8 Days Escape Christmas Meditation and Yoga Holiday in Andalucia, Spain

Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre is a beautiful, old-renovated olive farm consisting of eight houses that form the cortijo. In typical Spanish style, there are two inner courtyards, one of which blooms with orange and lemon trees. The property sits on 45 acres of land and is still a working olive farm with 350 olive trees.

The houses on the property are all artfully and tastefully furnished and decorated with careful attention to detail. Every room is uniquely beautiful with impeccable feng shui. Suryalila has three yoga halls. Ganesha yoga shala has a gorgeous wooden ceiling as well as a wooden floor and is filled with light from windows on both walls as well as a skylight. It also has a lovely balcony with benches for enjoying the expansive views. Ganesha yoga shala comfortably holds 30 people.

The Om Dome has been dubbed the most magnificent yoga hall in Europe. The sacred geometry creates a cathedral-like space, which is awe-inspiring. The dome overlooks rolling hills, olive groves, and a ruined convent. Inside, the dome boasts underfloor heating and cooling and two long walls for practicing inversions. The walls have been beautifully decorated with colorful murals of Indian gods and Tibetan imagery. There is a state of the art sound system as well as atmospheric lighting.

The dome can comfortably hold 60 people practicing yoga and a lot more for concerts and other events. Both of the yoga spaces are fully outfitted with yoga props. Apart from three gorgeous yoga halls, Suryalila Retreat Centre boasts a saltwater swimming pool, eco sauna / sweat lodge, and views of the most magnificent and vibrant sunsets. On your arrival day, your room will be ready after 4 p.m. and you are welcome to arrive earlier and enjoy the facilities at Suryalila. On your departure day, Suryalila asks that you vacate your room by 10.30 a.m. After you have left your room, you are welcome to use the facilities until you are ready to leave.

Note: Here at Suryalila, the staffs have cats, peacocks, chickens, horses, and the neighbors' dogs often come onto the property so it is best to leave your pets at home. There are also hunters in the area at different times of years.

Driving direction from Seville Airport (SVQ)

• Follow the exit signs across the first roundabout from the airport car park.
• Follow the signs for A4 to Cordoba, going all the way around the roundabout and keeping right at the second roundabout.
• Follow the A4 until KM 526 (the roads in Spain have markers at each kilometer and the junction number is the kilometer number you are along the road) and take the exit onto the SE40.
• Come off the SE40 at KM 13 onto the A376 towards Utrera. This slip road has two exits, the first one is towards Utrera.
• Follow the A376 to Utrera.
• Continue on the same road at Utrera which is now the A375 to Ronda.
• Take the A384 towards Villamartin just after Puerto Serrano since the A375 ends at the A384.
• Take the ramp for A373 signposted Prado del Rey / El Bosque / Ubrique / Villamartín after eight kilometers.
• Go left (last exit) onto the A373 towards Prado del Rey at the roundabout.
• Take the right turn onto the CA 6105 signposted to Arcos de la Frontera after five kilometers.
• Turn left after two and a half kilometers near KM 13. You will see a small Suryalila sign. This takes you off the tarmac so please drive carefully. After approximately five kilometers, the driveway for Suryalila is on the left (again there is a small sign).
• Follow the driveway and you’ll see the gate and flags come up the drive and as you get to the paving the car park is on the right.

Driving direction from Jerez Airport (XRY)

• Take the A4 towards Jerez for a couple of kilometers if you are driving from the airport.
• Follow the N348 towards Arcos de la Frontera for about three kilometers.
• Take the exit to follow the A382 for about 35 kilometers all the way to Villamartin.
• Take a right-hand turn signed for Villamartin as you approach the town.
• Turn right off the short slip road after the exit. The slip road is short and comes up on you quickly so please be careful.
• Follow this road for about five kilometers going straight until the four-way stop.
• Go straight ahead along the dirt road at the four-way stop. It is signposted La Granja.
• Carry on along the dirt road for about three kilometers until you see a sign on your left for Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre.
• Turn left and follow the road to the house. If you miss the turn into la Fabrica, on the next sign, you will see on the left will be for La Granja.
• Turn around and come back down the hill.

Driving direction from Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP)

• Follow the coast road (E15 / AP7) south past Benalmadena, Fuengirola, and Marbella.
• Take the A-397 over the mountains to Ronda.
• Take the A372 via Grazalema and Benamahoma after Ronda to Prado del Rey. When you get to Prado del Rey, you need to pick up the road to Villamartin, which is the A373. After a couple of miles on the road to Villamartin, you will see a left turn, sign-posted Arcos de la Frontera. It is at the bottom of a long steep hill if you are coming from Prado del Rey.
• Take this left and follow the road for about two or three miles until you come to a crossroads.
• Take the dirt road on your left sign-posted La Granja at the crossroads. After about two miles / four kilometers on the dirt road, you will a signpost on your left for Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre.
• Take that and you’ll find Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre a few hundred meters up the track.

Arrival by airplane

Please book your flight to arrive at Seville Airport (SVQ) or Jerez Airport (XRY). Transfer from and to this airport is available upon request.

There are a few airport options close to Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre. The best airport to fly to is Seville Airport (SVQ) (75 minutes’ away), then Jerez Airport (XRY) 50 minutes. Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) is also an option (two hours by transfer / car or three hours by bus).

Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre organizes transfers from the airport to Suryalila. The cost from Seville Airport (SVQ) is 90 EUR, from Jerez Airport (XRY) is 70 EUR, and from Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP) is 150 EUR. Usually, Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre groups people arriving at the similar time together, so you can share the cost of the transfer. Alternatively, there are buses running to Villamartin from where Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre can pick you up. The cost of a pickup form Villamartin to Suryalila is 10 EUR.

Arrival by bus

Should you decide to travel by bus, Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre can send you the bus timetable closer to your arrival. From Seville, the city center can be easily reached by bus. Buses between the airport and the city center run every 30 minutes between 6.15 p.m. and 11 p.m. The journey takes between 20 to 30 minutes and a single ticket costs 2.30 EUR.

From Seville (Prado San Sebastian), you can catch a bus to Villamartin. From Jerez, you can either take a bus to Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre from the Jerez central bus station. There is also a bus that leaves from Malaga bus station directly to Villamartin. The price of a one-way ticket is about 15 EUR and there are usually four buses every day.