The programme
Juice detox, yoga & wellness
What we do
Reset. Recharge. Reconnect!
At Moinhos Velhos, the juice detox programme centres on freshly prepared fruit and vegetable juices, nourishing broths and a daily rhythm designed to support your wellbeing. Drawing on decades of experience and early influences including Bernard Jensen and Dr Gerson, our programme has been refined and developed since 1992, combining these foundations with yoga, meditation and a broader approach to wellbeing.
Throughout the day, you'll enjoy a variety of fresh juices and broths, alongside daily yoga, afternoon wellness workshops and evening meditation or group activities. There's also time to relax by the pool, enjoy the sauna, explore the surrounding countryside or simply unwind. Along the way, you'll share the experience with a group of like-minded people, with opportunities for conversation, laughter and the connections that often make a retreat memorable. It's a carefully balanced experience that gives you space to recharge physically, quiet your mind and reconnect with yourself.
A day at Moinhos Velhos
The rhythm your body remembers
Each day has a similar rhythm, but brings something of its own — nourishment every three hours, so there's always something fresh and delicious just around the corner; morning yoga to wake up the body and focus the mind; and evenings filled with inspiring workshops, meditation and shared experiences. The routine might sound simple, but over a week, the small things add up to something much bigger!
07:00
Wake with the valley
No alarms blaring, no rush. A gentle bell rings its way around the rooms, signalling the start of a new day, followed by warm lemon water and a few moments to ease into the morning before yoga begins.
08:00
Morning yoga in the temple
An all-levels practice in the open-sided temple above the gardens, shaped over three decades to meet whoever shows up. Beginners and seasoned yogis guided at their own capacity side by side.
10:00
First juice
Freshly pressed to the season — never the same blend twice across your stay. Afterwards the morning opens up: a therapy appointment, a workshop, or simply time by the pool.
10:45
Optional therapies
Including deep tissue massage, acupuncture and Bowen — booked session by session with the therapists in residence that week. Take what your body asks for; skip what it doesn't.
13:00
Midday juice
Back to the dining room for your second freshly prepared juice, shared around the table. Afterwards, enjoy the Algarve sunshine, take a stroll around the reservoir or follow the Juicy Loop, or find your favourite spot to relax.
13:45
Optional therapies
This is another opportunity to give yourself some extra care. Choose from treatments such as Inspirational Healing, CQM, reflexology and Reiki, and explore a different approach to your wellbeing.
16:00
Afternoon juice & table talk
Back around the table for your third juice of the day, followed by a nutrition or wellness workshop. Explore topics such as how juice detox works, practical nutritional advice you can take home, and stress management. Afterwards, you might head to the sauna or enjoy the gardens.
19:00
Evening broth
The day takes a delicious turn with a warm, themed vegetable broth, bringing everyone together around the table. After a day of juices, yoga, treatments and new discoveries, it's a chance to share stories, exchange impressions and enjoy the sense of community that makes Moinhos Velhos special.
19:45
Meditation or workshop
Sound baths, mindfulness, meditation, Yoga Nidra, movement, dance and fire ceremonies. Afterwards, there's time to connect with fellow guests, enjoy a tea or simply unwind.
The film
A week here, seen through two guests
Follow Erica and Doc through their seven days — the juices, yoga, reflective workshops, personal insights and the experience of breaking their fast.
What’s included
Everything You Need for Your Reset
Your fee covers the full programme, start to finish. The only extras are optional specialist therapies such as massage or acupuncture, booked separately with our therapists.
- Freshly pressed juices, evening broth, lemon water & herbal teas all day
- Your initial health check-in and end-of-retreat check-out with our team
- Daily yoga class
- Evening meditation or workshop
- Use of the QRS electromagnetic bed
- Use of our parasite-zapper equipment
- Full use of the salt-water pool
- Full use of the wood-fired Finnish sauna
- Access to the gardens and grounds
- A weekly day trip to the beach or Lagos
- Internet access throughout your stay
- Free pick-up from Lagos
Between the juices
Give Yourself Some Extra Care
Between yoga, fresh juices and workshops, there's plenty of opportunity to focus on yourself. Enjoy a massage after morning yoga, explore acupuncture or reflexology, or discover one of the many other therapies available during your stay. With a varied menu of specialist treatments, you can choose what appeals to you and make your retreat your own.
Each optional treatment costs €75 for a one-hour session. You can book once you're here, after your initial check-in, and our therapists will be happy to discuss the available options with you.
The clinic’s three therapy rooms sit just past the yoga temple.
Yoga & meditation
Practice that meets you where you are
Classes are genuinely all-levels — taught the same way whether it's your first class or your five-hundredth, and shaped over the years to meet the room rather than follow a fixed script. The temple itself, hung with images of forty ascended masters, has a distinctive atmosphere that guests often describe as deeply grounding, peaceful and uplifting.
The temple
Open to the gardens on every side, and by common agreement the heartbeat of the site alongside the juice kitchen.
Fire ceremony
An evening ritual — a chance to name what you're ready to let go of, out loud or in silence.
Spiral walk
Follow the garden's spiral path as a symbolic journey of release and renewal — letting go of what lies behind and opening yourself to new possibilities, clarity and inspiration.
Workshops
Learning that outlasts the week
Alongside the daily rhythm, our workshops offer a chance to explore the ideas behind the programme and discover practical ways to support your wellbeing long after you leave.
Topics include understanding the gut microbiome, the principles behind juice detox, nutrition advice and healthy habits you can take home, as well as mindfulness, stress management and the principles of Ayurveda.
Combining accessible information with open discussion and shared insights, these sessions invite you to ask questions, explore new perspectives and find ideas that work for you in everyday life.
Nutrition & wellness
Sessions with our in-house nutrition team on what to eat — and how to think about food — once you're home.
Practical self-care
Hands-on workshops in the neti pot, dry skin brushing and tongue scraping — small daily habits with an outsized effect.
Body-mind connection
Movement and reflection sessions exploring how what we carry physically so often mirrors what we carry emotionally.
Once a week
A day trip to the coast
Once a week the programme pauses for a trip out — to one of the Algarve's beaches on the west or south coast, or into Lagos itself. It's a welcome change of scenery, and a reminder that the retreat sits inside a genuinely beautiful stretch of coastline, not apart from it.
Who it’s for
All ages, all levels, genuinely
Guests arrive from their twenties to their eighties, first-timers alongside people on their tenth visit. There's no pressure to attempt every class or take part in every activity — our approach is deliberately flexible. You can engage with the programme at your own pace, choosing the activities that suit you, while our team offers guidance and support throughout your stay.
- No yoga experience required
- Join in as much as you like
- Set your own pace, every day
Investment
From €1,250 for a full week
Retreats run 7 or 10 nights, with accommodation from shared twin bell tents to premium singles in the old mill. A €350 deposit secures your place, with the balance due 14 days before you arrive.
Ready to begin your reset?
Check live availability, choose your room, and reserve your place with a €350 deposit. It takes about five minutes.