This Isn’t a Fitness Retreat.
It’s a Reset.
Five days in rural Portugal
with Alex Gregory MBE.
5-10 June 2027 · 8-13 September 2027
From £3,800 per person · Reserve with a 50% deposit
Our 2026 weeks sold out.
Only a few places left for June 2027.
Early light, still water and the sound of the oars - you won’t need to think about anything else.
Each day there's a row on the reservoir and a gentle yoga session.
Around that, fireside talks with Alex, a traditional vineyard tour, an evening of fado and long meals with people you'll quickly get to know. There’s always time for the pool or a moment to yourself.
You don't need to have rowed before.
Dates
5 - 10 June 2027(Saturday to Thursday)
Only a few places left
8 - 13 September 2027
(Wednesday to Monday)
Where
Herdade da Cortesia, Avis, Alentejo - about 1 hour 45 from Lisbon
Length
Six days, five nights
Group size
Around sixteen rowers, from complete beginners to lifelong rowers
Price
£3,800 per person sharing with someone you're travelling with
£4,350 in a private room
£2,800 for a non-rowing guest sharing with a rower
Room, all meals, rowing, yoga, evenings and Lisbon group transfers included.
Pay in full, or reserve with a 50% deposit.
What the week is
Time at a different pace
For five days you get to step out of your everyday pace.
Rowing becomes a moving meditation - repetitive, grounding and completely absorbing.
One row a day.
Out on the reservoir with Alex and the team, in stable coastal sculling boats. You go at your own pace, nobody needs to keep up with anyone else.
Yoga, mobility and breathwork.
A gentle session each day to stretch out, slow down and breathe.
Time to yourself.
The pool, walks in nature, a book in the shade. Everything is optional, you choose how much you join in.
Evenings together.
Long dinners, fireside talks with Alex, a wine tasting and a traditional fado night.
You'll go home calm, rested and feeling much more like yourself.
Is this right for you?
For anyone who wants to slow down, move and breathe
Many people arrive as complete beginners. Others have years of rowing behind them. Some bring a partner or friend who simply wants a restful week somewhere beautiful.
More than half our guests come on their own. One of the things people mention most afterwards is how a part of the group you’ll feel from the very first evening. Solo guests always have their own en-suite room - we never pair people up.
It isn't about performance. There are no targets and no leaderboards. It's about being here, enjoying it, experiencing Portugal and resetting so you feel like yourself again.
Looking for more of a training week?
The Mind Body Row Sculling Camp runs at the same place in February and October, with two to three rowing sessions each day.
How the days go
A sample week
Every week is a little different, but this is the shape of it.
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Meet at Lisbon airport at 3pm for the group transfer to Avis, about 1 hour 45.
Settle in, a stretch after the journey, then welcome drinks and dinner.
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Breakfast, a session on the rowing machine with Alex, then your first row on the water.
A free afternoon, yoga, dinner and a fireside talk.
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An early row, then breakfast.
Free time, lunch and an afternoon session on strength and rowing.
Evening yoga and dinner.
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Sunrise yoga and breathwork, a morning row and a long lunch.
Wine tasting at a local vineyard, dinner and a fireside talk.
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A last row, gentle yoga and meditation, then a celebration dinner with live fado.
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An early breakfast and the 9am transfer back to Lisbon airport.
What's Included
Looked after from the moment you land
Your room
Five nights in an en-suite room at Herdade da Cortesia, a quiet hotel on the water with a pool.
On the water
A row each day with Alex and his team. Boats and everything you need are provided.
Yoga and breathwork
Daily sessions, all optional.
Food and drink
All meals, eaten together, with wine at dinner and welcome drinks on the first evening. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and most other diets.
Evenings
Fireside talks with Alex, a wine tasting and a traditional fado night.
Transfers
Group transfer from Lisbon airport at 3pm on the first day, returning at 9am on the last.
Many guests fly in a day early and spend a night in Lisbon.
Not included: flights to Lisbon, travel insurance and any extra drinks.
Private transfers can be arranged at extra cost.
Your hosts
Alex Gregory & his team
Alex is a double Olympic gold medallist, five-time world champion and the founder of Mind Body Row. He has spent a lifetime working out how rowing is as much about the mind as it is about the body.
His approach is warm, grounded and completely unpressured.
Whether you've never sat in a boat or you've rowed for years, you'll feel capable and welcome from the start.
Alongside him is a small team he's chosen himself - with you on the water each day, leading the yoga and looking after the week - so there's always someone on hand to help.
Where you stay
Herdade da Cortesia
A boutique, modern hotel set in its own gardens on the edge of the Maranhão reservoir, just outside Avis.
The water is at the bottom of the garden. The hotel has its own jetty and national rowing squads come here to train. For us it's simply a very calm place to spend a week - quiet, comfortable, embraced by the landscape, with nothing much around it but fields and water.
Rooms
Thirty rooms, all on the ground floor and all en-suite, twin or double. Each has floor-to-ceiling windows and its own terrace looking out over the meadow. Air-conditioned, with robes in the room.
Pool and gardens
An outdoor pool under the olive trees, with loungers, lawns and plenty of quiet corners by the water.
Food
The restaurant looks out over the lake and cooks Alentejo food with local produce. We eat together, indoors or out depending on the evening.
Also there
A bar with a terrace, a gym and yoga studio, Padel courts and bikes to borrow.
Where you are
Avis and the Alentejo
Avis is a small fortified town above the reservoir. It was once home to the Knights of the Order of Aviz, who gave their name to Portugal's second royal dynasty. It's still a quiet place of white houses and old stone.
Around it is the Alentejo region - cork trees, olive groves, wildflowers in early summer and very little traffic. The reservoir runs for miles, flat and sheltered, which is why rowers have been coming here for many years.
It's about 1 hour 45 drive from Lisbon airport, but feels beautifully remote.
Booking
Reserve your place for 2027
Our 2026 weeks sold out. Choose your 2027 week and room below - each button takes you straight to that booking, where you can pay in full or reserve with a 50% deposit. The balance is due eight weeks before the start date.
Every room is en-suite. Shared rooms are twin or double for two people travelling together. If you're coming on your own, choose a private room - we never pair guests up.
5 - 10 June 2027
Saturday to Thursday
Only a few places left
Private room
£4,350 or £2,175 deposit
Two rowers sharing
£3,800 each (£7,600 for both)
or £3,800 deposit
Rower and non-rowing guest
£3,800 + £2,800 (£6,600 for both)
or £3,300 deposit
8 - 13 September 2027
Wednesday to Monday
Limited places still available
Private room
£4,350 or £2,175 deposit
Two rowers sharing
£3,800 each (£7,600 for both)
or £3,800 deposit
Rower and non-rowing guest
£3,800 + £2,800 (£6,600 for both) or £3,300 deposit
What happens next
Choose your week and room and pay in full or a 50% deposit by card.
We confirm by email.
If you paid a deposit, the balance is taken automatically eight weeks before - 10 April 2027 for June, 14 July 2027 for September.
Book your flights to Lisbon and meet us at the airport at 3pm on the first day.
We know plans change. If you can't come, you can pass your place to someone else at no cost with 7 days' notice.
The full cancellation terms are further down.
Questions before you book?
Whether it's the rowing, the travel or anything else, drop us a line and we'll come back to you personally.
If you're thinking about a corporate week, this is the place to ask too.
Or email team@mindbodyrow.com
Good to know
Questions people ask
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Not at all. Many guests arrive as complete beginners and that's absolutely fine.
Alex and the team start everyone from scratch and every session is accessible, adaptable and rooted in enjoyment.
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There are no fitness requirements.
The pace is entirely your own and everything is optional.
You'll move more than you expect, but you'll never feel out of your depth or under pressure to keep up.
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There's plenty of space to breathe.
We row once a day and alongside that there's gentle yoga, free time by the pool, lakeside walks, a wine tasting, fireside talks and long, easy meals together.
Many guests are surprised by how restful it feels.
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Yes.
Non-rowing guests are very welcome and there's a lower price for a partner or friend sharing with a rower.
They can join the yoga, the evenings and everything else, or simply rest.
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At Herdade da Cortesia, a peaceful hotel on the banks of the Maranhão reservoir at Avis, in the Alentejo.
Every room is en-suite with its own terrace, and there's a pool, gardens and plenty of quiet places by the water.
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Fly into Lisbon. The group transfer leaves the airport at 3pm on the first day and takes about 1 hour 45. On the last day we leave the hotel at 9am, so do bear those times in mind when booking flights.
Plenty of guests fly in a day or two early and spend a night in Lisbon, which takes the stress out of any travel delays.
If you'd prefer a private transfer at a different time, that can be arranged at extra cost.
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Nothing complicated.
Comfortable kit for rowing and yoga, layers for cooler mornings and evenings, swimwear, and something a little nicer for the fado night if you fancy it.
We'll send a full packing list once you've booked.
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Yes.
You can reserve with a 50% deposit or pay in full, both on the website.
With a deposit, the remaining 50% is due eight weeks before the week starts.
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Yes, you will need comprehensive travel insurance.
We strongly recommend you take it out as soon as you've booked. Please make sure your policy covers cancellation, medical expenses and the activities you'll be doing during the week.
Terms & Conditions
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You can pay in full or reserve your place with a 50% deposit.
If you pay a deposit, the balance is due 8 weeks before the Experience starts.
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56 days or more before the start date
We refund everything you've paid, minus 20% of the total cost. This covers the planning and preparation already committed.
30 to 55 days before the start date
We refund 50% of the total cost.
Less than 30 days before the start date
We're unable to offer a refund, as commitments have already been made.
These terms and any matters arising from them are governed by the law of England and Wales and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
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If you can't come, you can transfer your booking to someone else at no extra cost, as long as you let us know at least 7 days before the start date.
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We strongly recommend taking out comprehensive travel insurance as soon as you book.
Things occasionally happen that are outside anyone's control - illness, injury, delayed or cancelled flights, or a last-minute change of plans.
Please make sure your policy covers cancellation, medical expenses and the activities you'll be taking part in.
Mind Body Row Sculling Camp
Looking for more of a training week?
The Sculling Camp runs at the same place in Avis. Everyone rows in a single, two to three times a day, with video analysis and evenings with Alex on the mental side of rowing.
2027 camps run 11 - 16 February and 18 - 23 October.
Not ready for Portugal?
The Mind Body Row app is the everyday version - Alex's rowing sessions, filmed outdoors, for wherever you are.
