Ignite your senses, awaken your intuition and lift your spirit. This retreat is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse yourself in a different culture, indulge in culinary pleasures, walk through beautiful landscapes and practise energy work on a daily basis.
Limited to just 7 passengers!
During this retreat, you can expect to...
Who is this for?
Find out more about this exclusive retreat to France! I'm always happy to answer any questions you may have so please don't hesitate to contact me.
This morning meet Merryn at our Paris hotel, the Holiday Inn Express Paris, Canal de la Villette, and depart for the French countryside. Our destination is Vendee, one of the most scenic regions of rural France.
En-route we will visit the famous Chartres Cathedral, a UNESCO-listed building and a popular pilgrimage site built on one of the Earth’s strong energy points. We will have time to walk the small labyrinth in the church garden, visit Chartres’ charming medieval village and buy lunch.
Our next stop is the vibrant student town of Angers to visit its castle, home to the largest medieval tapestry in the world. Merryn will explain what the Apocalypse tapestry represents on a spiritual level and why it is so significant for each of us.
This evening we will arrive at Chateau Joli, an 18th-century family-run manor house that is our home for the next seven nights. After settling in we will enjoy a welcome circle with meditation, an aperitif or tea and a chance to hear about our exciting week ahead. We will then enjoy dinner. (D)
This morning after breakfast we will enjoy a Soul Safari through the unique Breton marshlands behind Chateau Joli, along a section of the Santiago de Compostella pilgrim route that runs south to link with the famous Camino Way. We will then enjoy a long and leisurely Sunday lunch in true French style.
This afternoon we will have the opportunity to visit a 22,000-year-old megalith and experience its energy. Long before hospitals, people would come to this stone for healing.
Returning to the chateau, we will enjoy an aperitif in the drawing room, followed by dinner. This evening there will be time for reflection, tea and meditation before bed. (B, L, D)
After breakfast we will depart for the medieval walled town of Guerande, where we will enjoy a walking tour and some free time to browse its speciality shops.
Lunch will be at Le Roc Maria Creperie (lunch not included. Cost will be approx €11.50 per person).
In the afternoon we will depart for the pretty seaside port of Pornic, where we will set off on today’s Soul Safari. Afterwards we will have time to explore its labyrinth of cobbled alleyways and sample the strawberry ice-cream for which Pornic is famous!
We will then return to the chateau for an aperitif and dinner, with time for reflection, tea and meditation before bed. (B, D)
After breakfast we will travel to Challans market to buy produce for today’s cooking lesson. We will have free time to look around the market. before returning to the chateau to try our hand at French cuisine with our hostess, Madame Leyrit.
After we enjoy our gastronomic creations for lunch we will visit Sallertain (optional), the capital of the Marais de Vendee area and an artists’ village. Our meditation today will be in the village’s lovely public garden.
This evening will be at leisure followed by an aperitif and dinner, and time for reflection, tea and meditation before bed. (B, L, D)
After breakfast we will depart for our day-trip to Carnac. A fascinating soul safari will take us past the alignments of some 3000 ancient stones which predate Stonehenge by 100 years. We will continue into the surrounding forest which conceals more menhirs and dolmens.
We will enjoy lunch at Cher Marie – voted by the locals as the best creperie in Brittany (lunch not included. Cost will be approx €20 per person).
In the afternoon we will drive to the enchanted Broceliande Forest, where legend has it that King Arthur battled monsters and Merlin the Wizard was buried. We will visit the Church of the Holy Grail, where religion, spiritualism and myth unite, before entering the forest and the Valley of No Return.
This evening we will return to the chateau for an aperitif and dinner, with time for reflection, tea and meditation before bed. (B, D)
This morning we will depart for the provincial city of Nantes. On arrival we will enjoy a soul safari around this historic town dominated by Ducs de Bretagne castle, and sit in contemplation and meditation in the glorious Nantes Cathedral. Our afternoon will be free for lunch (not included) and to indulge in some shopping.
This evening we will return to the chateau for an aperitif and dinner, with time for reflection, tea and meditation before bed. (B, D)
This morning we will depart for the picturesque island of Noirmoutier, reached by crossing Passage du Gois, the longest tidal causeway in the world. We will enjoy a soul safari along the island’s romantic windswept coastline and a picnic lunch (not included) by the sea.
Our afternoon is free to explore the charming town centre and visit the church and crypt of St Philbert.
At the end of this memorable day we will return to Chateau Jolie for aperitifs and a farewell dinner. (B, D)
We will enjoy a final home-cooked breakfast this morning before departing for Paris. En-route we will enjoy a wine tour and tasting at Chateau du Petit Thouars in the Loire and a delicious picnic lunch in the vines. In the afternoon we wil visit historic Orleans, where Joan of Arc saved the town from the British, and see the Cathedral of Sainte-Croix, the Venus oracle associated with yellow and the Solar Plexus chakra.
We will arrive in Paris at approximately 6pm, where our tour will end at the Holiday Inn Express Paris, Canal de la Villette. (B, L)
Deposit: A non-refundable deposit of $1000 per person is required within 7 days of booking
Final Payment: Due 90 days prior to the commencement of the retreat.
Single and twin-share rooms: are available on a first-in, first-served basis.
Travel Insurance: It is a condition of travel that each passenger is adequately covered by an appropriate travel insurance policy.
Fitness level: A moderate level of fitness is required for this retreat.
A Soul Safari is Merryn’s signature walk: 2 hours in beautiful natural surrounds and including a guided 20-30 minute outdoor meditation, which allows you to tap into your inner self for peace and guidance regardless of a busy mind or feelings of anxiety and stress. All walks on this retreat are graded easy to moderate.