Writers Retreat In Portugal
Trip Date: April 1-7, 2024
Price:
$6,500 per person, Private Room
Writing retreats are vital to creativity. Long stretches away from your regular routine allow you to spend time alone with your work, without distraction, while feeling supported by other writers. Whether you are writing short stories, personal essays, a memoir or a novel, this focused week of writing will help you make real progress on your work.
Deadline to register: February 1.
Contact Valise to register
Develop your writing skills while surrounded by the inspiring beauty of the countryside in Portugal's Alentejo region.
The Experience
This Writing Retreat will be led by Laura Zinn Fromm, an author, journalist, editor and writing coach who curates writing workshops in fiction and creative non-fiction.
Join Laura for an immersive writing experience in Portugal combining intensive writing and cultural exploration.
The retreat will include one night in Lisbon at the boutique hotel Santiago de Alfama and five nights in the countryside of Alentejo at The Green House. You will enjoy full and lively discussions of your work, and leave the retreat feeling energized, with new work in hand. Most important: You will forge close, working friendships with other writers who are as passionate about finishing their writing projects as you are.
Daily Workshops with group discussions of participant's writing
One-on-one meetings with Laura for personal feedback and editing
Open Mic sessions to present work in progress
Nourishing and delicious cuisine throughout the retreat combining organic foods and juices, homemade yogurt and locally sourced produce with a special focus on anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant foods.
A private guided walking tour of the cultural and historical highlights of Lisbon
A vineyard visit and tasting at a notable local vineyard
A cooking class focusing on clean and healthy traditional Portuguese dishes
Yoga and Breath Work sessions to unlock creativity
Plenty of downtime to enjoy the exceptional beauty of The Green House and the surrounding countryside
Day 1
D
International Arrivals
Clients are responsible for getting themselves to the hotel. Taxis are widely available, or a hotel transfer can be arranged for an additional fee.
Check in at Santiago de Alfama
Boutique Hotel
Santiago de Alfama is located on Rua de Santiago in the wonderfully nostalgic district of Alfama, immediately below Saint Georges Castle and above the famous viewpoint, Miradouro de Santa Luzia. Alfama is Lisbon's oldest existing neighborhood, built in the 8th century during the Muslim conquest of Portugal and neighboring Spain.
Lunch or snack on your own
The hotel restaurant will be open
Afternoon Private Walking City Tour
An overview of Lisbon’s neighborhoods, prominent buildings and layers of history: Roman ruins, Belém Tower, the Jeronimos Monastery
This tour is included, gratuities for the guide are not.
Suggested tip: 5 euros per person
Dinner at Audrey's
Audrey ́s at The Santiago is an award winning restaurant based on classic Portuguese cuisine with a modern twist. The Chef will prepare the following menu which includes your choice of a starter, a main and a desert, along with a glass of wine and water, coffee or tea. The meal is included, gratuities are not.
Suggested tip for the wait staff: 5 euros per person
Starter
Salmon tartar with avocado mousse or Burrata with basil oil, chicory & roasted cherry tomatoes
Main
Green Thai vegetable curry with jasmine rice or Chicken piripiri with roasted potatoes and green salad or Portuguese style baked perch fish with potatoes, onions and tomatoes
Desert
Flourless chocolate cake with ice cream or Pavlova with whipped cream and fresh red fruit
Day 2
B/L/D
Breakfast at Hotel
Check out from Santiago de Alfama
Private transfer to our Retreat Site in Alentejo
~ 1.5 hour drive
This transfer is included in the retreat. Gratuities for the driver are not
Suggested Tip: 5 euros per person
Check in at The Green House in Vila Nova da Baronia,
Lunch at the Green House
Afternoon Writing Workshop
Dinner at The Green House
Open Mic - An informal chance to read your new work to the group
Day 3
B/L/D
Breakfast at Hotel
Morning Yoga
Writing Workshop
Lunch at the Green House
One on One Meetings with Laura
Cooking Session & Dinner at The Green House
Open Mic - An informal chance to read your new work to the group
Day 4 – Marrakech
B/L
Breakfast at Hotel
Breathwork - Clear some space for creativity with a private, guided Breathwork session
Writing Workshop
Depart for Vineyard Visit -
Tasting and Tapas at Fitaprete Vineyard
One on One Meetings with Laura
Dinner on your own -
There are several local restaurants within walking distance of the Green House
Open Mic - An informal chance to read your new work to the group
Day 5
B/L/D
Breakfast at Hotel
Morning Yoga
Writing Workshop
Lunch at the Green House
One on One Meetings with Laura
Dinner at The Green House
Open Mic - An informal chance to read your new work to the group
Day 6
B/D
Breakfast at the Villa
Morning Breath Work - Clear some space for creativity with a private, guided Breath Work session
Writing Workshop
Lunch on your own - There are several local restaurants within walking distance of the Green House
One on One Meetings with Laura
Dinner at The Green House
Open Mic - An informal chance to read your new work to the group
Day 7
B
Check out at The Green House
Depart for Lisbon
This transfer is included in the retreat. Gratuities for the driver are not
Suggested Tip: 5 euros per person
Please contact Valise before booking your flight. The retreat site is 1.5 hours from the airport, so your departing flight must be no earlier than noon or 1pm.
Itinerary is subject to change
Space is limited
There are a variety of room types in each location of this retreat. Larger rooms will be given to tyhose who register first
Included Meals in itinerary are indicated as follows:
B - Breakfast
L - Lunch
D - Dinner
About Laura
Laura is the author of Sweet Survival: Tales of Cooking & Coping, published by Greenpoint Press. She holds an BA from Wellesley College and an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University. A former reporter and editor at Bloomberg Businessweek, she is a winner of the Clarion Award and the Newspaper Guild’s Page One Award for Labor Reporting. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Huffington Post, Bloomberg Businessweek and elsewhere. She has appeared on CBS, CNBC, and various cable channels and has taught at Columbia University, Montclair State, the New York Public Library, and through Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in New York City with her husband.
Sweet Lab Writing Workshops was founded by Laura. Her editing clients have been published in a range of publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Yale Review and the Pennsylvania Gazette.
Booking your flight:
You will fly in and out of Lisbon, Portugal (LIS)
Participants are responsible for getting to Santiago de Alfamo upon arrival to Lisbon. Your return to the Lisbon airport will be arranged for you, and is included in the price of this trip.
If possible, plan to arrive before noon on Day 1, and to **depart after 1pm on Day 10.
**Note: The final day of this trip you will be traveling from the Atlentejo region to Lisbon, a 1.5 hour drive.
Detailed information will be sent to you when you register, including any pre-trip reading assignments, a packing list, tipping guidelines/cash needs, and some suggestions to help you prepare for the adventure.
A 30% non-refundable deposit is required to confirm a reservation. The full balance is due 6 (six) weeks prior to the start date of the trip, this amount is non-refundable upon payment. Cancellations less than six weeks prior to arrival are non- refundable.
Trip Inclusions
Private accommodations
All ground transportation, including transportation to the off-site activities. Arrival transfer not included
Daily Writing Workshops as specified in the itinerary
Daily meals as specified in the itinerary
The following activities:
1 Private walking history & culture tours in Lisbon
1 Cooking lesson
1 Vineyard visit with tour and tasting
Private Yoga classes
Trip Exclusions
International flights
Arrival Transfer
Alcoholic beverages other than those explicitly stated
Gratuities
Personal expenses such as laundry services
Travel insurance is strongly recommended