Digital detox and yoga retreats in Ibiza and the Bahamas

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Silver Linings offers personalised programmes and sessions with revered yogi Stewart Gilchrist

A restored Ibizan farmhouse with a biodynamic farm will join the seriously relaxed roster of properties hosting Silver Linings’ holistic wellness retreats this year. La Granja in the island’s northern hills will be home to two five-day detox escapes (October 9-13 and 16-20, from £1,660 per person, excluding accommodation and flights), with revered yogi Stewart Gilchrist overseeing individually tailored programmes of yoga and meditation, and an emphasis on “cutting the umbilical cord to the digital world”, according to Silver Linings’ founder Chrissy Sundt.

“Stewart is an extraordinary teacher and has an enormous and loyal following globally,” says Sundt. “We are incredibly lucky to have him.” 

Yoga, pilates, barre work, HIIT, cardio and stretch classes will be available to guests

Yoga, pilates, barre work, HIIT, cardio and stretch classes will be available to guests

There will be just 16 places on each retreat. Guests will stretch with 90 minutes of awakening yoga in the morning, and for 65-75 minutes of yoga with meditation in the evening. Pilates, barre work, HIIT, cardio and stretch classes will also be on the menu – as well as one-on-one time with Sundt, a former Royal Ballet dancer and qualified yoga, pilates and barre teacher – alongside seasonal organic produce from the farm and Silver Linings’ signature juices.

Similar programmes will also be available, again for only 16 guests, at Kamalame Cay in the Bahamas (November 3-17 and February 2-16 2018, from £1,560 per person), a private island paradise with a spa built over the water, giving views of tropical fish swimming meditatively below. 

Sundt carries out pre-trip consultations in person, by phone or via Skype, and aims to create personalised programmes that take into account guests’ long-term goals. Juice cleanses and paleo diets are on offer, with a Mennonite farm on the nearby island of Andros (the least developed landmass in the Bahamas) providing produce, and vegetarian and vegan diets, as well as food allergies and intolerances, catered for.

“We don’t confiscate phones, but in the Bahamas there isn’t much service or WiFi except in the office building, so we encourage guests to check no more than twice a day,” says Sundt. “It’s important to commit to the programme and tell the office that you are not available for a week. The space to think and breathe is vital.”