themselves permission.

We take a maximum of eight guests per retreat. This is not a wellness festival. It is a small, intentional week with people who are there for the same reason you are. Plenty of guests come on their own, and most leave having made a friend or two.

Is It a Detox Retreat? A Weight Loss Retreat?

Sana Sana is often described as a health retreat, a detox retreat, a weight loss retreat and a yoga retreat - and it is a little bit of all of those things.

If weight loss is part of what brought you here, that is completely welcome. But we treat it as a symptom, not the problem. The more useful work is understanding what led you there in the first place: the stress, the poor sleep, the eating on the move, the years of putting yourself last. Sort those out and the weight tends to follow. What it isn't is a programme built around restriction, rules or results you'll lose the moment you get home.

If you are still weighing up different retreats and what to look for, our guide on how to choose a health retreat in Spain is an honest place to start. The changes that last are the quiet ones.

When to Come

The Costa Blanca has one of the mildest climates in Europe, which is part of why we are here. Spring and autumn are glorious for walking - warm days, cool evenings, everything in bloom or turning. Summer is hot and bright and made for slow mornings and the pool. Winter stays gentle, and a quiet week in January or February can be exactly the reset the new year is asking for. There is no bad season. There is only the one you can get away for.

Getting There

Teulada is around 50 minutes from Alicante airport, and roughly an hour and three quarters from Valencia airport. The Costa Blanca is one of the most connected parts of Spain - easy to reach from most European cities, usually with direct flights, and often more cheaply than people expect.

We arrange transfers from Alicante airport at set times on the day of arrival and departure, so once you land you can stop organising and start switching off.

What's Included

The price covers everything except your flights: your room, all meals, the full daily programme, treatments and transfers from Alicante. There are no surprise costs when you arrive and no upsells during the week. You can see current dates, room options and exactly what is included on our book now page.

Common Questions

How much does a wellness retreat in Spain cost? A serious week-long retreat that includes accommodation, all meals and a full daily programme runs to a few thousand euros. Be cautious of anything that looks very cheap and check what is actually included. At Sana Sana the price includes everything but your flights.

When is the best time to come? There is no wrong season on the Costa Blanca. Spring and autumn are best for walking, summer for slow sunny days by the pool, and winter for a genuinely quiet reset. Choose the window you can most easily step away from your normal life.

Do I need to be fit? No. The programme is built to meet you where you are, and every session can be adjusted. Plenty of guests arrive having not moved much in years.

Can I come on my own? Yes, and many do. With a maximum of eight guests it is easy to settle in, and solo guests always have their own room.

Is it only for women? Most of our guests are women, but the retreat is open to everyone. What guests have in common is the reason they came, not their gender.

Ready to See the Dates?

Retreats run throughout the year in small groups. If you've read this far, you probably already know whether this is for you.

See upcoming retreats, or check dates and book your week.