The story of Menorcan Retreats

It was December 2016, New Years Eve in fact, and Tom and I were at my mum’s farmhouse in Menorca, celebrating the New Years with a glass of bubbly by the fire. The following day we went for a beach walk, we were the only ones on the entire beach, it was cold so we were wrapped up, and I remember walking on the sand with my black boots and cosy socks, watching the waves crash in. Tom and I were chatting away, and we got onto the topic of moving houses. We both wanted to move out of Tom’s flat in Greenwich which he’d lived in for 12+ years.

I looked at Tom and said…”what would it look like if we didn’t move flats?” Tom’s replying stare, was one of total puzzlement. We had been talking about moving for ages! The thing is, neither of us were doing anything about it; we’d been dragging our heels although we didn’t know why.

I went on to say “What if we lived here, in Menorca instead? We love the weather, we love nature, we already know that we don’t spend enough time together; we both work such long hours, you leave the house at 4:30am to get to the gym to train your personal training clients, and I’m often back at 8/9pm after my evening nutrition clinic…there has to be more to life? I’d love to see our family and friends more, and enjoy creating extra special memories with them – not just going out for dinners or meeting for a rushed coffee/cuppa….. “

The conversation went on.

Here are a few things we realised….

We are both passionate about health. We are at our happiest when we’re helping people, in whatever way we can, whether it be with our clients in their health journeys or simply cooking delicious meals for people round our dinner table. We’re both thoughtful people – one of the things we love the most is the look on someone’s face if we’ve surprised them with something or done something thoughtful for them, even if it’s a card through the post or a voice note to say hello – it lights us up.

We love nature, going for walks, sitting on a beach with a DIY picnic, watching the sunrise or sunset, animals, yoga, exercising, eating great food, making amazing food, meeting great people.

This lead us to ask ourselves the question…how can we combine these things that we love so much & bring us such joy, into our everyday life, and share our way of thinking and our passions with others?

Enter……..’Menorcan Retreats‘.

I couldn’t be more proud of this family-run experience and because of this, I want to personally invite you to our home island for four days of pause, escape and resetting your body.

Join us in Menorca, where the sun shines brightly giving the sea the most gorgeous deep turquoise colour; you’ll be surrounded by the most stunning natural beauty with a group of positively uplifting people.

We’ve got my mum onboard who is an incredible cook and has lived on and off the island for 30+ years, She’s the reason I got into nutrition and health and one of my main inspirations in life. Think Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia and you won’t be far off! She’s also a masseuse as well as a self taught nutritional chef, and qualified Nutritional Therapist, so it’s a dream come true to be working together.

Tom will be covering everything on the fitness front – the circuit training, the morning stretching, Qigong – don’t worry if you’re a newbie or seriously out of the habit of exercising, Tom has got you covered and we intentionally create a very welcoming environment for all fitness levels.

What can you expect?

Here are some highlights…

All the food is locally sourced and prepared by myself and my mum. From the moment you wake up until your head hits the pillow – your taste buds will be truly pampered. Think pineapple and mint lollies, watermelon and feta salads, Menorcan fish bakes and picnics al fresco on tranquil beaches. We’ll be doing some cooking demonstrations as well so you can recreate some of the favourite dishes enabling your food journey continues well beyond the retreat.

We weave exercise into the 4 days so that our bodies move in enjoyable ways. From sunrise yoga & beautiful hikes to hidden spots on the island which Tom and I have been discovering for you, through to circuit training in the olive groves and meditation under the stars…it’s about getting those endorphins flowing, your muscles gently stretched and your deep breathing triggered, so you can truly relax at a cellular level.

You will receive a complimentary massage on day one or two so you can sink into the experience.

You can read everything over here: www.menorcanretreats.com and the website is continually updated with our latest Retreat schedule.

Any questions, just let me know!

I’m so looking forward to hosting you and sharing this magical experience with you.

Come alone, come with a friend/partner or come as a group….and I can’t wait to (fingers crossed) see you there.

Jess x