Retreat/Event Leaders' Information Pack
“Our retreat at the Serai surpassed any expectations! From the moment of arrival to the beautiful grounds, delicious and healthy food, and the incredible yoga shala, I can’t speak highly enough of how much we were cared for and truly nourished from the inside-out during our stay.” Jordan, Souljourn Yoga
Accommodation
- 3 x double or twin bedrooms with en-suite bathroom
- 1 x double or twin with extra single bed & en-suite bathroom
- 1 x double or twin with extra mezzanine double or twin & en-suite bathroom
- 1 x double or twin with shared bathroom.
Kiln Room (22m2) – Forest View
En-suite turret bathroom, double or twin bed. French window onto south facing terrace.
Mezzanine Room (22m2) – Forest View.
En-suite turret bathroom, double or twin bed, mezzanine level with further one or two single beds, or double bed. French window onto south-facing terrace.
Well Room (22m2) – Forest View.
En-suite turret bathroom, double or twin bed, French window onto south-facing terrace.
Garden Room (22m2) – Ocean View
En-suite turret bathroom, double or twin bed, French window onto west-facing terrace with shaded seated area. On account of its view, this is the nicest of the four rooms along the south side of the house. This is the one for your most valued guest.
The North Wing (32m2) – Ocean View.
En-suite bathroom, double or twin bed + extra single, with ‘charpoy‘ sofa that can be used as a fourth bed if absolutely necessary. French windows onto west-facing terrace.
This room is the largest bedroom and is a little separated from the rest of the house, making it an ideal room for retreat leaders and their staff.
The Tower Library (9m2) – Ocean, Forest, Village & Galactic Views
Double or twin bed, bathroom downstairs. Lack of bathroom more than made up for by fabulous 360 degree view; this is our most simple room, but also the most cosy and romantic. There is a compost loo for night-time emergency.
Being the only upstairs room, this room is quite private and is therefore also suitable as a staff room.
The Temple
66m² (6 x 11m), heated, recycled beech wood floor, 15 x yoga mats & blocks, 15 x cushions & blankets, Bluetooth speaker with wireless microphone, Tibetan singing bowl, rain-sticks, guitar.
Catering
With fruit, seeds, nuts and vegetables all sourced from local farmers’ markets; fish directly from the beach and free range eggs our tables are always a rich mosaic of colours and flavours. There is also a Carrefour supermarket in Essaouira for any specialist items you may require.
The nearest shops are in Essaouira, 30 minutes away.
Your Chef
Our Chef
Holistic Chef
Fully equipped kitchen, large larder, fridge-freezer, gas cooker with 5 rings, fan-assisted oven, and grill. BBQ available.
Our regular chef, Amin, is adept at serving up nourishing and medicinal dishes cooked and prepared from seasonal, farmer- sourced, slow food.
Amin is a trained chef with extensive experience of cooking for high end establishments throughout Morocco. His attention to detail is superb, his food a smorgasbord of colour and flavour. He says that he loves most of all to cook Asiatic food but seems to be completely engrossed in his work whatever he is concocting.
B/fast: juices, coffee, tea, self-service muesli with fruit, honey, nuts, seeds, etc., yoghurt, home-made gluten-free or normal bread, eggs to order.
Lunch & Dinner: Whatever you want. Contact us to discuss special diets, menu ideas and ingredients.
NB: Please note that as part of our Slow Food and No Plastics commitment, wherever possible, we prepare food only from fresh ingredients sourced from the markets and small shops in and around Essaouira. We will not provide specialist overseas-derived and packaged ingredients or drinks. Thank you for your understanding.
We can put you in touch with holistic chef Nadine from @wildgardendelights. She is a Essaouira based passionate cook and used to working at The Serai.
She offers an on-site Chef service with an ever evolving & colorful menu, covering a wide vaiety of healthy vegetarian and vegan dishes.
Nadine`s style of cooking plays with the magic of an infinite combination of flavours, colors and textures, integrating holistic principles of the energetics of food after The 5 Elements and Ayurveda.
Her intention is to bring a natural presence to her cooking using seasonal and local ingredients. She knows how to make every dish a perfect balance of nutrients and vibrant aliments with an essence of loving attention & sweet energetic goodness.
Nadine creates an individual menu for your retreat, completely adapted to your unique program and respecting special food requiries of your participants. She will be happy to explain her creations and share her knowledge during the different meals.
Please get in touch with her directly for further information via instagram @wildgardendelights or Email wildgardendelights@gmail.com
Other chefs may be available if Nadine is not.
Rates
Prices: Autumn 2023 – 2024
Minimum Stay 2 Nights
House & Temple (catering excluded):
- Low Season: €780 per night
- High Season: €895 per night
* Stays of 7+ days, please contact us to discuss applicable discounts.
* Autumn ’23 Special Offer: A €200 deposit is normally required to book your stay but we offer a 20% discount on the above prices for clients who instead pay 30% of the accommodation total at the time of booking (non-refundable).
High Season: 25 Mar – 15 Apr / 01 Jul – 30 Aug / 15 Dec – 05 Jan
Full Catering (House Chef): Vegetarian 3 courses €35 per person per day. Omnivore 3 courses €45 per person per day. (There are always plenty of vegetarian dishes in the Omnivore option to keep vegetarians well fed.)
Single & Combination meals:
Breakfast: €10
Lunch: Veg €20 / Omnivore €25
Dinner: Veg €25 / Omnivore €30
Brunch: €25
Brunch & Dinner: €35 / €45
B/fast & Dinner: €30 / €40
Full Catering (Holistic chef): Please enquire.
What’s Included
- House Manager – Coordination of local logistics with retreat leader (transfers, local suppliers, excursions, therapies, etc..).
- Fully equipped kitchen + cleaning staff.
- Huge and largely deserted beach 8mins walk away
- Forested ‘secret’ valley (5mins walk)
- Plunge pool (unheated)
- Free parking
- Beach & bath towels
- Daily cleaning of common areas, pool, Temple/shala, bedrooms & bathrooms.
- Temple space/shala (Timings to be agreed upon)
- Yoga equipment x15 (mats, blocks, cushions, bolsters, eye masks, Tibetan singing bowl)
- Wi-fi internet
- Bed linen
- Toilet paper
- Bathroom soap and shower gel
- Bed linen & bath towel change on day 7 (longer stays)
- BBQ
- Fire pit
- Filtered drinking water.
What’s Not Included
- Moroccan TVA Tax 10% (Applicable only to Moroccan clients)
- Transfers & other transport
- Guests’ personal laundry (hand-washed by local women, €5 per bag)
- Firewood & charcoal
- Alcohol
- Extra activities, therapies, excursions, etc.. (see below)
Payment Schedule
1st Payment (Deposit): upon booking – €200 (per week) to reserve your dates – Non-Refundable.
2nd Payment: before 8-weeks prior to start of retreat: 50% of accommodation total minus 1st Payment deposit
3rd Payment: 14 Days Before Arrival – Remaining 50% of accommodation total.
Upon Arrival: 100% Catering, + Any Extras.
Cancellation Fees
Before 8 weeks from retreat start: €1st Payment (Deposit)
After 8 weeks but before 2 weeks from start of retreat: 50% of accommodation total.
After 2 weeks before start: 100% of accommodation total.
How To Pay
All advance payments must be by Bank Transfer:
Account Name: DAR GAIA s.a.r.l.
Address: Douar Chichte, Commune Moulay Bouzerktoune, 44022, Essaouira
IBAN: MA64 021 240 0000315030051581 17 RIB: 021 240 0000315030051581 17
SWIFT: CDMAMAMCXXX
Availability
Please check our availability calender at www.theserai.org/make-a-booking/ and contact us to discuss possible dates for your retreat, workshop or event.
Best Time to Visit
Transport
Extras
The prices shown below are GUIDE PRICES and may be subject to change.
- A selection of Guided Walks & Experiences with Mark or Ayelen @ €50 per hour:
- Exploration of beach headland and caves (low-tide only): 2-3 hours
- Forest Walks: 1-4 hours.
- Tai Chi Conscious Walk: 2-3 hours
- Wild & Free in the Dunes of Tissa 8kms away: 2-3 hours + Transport @ €20 per 4 people
- Conscious Night Walk: 1-2 hours
- Sunset dinner in the Dunes: 2-3 hours – Price on request.
- One night, forest bivouac under the stars:
- 4 hours walk total
- Supper cooked over an open fire, breakfast of special porridge, and ‘billy-can’ coffee.
- Fall asleep in a cosy swag-bag, around the fire, looking at the stars in the flickering firelight.
- Traditional bread-making with local women: €60 whole group / 1-2 hours – Money goes directly to local community.
- Healing Sound Bath in the Dunes 3 hours (price on request) + Transport @ €20 per 4 people (Dependant upon wind.) Please ask for details.
- Camel Rides on the Beach: €40 per hour per camel/€80 for 3 hours + (Transport to Essaouira see ‘Transport’ above)
- Horse Riding on the Beach: €40 per hour per camel/€80 for 3 hours (Transport to Essaouira see ‘Transport’ above)
- Surfing in Essaouira: Board rental €5/hr; lessons €15/hr + (Transport to Essaouira see ‘Transport’ above)
- Hammam: €25 per person for 3hr steam scrub and massage. (Transport to Essaouira see ‘Transport’ above)
- Al Had’raa Farmers’ Market (Sundays only) – a super colourful and traditional market…the real Morocco. (Return Transport 6-seats €130 / 8 seats €170 / 10 seats €200 / 120-15 seats €240)
- Explore Essaouira – the walled Medina is a delight; an ancient, pedestrian-only labyrinth of colourful narrow streets full of shops and restaurants and artisanal workshops. Eat freshly grilled fish straight off the boats in the harbour and watch the crashing waves from the battlements. (Transport to Essaouira see ‘Transport’ above)
Check in / Check out
Check in : 4pm
Check out: 11am
Contact Us
Email: info@theserai.org
Mark: Ph/whatsapp: 00212 (0) 623385358
Ayelen: Ph: 00212 (0) 680454790 Whatsapp: +34 630225174
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