Every year, the town fifteen kilometers down the hill from our finca reenacts the night Mallorca changed hands. Hundreds of neighbors in Moorish and Christian costume, boats in the bay, a battle on the beach, fire-runners in the streets, and fireworks over the water to close it.

And every year it lands on the first weekend of September, which means the centerpiece falls the day after Sol & Soul ends.

I can’t add a night at Son Boronat; the finca is booked straight through. So here’s the honest version: if you want to see it, fly home a day later, sleep somewhere on the coast Friday night, and go stand on the sand. This post is how to do that.

What is the Festes del Rei en Jaume?

The Festes del Rei en Jaume is Calvià’s biggest fiesta, a ten-day commemoration in Santa Ponça of King Jaume I landing on this coast in September 1229 with a fleet of more than 150 vessels to take the island from its Moorish rulers. The festivities were first celebrated in 1929 for the 700th anniversary, and the modern version has grown into one of the most recognizable traditional events on the island.

What makes it worth a plane change: it isn’t staged for visitors. The battle is fought by colles, local companies of residents; around 1,400 people from eleven Moorish and eleven Christian companies take part. Your waiter’s cousin is probably a Saracen.

When is the Festes del Rei en Jaume in 2027?

The 2027 program hasn’t been published yet — the Calvià town hall releases it each August — but the shape is the same every year. The 2026 edition ran August 26 to September 6, opening with a commemorative ceremony at the Santa Ponça Cross on Thursday and building to the reenactment on the first weekend of September: the Moorish parade on Friday, then the landing and final battle on Santa Ponça beach on Saturday.

For 2027, that points to the battle on Saturday, September 4, with closing fireworks Sunday the 5th. Sol & Soul ends Friday, September 3. One extra night gets you the battle. Two gets you the fireworks. I’ll update this post when the dates are official.

How do I extend my stay after the retreat?

Book your flight home for Sunday or Monday instead of Friday, and reserve one or two nights on the coast near Santa Ponça. That’s the whole plan. Three things make it easy:

Where to sleep. Santa Ponça itself has a range of beachfront and adults-only hotels a short walk from the beach where the battle happens; that’s the zero-logistics choice. Port Adriano and Portals Nous, ten minutes east, are quieter and prettier if you’d rather not sleep in the middle of the fiesta. Palma is 25 minutes away and gives you the city for Sunday; the tradeoff is a taxi each way to Santa Ponça.

Getting down the hill. The retreat’s Friday transfer runs to the airport at set times; a taxi from Son Boronat to Santa Ponça is about 20 to 25 minutes, and we can help coordinate so the women extending share a ride.

Flights. Palma is 30 to 40 minutes from Santa Ponça. A Sunday-afternoon or Monday flight home gives you the battle, a slow last swim, and no 5am alarm.

What happens on battle Saturday?

The battle begins late afternoon. Around 5:30, Christian boats decorated for the occasion fill Santa Ponça bay and wait for the king’s order to land; the first hand-to-hand fight between Moors and Christians happens around the Creu. Both sides then parade toward Caló d’en Pellicer, where history places the second battle of September 10, 1229, and the final battle is fought on Santa Ponça beach. Expect firecrackers and much rejoicing.

The beach fills up quickly, so arriving well ahead of the start is worth it if you want to watch from the sand or the promenade rather than from further back.

My suggested Saturday: morning swim, a walk out to the Creu de Santa Ponça (a stone cross on a headland with views across the bay), a long lunch, then claim your spot on the beach by four with water and a hat. After the battle, the medieval market on the promenade runs until 1am and the plaza has music.

What else is on during the fiesta?

If you’re already on the coast, the week has more than the battle. The Nit de Foc turns Santa Ponça into a demonic set with fire, drums, and pyrotechnics, about 75 minutes starting at 10pm. It’s a correfoc, a fire run through the streets: wear cotton, cover your hair, and stand where you’re comfortable. The medieval market on the beach promenade runs from Thursday to Sunday, noon to 1am. A historian leads a guided walk of the landing route from Caló d’en Pellicer, booked in advance through cultura@calvia.com. And the closing Sunday brings a solemn mass and fireworks in the evening.

A few of these fall inside the retreat week. We’ll run an optional van into Santa Ponça for one of them if the dates line up; details on the retreat page once the program is out.

Sol & Soul · Son Boronat, Calvià · August 27–September 3, 2027
Fourteen women, two practices a day, the warmest sea of the year — and a town’s own fiesta down the road. See dates, pricing, and what’s included →

Is it worth staying an extra day for?

Yes, if you like your travel with a pulse. A week at the finca is slow by design: long mornings, long meals, a lot of air in the schedule. The fiesta is the opposite — loud, crowded, joyful, a whole town in costume — and doing it on the way out is a strangely perfect ending. You’ve spent seven days coming back to yourself. Then you stand on a beach with several thousand strangers and watch a boat land, and you remember that being alive is also this.

It’s free. It’s fifteen minutes from where you’ve been sleeping. And the odds of it lining up with your life again are low.

To be fully immersed in another culture’s celebration

The short version

Fly home Sunday or Monday. Sleep in Santa Ponça, Port Adriano, or Palma on Friday. Be on the beach by four on Saturday. Everything else is optional.

One brave decision. Sol & Soul, Mallorca, August 27–September 3, 2027 — plus one more day if you want it. Reserve your spot →

Love,
Autumn

FAQ

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None of that tells you which part of Spain is right for you.

I’m Autumn Adams, founder of Ambuja Yoga. I’ve led women’s yoga retreats since 2014 — 40+ retreats, 700+ women — in Oregon, North Carolina, Sedona, Patagonia, Greece, Thailand, and now Mallorca, where I host Sol & Soul at Son Boronat, a 17th-century finca in the hills above Calvià. So yes, I have a favorite. But I spent years looking at properties across Spain before I chose it, and I’d rather you pick the right retreat than pick mine for the wrong reasons.

This is the guide I wish someone had handed me.

Where are the best yoga retreats in Spain?

The best yoga retreats in Spain cluster in four regions: two islands and two stretches of the mainland. Mallorca and Ibiza in the Balearics; Andalusia in the south and Catalonia in the northeast on the mainland. Each one draws a different kind of retreat and a different kind of woman.

Quick version:

• Mallorca (island) — mountains and sea in the same day. Historic fincas, hiking, quiet coves. For women who want nature, movement, and rest in one week.
• Ibiza (island) — a real wellness scene and a real party reputation. For women who want a polished, social retreat and don’t mind paying for it.
• Andalusia (southern mainland) — inland, mountainous, slow. For deep quiet, silence, and lower prices.
• Catalonia (northeastern mainland) — Barcelona and the Costa Brava. For the easiest logistics and the option of a city trip on either end.

The rest of this post goes region by region, then gives you the questions that matter more than the map.

What is a yoga retreat in Mallorca actually like?

A yoga retreat in Mallorca usually means a restored stone farmhouse (a finca) in the hills, morning practice on a terrace, and afternoons split between the Serra de Tramuntana mountains and the sea. It’s the one Spanish destination where real hiking and Mediterranean swimming fit inside the same day.

That’s why I chose it. My retreats are built around movement in real places. In Mallorca you can walk through a 700-year-old olive grove in the morning and float in a cove by four o’clock. Nobody has to choose between the mountain woman and the beach woman. You get to be both.

What surprises people: Mallorca is not Ibiza’s quiet sister, and it’s not a resort island. Twenty minutes outside Palma it’s olive terraces, sheep bells, and villages that close for lunch.

Who it’s for: women who want nature and adventure alongside the yoga. Women who get restless on a lounger. Women who want to come home a little stronger, not just a little tanner.

Who it’s not for: if you want strict silence or a big nightlife scene, look elsewhere.

Getting there: fly into Palma (PMI). From the US it’s usually one connection through Madrid, Barcelona, or a European hub. From the UK and Europe it’s direct.

When to go: May–June and the end of August–October are the sweet spots. Late August is hot in the middle of the day — I’ll say that plainly — but it’s also when the sea is warmest and the island starts exhaling as the summer crowds head home. Sol & Soul runs August 27–September 3, and the schedule runs early and late for exactly that reason. I wrote up what the week actually looks like → if you want the day-by-day.

Is a yoga retreat in Ibiza worth it?

Yes, if you want a high-end, social, well-run retreat and you’re comfortable with Ibiza prices. Ibiza has one of the most developed wellness scenes in Europe, and the north of the island is far calmer than its reputation.

What you get: beautiful villas, strong teachers, often yoga blended with breathwork, sound, or dance. The retreats tend to be polished and camera-ready. Some women love that. Some women (hi) find it a little much. I frankly don’t want

What to watch: Ibiza retreats usually cost more than the equivalent in Mallorca or Andalusia, and “quiet” is relative in high summer. If you’re traveling alone and a bit introverted, ask how big the group is and what the evenings look like.

Who it’s for: confident travelers, women who want a social week, anyone who’s always wanted to see Ibiza without the club scene running the trip.

What about a yoga retreat in Andalusia?

Andalusia is where you go for depth and quiet. Most Andalusian yoga retreats are inland — in the Alpujarras below the Sierra Nevada, or the hills behind Málaga — with whitewashed villages, long views, and very little to do at night. That’s the point.

This is where you’ll find the most silent retreats, the most meditation-forward programs, and the most budget-friendly stays. If a “yoga and meditation retreat in Spain” is what you’re actually looking for, Andalusia has the deepest bench.

What to know: inland summer is hotter than the islands, and the beach is usually a drive rather than a walk. Spring and fall are lovely. Fly into Málaga or Granada; from the US that’s typically one connection through Madrid.

Who it’s for: women who want stillness more than adventure. Women on a tighter budget. Women who want to practice hard and talk little.

Should you choose a yoga retreat in Catalonia?

Choose Catalonia if convenience matters most. The Costa Brava and the countryside north of Barcelona are one to two hours from a major international airport, which means a direct flight from several US cities, good trains, and the option of pairing a retreat with a few days in the city.

The retreats here vary more than anywhere else in Spain — farmhouse stays in the Pyrenees foothills, beach-town studios, coastal villas. Quality is uneven, so read the teacher’s bio carefully and check who’s actually leading the classes.

Who it’s for: first-time international travelers who want a safety net, women building a longer Spain trip, anyone who doesn’t want a second flight.

Islands or mainland: which is better for a yoga retreat in Spain?

Islands give you sea on every side and a stronger sense of being away; the mainland gives you easier travel and lower prices. That’s the first fork, and it settles a lot.

Mallorca and Ibiza mean one more flight (or a ferry) and the feeling of having left the world behind. Andalusia and Catalonia mean one flight, a train if you like, and the rest of Spain within reach. Neither is better. One of them is more you.

How do you choose between yoga retreats in Spain?

Pick the region second. Pick the kind of week you want first. After forty-some retreats I’ve watched women book the wrong one because the photos were beautiful, and I’ve watched women book the right one because they answered five questions:

1. Move or be still? Hiking, swimming, a boat day → Mallorca. Silence and slow mornings → Andalusia.
2. With people or with yourself? Social and lively → Ibiza. Small group, real conversation → look for a cap under 15.
3. How much travel can you handle? One flight → Catalonia or Andalusia. Two is fine → the islands.
4. What’s your budget, all-in? Add flights and a night in the gateway city. Andalusia and Catalonia are usually cheapest; Ibiza usually most.
5. Who’s teaching? The venue matters less than the woman holding the room. Look for a real name, real credentials, and reviews from women who look like you.

You don’t need to have this figured out perfectly. You just need to know yourself a little.

Thinking about Mallorca? Sol & Soul at Son Boronat runs August 27–September 3, 2027 — eight days, fourteen women, two practices a day, a day on the Mediterranean, an olive-grove walk in the Tramuntana, and a chef cooking from what’s local. From $3,497, airport transfers included. See dates, pricing, and what’s included →
Not ready yet? Join the list and I’ll send retreat dates before they go public.

Can you go to a yoga retreat in Spain alone?

Yes. Most women on my retreats come alone, and on international retreats it’s usually the majority. You will not be the only one.

What I tell women who are nervous about it: by the second morning you’ll be sharing coffee with someone you didn’t know existed 36 hours ago. Complete strangers become friends before we’ve finished unpacking. Spain makes this easier — long shared dinners, warm evenings, a whole culture built around lingering at the table.

If you’ve never traveled alone internationally, Catalonia or Mallorca are the gentlest starts. Both have big, easy airports, and English is widely spoken where you’ll be.

Do you need to be good at yoga for a retreat in Spain?

No. You do not need any yoga experience for most yoga retreats in Spain, including mine. The women who come range from “I did YouTube yoga during lockdown” to teachers with 500 hours.

What matters more is being upfront with the host. A good teacher will tell you whether her retreat leans physical (mine does — we walk) or restorative, and whether you can skip a session without anyone noticing. If a retreat page doesn’t say who it’s for, email and ask. How they answer tells you a lot.

What does a yoga retreat in Spain cost?

A yoga retreat in Spain typically costs between $1,200 and $5,500 for a week, not including flights. Short three-night retreats and Andalusian farmhouses sit at the low end; Ibiza villas and small-group retreats with private rooms, excursions, and a chef sit at the top.

How to read a price:

• Group size. Twenty-five women at $1,500 and fourteen women at $3,500 are different experiences, not the same one at different prices.
• What’s actually included. Excursions, all meals, airport transfers, and a private room add up fast when they’re extras.
• Who’s leading. A teacher with a decade of retreats behind her is charging for the room she holds, not just the bed.

Sol & Soul starts at $3,497 for seven nights with meals, both excursions, and transfers included. It isn’t the cheapest yoga retreat in Spain. It isn’t trying to be.

What should you pack for a yoga retreat in Spain?

Pack for two climates: cool mountain mornings and hot beach afternoons. A light layer for early practice, real walking shoes if the retreat hikes, a swimsuit you’ll actually swim in, and something for long dinners that isn’t leggings.

Skip the mat unless the retreat tells you to bring one; most provide them. Bring a hat, reef-safe sunscreen, a journal, some euros, and one book you’ve been meaning to read for a year. Set your out-of-office before you land. Then leave the laptop in the bag.

The short answer

If you want mountains, sea, a small group, and a week that leaves you stronger — Mallorca.
If you want polished and social — Ibiza.
If you want quiet and cheaper — Andalusia.
If you want easy — Catalonia.

And if you’re still not sure, that’s fine. Most of us rarely give ourselves this kind of space, and choosing where to take it is allowed to take a minute. Read a few pages. Email a few teachers. Notice which one you keep coming back to.

Then say yes to that one.

Come to Mallorca with us. Sol & Soul at Son Boronat, August 27–September 3, 2027. Eight days. Fourteen women. Hikes, swims, a boat, a very good chef, and a lot of laughing. See the retreat and reserve your spot →

FAQ

The post Yoga Retreats in Spain: How to Choose (Mallorca vs. Ibiza vs. Andalusia vs. Catalonia) appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

An honest look at what a women’s yoga retreat in Spain — specifically Mallorca — is like— the finca, the schedule, the sea, the food, the cost, and who actually comes.

Table of Contents

• What is a women’s yoga retreat in Spain actually like?
• Where do you stay?
• What does a typical day look like?
• What do you do besides yoga?
• Do you need to be good at yoga?
• Can you come alone?
• What’s the food like — and is there wine?
• What does a women’s yoga retreat in Mallorca cost?
• What makes this different from other yoga retreats in Spain?
• What women say about Autumn’s retreats
• When’s the best time of year to go?
• Frequently asked questions

The first time I saw the terrace and yoga shala at Son Boronat it was love at first sight. Honey-colored stone, pines going quiet, the pool catching the first of the light. I stood there with my coffee going cold in my hand thinking: oh. This is the one.

I’ve been looking at properties in Spain for years. I’ve walked through a lot of beautiful buildings that felt like nothing. This one felt like something.

So here’s the honest version of what a women’s yoga retreat in Mallorca is like — the shape of the days, the food, what it costs, who comes, and what you’ll actually be doing at four in the afternoon on a Tuesday. Not the brochure version. The version I’d give you if you asked me over coffee.

What is a women’s yoga retreat in Mallorca actually like?

A women’s yoga retreat in Mallorca is typically a week-long stay at a rural finca, built around two yoga practices a day, chef-cooked Mediterranean food, a day on the water, mountain time in the Serra de Tramuntana, and long unhurried evenings — with a group small enough that everyone knows everyone by the third night.

The thing that surprises most women is how much of the week is unstructured. There’s a morning practice and an evening practice, one anchor activity most days, and then hours in the middle that belong entirely to you. You can swim. You can nap. You can sit under a tree with a book and talk to nobody.

Most retreat schedules look full on paper because they list everything. In practice, the week has a lot of air in it, and that air is where the good stuff happens.

The other thing worth naming: Mallorca is not a recovery destination. Women come to Oregon to put things down. They come to Mallorca because they want something. The sea, the food, a long dinner that turns into dancing, the feeling of being somewhere beautiful with women they like. You don’t need to arrive depleted to have earned that. Wanting it is enough.

Where do you stay?

Sol & Soul stays at Son Boronat, a 17th-century finca in the hills above Calvià, about 30 to 40 minutes from Palma airport and roughly twelve kilometers from the city. It’s a family-run estate on 70,000 square meters of mostly forest, with terraced gardens, a pool that hangs over the valley, and the Serra de Tramuntana behind it.

Eight rooms. Fourteen women. Every room has an en-suite bath, air conditioning, high ceilings with exposed beams, and most open onto a balcony, roof terrace, or private patio.

The yoga shala is one of the most beautiful I’ve practiced in anywhere — warm wood, soft light, windows full of mountains. When the morning’s right, we roll the mats out on the terrace instead and practice under open sky.

There’s an archaeological site on the property with caves set into the mountain wall, and somewhere in the grounds one of the oldest pine trees on Mallorca. Airport transfers are included in both directions, so from the moment you land you’re handled.

What does a typical day look like?

Mornings open with yoga at 8:00, brunch at 9:30, and a workshop or excursion at 11:00. Lunch is at 1:30, afternoons from 3:00 to 5:00 are yours, evening practice runs 5:00 to 7:00, and dinner is at 7:30. That’s the frame. Individual days move around it.

Here’s the arc of the week:

Day 1 — You land in Palma, someone drives you up into the hills, and you settle in. A welcome circle and an easy grounding practice in the late afternoon, then dinner.

Day 2 — Morning flow, long brunch, an open afternoon to swim or sleep, restorative yoga before dinner.

Day 3 — Yoga, then the manifestation and mindset workshop: getting clear about what you actually want, and how intention plus aligned action reshapes a life over time. Free afternoon. Gentle practice and yoga nidra in the evening.

Day 4 — A relaxed morning, then out on the Mediterranean. The boat anchors in a quiet cove, we move through a floating meditation on deck, and then everybody swims.

Day 5 — The Tramuntana day. A walk through a 700-year-old olive grove above Valldemossa with a tasting from those same trees, time in the village where Chopin spent his famously miserable winter, and the view out over the sea at Sa Foradada.

Day 6 — An optional island excursion, or a slow day at the estate. Celebration dinner that night.

Day 7 — Morning yoga, a closing circle, naming what you’re taking home, and a final long dinner.

Day 8 — Breakfast, goodbyes, transfer back to the airport.

Nothing on that list is mandatory. If the boat day sounds like heaven and the workshop doesn’t, skip the workshop.

What do you do besides yoga?

Besides two daily practices, the week includes a day on the Mediterranean with a floating meditation and swim, an olive-grove walk and tasting in the Tramuntana, mindset and manifestation workshops, yoga nidra, meditation, sound healing, journaling, and a celebration night.

Optional add-ons sit alongside that: a day in Sóller — the vintage tram down to the port, a long lunch, the beach — and a VIP day with a private session, a massage, and a few elevated extras.

If you want to build your own free afternoons, there’s a whole island out there. The Yogi’s Guide to Yoga in Mallorca covers the studios, markets, hikes, and shops worth your time.

Do you need to be good at yoga?

No. No experience is required, and total beginners are welcome. Options come with every practice, so you can go as gently or as strongly as your body wants that day. Mats and all props are provided.

Roughly half the women on any given retreat have never been on one before. A good number haven’t been on a mat in years. Nobody is watching you, and nobody is grading you.

“Besides being incredibly excited about my first yoga retreat, I knew I needed some restoration… You don’t have to be good at yoga to come. You don’t have to have the right attire. You don’t have to know all about yoga.” — Jodi Kentaman, Sedona 2026

Can you come alone?

Yes — most women do. Of fourteen guests, the majority arrive solo, and the week is built so that no one ends up eating alone or standing at the edge of a group.

Ages run roughly 30 to 65, with real range on either side. These are grown women with full lives, not an influencer crowd.

“Many yogis traveled alone, yet we all felt connected after some time together.” — Adelaide S., Sedona 2026

This is the part where you decide

Sol & Soul · Son Boronat, Calvià, Mallorca · August 27 – September 3, 2027 Fourteen women · all levels · airport transfers included · from $3,497

If this is your first retreat, start with what to expect at your first yoga retreat — it walks through the whole thing, start to finish.

See dates, pricing, and what’s included →

Not ready yet? Join the list and I’ll send the dates before they go public.

What’s the food like — and is there wine?

All meals are included and cooked on-site: fresh, seasonal Mediterranean food, mostly plant-based, with vegan and vegetarian options always available. There are also multiple opportunities through the week for animal protein, because protein matters, particularly through perimenopause and after.

Tell us about allergies in advance and you’ll be well fed. Long dinners in the candlelit courtyard, everything local, and an almond cake that people write home about.

Wine is served at the final celebration dinner. It’s optional, and alcohol beyond that isn’t included (but available for purchase).

What does a women’s yoga retreat in Mallorca cost?

Sol & Soul starts at $3,497 per person for seven nights, which covers accommodation, all meals, daily yoga, workshops, the boat day, the Tramuntana day, and round-trip airport transfers. A $500 deposit holds your spot, and payment plans are available on request.

Not included: flights to Palma, transfers outside the scheduled group pickup, travel insurance (required for international retreats), optional add-ons, and gratuities.

For comparison, a week at a decent Mallorcan finca in late August without any of the yoga, food, excursions, or organizing would run a meaningful fraction of that on its own. The cost is rarely the actual block for most women anyway — it’s the permission.

What makes this different from other yoga retreats in Spain?

Most yoga retreats in Spain sell rest. This one treats rest as the doorway rather than the destination. You’ll spend the week genuinely resting, and you’ll also spend part of it getting clear about what you want next and learning the actual mechanism for moving toward it — intention, attention, and small aligned decisions that compound.

That’s taught with the science attached: how naming what you want trains your brain’s reticular activating system to notice what matches it, and why a regulated nervous system is the precondition for any of it working. Not magic. Decisions that stack.

The other differences are simpler. Thirteen years, 40-plus retreats, 700-plus women. Fourteen guests, not thirty. A property personally vetted rather than booked off a listing site.

“Autumn does an excellent job researching all of her retreat locations and she personally vets each property beforehand. I have learned the hard way that not all yoga retreat teachers do so.” — Andrea M., Thailand 2025 (third retreat with Autumn)

What women say about Autumn’s retreats

“This is my second international trip with Autumn and I trust her implicitly. She really cares about each individual having a positive experience and creates a warm sense of community and welcome. And, the yoga is so fun!” — Valerie E., Thailand 2025

“As an introvert, I loved that the group activities were optional — there was always the chance to connect with others, but also the freedom to step back.” — Kari L., Thailand 2025

“Autumn made me fall back in love with yoga and the setting was just divine. The most serene, relaxing location and the pace of the retreat was perfect.” — Rebecca W., Greece 2023

“When you arrive you won’t be anyone’s wife, partner, daughter, or mom. You will just be seen as YOU. That is priceless.” — Andrea M., Thailand 2025

When’s the best time of year to go?

Late August into early September gives you warm, swimmable sea and long golden evenings, with daytime highs in the mid to upper 80s°F. It’s the good kind of hot in the middle of the day, which is exactly why the schedule runs early and late and leaves the afternoon open.

May, June, and early October are milder if you’re planning your own trip rather than joining a retreat. July and August are the peak of both heat and crowds — workable, as long as you move the way the island moves.

Frequently asked questions

One brave decision

If you’ve opened this page more than once, that’s information.

Sol & Soul · A women’s yoga retreat in Mallorca · August 27 – September 3, 2027 Son Boronat, Calvià · fourteen women · all levels · most come alone

See dates, pricing, and what’s included →

Love, Autumn

The post Yoga Retreat in Mallorca, Spain: What a Week Actually Looks Like appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.