Mama Baby Retreats
Upcoming dates:
1 - 5 April (fully booked) & 20 - 24 November
in Ericeira - Portugal
Hi Mama,
This is a warm invitation for you to join us with your baby, be lovingly taken care of yourself, a space to heal and process your birth & postpartum period and indulge yourself in relaxation and recovery. Soak up the good vibes in our beautiful quinta along the coastline of Ericeira in Portugal. Enjoy postnatal yoga, postpartum strengthening work-outs, a birth story sharing circle, closing the bones ceremony, postnatal massages, treatments and oh so nourishing food!
You are welcome to come solo with your baby, or bring your partner, a close friend or family member along to support you on your retreat.
EVERYTHING THATS INCLUDED:
✔ CHARMING & COZY ACCOMMODATION
In a private room/house of your choice at our romantic & unique quinta Casa Paco d’Ilhas, a peaceful sanctuary for you and your baby.
✔ ALL MEALS
Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack & dinner tailored to our postpartum mama’s. Throughout the day, help yourself to dried fruits, nuts, fruits, filtered water, coffee and herbal tea. There’s also the option to steam or prepare organic fruits & veggies for your baby.
✔ POSTNATAL YOGA CLASSES & POSTPARTUM WORKOUT
Combining both strength & softness. Bringing back presence and love into the womb, recovering & strengthening your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles, relieving and opening shoulders and chest, learning tools to calm & reset your nervous system and creating a sacred space for you and your baby.
✔ BIRTH STORY SHARING CIRCLE
A safe and sacred space to share your birth story with our loving doula and fellow mamas. Whether your experience was empowering, challenging, or a mix of both, this circle offers a healing and supportive environment where your story is heard, honored, and held with care.
✔ MAMA SHARING CIRCLE
A heartwarming space to talk about the struggles, the mess & the magic of motherhood—because you are not alone on this journey. There is so much strength in shared vulnerability.
✔ GROUP CLOSING THE BONES CEREMONY
A postpartum ritual led by our doula, to bind, rock and close the bones of the pelvis after birth & honour the transformation to motherhood which we will go through in a group ceremony.
✔ POSTNATAL MASSAGE
As a special gift, you’ll receive either a postpartum pelvic physiotherapy treatment or a relaxing full-body massage by our doula. If you wish, you can also add more treatments to your retreat for extra self-care.
✔ BABYSITTERS
Enjoy peace of mind knowing that gentle, loving babysitters will be there during your yoga classes, meals & activities.
✔ PACK OF MY RECORDED POSTNATAL YOGA CLASSES
Start incorporating yoga into your routine before or after the retreat with my recorded postnatal yoga classes.
& extra’s to add to your retreat like a private photoshoot with your baby on the beach, acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy for your baby, transfer from/to the airport, extra one-on-one babysitting.
ALL INCLUDED FROM €1575
for your own PRIVATE ROOM with your baby
Upcoming dates this year:
1 - 5 April (fully booked)
20 - 24 November
Our Retreat Home
Nestled in the valley of Ericeira, Portugal, our Babymoon & Mama Baby Retreats are hosted at the enchanting Casa Paco d’Ilhas—a place where tranquility and charm embrace you from the moment you arrive. It’s hard not to fall in love with the charming vibe that this quinta carries, from the cozy & thoughtfully designed accommodations to the romantic garden. All houses with comfortable beds, mosquito nets, and heating, each space has a restful and inviting atmosphere.
Perched on a hilltop overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, you can immerse yourself in the peaceful countryside while being just a few minutes drive away from golden beaches, dramatic clifftops, and the picturesque fishermen’s village of Ericeira. With its romantic cobblestone streets, whitewashed houses, and breathtaking coastal views, Ericeira will captivate your heart—a place where time slows down, and every moment feels magical.
Oh so delicious & nourishing food
Just like we give our care and love to every little detail of the retreat, the food you will be served is one of the most important of all.
Our chef, Mama Elizabeth, will treat you each day of the Mama Baby retreat to a delicious breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner, served buffet-style in the charismatic main house, complete with a bar and fireplace.
The food is extremely nourishing for our postpartum mama’s and off course she adjusts to any dietary requirements you might have.
The food she serves is diverse and always has vegetarian as well as vegan options but also sometimes chicken or fish as an option.
Meet our loving team
Our team is made up of incredible human beings who bring their unique gifts to every retreat—expert doulas, skilled & specialised therapists, a passionate mama chef, we are all dedicated to creating a space of healing and deep care.
I find immense joy in bringing together the right experts & therapists to curate a deeply healing experience for you. Each of us is here to support you on your journey, offering a blend of expertise, warmth and heartwarming care. I hope you feel that already through the website.
We can’t wait to welcome you!
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Founder, your host & yoga teacherMy name is Lisanne, 38 years, and I am living since 9 years in Ericeira, Portugal, but born in the Netherlands. After teaching yoga for a few years, I had the desire to go much deeper into my 'home base', the root, our sacred pelvis. I had the feeling that I always felt a constant holding or bracing in my root and pelvic area. Dedicated to feel more relaxed in my root, I deepened my training in Pelvic yoga, as fascinated as I was later also Pre- and Postnatal yoga.
Guiding expecting moms in the last years through yoga classes and bringing them together in an intimate group, has been the most profound feeling. There is a magical energy that is shared and felt.
In the beginning of 2022 I was lucky enough to be pregnant of my first. Somewhere in this journey of pregnancy, I dreamed of a pregnancy retreat where I could go to while being pregnant, to have a relaxing time among other parents, and have the time to prepare ourselves for what is to come, including my partner. This pregnancy retreat is my creation after one year of motherhood.
Read more about my journey here.
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Pelvic fysio & massage therapistMarta, our warm and experienced pelvic physiotherapist who brings a deep passion for women's health to her practice. With over a decade of specialised expertise in this field, Marta has been dedicated to helping women and couples during one of the most transformative phases of their lives – pregnancy and postpartum.
In our retreat, Marta offers a unique one-on-one treatment that includes a soothing massage of key areas such as the belly, hips, gluteus, buttocks, and lower back. This therapeutic touch serves not only to alleviate pain or discomfort during pregnancy but also to create space for the growing belly.
Optionally, her expertise extends to performing an internal massage of the pelvic floor muscles, targeting pain and tension in this important area. Through this practice, she can also assess and screen the pelvic floor muscles, evaluating your ability to relax and engage them, thus enhancing your bodies awareness and control during birth as well.
At our Mama Baby retreat, her treatment consists of a check of your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles. She will teach you how to strengthen your pelvic floor and core again. Includes a soothing massage of key areas such as the belly, hips, gluteus, buttocks, and lower back. Marta will also lead the postpartum strengthening work out at the retreat.
“Marta’s pelvic floor massage is special and I would recommend any pregnant woman to do at least one such pelvic floor massage during her pregnancy. In a short time, I learned so much about my pelvic floor and how to support it for smoother and easier labor. Also, the massage itself was effective and relaxing. Truly recommend her!“
My personal experience can only support this, after birth the doctor could not believe I only needed 1 stitch, when she would have expected me to have a lot more. My recovery therefore was super fast and smooth. I am forever grateful to have found Marta on my path during pregnancy.
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Doula
Our doula Sara, a loved and respected doula who has made a significant impact on the realm of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.
She loves how Motherhood can be sacred and transforming. The paths it makes us take, the adventures we encounter along the way, and the unexpected twists and turns. She recognises how the journey of motherhood acts as a vehicle for self-discovery and a powerful means of forging connections with others.
She is passionate about breathwork, and bodywork connected to pregnancy, birth and postpartum. She trained as a Doula in the UK with Nurturing Birth, and has the honour of witnessing babies being born in varied contexts, choices and situations. Her experiences have also sensitised her to the disparities in birth options available to women in different countries, prompting her to take action in Portugal. This led her to found the Portuguese Birthrights Association where she puts her energy into every day so that human rights in pregnancy and birth become reality in Portugal. More about her work here.
During the retreat, Sara's presence will be invaluable in supporting you on your journey. Her expertise will shine through as she facilitates birth and postpartum preparation sessions, mama blessings, closing the bones ceremony’s & more.
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Meet Ava our holistic therapist and acupuncturist specialized in women's health. After she was trained in the artistic world, she managed to let her deepest passion come to the surface: providing people with well-being.It was after suffering from hormonal imbalances, in which conventional medicine was unable to help her effectively, that she started looking for answers in natural therapies. This holistic point of view has connected her more and more with her essence, becoming aware of her feelings, her dreams and especially her needs. The desire to heal physical imbalances led her to this safe place, which allows her day after day to have a very clear vision of how she want to channel her energy.
From this strength that was growing within, she began to feel a change on a physical and emotional level and in that moment she decided to start her training in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2014 in Barcelona. Since 2016, she has been treating patients with various pathologies, which has allowed her to place herself at her center and lead her to a balance in her being, which has been fundamental to the healing results obtained over these years. She wants to work on her conscience, live from sincerity and create from love.
Prenatal acupuncture can help you because it allows your body to be balanced and some symptoms of pregnancy can be avoided:
From relieving nausea early in the first weeks of pregnancy.
To reducing anxiety and resetting your nervous system to help promote relaxation.
Acupuncture can also help turn breech babies and relieve pain in the back, pelvis or headaches.
Towards the end of the pregnancy acupuncture can help prepare the body for labor by promoting relaxation, balancing hormones and reducing the duration of labor.
You can book an individual session with Ava as an extra during the retreat.
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Doula & massage therapistMayra, our doula & specialised massage therapist. Mayra is a compassionate and dedicated birth doula who is committed to providing unwavering support to women and families throughout their transformative journey from pregnancy to postpartum. Her mission is deeply rooted in her belief in the power of connection, care, and the profound impact of touch during this remarkable time in a woman's life.
Her approach to touch goes beyond mere relaxation; it delves into the realm of connection, creating a bridge between a woman and her own body. Mayra understands that touch is not only a physical act but a means of fostering a deeper bond between a woman and her changed body, allowing her to fully embrace the experience of pregnancy & motherhood.
For our retreat, Mayra will offers her Prenatal & postnatal full body massages, based on Ayurvedic Yoga massage, the treatment she offers is not only restorative but also promotes essential elements of well-being, including enhanced blood circulation, relaxation, and the flow of prana (life force energy).
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Just like they we give our care and love to every little detail of the retreat, the food you will be served is one of the most important.
Our chef, Mama Elisabete pours her love into our meals. We could not be happier and more grateful having her in the kitchen during our retreats.
All our retreat mama’s rave about the food that is served. Such quality and quantity, many options to choose from, vegan, vegetarian but also fish and chicken.A delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner, served buffet-style in the charismatic main house, complete with a bar and fireplace. The food is extremely nourishing for mama’s and off course she pays close attention to any dietary requirements you might have.
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Soft tissue therapistLaurie is a movement practitioner and soft tissue therapist with over 25 years of teaching experience and a holistic approach to pain relief and mobility.
As a specialist in movement, mobility, and neuromuscular therapy, he combines deep tissue massage, fascial manipulation, breathwork, and corrective mobility programming to support the body’s natural healing process.
For pregnant and postnatal clients, Laurie’s work alleviates discomfort, supports structural changes during pregnancy, and aids in postnatal recovery—promoting better posture, increased strength, and balanced movement.
“I love his approach to massage. He found pains & aches that were long held in my body. Also as a mom of 2 little ones, he knew exactly where my body is compromising and working hard to carry them, I felt understood in my body on a whole new level.”
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Cranio sacral TherapistWithin Ericeira and surroundings she is called the Baby Magician, we are so happy to offer her treatment at the retreat.
Her professional career started as being a physiotherapist, afterwards completing her Osteopathy studies. She then specialised in Biodynamic Osteopathy in courses on child treatment.
By realising that her best abilities lay in perceiving subtle energetic currents in the body, she learned to trust the healing power more and more and to accompany and support it in its process in the patient's body with her attention. With this non-invasive, effective technique it is possible to resolve dysfunctions and traumas that have arisen during pregnancy, birth or through impacts afterwards, to restore harmony.
Her primary love is to treat the little ones, freeing them from restrictions early on in order to enable them to grow and learn in the best possible conditions. Caring for her little grandchild almost every day, she is amazed at the effect that even minor falls when learning to walk etc. have on the head and thus on the entire nervous system.
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Facial Massage therapistSheila has her own organic care products line and also offers a heavenly facial massage at our Mama Baby Retreats, with so much softness and care.
A session to renew your skin and provide moments of self-care. It includes gentle cleansing, delicate exfoliation, application of a nourishing mask and a brief facial massage using natural products.
Ideal for invigorating the skin and relaxing it in a short time, leaving the face fresh and illuminated.
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Hey, my name is Malu, I come from a big family and since I remember I have been surrounded by babies and children. Even though I have been taking care of little ones since I've known myself, I started officially working in this field at the age of 16. I aim to provide a calming environment for both the baby and the mom, so both can feel safe while I'm with their precious one.
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Hi beautiful mothers. My name is Fabienne. I have worked with children since my teenage years, and eventually became a professional in childcare. I've worked with baby's from 3 months till 12 yr old kids; as a childcare teacher, an au-pair, and as a nanny. In my experience I have learned that every child is unique and mother knows their baby best. I aim to listen closely to mothers intuition and to create a safe and supportive space for mother and child. I am looking forward to be a part of the mother-baby retreat.
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Hi dear mothers, my name is Nele. I’m a studied physiotherapist, a certified holistic doula and a women’s health coach. With my offerings, I am passionately supporting women and their families in all areas and aspects of life. To me, it’s very important to create a safe space for you and your baby so that you can fully recharge during your retreat while I’m taking good care of your little one.
Answers to your questions
Can I bring my partner or other support person?
While our retreats are designed with mothers and babies at heart and many mama’s come solo, it’s also so beautiful when dads (or another family member/friend/support person) come along to support & share this experience.
If you’re considering joining us, know that we welcome fathers with open arms, both in our Babymoon as on our Mama Baby Retreats. They can be fully present at the retreat joining all activities or joining in parts of it and for example work remotely from the retreat centre.
Because you will be able to share a room together, we offer the second person in your booking a reduced price of €725,-.
Can I arrive earlier on stay longer?
Yes, that’s sometimes possible! If you’d like to arrive a day or a few days earlier or extend your stay after the retreat, just let me know. I’ll be happy to check the availability of the retreat center for you and see what options are available.
If the retreat centre is fully booked for extra nights, I can also recommend nearby accommodations, so you can fully enjoy your time in Ericeira before or after the retreat.
Let me know what you need, and I’ll do my best to arrange a smooth and relaxing experience for you!
Is it possible to order a transfer from & to the airport?
Lisbon Airport is just 40 minutes away from Ericeira, and there are several easy ways to get to the retreat center:
✔ We order a Private Transfer: €70 one way
✔ Uber/Bolt: Approx. €40 one way
✔ Car Rental: Pick up from the airport or have it delivered to the retreat center
To make things even easier, we’ll create a WhatsApp group with the other mamas before the retreat starts, so you’ll have the option to coordinate and share a taxi with another mama arriving around the same time if you’d like.
Yes, we have baby beds, baths, bouncers & high chairs available, you can also ask for a bed barrier along your bed if you are co-sleeping. We have organic fruits & veggies to prepare for your baby, diapers on request & will do our best to provide anything you might need.
Will there be baby neccesities?
Yes! You’ll have the support of our loving and experienced babysitters, so you can enjoy moments just for yourself while knowing your baby is in caring hands.
Are there babysitters?
Our retreats are designed for mamas with babies under 1 to 1.5 years old. We’ve welcomed babies as young as 6 weeks up to 1.5 years, but there are no strict age limits—you know best what feels right for you and your little one. Exciting news though, next year we’ll be hosting our very first Mama Toddler Retreat, specially designed for mamas with little ones beyond the baby stage.
If you’re unsure whether this retreat is the right fit for your baby’s age, just reach out—happy to chat and help you decide!
How old can my baby be?
If your baby becomes unwell before the retreat and you are advised not to fly, we completely understand how difficult this situation can be. To help protect your booking, we strongly recommend having Cancellation Insurance that covers unexpected medical issues.
When purchasing cancellation insurance, make sure it:
✔ Covers trip cancellations due to your baby’s illness or medical condition
✔ Includes reimbursement for non-refundable costs, such as retreat fees and flights
✔ Allows cancellations within 30 days of departure if medically necessary
What if I can’t travel because my baby is sick?
When is the check-in & check-out?
✔ Check-in: From 4:00 PM on the day of arrival
✔ Check-out: By 11:00 AM on the day of departure
