Picture this
Imagine yourself waking up at a farmstead in a verdant valley, close enough to explore neighbouring towns and nearby beaches, yet far enough to let you unwind. A place where the sun rises early over wine groves, and dips behind a beautiful sloped hill late in the evening, leaving a burnt orange and purple sky in its wake. During this week we’ll enjoy the simple Portuguese life to the fullest. Immersing ourselves in a culinary experience. Think of beautiful shared lunches, traditional Portuguese cooking class, pizza night at our outdoor pizza oven or a romantic Fado music night under our olive trees. This week is for women who want to reconnect with their creativity through food and nature’s elements.
Picture this
Imagine yourself waking up at a farmstead in a verdant valley, close enough to explore neighbouring towns and nearby beaches, yet far enough to let you unwind. A place where the sun rises early over wine groves, and dips behind a beautiful sloped hill late in the evening, leaving a burnt orange and purple sky in its wake. During this week we’ll enjoy the simple Portuguese life to the fullest. Immersing ourselves in a culinary experience. Think of beautiful shared lunches, traditional Portuguese cooking class, pizza night at our outdoor pizza oven or a romantic Fado music night under our olive trees. This week is for women who want to reconnect with their creativity through food and nature’s elements.
Imagine yourself waking up at a farmstead in a verdant valley, close enough to explore neighbouring towns and nearby beaches, yet far enough to let you unwind.
A place where the sun rises early over wine groves, and dips behind a beautiful sloped hill late in the evening, leaving a burnt orange and purple sky in its wake.
During this week we’ll enjoy the simple Portuguese life
to the fullest. Immersing ourselves in a culinary experience. Think of beautiful shared lunches, traditional Portuguese cooking class, pizza night at our outdoor pizza oven or a romantic Fado music night under our olive trees. This week is for women who want to reconnect with their creativity through food and nature’s elements.
Food
During this retreat, Maya will take you through a culinary experience, showcasing sophisticated flavours during our meals. We will enjoy nourishing meals together with a Farm to Table approach, where we use as much as possible our own grown vegetables from the garden. This retreat is for the creative food enthusiast. Someone who wants to immerse herself into learning new dishes while having the time to tap into their own creativity.
Stay
Stay at our rustic farmhouse in a small valley called Montinho do Gois. Wake-up with the sound of the birds overlooking the vegetable garden while a nourishing breakfast spread can be enjoyed together.
This is an intimate retreat where we offer six self sufficient studios with each their own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. The two farmhouses accommodate up to 12 women. 5 rooms will be shared and offer shared beds. 1 room can be shared with a close friend or functions as a private room, this bed is not separable.
Stay at our rustic farmhouse in a small valley called Montinho do Gois. Wake-up with the sound of the birds overlooking the vegetable garden while a nourishing breakfast spread can be enjoyed together.
This is an intimate retreat where we offer six self sufficient studios with each their own bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. The two farmhouses accommodate up to 12 women.
5 rooms will be shared and offer shared beds. 1 room can be shared with a close friend or functions as a private room, this bed is not separable.
A day at the retreat
Meet the host
Esmee Brandwijk
Co-founder of Helder Farm Studios
Meet our 25-year-old art/fashion photographer, a Dutch Photo Academy Amsterdam graduate. With experience in producing photo and video projects, she brings a keen sense of content creation to Helder Farm Studios.
Specializing in human and natural forms, she’s developed an unique artistic style within photography and pottery. She’ll play a crucial role in organizing events on the property and contributing fresh ideas to enhance our farmstead experience.
Besides that, she is taking care of the landscaping, can often be found in the vegetable garden and greenhouse or preparing nourishing meals in the kitchen.
Meet Maristi Creative
Maya Aristimuño & Alyssa Hannah
Maristi Creative
Meet our chef and artist duo for the week, 23-year-old creatives from NYC. Maya often hosts pop up dining experiences for creatives & food lovers in places like Barcelona, Paris, New York, Milan, and Mallorca with her creative studio Maristi Creative.
Maya’s cooking style is inspired by seasonal ingredients and her multicultural family, nourishing Ayurvedic practices and the simplicity of Argentine/Italian cuisine.
After living in Italy for about 2 years and recently moving to Barcelona, her love for fresh Mediterranean cuisine has inspired the menu and cooking workshops of the retreat.
Alyssa is a painter and photographer living in Brooklyn, NY. Her art aims to capture the natural beauty of quotidian life. Her work captures the intimacy in casual moments and is inspired by her passion for bringing people together through artistic expression.
Together, Alyssa & Maya have collaborated in Mallorca, NYC, and Florence on creative experiences centered for women.
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Check in is on sunday at 3PM
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Check out is on saturday at 11AM
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Upon your booking you will receive a guest intake form with a more detailed information letter
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It’s an international retreat, communication will be in English
Good to know
During the retreat you can expect yoga lessons, cooking workshops led by Maya, refreshing dips into the ocean, time to tap back into your own creativity and long conversations during our garden dinners.
Daily schedule example
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Morning yoga flow
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Breakfast spread with fresh local ingredients
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Creative time; explore, rest or create
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Lunch workshop; prepare salt-bake fish
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Afternoon swim by the ocean
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Sunset garden dinner by Maya
During the retreat you can expect yoga lessons, cooking workshops led by Maya, refreshing dips into the ocean, time to tap back into your own creativity and long conversations during our garden dinners.
Daily schedule example
-
Morning yoga flow
-
Breakfast spread with fresh local ingredients
-
Creative time; explore, rest or create
-
Lunch workshop; prepare salt-bake fish
-
Afternoon swim by the ocean
-
Sunset garden dinner by Maya
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6x night stay at Helder Farm Studios
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6x nourishing breakfasts
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5x flavorful lunches ( 1x lunch off site on own costs)
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6x garden dinners
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1x traditional Portuguese cooking workshop with a local chef
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3x cooking workshops by Maya
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2x yoga sessions on the farm
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1x excursion to a small coastal town + seafood market
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Daily creative time to rediscover your craft in nature
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Activities like ocean dips, hikes and a candlelit fado night
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Flight to/from Portugal
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Transport from airport to Helder Farm Studios (provided for additional fee)
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Travel/medical insurance
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Shared room
This room is a spacious studio with bedroom, private bathroom and kitchen. Will be shared with another participant. This bed can be separated.
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Private or shared friend room
This room is a spacious studio with bedroom, private bathroom and outdoor kitchen. This room is for the one who wants more privacy or comes together with a close friend. This bed is a fixed bed and can’t be separated.
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FAQs
Helder Farm Studios is located in the South of Portugal. The closest airport is Faro, 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Lisbon airport is also an option, 2 hours and 30 minute drive.
Both Faro and Lisbon offer a train to Santa Clara Saboia, 20 minutes from the property, pick-up by us for a small additional fee.
Yes you can come with a friend, but traveling alone is also an option. This retreat is about connection and making new friends along the week.
If you come together with a friend, please let us know, so we can give you the same room.
Yes, we will take allergies and dietary into account.
There is a non-refundable deposit of 30% to pay when booking. The remaining amount is due 6 weeks before the retreat.
You can choose to pay the full amount straight away.
There is a non-refundable deposit of 30% to pay when booking. You can cancel your stay up to 6 weeks before the start of the retreat,
after this no refund will be given.
If you do want to cancel, please get in touch immediately and we will do our best to help.
Please make sure you have travel insurance in case any unforeseen circumstances occur that might affect your travel plans.
Booking Policy
Every reservation means a lot to us as we put a lot of care and love into organising them.
So please read our terms and conditions carefully before you book as we don’t want you to be disappointed beforehand.
We offer the convenience of online payments, which include a 2.5% service fee. However, if you prefer to save on this fee, you can choose to pay manually via bank transfer.
Simply follow the instructions at checkout, or feel free to contact us at info@helderfarmstudios.com if you need any assistance.
This option allows you to avoid the additional service charge while ensuring your booking is secured.
The choice is yours—we’re happy to assist with whichever method works best for you!
To confirm your place on our retreat, a non-refundable deposit of 30% per person must be made upon booking.
The deposit for the retreat is non-refundable under any circumstances.
If you cancel anytime before 6 weeks prior to the retreat start date you will lose your initial deposit payment, but you will not have to pay the remaining amount for the retreat.
If you cancel within 6 weeks prior to the retreat start date, you will have to pay the full amount. We reserve the right to change the venue, teachers, and any planned activities to best suit the retreat’s needs. These changes will not entitle participants to a refund of their deposit.
We understand that no one books a retreat with the intention of canceling or postponing. However, unexpected events can occur. To protect your investment, we strongly recommend purchasing travel cancellation insurance after making your reservation. Depending on the policy, this insurance can cover some or all cancellation fees. Most insurance providers require the purchase within 14 days of booking.
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance. Furthermore, you participate in the classes, hikes and workshops at your own risk.
Event Summary & Ticket Purchase
The Culinary Table
22—28 July 2025
|São Teotónio, 7630-174, Portugal
A culinary retreat for women who want to connect to their creativity through food, nature and the ocean.
Important note on choosing payment method
We offer the convenience of online payments, which include a 2.5% service fee.
However, if you prefer to save on this fee, you can choose to pay manually via bank transfer.
Simply follow the instructions at checkout, or feel free to contact us at info@helderfarmstudios.com if you need any assistance. This option allows you to avoid the additional service charge while ensuring your booking is secured. The choice is yours—we’re happy to assist with whichever method works best for you!