Copyright © 2024 Killington Bootcamp | Powered By 
I’ve been home just over a week now from my latest retreat in Portugal. This was my 16th retreat in the past 6 years. I have not yet blogged about a retreat but I felt inspired to do so this time. I hope this helps define some of the retreat experience for those of you who have not yet experienced it.
Exciting news-I am currently expanding our retreat line up to host at least 6 a year. At least 😎
Stay tuned!
About Adventures in Portugal 2024:
This is the second time I’ve hosted this retreat.
I love this one so much that I am returning for the third time next September!
This year’s Portugal retreat had a special feel because I had three returning retreaters that I had met in Italy the previous year. I was looking forward to enjoying time with them again as well as meeting a new group of travelers!
I can’t say enough about how much fun this retreat was with my “Italy friends” as well as the new bonds that formed!!
The vibe and energy of this group made the trip incredible.
The Palacio Estoril Hotel is our home base for Adventures in Portugal and this is my favorite retreat hotel to date. It feels luxurious from the second you pull up and see the three full uniformed doormen ready to greet you and help you inside. The property has an old fashioned charm which enhances this cultural retreat.
The location is just south of Lisbon on the ocean. The famous town of Cascais is a scenic and easy stroll away along the ocean boardwalk.
To give you a feel for this hotel here a great description and summary from the hotel website:
“During World War II, the Hotel Palácio provided sanctuary for European royal families who had fled to Estoril, earning the area the nickname “Coast of Kings.” Many members of European nobility made the hotel their chosen residence. However, the hotel also attracted British and German spies who frequented the hotel’s bar, leading to tales of intrigue and espionage that later inspired famous novels and movies, including the James Bond film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”
Not only is the hotel beautiful and rich in history, if you are a James Bond fan it holds even more allure. Ian Fleming was inspired to write Casino Royale here and the movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” had a scene shot at the hotel.
There is a formal feel to the hotel yet the entire staff is very friendly and welcoming. The pool area is beautiful, the location is convenient and there is also access to the Bayan Tree Spa which can be accessed through an underground hallway, making it even more convenient. The spa has a large hydrotherapy pool that I always try to visit daily!
And the breakfast!!! Even the breakfast has a classy, formal feel yet we felt comfortable coming in straight from our outdoor workout. The hotel chiefly caters to golfers and has a very casual feel for the guest during the day. The selection of food is incredible and fresh juices, cappuccino, espresso, cava for mimosas, and fresh brewed “American” bottomless coffee is available.
Enough about the hotel…(for now!)
The Workouts
The daily workouts are the core part of our retreat schedule. Depending on the activities we schedule for the day we either have 1 or 2 workouts a day on my retreats. The schedule looks like this when you retreat with me:
Morning class (one hour class typically between 7:30 and 9am start time depending on flow of day):
I teach a strength based interval outdoor boot camp style class. I can modify for most levels and everything is optional so participants are always encouraged to work at their own pace and take breaks as needed!
Afternoon class (typically between 4:30 and 6, either 45 minutes or an hour):
I teach a restorative class. On this Portugal trip I gave everyone a lacrosse ball in their welcome bag. We used the balls for a fascia release and stretching class. We always do some form of restorative stretch in the afternoon and depending on what people want sometimes we do some core work as well.
The Palacio Estoril Hotel has the perfect lawn for my outdoor boot camp classes. We also do the restorative stretch on the lawn in the late afternoon sun which feels luxurious. I’m fairly certain at least a few people dozed off during a pose or two.
This seems like the perfect time to mention that every single thing on any of my retreats is optional. If you don’t want to join a class or an excursion or a meal that is 100% up to you! The trips are designed for optimal fun and relaxation. Many people sit out a workout or two and if it’s what your body wants, we encourage you to take the rest time!
The Excursions
The experience on each retreat is a little different. this one is a fairly active trip (lots of walking, lots of hills) with a focus on local history and culture. Our incredible local guides (more on them later!) led us through 3 days of excursions:
We dined at amazing restaurants with our guides and on our own with their recommendations. The local fish at our group dinner the final night was a highlight for us! The fish had been caught that day and reserved for our group by our guides. Restaurante Adraga is family owned and right on the Beach.
We hiked along the cliffs to arrive at this spot just before sunset and enjoyed a wonderful dinner and experience on our final evening.
The Experience
As always we had free time to enjoy the local area and relax. Some of the group went into Lisbon to explore more, visiting the town of Cascais was very popular, biking/walking to the local beach is easy from the hotel, a group of us took a car to a local winery with sweeping views off the Atlantic, there are 2 incredible aquariums in the area.
A group of us also did a stunning sailing trip along the Lisbon waterfront. We have now added the sailing to the 2025 Portugal trip as an optional add-on!
The center of the nearby town of Cascais has pedestrian only cobblestone streets with shops and amazing restaurants and our favorite wine bar: The Tasting Room!
In short, there is plenty to do and the hotel is conveniently located for all kinds of transportation options.
The Guides
This is another special part of the Portugal experience. Our local guides enhance this trip immensely.
Francisco and Teresa led us through our day at the Sintra palaces and gardens as well as our final day hiking.
They took us to an amazing restaurant for lunch on the Sintra tour day and they led us on a hike to our final dinner on Adraga Beach.
Our city tour is led by Jose who is extremely informative and entertaining. He also recommended the perfect restaurant for us for lunch after our tour.
I can’t say enough about how much we all enjoyed the company of Teresa and Francisco! They are professional, knowledgeable and FUN!
The People: Portugal Retreat 24 Family
My local clients are starting to tell me that each time I return from a retreat I say that I just had “THE BEST GROUP EVER”.
So, yes, they are on point with that.
And once again on this trip, I felt like I had the best group ever!! I do realize I say it every time but it’s truly always the case.
I have developed a lot of new friendships through hosting retreats with people that I probably never would’ve met because we don’t live near each other.
One thing that I always say to people who haven’t been on retreat is you’re going to be around a fairly diverse group of powerful like-minded people. It’s fascinating to get to know everyone on the trip and it truly enhances the entire experience.
And with gratitude, I’m happy to say that my number of return retreaters is increasing each time I host one. I am honored that people want to retreat with me again!
If you have any questions about coming on a retreat please reach out to me! I’m happy to chat and answer questions via email or text or we can schedule a call.
You can view all my upcoming retreats here