Personal Spiritual Retreats:
Anybody seeking to deepen his or her understanding, experience, and connection to their spiritual path, to Divine Consciousness, is very welcome to make a retreat in Alcázar. People interested in retreats with a focus on healing something in their life are also very welcome. And people wanting to come simply to rest, walk, read, eat healthily and practice some from of prayer, meditation or yoga are equally welcome.
Here you can organize your own daily practice and program in a beautiful mountain village, untouched by tourism. You can enjoy mountain and forest walks alone, or with a local shepherd and mules. There is a meditation sanctuary in the house, and sacred sites in wilderness locations nearby.
Excellent local acupuncture, reflexology, and massage therapists are available to come to the village all year round. Meg Robinson also offers Reiki healing.
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Retreats for Artists Writers Musicians:
Retreats in Alcazar would suit painters, designers, architects, craftspeople, digital artists, performance artists, photographers, musicians, composers, writers, poets and other adventurous creative people. Spend up to two weeks in a highly creative environment finding, developing and /or exploring new ideas, continuing work on current projects- or simply refreshing and renewing your creative energies. Longer stays negotiable.

The environment is exceptionally rich in landscape imagery, ancient customs, and folklore. Mules or donkeys can be hired to transport materials to nearby pine and cork forests, to the river valley, or high mountain abandoned hamlets. Basic materials, film, computer accessories, and stretched canvases can be bought locally. Internet access is available in the nearby town, half hours drive away.
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A Creativity Retreat with Meg Robinson in Alcazar Spain
This retreat is designed to nudge budge uproot then transform the main obstacle which is stopping you from being your most creative self. Often its self sabotage that gets in the way. Frequently it´s grief that holds us stuck. Sometimes it’s an inability to be playful, almost like a pact we make with ourselves: “I cannot allow myself to be unstructured, light hearted, experimental or free. I need to be serious about my creativity .I need to achieve!” This retreat uses a delightfully playful way into changing limiting beliefs and releasing creative energy. It’s a magical process. Every persons experience is unique.
This is not art therapy. It’s something quite different. It includes “art play/discovery” with a variety of exciting materials, journaling and making new affirmations, rituals, ceremonies and strengthening your connection to your higher self, your spirit. There will be times in Nature. Times in the studio. Picnics and ceremonies beside a river. Music. Silence. Healthy vegetarian food. Time for sunbathing. Laughter. Maybe a trip to the local market. Stargazing. Opportunities to meet local artists and writers. This is a healing art journey to discover the bigger picture of your life and to unlock an abundance of new energy. With an assortment of fascinating “tools” we can unearth the roots to your stuckness and open ways to allow new energy to flow.
LOVELY EXTRAS available for all retreat guests: A wonderful Indian head massage on arrival, or, a deeply relaxing aromatherapy full body massage with nutrional advice, during the week. Or, a reflexology session also with nutrional advice to get your body kick started into new action, from three excellent local practioners.
Retreat: 134€ per day.
Head massage 25€, Aromatherapy Massage 45€, Reflexology 45€.

Creativity Retreat with Meg Robinson and Bryan Grace. In this retreat we will use kinesiology to do some of the emotional “detective work” to find out what your blocks are. Bryan Grave will give two two hour sessions to find out exactly what your body wants to heal and the corresponding emotional imbalance in terms of Chinese medicine. Meg will then guide you gently though a week of creative activities playfully transforming the feelings and beliefs underneath your imbalance. If you need acupuncture to redress an imbalance in your body or nutritional supplements Bryan will be able to offer these also. 134€ per day plus two sessions with Bryan €100. Please note: there will be an extra charge for Bryan's nutrional suplements.

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Good Grief Retreats.
Good Grief retreats are for individuals (over the age of 18) who want and need a holiday but who feel trapped in their grieving process. The week will provide a highly supportive environment in which you will feel safe and special. The object of these retreats is to provide a safe creative space for people to rest, relax, and move on in their grieving .The retreat offers the opportunity to express feelings though art, time in nature, music and silence. It is also an opportunity to reconnect with your inner voice (your intuition), often silenced by bereavements, and your sense of play, often paralyzed by sadness. Kinesiology session available for these retreats also.
The “grieving process” includes death or disappearance of a loved one, miscarriage, abortion, divorce, separation, loss of significant job, loss of country, loss of health, loss of faith.
Costs: 134 € per day.
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Painting Retreat With Feedback/Guidance/Suggestions. Following requests for this retreat Meg is now happy to offer retreats and studio space for people who want to come and paint, but who would like guidance or feedback on their artwork in order to break new ground. This is not a “painting holiday” with daily projects and tutorials or demonstrations. It’s more a place where people who love to paint can come and combine healthy eating, rest, walking in nature, with developing their art. The amount and kind of feedback would be decided by you. Guidance on how to develop your painting, on how to use colour more effectively, on how to expand your subject matter, etc etc., are available. Up to two hours a day would be available for this guidance. £70 per day. £50 per day without guidance.
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The Location
Las Alpujarras (the name for this mountainous pocket of Andalucia) has been described as the part of Andalucia where north Africa meets Europe but is neither one nor the other, rather it is itself, different, magical, steeped in a combination of Pagan, Catholic and Moorish customs.
Alcázar is a tiny mountain village with 68 inhabitants, an hour from the coast, an hour and fifteen minutes by car from Granada, two and half-hours from Malaga Airport. Madrid to Granada is approximately 6 hours by car. Cheap flights to and from Madrid from Granada & Malaga - One hour flight with IBERIA.
A local bus runs daily from Alcazar to Granada.
Alcazar lies in the middle of the Contraviesa mountain range, which face the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
On Thursdays the nearest town of Orgiva has a colorful market. Orgiva is a half-hour drive by bus or car.
Las Alpujarras, has become a magnet to a multitude of artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and healers from around the world.
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The House
When rebuilding her village house in Alcázar, Meg drew on the concepts of playing with light, creating visual surprises in every room, and celebrating local materials: eucalyptus, bamboo, slate, river and beach stones and old tiles. The house is simply but comfortably furnished with items from around the world.

Retreat/Residency Accommodation
Option 1: On the third floor there is a large west facing room with double bed, writing table and wonderful uninterrupted views of the mountain across the valley. French windows open onto a small balcony.

Option 2: Downstairs there are two interconnected rooms for one person. The bedroom is south facing with a charming view of the village. The connecting door opens into a west facing peaceful writing, working or personal mediation room.

Both rooms have ancient eucalyptus beamed ceilings.
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Communal Space
The art gallery /meditation room/sanctuary, has been reconstructed from what used to be the mules' stable. It has an open fire, a slate floor with river stones and ceramic stars embedded in random circles, a shrine carved out of the 100 year old stone wall, a beamed ceiling, and a door leading onto the mountainside. The views are west facing wild and wonderful.
The large kitchen, remade from another stable, opens into what the Spanish call a Sala de Estar, literally 'a room for being '. This sitting room has a huge wood stove and painted wooden chairs.
Upstairs there is another Sala de Esta with woodstove, lovely views, a door opening onto the roof terrace and many interesting architectural features. There are two bathrooms both with showers; one also has a Jacuzzi bath.

The house is on the edge of the village. It has a good-sized roof terrace for relaxing but no land of its own. However, many beautiful walks are accessible straight from the house.
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Notes on Village Life
Meg's intention is to welcome creative people and soul friends to her home who are sensitive to and truly appreciative of a disappearing peasant culture. Mules pass her door every day, trundling unshod towards the mountain terraces and valleys, returning mid afternoon laden either with firewood or crops. Of the 68 inhabitants, some still live just as their grandparents lived. Most families will kill a pig or pigs in November, this will give them meat for a year. Harvesting and drying figs, shelling almonds, salting olives, sun-drying tomatoes and peppers, are all still done traditionally by many families. Mules and donkeys plough the land. There are many village ceremonies and rituals throughout the year including bonfires, processions, and the arrival of the Three Kings on the 12th night after Christmas. The village has a school with eight children, a very small bar, and many old ladies (wearing the traditional black) who, amongst other tasks, still search daily for firewood, and herbs for teas and medicines. Some of the women in the village still make their own soap. Almonds have been the main source of income for the local people until recently. Just ten years ago, Alcazar was completely self-supporting in their food supplies. Now bread, fish, and vegetable vans come to the village.
But be warned: Alcázar really is remote. People sensitive to animal rights and welfare will be distressed to find that some of the older people here are still extremely medieval in their attitudes towards livestock. Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart is a good introduction to the passions of the local peasant culture. Also do bear in mind that Spain in the second noisiest country in the world and from time to time the village dogs bark and the mules honk! Bring earplugs or better still a Walkman for those occasions.
There is one tiny fascinating shop in the village but this seems to sell only non-essentials like chewing gum, tin foil, cigarette lighters etc. It almost certainly won't have what you want, but quite probably will have something that you need, chocolate, homemade wine by the gallon etc! back to top

Costs per person:
First night for any retreat 35€ including dinner and pick up from Orgiva. Departure day no charge.
Self-catering: 40€ per day, only applicable for personal Spiritual Retreats and Artists and Writers Retreats. You’d need to shop at least twice a week in Orgiva for this.
Personal Spiritual Retreat: : (£50) 65€ per day, three meals a day included. Optional trips to Orgiva with river picnic, and evening visit to join local inspirational peace choir included.
Artists and Writers Retreat: (£50) 65€ per day all inclusive. Optional market trip/river picnic, and visit to local peace choir included. If you are budget conscious and have a skill to trade (massage, reflexology, kinesiology, computer graphics vegetarian or vegan cooking etc) price deals can be arranged.
Creativity Retreat: 134€ per day all inclusive including two field trips out of the village to sacred sites , picnic at nearby river / pine forest.
Painting Retreat with Guidance: : (£70) 87€ per day all inclusive, includes two field trips out of village plus an evening meeting local artists.
Good Grief Retreat:134 € per day all inclusive plus optional excursions including a river picnic, a forest walk and an evening visit to the local inspiration peace choir.
Creativity Retreats/Good Grief Retreats/Painting Retreats with Guidance can be 7 days maximum, 5 days minimum. Additional days for personal rest and relaxation before or after any of these retreats are 65€ per day. Guest are very welcome to stay on up to a maximum of two weeks. Longer stays negotiable for artists and writers. There will be a maximum of two people making a retreat at any one time. Payment can be made in sterling (cheques) or euros (cash).Two bursaries are available per year for people with limited funds.
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Getting here from Malaga or Granada Airport
Alcázar, pronounced Al- cathR is a beautiful two and a half-hours drive from Malaga, and an hour and a half’s drive from the international airport at Granada. There are various options for getting here to suit different budgets.
Local Taxi (arranged this end) is the easiest and quickest way to get here. This is expensive unless shared with another person. From Malaga , one way is approx 85-95€. From Granada to Alcázar, 60-65€.
Buses: there is one bus a day direct from Malaga to Orgiva. It leaves at 3.30pm arriving Orgiva at 6.40pm. 9.44€ single. Returning it leaves Orgiva at 8.15am arrives Malaga at 12 noon. For flights arriving after 1.30pm you will need to take a bus to Granada then another to Orgiva, approx 12€. Allow 40 minutes from the airport to bus the station. Email for more details.
Flying into Granada (Ryan Air/Spanair/Iberia/Vueling), one bus will take you right to the crossroads at Alcazar. This leaves Granada bus station at 1.30pm. (Approx. €7) .Other departures from Granada to Orgiva are : 10am 12.00 1.30pm 4pm 5pm 5.30 and 8pm. I will pick you up in Orgiva. Allow 20 minutes from airport to bus station.
Car hire is big business in Malaga and Granada, good deals are available with Easyjet and other companies. Car hire is also available in Orgiva.
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Booking
To apply for a retreat, please email for an application form to: megrobinson@yahoo.com
Those applying for a Personal (Spiritual) Retreat, please send a brief email outlining how you envision spending your time in Alcazar. Artists and writers applying for an Artist’s Retreat please send a short CV with a brief letter outlining what you would like to do here. Those applying for a Creativity Retreat please email for additional info re themes. People applying for a Good Grief Retreat should have had at least six months since the start of their bereavement.

Subject to availability you can book any dates you like starting on any day of the week. A deposit of £50, or €60/70 US dollars will be required on booking. This is refundable up to two weeks before the start of your retreat. Please pay on arrival in Euros or Sterling (see currency converter www.xe.com).
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About Us
In 1995, Meg Robinson recovered completely and dramatically from a ten year chronic illness (M.E) and a string of bereavements through meditation, Reiki healing, drawing, painting, and creative writing. In 1996 she closed the successful painting school she had created in Scotland to become a nomadic artist. A major catalyst in this life change was meeting and working with Didier Danthois, creator of Fool at Heart, the sacred art of clowning. They met in Las Alpujarras. In clowning Meg found a means of self-expression, self-discovery, and the communication of deeply felt emotions which then inspired her paintings for the next three years. Between 1997 - 2002 she divided her time between Alaska, northern Canada, California, New Mexico, Ireland and Spain, painting and exhibiting and giving Reiki. In 1999 in northern Canada Meg met a second mentor, Gernot Dick, an extraordinary fearless wilderness explorer, teacher, painter and photographer. He encouraged her to explore her wilderness experiences both internal and external, to express her spirituality through these powerful experiences. This resulted in a solo exhibition of 40 new works created over an eighteen-month journey from Spain to Alaska. In the last two years Meg has been exploring digital art and continuing her work on a creativity book to help children though the different stages of the grieving process. She’s also been learning how to make short films combining images from her paintings with music, spoken word and text, on themes of compassion forgiveness and healing. Currently she is finishing as second collection of travel stories based on her two recent visits to Patagonia, In Search of the Turquoise Lake, and Drawn by a Star. Her project, her dream for 2007 is to return to script writing and complete the story then the film script of a “healing art journey”, a partly true story she found in Patagonia this year. For more info about Meg see below Artists Statement.

Bryan Grace is a much respected local practitioner who lives with his family in nearby Lanjaron where he has his clinic. He has had many years of study and practice in Chinese medicine in the UK and in Spain. His expertise in 5 element Kinesiology, acupuncture, color and sound vibration therapies, Bio Magnetic Therapies are exceptional. He also uses Back Flower Remedies, and is highly qualified to give advice on nutrition and herbs.
Sonaa Digby Sonaa is a professional massage therapist who has studied and practiced natural healing methods for twenty years. Her interests include homeopathy, herbal medicine, Bach Flower Remedies, Alexander technique and eye sight (with an emphasis on the emotional reasons we restrict our ability to see clearly). Sonaa uses massage as a pathway to connecting on a deep level and can also offer feedback to you after a session. Her background is in practical nature conservation. After completing a degree in ecology as a mature student she worked as a trainer and facilitator in natural conservation projects. She lives locally with her partner and many animals.
Clare Sasada. Clare has studied both reflexology and Indian Head Massage here in Spain and lives locally working in the community and at various retreat centres. She also has her own guest cottage www.elnido.co.uk where she and her partner offer luxury peaceful holidays with treatments and high class cuisine.
Rebecca Cardy. Creative Dance Teacher /Indian Head Massage. Rebecca runs creative dance workshops in Spain and the UK, gives dance performances, and is trained in Indian Head Massage. She lives in Orgiva and rents a delightful wooden cabin with pool next to her home. A perfect place for a single person to stay for a week after your retreat. www.dancinginsideout.com
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