Xintara Retreats

Where 16th-century monastic stillness meets modern wellbeing in the mist-wrapped hills of Sintra.

Best for: couples, small groups, and corporate teams seeking a heritage-rich wellness escape with warm, personalised hospitality.

Xintara Retreats Portugal Overview

Tucked into the UNESCO-protected Sintra Serra, Xintara Retreats occupies a pair of adjoining 16th-century Quintas that once served as a monastic convalescence house for ailing monks. Centuries later, the intention has hardly changed — guests still come here to recover, recharge, and reconnect, only now with rather more comfort.

The name Xintara comes from the old Moorish word for Sintra, a region long known as Mons Lunae, the mountain of the moon. It is a place Lord Byron once described as “one of the most beautiful spots in the world,” and the retreat leans gently into that romantic, mystical atmosphere without ever feeling contrived.

Founded by Jonathan Bryers, whose family has stewarded the estate for nearly four decades, Xintara blends authentic Portuguese heritage with a modern, accessible approach to wellbeing. The property was originally gifted by the 16th-century nobleman Gaspar de Cisneros — a Knight of the House of the Duke of Braganza — to the Monastery of the Trinity, and later acquired by Peter and Monique Bryers in 1981. Two decades of loving restoration have followed.

Retreats & Programs

Xintara curates and hosts three broad strands of retreat, with programmes typically running from three to five nights or more.

Personal Wellbeing Retreats

• 5-night wellbeing breaks built around twice-daily yoga sessions, on-site massages, and long, unhurried hours in the gardens and pools.
• Regenerate and Reconnect — a programme offering practical tools, coaching, and support for guests navigating or recovering from chronic stress and burnout.
• Art retreats with painting and photographic tuition, hosted within the atmospheric walls of the 16th-century Quinta.

Business Wellbeing Retreats

Designed for hybrid and remote-first organisations, these retreats help teams rebuild connection through a blend of workshops, coaching, and shared activities — always balanced with generous downtime.

Retreat Hosting

Xintara also welcomes external retreat leaders, handling logistics, catering, transfers, and hosting so that teachers can focus entirely on their students. Independent yoga and wellness practitioners regularly run multi-day programmes at the Quinta.

Sessions are led by expert practitioners from across the UK and Europe, spanning yoga, coaching, cultural excursions, and mental wellbeing support.

Accommodation

The retreat unfolds across two enchanting neighbouring properties — Quinta Sao Bento and Quinta da Matalva — connected by a covered colonnade. Together they house up to 20 guests across 10 bedrooms, offering a rare combination of scale and intimacy.

Rooms come in queen-size and twin configurations, with shared or optional en-suite bathrooms. Both Matalva house and Matalva cottage are spacious and airy, giving guests room to retreat privately or gather sociably.

Interiors are one of Xintara’s quiet pleasures. Having collected extensively during years spent in the Far East, the owners have layered traditional Portuguese antiques with European paintings and Asian ceramics, creating a warm, worldly aesthetic that feels lived-in rather than styled.

Amenities & Facilities

• Two outdoor swimming pools
• Extensive private gardens, terraces, and shaded colonnades
• A centuries-old private chapel for quiet contemplation
• Morning yoga or Pilates sessions
• On-site massage services
• Continental breakfast and meals prepared by a private chef
• Outdoor fireplace and generous common areas
• Retreat shuttle bus for airport transfers and day trips into Sintra and surrounding sights
• Long-serving household staff offering a genuinely personal welcome

The Setting

The Quinta sits at the heart of the Sintra Serra, cradled by lush flowering gardens, olive groves, and the cool, misty microclimate for which the mountain range is famous. Winding paths lead through verdant grounds; the air is scented with pine and citrus.

Sintra itself lies just minutes away, with a wealth of UNESCO-listed monuments within easy reach:

• Sintra National Palace
• Monserrate Palace
• Quinta da Regaleira
• Convento dos Capuchos

The Atlantic coast is a short drive west — the white sandy beaches of Praia Grande, Praia das Maçãs, and Praia d’Adraga are all around 15 minutes away by car.

Guest Experience

Xintara describes itself as a place for “wellbeing retreats, cultural visits, and sporting activities” — and guests consistently pick up on the same threads: the beauty of the gardens, the historic character of the buildings, and above all the warmth of the household team.

The property is cared for by loyal staff who have worked with the Bryers family for years, lending the stay a hospitality that guests describe as “the personal touch you simply wouldn’t find in a hotel.” In 2025, the retreat received wider attention when TV presenter Michael Portillo visited as part of his tour of Portugal, exploring the region and the Quinta’s history with Jonathan Bryers on a Channel 5 broadcast.

Practical Info

Getting There

Nearest airport: Lisbon Humberto Delgado International Airport, roughly 40 minutes by car. Central Lisbon is around 30 km south, easily reached by car or by regular train from Sintra station to Rossio station. A retreat shuttle handles airport transfers and daily excursions.

Address

Sao Bento & Quinta da Matalva, Rua de Reguerinho (off Rua Barbosa de Bocage), Sintra 2710-405, Portugal.

Pricing

Rates are not publicly listed and are quoted on enquiry, tailored to each retreat’s length, format, and group size. Programmes generally run from three to five-plus nights.

Best Time to Visit

Sintra’s mountain microclimate is famously cooler, greener, and mistier than surrounding Lisbon — a welcome refuge in high summer and mild well into autumn. Late spring and early autumn tend to offer the sweetest balance of warm days, blooming gardens, and clear coastal light for excursions to the nearby beaches.

What Makes It Distinctive

• Living history: A former monastic convalescence retreat, still honouring the same ethos of restoration.
• Family-owned since 1981, with decades of loving restoration behind it.
• Dual-Quinta layout offering both scale and intimacy for up to 20 guests.
• UNESCO-protected Sintra Serra setting, minutes from palaces, forests, and Atlantic beaches.
• Flexible programming for individuals, corporate teams, and visiting retreat leaders.
• East-meets-West interiors that reflect the founders’ international story.