Casa Fuzetta
ALGARVE, PORTUGAL
Stylish historic townhouse offering an intimate space for retreats in the heart of the Eastern Algarve.
From €9,100 for 5 nights | Capacity 24 guests
Located in the Algarve, which boasts 300 days of sunshine per year, Casa Fuzetta is a charming, lovingly-restored private home that's ideal for those looking for a relaxed, intimate retreat venue in Portugal and a slower pace of life. One of the tallest houses in the old Cubist town of Olhao, the 12-bedroomed historic townhouse can accommodate up to 24 people in style and comfort. Each of its bedrooms has a beautiful en-suite bathroom, and superb retreat facilities include an indoor yoga or ballet barre space, a meditation sanctuary and a rooftop pool terrace. It's a perfect venue for yoga, dance and wellbeing retreats, as well as foodie, cultural, sporting and creative breaks, and is just a 15-minute drive from Faro Airport.
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The spacious entrance hall doubles up as an indoor yoga or ballet barre space, perfect for groups of up to 16. It has underfloor heating and the walls are a stylish mix of contemporary white panels and ancient stone walls. Ceilings are barrel vaulted and tiled in traditional terracotta. Carved antique doors from Rajasthan lead into the living room.
In the spiritual heart of the house, the meditation sanctuary is a place of pure restorative beauty and energy. With stained glass windows, it can accommodate up to 20 people for seated meditation and groups of up to eight for yoga and sound baths. It's also used as a massage therapy space.
There are two dedicated treatments rooms on the ground floor. One has a large shower, and is perfect for body scrub treatments.
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The rooftop pool terrace - the main area for yoga, barre, Pilates or meditation practice - accommodates 20 people very comfortably. The terrace also has a 9m by 3m saltwater swimming pool, which is heated when needed.
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Bedrooms are decorated in natural colours, often white and stone, and each of the 12 double rooms has vintage and antique pieces. Eight of the bedrooms can be set up as doubles or twin rooms, and one room is always set up as a twin. Three rooms are ideal for couples, or as spacious singles. Each room has a large en-suite bathroom with a rain shower.
The Crystal Suite boasts a freestanding bath and the most opulent chandelier, while The Post Colonial Suite has an antique French empire sofa (which can double as an extra bed for a younger teenager).
Bed linen and towels are 100% cotton from The White Company, and LA EVA bathroom products are used. There are also hairdryers, ceiling fans and underfloor heating in bedrooms and bathrooms.
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The house has plenty of spaces where guests can gather or enjoy quiet time. Options include the living room with its open fireplace, the large library which opens onto the hidden internal courtyard and the large kitchen terrace on the first floor. The kitchen terrace also has a large charcoal barbecue and a separate fireplace to give extra warmth when sitting outside, whether to dine or just relax.
In the summer months (April to late October) all meals can be eaten on long wooden tables accommodating 24 on the outdoor kitchen terrace. In winter the terrace is still an option for breakfasts and lunches, but the kitchen, living room and entrance hall are other possibilities for dinner.
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As well as hosting yoga, meditation, creative, dance and sound healing retreats at the house, Casa Fuzetta can recommend local therapists offering massage, sound baths, Qigong, reiki and crystal healing, among others.
Or take guided bike tours along trails bordering the Ria Formosa, go for hikes in the hills, float in the salt pans and harvest flor de sal (seasalt). Boat trips, surfing and paddle boarding are also all available.
The venue is perfect for foodie retreats, which include cooking demos at the house, trips to Olhao's food markets which are a five-minute walk away, excursions to olive groves and olive oil tasting and gastronomic tours.
The vibrant creative and cultural community offers outdoor cinema evenings, Fado, art exhibitions, painting classes and visits to local ceramists.
Seville is a two-hour drive away and if you're feeling really adventurous, you could venture as far as Morocco.
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Local seasonal produce is used, with fish and shellfish from the fish market of Olhao being popular choices, while other foods come directly from the farmers. The hosts strive to buy Portuguese foods where possible and they offer a curated selection of Portuguese wines, many of which are certified organic. The house wine is from the only vineyard in the Algarve boasting heritage Algarvian vines - Morgado do Quintao.
Local chefs can cater for high-end entertaining, as well as vegan, Ayurvedic and vegetarian menus and all retreat menus are curated with the leader. Retreat leaders are welcome to take their own chefs too.
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The owners of Casa Fuzetta are committed to the environment and the local community and constantly look for ways to do more for the people and the planet.
Hot water and underfloor heating is powered primarily by solar panels and lighting is all LED (with the exception of the chandeliers). Linen changes take place once a week for bed linen and twice per week for towels (unless otherwise agreed). Only eco-friendly cleaning products are used. Gold standard organic and refillable units from LA-EVA are used in bathrooms and in public areas. A salt filtration system is used for the pool to keep chemicals to a minimum.
In an attempt to reduce and eliminate single-use plastics, bottled water isn't bought - filtered water is available in the kitchen and thanks to a stylish Aarke carbonator, sparkling water is made in-house. There is also an automatic hot water tap to avoid endless boiling of the kettle. Paper, cardboard, plastic, tins and glass are recycled and food scraps are regularly enjoyed by the sheep and chickens at nearby GoldenWeb. If hosts or the retreat chefs over shop, the venue liaises with ReFood Faro to ensure the excess is put to good use.
The gardens are low maintenance and use a drip system to keep water consumption to a minimum. Likewise, only one bathroom has a bath. The rest have showers.
Guests are invited to use the baskets in their rooms for shopping at the market and going to the beach. For bigger shopping runs, there are always plenty of bags for life and shopping trolleys in the pantry.
Casa Fuzetta is a member of Tree Sisters and make a donation to enable 100 trees to be planted for every group. They will also match a retreat leader's donation to TreeSisters for up to a further 100 trees and invite guests to make a donation to TreeSisters to offset the carbon footprint of their return flights for their stay. In collaboration with SanneLovesYoga and others, the venue regularly opens its doors to half-day retreats and special events for local Olhao residents, as well as supporting local community projects and sharing community volunteering opportunities with guest groups.
The Extraordinary
The spectacular views across the town and out to the Ria Formosa lagoon. Yoga practice on the roof terrace to the sound of church bells.
The less than ordinary
Olhao isn't a glamorous seaside place with a beach - it is a charming working fishing town, but there are pristine and deserted beaches on the islands of the Ria Formosa, a short boat ride away by ferry or river taxi.
Casa Fuzetta
Travessa Heliodoro Salgado 7
8700-558 Olhao
Portugal
Rail
Olhao or Faro
Airport
Faro