Detox Retreat

Honestly? For the first day or two, sometimes yes.

Days one and two are hardest, particularly if you've come off a lot of caffeine or sugar. By day three most guests report that hunger has largely gone and something steadier has taken its place.

You are not left with nothing. There are fresh juices, warm broths, herbal teas and infusions throughout the day, and your daily guidance session exists partly so someone is checking how you're actually doing rather than assuming.

Fresh juices pressed daily, warm broths, herbal teas and infusions, and the supplements that support the process. Nothing powdered, nothing from a packet.

No. Ours is a supported, guided program rather than a water fast, and we adjust it to the person in front of us.

Some guests do the full juice program. Others do a modified version with light solid food, particularly first-timers, anyone managing a health condition, or anyone who needs to stay functional. What you do is decided with our team, not imposed on you.

For most healthy adults, yes, and the questions we ask beforehand are how we make sure you're one of them.

Everyone completes a detailed health questionnaire before travelling, and everyone has a health check on arrival. There are people we'd advise against it, and we say so rather than take the booking.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a history of disordered eating, have a kidney or liver condition, diabetes, a heart condition, or bowel disease such as Crohn's or colitis, have had bariatric or abdominal surgery, or drink heavily every day, this may not be the right choice for you.

None of these is an automatic no. Several simply mean a modified program. But a detox retreat is not the place to discover something wasn't suitable, so please tell us everything on your health form.

The minimum is 5 nights. We recommend seven to ten.

The honest reason: days one and two are the adjustment, day three is usually when it turns, and the real benefit lands in the days after that. A three-night detox gives you the difficult part and sends you home just as it starts to work. If your time is limited, we'd gently suggest a shorter stay on a different program instead.

Yes, and it's gentler than you're imagining.

Yoga on a detox program is restorative rather than demanding- slow movement, long holds, breath. It's designed for a body doing internal work, not to burn calories. If you feel light-headed, you sit out. Nobody comments.

Yes, and it happens often. One of you can be on the detox program while the other books the Relaxation Retreat and eats proper dinners.

Being honest: it's easier if you're not sitting opposite each other while one of you has broth. Tell us in advance and our team will handle the seating sensitively.

Some will, and some won't if nothing else changes. That's not failure, it's what happens when one good week meets eleven months of ordinary life.

Which is why you leave with a personalised health plan built from your health check rather than a generic leaflet. The guests who hold on to most are those who take one or two things home and keep them, rather than trying to keep everything.

Shanti-Som Algarve sits in the countryside at Moncarapacho, near Olhão, in the eastern Algarve. Faro airport is around 20 minutes by car, which makes it one of the easiest wellness retreats in Europe to reach. Seville is roughly two hours and Lisbon around two hours forty five. Free private parking is available on site, and we can arrange an airport transfer on request.

Reservations can be cancelled free of charge up to 14 days before arrival. Cancellations within 14 days incur a charge of one night's stay. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for full details.