How to choose a retreat venue: 12 questions to ask before you book
A retreat venue can look perfect on its website and still be wrong for your group. These 12 questions cover what retreat leaders most need to know. For the first 9, we show how many of the 60 venues on our list publish the answer. For the last 3, we don't record the answer, so you will always need to ask.
The short version: some answers are easy to find, others almost never are. Only 1 of 60 venues publishes the answer to "Is it accessible?"
How many people can sleep here?
Day capacity and overnight capacity are often different. A hall that seats 40 does not mean 40 beds.
What to ask: Ask for the maximum number of overnight guests, and whether that counts shared beds or sofa beds.
Published by 53 of 60 venues on our list.
How are the rooms and beds set up?
Whether guests share a room matters a lot to many people. Twin, double and dorm rooms change both comfort and price.
What to ask: Ask for a room list: how many rooms, how many beds in each, and which have their own bathroom.
Published by 43 of 60 venues on our list.
Is there a practice space, and how big is it?
Yoga, movement and workshops need floor space per person, not just a room.
What to ask: Ask for the size of the largest room in square metres, the floor type, and whether mats or chairs are provided.
Published by 52 of 60 venues on our list. 28 give the size in m².
Are meals provided?
Catering decides your budget, your workload during the retreat, and how well you can handle dietary needs.
What to ask: Ask whether meals are catered, self-catered or both, what a typical day of meals looks like, and how they handle allergies and special diets.
Published by 48 of 60 venues on our list.
What does it cost, and per what?
Venues price per person per night, per person per day, per night for the whole venue, or per week. Two prices in different units cannot be compared directly.
What to ask: Ask for the price in one unit that fits your plan, for your dates and group size, and what it includes.
Published by 22 of 60 venues on our list. 3 publish part of a price.
Is there a minimum stay?
Some venues only take groups for a set number of nights, for example in high season.
What to ask: Ask for the minimum number of nights for your dates.
Published by 4 of 60 venues on our list.
Can we hire the whole venue?
Sharing a venue with other guests changes the feel of a retreat, and the quiet you can promise your group.
What to ask: Ask whether you will have the place to yourselves, and if not, who else will be there.
Published by 13 of 60 venues on our list. This counts venues that say they offer exclusive hire.
How do guests get there?
Travel time from the nearest airport or train station can decide whether people sign up.
What to ask: Ask for the nearest airport and train station, the transfer time, and whether the venue can arrange pick-ups.
Published by 33 of 60 venues on our list.
Is it accessible?
Steps, steep paths and bathrooms matter to some guests. It is better to know before they book.
What to ask: Ask about step-free access, ground-floor rooms and accessible bathrooms.
Published by 1 of 60 venues on our list.
What is included, and what costs extra?
Linen, towels, cleaning, heating, tourist tax and use of the grounds can all be extras.
What to ask: Ask for a written list of what the price includes and what is charged on top.
We don't record this, so ask every venue.
What are the deposit and cancellation terms?
You carry the risk if guests drop out. The terms decide how big that risk is.
What to ask: Ask how much deposit is due and when, and what you get back if you cancel or numbers fall.
We don't record this, so ask every venue.
Who is on site during the retreat?
Knowing who to call if something breaks, or a guest is unwell, saves a lot of stress.
What to ask: Ask who lives or works on site, and how to reach them at night.
We don't record this, so ask every venue.
How we counted
- We read each venue's published information, mostly its own website, and recorded what it publishes, with the source link and the date.
- "Published" means we found it there. A venue may give the answer by email.
- These figures describe our list of 60 venues, not every retreat venue. See what retreat venues publish for the full numbers.
Next step
Find a venue by group size and country, or browse France and Portugal. Every venue page shows what is published and what is not.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose a retreat venue?
Start with the facts that decide whether it fits your group: how many it sleeps, the practice room, catering, price per unit, minimum stay, exclusive hire and getting there. Ask the venue for anything it hasn't published.
How many venues did you check?
60 retreat venues, checked up to 2026-10-29. This is our list, not every retreat venue.
Which answers do venues publish most and least often?
Most often: "How many people can sleep here?" (53 of 60). Least often: "Is it accessible?" (1 of 60).
Why can't two venue prices be compared directly?
Venues price per person per night, per person per day, per night for the whole venue or per week. Prices in different units are not equal, so ask for one unit that fits your plan.
Where do the counts come from?
From what each venue publishes, mostly its own website. Every venue page lists its sources and the date we last checked it.
How often is this guide updated?
The counts update whenever our data does. The data was last checked on 2026-10-29.
Data last checked: 29 October 2026.