A Pilates getaway — Ibiza-style

When coming up with the concept for her Los Retiros retreats, Lizi Taylor didn’t set out to disrupt the industry or grab headlines. There are no big bells and whistles on her Pilates-based escapes. But that’s the point of them. They are just five days full of movement, activities and learning, in which clients can be comforted yet fulfilled and energised.
The London-born but Ibiza-raised 33-year-old, who is now based in Malaga with her Spanish husband, trained as a Pilates instructor in 2019. With her lean, tanned limbs and sunkissed hair, she looks like she’s stepped out of a campaign for good living: the epitome of what Pilates can do if you practise every day.
Her retreats started post-Covid, so she could share her love of movement and Spanish slow living. They combine twice-daily Pilates sessions with workshops and excursions. The two that she runs annually in Ibiza, in the beautiful setting of the 11-room hotel Aguamadera, were created to celebrate the island’s culture and nature. Wanting to focus on group connection, she started the four-night retreats as female-only getaways, to encourage a comfortable atmosphere for women to relax and reconnect with others, but also themselves, via a schedule full of activities.
These optional, but encouraged, sessions include terracotta ceramic making in Ibiza old town — taught by an ageing potter who doesn’t speak a word of English but somehow still creates a magical and meditative activity (top tip: wear clothes you don’t mind getting messy) — as well as workshops on farming and cooking at the hotel. In between there are slightly more bohemian touches, like a cacao ceremony, as well as more sweat-inducing moments, like a guided sea-view hike which finishes at scenic rock pools.
The Pilates itself is tough. But Taylor doesn’t push guests to touch their toes with their nose or hold a plank for three hours. She simply encourages them to show up, zone out, and move their body to the best of their abilities, pushing their body (and their plank) as far as they wish. Some classes are more dynamic, some more restorative, adjusted to what the group feels like on the day. If they want to have a lie in, or wallow in the hotel pool, there’s no shame in that.
The hotel is a retreat in its own right, a holistic hideaway in the hills that might be only 20 minutes from the airport but feels secluded and serene. Originally a working farm, set around a central building which was the original 1888 farmhouse, the 11-acre Aguamadera — its name translates as “water, wood” — is deeply rooted in agrotourism, so that guests can immerse themselves in nature, tradition and sustainable living (but in the most palatable, luxurious way).
The design is rustic but rich in textures and tones: terracotta floors, whitewashed walls with nooks featuring local ceramics and artisan sculptures. Rooms are generous and breezy, all with king-sized beds and stone-walled walk-in showers.
The sustainable goals of the property are not just for show: the air conditioning is run by geothermal energy, the pool is salt treated, the wastewater is reused for irrigation in the gardens and those gardens are filled to the brim with plants, herbs, fruit and vegetables. These are all used in the (almost self-sustained) kitchen, run by Gonzalo Cerrato Laguna who is so passionate about rustic cooking that everything is cooked over a wood fire. There’s not a gas burner, electric oven or conduction hob in sight. Even the fish and meat are sourced locally.
For the Los Retiros retreat, Laguna creates a plant-based menu with dishes like soy glazed mushrooms with cashew cream and aubergine ice cream (which has the unusual but pleasant taste of a sweet baba ganoush) with cacao crumb laid out family-style for the group. You can, though, add flame-grilled meat or eggs if you wish. Retreaters are gently encouraged to abstain from alcohol until the final night of the stay, but again, it is not forbidden to indulge in a glass of wine or expertly made Negroni.
And that’s the beauty of this retreat: Lizi understands that her guests are here for a holiday not a boot camp. Her approach is laid back but attentive, setting a gentle pace but allowing guests to tweak it to their own needs and style. She hopes everyone will leave feeling revived, reset and relaxed, having done four days that are grounded in Pilates classes — but which are more about resetting and reshaping your mind than your body.
Details The next retreat is from October 26 to 30 and costs from €1,800, all-inclusive but excluding flights, losretiros.com