8 Days Deluxe Massage and Yoga Retreat in Cascais, Portugal

The retreat just went through a complete renovation from top to bottom, so you'll find everything new, comfortable, modern, secure, and clean with comfy new beds, personal lockers, fully equipped guest’s kitchen, laundry facilities, luggage storage, a herb garden and new super clean bathrooms.

The Salty Pelican has been converted into a stunning traveler's meeting point, featuring a cozy lounge, an awesome chill-out barbecue terrace, and peaceful gardens. So whether you’re up early to go check out the beach or stretch out those achy muscles with our sunrise beach yoga, joining our learn to surf classes, or you’re just after a few lazy craft beers on the terrace before hitting the town, all your needs will be taken care of.

The accommodation includes a comfy bed in a spacious room with shared bathrooms and a delicious breakfast with fresh fruits, yogurt, muesli, fresh baked bread, fruit infused water, chia seeds, mixed nuts & seeds, dried fruits, organic teas, fresh coffee and sweet pastries. Besides the amazing time you will have learning new yoga postures, the retreat offers all the comforts of a home.

The retreat has a beautiful garden to relax about all day in, with comfy XL bean bags, hammocks and a large nation with free BBQ facilities. If The Salty Pelicans all-day menu of delicious healthy smoothies doesn’t tempt you, they also have a big kitchen for you to cook up a storm in. To explore Cascais, you can rent either a bicycle or long board skateboard from the reception. The retreat also offers female-only accommodation in a four bed dormitory where available.

Important note: Check-ins arriving after 10pm are only accepted with prior notice by email or phone call. Reception closes at 10pm without prior notice.

Whether you are seeking a wellness break or a more active vacation, you will find the perfect balance at The Salty Pelican Yoga Retreat. You can pick and choose your extra activities. Additional wellness treatments and activities like Ayurveda massages, SUP Yoga, surf lessons, awareness hikes with meditation, mountain biking, rock climbing trips, sunset cruises or even wine tasting & tapas nights. Create memories of a lifetime and let The Salty Pelican be one of them!

The yoga classes

Yoga is for everyone, you don't need to have any prior experience…For sunrise we take you down by the seaside for our morning Yang Yoga followed in the late afternoon with our gentle practice of Yin Yoga which focuses on increasing your inner peace, harmony, love and joy. Practicing Yang & Yin yoga will help to harmonize the nervous system, increase your sense of balance with the body & mind and strengthen your lymphatic system.

Traditionally the Yin evening classes are more soft, slow, restorative to integrate with the days surfing activities and prepare the body for a great rest over night. Let yourself emerge into a nice flow of your yoga practice. Enjoy breathing, relax your body, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and also your mind.

Sample daily program

• 07:00 Wake up
• 07:15 Walk to the beach
• 07:30 Yang Yoga
• 09:00 Healthy breakfast buffet
• 10:00 Free time / Relax at the beach
• 15:00 Relaxing Ayurveda Massage
• 17:00 Meditation in peaceful nature park
• 17:30 Yin Yoga class in the nature park
• 19:00 Seafood or Vegetarian BBQ or other activity

Massages

On the first morning, a schedule is open to make your massage reservations. Monika our in-house masseuse will pamper your body with a relaxing deep tissue massage.

SUP Yoga, Meditation awareness hike, and relaxation

Every Thursday afternoon around at 18:00 depending on the time of year, there will be an awareness hike down to the beautiful remote beach of Praia da Ursa. Here we will do meditation right on the sand with a beautiful sunset with small snacks and wine to finish. Every Monday & Wednesday mornings we have our SUP ( stand up paddle board ) Yoga classes right on the water. Attendance to both of these activities is highly recommended.

There are only 3 scheduled massages during your 8 day package, giving you plenty of time to relax during the day, swim, go for a surf lesson, explore Sintra National Park, walk around the Cascais beaches or even discover the narrow streets and hidden restaurants of Lisbon city in a day. Lisbon is just a short 30 minute train ride away ( 2,50 EUR ) and the magical Sintra is just 20 minutes away. It really is the perfect spot here at The Salty Pelican.

Nightly activities

Every night we try and get all our guests together to socialize over a good meal and some nice Portuguese wine. From traditional steamed clams, seafood BBQs with delicious stuffed sea bass to our famous sunset BBQ & wine cruises out on the amazing Cacais bay… you are going love every moment here at The Salty pelican.

The Salty Pelican yoga & surf retreat sits snuggled between the sun-dappled shores of the Cascais Bay and the Sintra's dramatic mountain range. Cascais is renowned for its glorious stretch of white sandy beaches which are simply stunning, beautiful palaces, cosmopolitan vibrancy, and as Lisbon’s most sophisticated beach destination. With over 300 days of sun per year, you will spend most of your time outdoors, even during winter.

The whole coastline offers a seemingly endless amount of dramatic and ever-changing scenery, culminating in the extraordinary town of Sintra, the end-of-summer getaway for royals over 100 years ago and now an official World Heritage site. Truly one of the most unusual and magical places to experience in Europe, the centerpieces are undoubtedly the Pena palace and park, which many say was the inspiration for Cinderella’s castle in Disney’s “Magic Kingdom”, the mystical and symbolic Quinta da Regaleira palace with its tunnels, magical grottos, fountains, and gothic architecture, and right at Sintra’s highest point, the Moorish castle offering outstanding views across the mountains and down to the Atlantic.

Marvel at the unspoiled sand dunes and untamed waves at Guincho Beach - part of the beautiful Sintra Cascais National Park - with its high waves that attract surfers and kite surfers from all over the world as having some of the best waves in Europe. Exploring Cascais is a voyage of discovery. On the one hand, there is the original historic area that has a distinct nautical air about it - with its cobbled winding streets leading down to the cozy harbour where the day’s fresh catch is still sold by local fishermen in the nearby square.

Don’t miss the Seixas palace, a magnificent 19th century palace overlooking the sea, or the municipal museum so close to the sea that waves often reach the steps at high tide. Have a light lunch at the restaurant and café in the charming Santa Marta lighthouse museum and check out the Atlantic views.

Nearby places

• Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS) - 20 minutes
• Monte Estoril train station, 750 meters

The retreat includes daily buffet-style breakfast with fresh baked breads, jams, cheeses, hams, freshly cut fruits, vegetable slices, delicious teas, coffee, fruit infused water, natural yogurt and freshly baked pastries. You can also enjoy our twice weekly seafood BBQ and our delicious Portuguese tapas & wine nights. You will also find a menu serving delicious healthy detox smoothies, white & red wines, ciders, sangria, local craft beers and some healthy snacks at an additional cost.

The Salty Pelican retreat sits snuggled between the sun-dappled shores of the Cascais bay and Sintra's dramatic mountain range. To relax, you can always grab a beer from the bar, grill up some grub at the hostel barbecue area, or lay back and chill-out in one of the hammocks in the beautiful garden with some mighty good tunes.

Beaches

Cascais is renowned for its glorious stretch of white sandy beaches which are simply stunning, beautiful palaces, cosmopolitan vibrancy and as Lisbons most sophisticated beach destination. You can take a stroll on the seaside promenade and discover many beachfront cafes where you can absorb the clean swathes of golden sand with the wide stretch of the Atlantic sweeping around the bay to Cascais.

Cascais

Exploring Cascais is a voyage of discovery. On the one hand there is the original historic area that has a distinct nautical air about it - with its cobbled winding streets leading down to the cozy harbor where the days fresh catch is still sold by local fishermen in the nearby square.

Guincho beach

Marvel at the unspoilt sand dunes and untamed waves at Guincho beach - part of the beautiful Sintra Cascais National park - with its high waves that attract surfers and kitesurfers from all over the world as having some of the best waves in Europe.

Municipal museum

The museum is so close to the sea that waves often reach the steps at high tide. Have a light lunch at the restaurant or cafe in the charming Santa Marta Lighthouse Museum while checking out its Atlantic views.

Hidden beach of Praia da Ursa

This is an incredible "secret" beach which you can take a beautiful hike down to catch an amazing sunset in Sintra National Park.

Moorish Castle

Right at Sintras highest point, the Moorish Castle offers outstanding views across the mountains and down to the Atlantic.

Nightlife

Cascais is also a magnet for night owls, providing an eclectic range of evening entertainment that offers everything from pubs, cafes, restaurants, glitzy cocktail lounges, to cozy craft beer bars, and to late night clubbing.

Pena Palace and Park

Many say was the inspiration for Cinderella’s castle in Disney’s magic kingdom.

Quinta da Regaleira Palace

Imagine a place with secret passages, stepping stones, hidden caves and grottos, a library that looks like you're floating in air, beautiful chapel and residence - all while being located in one of the most beautiful parks. That would be Quinta da Regaleira, an architectural marvel built at the direction of Portugal's first millionaire and to his exacting specifications. Its really one of the most magical and enchanting places you can visit whilst you're in Cascais. The bus right near The Salty Pelican takes you there in just a 25 minute bus ride.

Visiting Lisbon and Belem

Lisbon city centre is just an easy 25 minute ( 2.50 EUR ) train ride away from The Salty Pelican. Its a great day trip to add to your week here and you can hop off the train at Belem halfway and try one of the Portugal's most famous pastel de Belem, a traditional Portuguese custard tart, a treat not to be missed. Belem is also full of sights and scenery to check-out before heading into Lisbon. It's a great little pit-stop.

Sintra

The whole coastline offers a seemingly endless amount of dramatic and ever-changing scenery, culminating in the extraordinary town of Sintra, the end-of-summer getaway for royals over 100 years ago, and now an official World Heritage Site.

Biking and mountain biking

Cascais has an amazing coastline and its an easy fun way to explore by bike, with self-guided trips or organized trips for all levels of ability. You can ride through the amazing scenery of Sintra National Park with its spectacular views over the Atlantic Ocean and dense forests. Visit archaeological sites, fantastic beaches, and unspoiled villages as you pedal along some of the nicest routes in Europe. The more adventurous choose to ride a mountain bike downhill from the top of Sintra National Park all the way down to The Atlantic and finish with a wine and sunset right on the beach.

Swimming

Nearby the retreat you have an abundant amount of beautiful beaches, salt water swimming pools and hidden coves all within very short walking distances.

Other activities:

• Enjoy a Ayurveda or Thai massage at The Salty Pelican
• Enjoy peaceful walks or bike rides along the beautiful seaside promenade
• Explore the Cascais region: Boca do Inferno, Guincho, Cabo da Roca, Sintra or Lisbon
• Chill-out, relax in our quiet garden with a book and some sunshine
• Try you hand at some of the amazing daily activities from awareness hiking, SUP, rock climbing, SUP yoga, wine tasting and sunset cruises
• Take it easy and just lie on one of the many beaches all day, that are all within a very short walk away.
• Taste great Portuguese tapas in our garden with some wine tasting

Included in the package is one relaxing Ayurveda Massage of 45 minutes and two 20 minutes Ayurveda Massages.

• 2x 45min relaxing Ayurveda massages
• 7 nights accommodation
• 11 yoga sessions
• Daily meditation sessions
• Daily breakfast buffet
• Free WiFi
• Fruit, infused water and organic teas available all day
• Free time to enjoy the best beaches and surf spots
• All yoga & equipment provided
• Lemongrass & bergamot shower shampoo dispensers

• Airport transfers
• Barbecues
• Evening meals
• Sunset boat cruises
• Surf lessons
• SUP lessons
• Awareness meditation hike

Driving directions from Lisbon

• If you’re arriving by car, the fastest way to arrive in Cascais is by taking highway A5, you have to pay a toll of approximately 1.30 EUR.
• You also can take the N6 (Via Av. Marginal) along the more scenic coastal drive to Cascais.

Arrival by airplane

Please book your flight to arrive at Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS). Transfer from and to this airport is available upon request.

Arrival by train

If you are coming from Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS), take the red metro line towards Sao Sebastio and get off at the Alameda station. Here you must change to the green line that will take you directly to the Cais do Sodre train station (end of the line). The approximate journey time is 20 minutes and the ticket price is around 1.40 EUR.

From Lisbon’s city center, starting from the above ground Cais do Sodre train station, take the train that connects Lisbon to Cascais and get off at Monte Estoril Station (second last stop). Sit on the left side of the train for the best views. The approximate journey time is 30 minutes and the ticket price is 2.15 EUR.

Arrival by taxi

From the Monte Estoril train station, you can take a taxi for about 4 EUR or walk the short 550-meter distance to the retreat.

• A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price.
• The deposit is fully refundable if the booking is cancelled up to 7 days before the arrival date.
• The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.