Adventure Paddle Board & Yoga Retreats for Joyful Days
Morocco Culture & Yoga Adventure with MMY & Sunshine Surf
Essaouira, Morocco, is on Africa's Atlantic Coast. Our partners at Sunshine Surf Retreats held their first trip here in September, with rave reviews and requests to return. We were watching their Instagram content stream through, feeling a tug at our heartstrings, wanting to explore this historic city and culture. While most of MMY's trips have been centered around the ability to paddleboard and surf, this will be more land focused, with an optional surf excursion. We will definitely be hitting the beach for a day on this trip and our exquisite accommodations have a beautiful pool to lounge and relax by each day.
Dates: September 14th-21st, 2026
Destination: Essaouira, Morocco
Accommodations: La Collines des Oliviers Estate, 20 minutes outside the vibrant city of Essaouira. Surrounded by the enchanting beauty of olive and argan trees, our sanctuary offers a tranquil escape for those seeking peace, relaxation, and rejuvenation.
About where we are going:
Essaouira is a place where warmth, beauty, and culture come together perfectly. This coastal city will awaken all five senses right on arrival. Feast your eyes on the quintessential whitewashed walls and blue shutters surrounding the city overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The sound of Gnawa rhythms, mosque callings, and the ocean breeze moving through the Medina fills the air with life. Follow the scent of fresh spices, grilled seafood, and salty sea air as you wander the narrow streets. Taste Essaouira through its flavors like freshly-caught fish, warm bread, and sweet mint tea. Lastly, feel the delicate handwoven textiles and welcoming handshakes from the welcoming (Berber) people. Essaouira's legendary hospitality and easy going spirit will make you feel right at home.
Included for all guests:
- 8 days / 7 nights in luxury accommodations with large pool, yoga space (mats provided on-site) and many quite common areas for reading and decompressing.
- 7 breakfasts & 7 dinners prepared by an in-house private chef with ingredients such as olive oil from the house's grove, eggs from the free-range chickens on-site, and the freshest local produce.
- Guided walking tour of the Medina, a UNESCO world-heritage site recognized in 2001 for its exceptional 18th-century fortified medina (old city), a unique blend of European military architecture (like Vauban-style ramparts) and North African/Arabo-Muslim town planning, serving as a significant international trading port and multicultural hub. Essaouira is known for its arts, textiles, and musical culture.
- Traditional Gwana concert
- Group beach outing
- Moroccan cooking class
- Guided 3-hour hiking tour to Diabat
- Winery tour & tasting
- Round trip Group transportation from Essaouira airport
- Roundtrip transportation to all included activities
- Daily all levels movement & meditation by Melanie
- Free time to relax or add on additional excursions (Massages at the house anyone? Souvenir shopping, maybe horseback riding, or an extra surf lesson? We have options!)
- Desi or Delphine from Sunshine Surf Retreats as your super fun guide!
Exclusions:
- Flights
- All lunches
- Alcoholic beverages
- Travel Insurance
- Any additional tips for services (at your discretion)
About our luxurious estate accommodates and rooms:
- 8 spacious bedrooms feature private outdoor spaces with views of the olive grove, the pool and the countryside's open hills.
- Our guest rooms are equipped with king-size beds and additional single beds as well as attached bathrooms and private terraces. Three bedrooms are attached to the main house while 5 Douarias (terracotta-style homes) are nestled within the olive grove and swimming pool area.
- An array of common space for relaxing or socializing indoors and outdoors.
- Multiple dining and living areas create the perfect settings for both quiet moments and large group gatherings. Guests can enjoy a large infinity pool, a 250 meter rooftop terrace with a 360-degree panorama and a shaded outdoor platform. Additional areas such as the shaded ping pong table, pétanque, board games, TV room, and a wide selection of books will meet every desire.
- Our equipped outdoor space includes yoga mats and portable speakers
Booking, Room Availability, and Pricing:
Please note for all of our MMY trips our preference is personal check, Zelle, Venmo to melanie-smith-20, or cash. If you need to use a credit card, we prefer that as a last resort as we will need to add a 2.5% processing fee for CC payments.
A $700 non-refundable/non-transferable deposit is necessary to hold the bedroom space of your choosing. Once booked a terms and conditions email will be sent to you for review and signing. Rooms are first come, first serve basis. We do create a waitlist for room choices if your first choice is not available. Monthly/bimonthly & scheduled payment plans are always available to be arranged between each individual and Miss Melanie Yoga LLC.
Please note that your trip will need to be paid in full no later than August 12, 2026.
2 Double Rooms w/ 1 king bed & 1 single bed = $ 4100.00 per person.
1 Triple Room w/1 king bed, 2 single beds = $3800.00 per person.
4 Private King Rooms = $4300.00 per person for solo & $4100 per person for shared bed. (Currently sold out)
Getting to Essaouira from the East Coast:
There are no direct flights to Essaouira airport. In order to arrive on the 14th of September, the best option would be flying from Newark Airport to Madrid Spain, arriving no later than September 13th so that you can fly from Madrid to Essaouira on a 12pm flight arriving by early afternoon. This flight is 2 hours and 10 minutes. You’ll find a link below with more flight information!
There are other flight options from the United States to Portugal, Italy, or Paris (but remember that the Paris airport is the busiest in the world with the most flight delays). And not all cities have flights that arrive in Essaouira on the 14th. Other options would be to fly to Casablanca or Marrakech and take ground transportation to Essaouira Airport for pick-up between 2 & 3pm on the 14th of September. Current flight prices are between $500 and $800 for a flight from the US to Madrid round trip non-stop via economy business class. The flight from Madrid to Essaouira is around $100.00.
You are absolutely welcome to add any additional days on either end of your trip in any location you wish. Just know that your official trip begins at 3pm on September 14th and will end by noon on September 21st. Myself, Desi, and Del are more than able to help with any additional travel information you may want or need, and will help you figure out your flight plan as part of our services to you.
Everyone (as long as you’re an adult) is Welcome!
This is a co-ed trip. We welcome everyone over the age of 18 (preferably over 21). Please note, we will not place men and women in a shared room space or bathroom space unless you are traveling together.
Safety and how to dress
As per Desi & Delphine: “Although we were not expected to cover up, we do encourage our lady travelers to dress modestly outside of the house or beach environments as a sign of respect for Morocco’s Muslim culture. This means covering your shoulders and legs while in the town. Bringing a light scarf and shawl is very useful. As far as safety goes, we could not have felt more at home. Everyone was so friendly and respectful!”
Time of year and Temperature while we will be there:
The climate in Essaouira, Morocco, in mid-September is typically warm, pleasant, and breezy, offering a comfortable transition from summer heat with average highs around 75-80°F (24-26°C) and cooler nights around 65-67°F (18-19°C). Thanks to the Atlantic breeze which keeps it milder than inland cities, its perfect for enjoying beaches and sightseeing with less humidity and very little rain.
It’s ideal weather for walking the ramparts, exploring the medina, and enjoying outdoor cafes while still being comfortable for beach activities. Great for swimming, surfing, and kitesurfing.
In September, tourist numbers are also starting to decrease and are less overwhelming than peak summer. In short, mid-September offers one of the best balances of warm weather, refreshing sea breezes, and fewer crowds for visiting Essaouira.
As with all of our trips, we will take into consideration dietary needs and restrictions per person for our private chef to ensure that folks have a well-balanced and nutritious menu of foods to choose from daily. You can expect a robust menu including and excluding meat, fish, vegetables, and allergens depending on the needs of guests.
For these cultural adventure retreats we welcome each person to do as much or little as they like given how they feel each day. We never want you to feel pressured to participate in any activity and we do not overlap activities. The yoga and meditation provided by Melanie is meant to be for all levels with a mixture of light vinyasa yoga, restorative yoga, yin yoga, and hatha yoga, plus mindfulness meditation. Melanie will check in with each guest daily to see how they are feeling activity-wise and give options that best suit each person's practice. The movement practices are meant to be a compliment to our other daily activities.
We are really excited to be offering this trip to our community.
Morocco has been on the bucket list for some time. Having Delphine and Desi at the helm to help co-guide this trip with Melanie, makes us feel like this will be an unforgettable excursion for those who want to see a new part of the world and travel with some amazing and kind folks in the MMY community.
Our previous retreat guests have scooped up six spaces before we launched this to the public. This means we only have room for 5 more people in either the double room space or triple room space.
If you wish to book your space or have any questions, please email melanie@missmelanieyoga.com.
Previous Adventures & Retreats
MMY & Sunshine Surf Present Mexico 2.0: Culture and Adventure, January 16-23, 2026
Essaouira, Morocco, is on Africa's Atlantic Coast. Our partners at Sunshine Surf Retreats held their first trip here in September, with rave reviews and requests to return. We were watching their Instagram content stream through, feeling a tug at our heartstrings, wanting to explore this historic city and culture. While most of MMY's trips have been centered around the ability to paddleboard and surf, this will be more land focused, with an optional surf excursion. We will definitely be hitting the beach for a day on this trip and our exquisite accommodations have a beautiful pool to lounge and relax by each day.
Dates: September 14th-21st, 2026
Destination: Essaouira, Morocco
Accommodations: La Collines des Oliviers Estate, 20 minutes outside the vibrant city of Essaouira. Surrounded by the enchanting beauty of olive and argan trees, our sanctuary offers a tranquil escape for those seeking peace, relaxation, and rejuvenation.
About where we are going:
Essaouira is a place where warmth, beauty, and culture come together perfectly. This coastal city will awaken all five senses right on arrival. Feast your eyes on the quintessential whitewashed walls and blue shutters surrounding the city overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The sound of Gnawa rhythms, mosque callings, and the ocean breeze moving through the Medina fills the air with life. Follow the scent of fresh spices, grilled seafood, and salty sea air as you wander the narrow streets. Taste Essaouira through its flavors like freshly-caught fish, warm bread, and sweet mint tea. Lastly, feel the delicate handwoven textiles and welcoming handshakes from the welcoming (Berber) people. Essaouira's legendary hospitality and easy going spirit will make you feel right at home.
Included for all guests:
8 days/ 7 nights in luxury accommodations with large pool, yoga space (mats provided on-site) and many quite common areas for reading and decompressing.
7 breakfast & 7 dinners prepared by an in-house private chef with ingredients such as olive oil from the house's grove, eggs from the free-range chicken on-site, and the freshest local produce.
Guided walking tour of the Medina (a UNESCO world-heritage sites recognized in 2001 for its exceptional 18th-century fortified medina (old city), a unique blend of European military architecture (like Vauban-style ramparts) and North African/Arabo-Muslim town planning, serving as a significant international trading port and multicultural hub., )Essaouira is known for its arts, textiles, musical culture.
Traditional Gwana concert
Group beach outing
Moroccan cooking class
Guided 3-hour hiking tour to Diabat
Winery tour & tasting
Round trip Group transportation from Essaouira airport
Roundtrip transportation to all included activities
Daily all levels movement & meditation by Melanie
Free time to relax or add on additional excursions (massages at the house anyone? Souvenir shopping, maybe horseback riding, or an extra surf lesson? We have options!)
Desi or Delphane from Sunshine Surf Retreats as your super fun guide!
Exclusions:
Flights
All lunches
Alcoholic beverages
Travel Insurance
Any additional tips for services (at your discretion)
About our luxurious estate accommodates and rooms:
8 spacious bedrooms feature private outdoor spaces with views of the olive grove, the pool and the countryside's open hills.
Our guest rooms are equipped with king-size beds and additional single beds as well as attached bathrooms and private terraces. Three bedrooms are attached to the main house while 5 Douarias (terracotta-style homes) are nestled within the olive grove and swimming pool area.
An array of common space for relaxing or socializing indoors and outdoors.
Multiple dining and living areas create the perfect settings for both quiet moments and large group gatherings. Guests can enjoy a large infinity pool, a 250 meter rooftop terrace with a 360-degree panorama and a shaded outdoor platform. Additional areas such as the shaded ping pong table, pétanque, board games, TV room, and a wide selection of books will meet every desire.
Our equipped outdoor space includes yoga mats and portable speakers
Booking, Room Availability, and Pricing:
Please note for all of our MMY trips our preference is personal check, Zelle, Venmo to melanie-smith-20, or cash. If you need to use a credit card, we prefer that as a last resort as we will need to add a 2.5% processing fee for CC payments.
A $700 non-refundable/non-transferable deposit is necessary to hold the bedroom space of your choosing. Once booked a terms and conditions email will be sent to you for review and signing. Rooms are first come, first serve basis. We do create a waitlist for room choices if your first choice is not available. Monthly/bimonthly & scheduled payment plans are always available to be arranged between each individual and Miss Melanie Yoga LLC.
Please note that your trip will need to be paid in full no later than August 12, 2026.
2 Double Rooms w/ 1 king bed & 1 single bed = $ 4100.00 per person.
1 Triple Room w/1 king bed, 2 single beds = $3800.00 per person.
4 Private King Rooms = $4300.00 per person for solo & $4100 per person for shared bed. (Currently sold out)
Getting to Essaouira from the East Coast:
There are no direct flights to Essaouira airport. In order to arrive on the 14th of September, the best option would be flying from Newark Airport to Madrid Spain, arriving no later than September 13th so that you can fly from Madrid to Essaouira on a 12pm flight arriving by early afternoon. This flight is 2 hours and 10 minutes. You’ll find a link below with more flight information!
There are other flight options from the United States to Portugal, Italy, or Paris (but remember that the Paris airport is the busiest in the world with the most flight delays). And not all cities have flights that arrive in Essaouira on the 14th. Other options would be to fly to Casablanca or Marrakech and take ground transportation to Essaouira Airport for pick-up between 2 & 3pm on the 14th of September. Current flight prices are between $500 and $800 for a flight from the US to Madrid round trip non-stop via economy business class. The flight from Madrid to Essaouira is around $100.00.
You are absolutely welcome to add any additional days on either end of your trip in any location you wish. Just know that your official trip begins at 3pm on September 14th and will end by noon on September 21st. Myself, Desi, and Del are more than able to help with any additional travel information you may want or need, and will help you figure out your flight plan as part of our services to you.
Everyone (as long as you’re an adult) is Welcome!
This is a co-ed trip. We welcome everyone over the age of 18 (preferably over 21). Please note, we will not place men and women in a shared room space or bathroom space unless you are traveling together.
Safety and how to dress
As per Desi & Delphine: “Although we were not expected to cover up, we do encourage our lady travelers to dress modestly outside of the house or beach environments as a sign of respect for Morocco’s Muslim culture. This means covering your shoulders and legs while in the town. Bringing a light scarf and shawl is very useful. As far as safety goes, we could not have felt more at home. Everyone was so friendly and respectful!”
Time of year and Temperature while we will be there:
The climate in Essaouira, Morocco, in mid-September is typically warm, pleasant, and breezy, offering a comfortable transition from summer heat with average highs around 75-80°F (24-26°C) and cooler nights around 65-67°F (18-19°C). Thanks to the Atlantic breeze which keeps it milder than inland cities, its perfect for enjoying beaches and sightseeing with less humidity and very little rain.
It’s ideal weather for walking the ramparts, exploring the medina, and enjoying outdoor cafes while still being comfortable for beach activities. Great for swimming, surfing, and kitesurfing.
In September, tourist numbers are also starting to decrease and are less overwhelming than peak summer. In short, mid-September offers one of the best balances of warm weather, refreshing sea breezes, and fewer crowds for visiting Essaouira.
As with all of our trips, we will take into consideration dietary needs and restrictions per person for our private chef to ensure that folks have a well-balanced and nutritious menu of foods to choose from daily. You can expect a robust menu including and excluding meat, fish, vegetables, and allergens depending on the needs of guests.
For these cultural adventure retreats we welcome each person to do as much or little as they like given how they feel each day. We never want you to feel pressured to participate in any activity and we do not overlap activities. The yoga and meditation provided by Melanie is meant to be for all levels with a mixture of light vinyasa yoga, restorative yoga, yin yoga, and hatha yoga, plus mindfulness meditation. Melanie will check in with each guest daily to see how they are feeling activity-wise and give options that best suit each person's practice. The movement practices are meant to be a compliment to our other daily activities.
We are really excited to be offering this trip to our community.
Morocco has been on the bucket list for some time. Having Delphine and Desi at the helm to help co-guide this trip with Melanie, makes us feel like this will be an unforgettable excursion for those who want to see a new part of the world and travel with some amazing and kind folks in the MMY community.
Our previous retreat guests have scooped up six spaces before we launched this to the public. This means we only have room for 5 more people in either the double room space or triple room space.
If you wish to book your space or have any questions, please email melanie@missmelanieyoga.com.
Meet us by the pool and relax in one of the hammocks
Lounge area
The perfect spot for lounging between adventures!
Our view from the community lounge area
Private Queen room in Casita Campana
Private King Room in Casita Campana
Relax with a snack in the kitchenette
Shared triple room in Casita Campana
Casita Campana common area
The view from Casita Campana
MMY & Sunshine Surf Present Costa Rica Tropical Adventure & Surf Retreat March 1st to the 8th, 2025.
This 7 night / 8 day bucket list trip will be one for the books as we paddle, hike, surf, and sail our way around one of Costa Rica’s most gorgeous locales.
Our Destination: Manuel Antonio Costa Rica.
Located on the Central Pacific Coast, this area combines the allure of rainforests, beaches, and astonishing wildlife sighting making it one of the most biodiverse areas in Costa Rica. It is an extraordinary place with spectacular views. Whether you want to relax on white sandy beaches or trek through the jungles looking for wildlife, Manuel Antonio is sure to please all types of travelers.
Our Accommodations
We will be residing in a gorgeous private house built on five levels with a total of 10 bedrooms. Our home boasts 8 private rooms and two triple bed rooms, each with its own private bath. The house comes with 3 pools, a rooftop terrace that’s perfect for yoga, a game room, lots of private and public deck space. Our food is provided by a private chef that will cook us two meals per day: daily breakfast and either lunch or dinner depending on our schedule that day. The location is perfect with amazing ocean views, while still being close to the center of town and the beach.
What’s Included:
- Three Surf Lessons.
- Guided Walking tour of the National Park - visit several beautiful viewpoints, see monkeys, parrots, possibly sloths, and end at a gorgeous beach! A true highlight for nature and animal lovers!
- Sunset catamaran trip with snorkeling and open bar
- Hidden beach hike - hike to a beautiful secret secluded beach & feel like a local!
- 3 Hour Guided SUP Excursion
- Hiking excursion to the incredible Nauyaca Waterfalls
- Daily movement by Mel
- Two chef prepared meals daily
- Transportation to and from San Jose CR Airport to lodgings with a stop at Playa Hermosa Beach on the way (included for group arrival only). Transportation to all above mentioned activities will be included.
Add on Activity: Canyoning and Ziplininng - this is high adrenaline activity where you rappel down waterfalls, zip line, and walk on hanging bridges. Participants must be harnessed in. Transportation and typical Costa Rican lunch is included. A memorable adventure! An additional $100 per person.
Getting there: You will fly into Juan Santamaria International Airport, Alajuela Costa Rica (SJO).
You will need a valid passport for this trip.
We have flight suggestions available depending on your departure schedule. MMY will not be able to guarantee that we can provide transportation to or from your domestic airport for this trip, but we will try our best!
What’s Not Included:
- Not much!!
- Flight to & from SJO.
- Transportation to & from your domestic airport. However, Melanie has some suggestions and will help you find the best flight for your schedule. See you below for more flight information.
- Some meals not mentioned.
- Gifts, souvenirs, or any additional activities not mentioned above.
- Trip insurance and Travel Health Insurance is NOT included.
- Here is a listing of 2024’s most recommended travel insurance policies. Here is why travel insurance is HIGHLY recommended.
- Any additional days or evenings in Costa Rica before or after.
Join Melanie and Kate May 7th - 11th for 5 days and 4 nights of yoga, paddling, and exploration in the beautiful Florida Keys
We are excited to invite you on our Adventure & Inspiration Getaway planned in Key West - a location that has inspired countless writers, musicians, and artists of all kinds: Ernest Hemmingway, Judy Blume, Robert Frost, Truman Capote, Winslow Homer, Tennessee Williams, and of course Jimmy Buffett to name a few! Add in a rich history of piracy, shipwrecks, tales of mermaids, and an ecological treasure trove and you can’t help but feel that spark of creativity and enthusiasm course through you.
This is exactly why we chose to hold our second retreat here. Our accommodations at Marrero's Guest Mansion are influenced by the historic beauty of the Victorian period brought back to life with a colorful modern twist, feeding our creativity. Our practice space at the Yoga Sanctuary is set amongst tranquil palms, allowing us to create the peace we need to make room for the awakening of our spirits. And our final touch of inspiration comes with spending time in nature, experiencing the twists and turns of mangroves, accompanied by dolphins and manatees, and topped off with the glorious sunset over the ocean to illuminate our souls.
This is the type of experience that we all crave - one that restores our coffers with dreams of the beauty this world holds.
What's Included:
- 5 days, 4 nights in a historic Victorian home turned artful boutique hotel
- 4 breakfasts, 1 picnic lunch, and 1 group dinner
- 1 SUP Yoga class with Melanie & Kate (kayak rental available for those who prefer)
- 1 Paddling Eco Tour (Paddle boards or kayaks available)
- 4 movement-based sessions with a creative focus with Melanie & Kate
- Sunset sail and dolphin watch
- Swag bag including one free paddle board class back at home with MMY Paddleboards
What's NOT Included:
- Domestic flights
- Transportation to and from the airport
- 3 dinners, 3 lunches, snacks
- Alcoholic beverages
- Travel Insurance
- Tips for instructors and guides
Questions? Contact us at info@missmelanieyoga.com or via phone at (484) 819-0380
Room 1: Shared Queen Room with Veranda
Room 2: Double or Single Occupancy King with Veranda
Room 3: Single Occupancy King (direct pool access) - Booked
Room 4: Single Queen & Single Double Bed with shared bathroom
Room 4: Single Queen & Single Double Bed with shared bathroom
Room 6: Double or Single Occupancy King with Balcony - Booked
Room 7: Single Occupancy King (no balcony)
Room 8: Double or Single Occupancy King (no balcony)
Room 9: Single King with Balcony
Room 10: Single Occupancy Queen with Balcony - Booked
Double Occupancy Queen with Balcony - Booked
Yoga Sanctuary
Our practice space for our Getaway at the Yoga Sanctuary
Paddling in the Keys
For all paddling times, you may choose from paddle boards or kayaks
Sold Out! Join Melanie as she travels to one of her favorite destinations: San Pancho, Nayarit, Mexico! Sun, surf, and adventure are on the agenda as we search for endless summer.
What's Included:
- 7 days, 6 nights in beautiful accommodations
- 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 3 dinners prepared by a private chef
- 2 two-hour surf lessons with instructors, gear included
- 2 SUP excursions, gear included
- Private whale-watching excursion
- Salsa dancing class
- Daily Yoga/ stretching / meditation led by Melanie. Mats provided!
- A guided San Pancho-Sayulita hike
- Transportation to and from all activities
What's NOT Included:
- International flights
- Transportation to and from the airport
- 2 dinners, 2 lunches, snacks
- Alcoholic beverages
- Travel Insurance
- Tips for instructors and guides
Questions? Contact us at info@missmelanieyoga.com or via phone at (484) 819-0380
The magic of whale watching from San Pancho.
Perfect paddle boarding conditions in San Pancho.
The streets of Sayulita - a hub of shops and restaurants to explore.
Our yoga chalet.
Beautiful bio-pool and outdoor space perfect for relaxing between adventures.
Outdoor patio space for enjoying each other's company
Outdoor patio & bio-pool.
Kitchen and indoor dining space where our private chef will prepare our meals. Vegan and vegetarian options available!
Dining outside brings additional beauty to perfectly prepared meals.
An example of one of our king rooms with private bath.
A shared twin example with shared bathroom.
A sweet twin spot with shared bathroom.
A sweet and soft king room.
Who doesn't love a cozy balcony spot?
Spa-like bathrooms continue the relaxing feeling of our accommodations.
Additional massage services are available for an extra charge.
Liberation Retreat
Essaouira, Morocco, is on Africa's Atlantic Coast. Our partners at Sunshine Surf Retreats held their first trip here in September, with rave reviews and requests to return. We were watching their Instagram content stream through, feeling a tug at our heartstrings, wanting to explore this historic city and culture. While most of MMY's trips have been centered around the ability to paddleboard and surf, this will be more land focused, with an optional surf excursion. We will definitely be hitting the beach for a day on this trip and our exquisite accommodations have a beautiful pool to lounge and relax by each day.
Dates: September 14th-21st, 2026
Destination: Essaouira, Morocco
Accommodations: La Collines des Oliviers Estate, 20 minutes outside the vibrant city of Essaouira. Surrounded by the enchanting beauty of olive and argan trees, our sanctuary offers a tranquil escape for those seeking peace, relaxation, and rejuvenation.
About where we are going:
Essaouira is a place where warmth, beauty, and culture come together perfectly. This coastal city will awaken all five senses right on arrival. Feast your eyes on the quintessential whitewashed walls and blue shutters surrounding the city overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The sound of Gnawa rhythms, mosque callings, and the ocean breeze moving through the Medina fills the air with life. Follow the scent of fresh spices, grilled seafood, and salty sea air as you wander the narrow streets. Taste Essaouira through its flavors like freshly-caught fish, warm bread, and sweet mint tea. Lastly, feel the delicate handwoven textiles and welcoming handshakes from the welcoming (Berber) people. Essaouira's legendary hospitality and easy going spirit will make you feel right at home.
Included for all guests:
8 days/ 7 nights in luxury accommodations with large pool, yoga space (mats provided on-site) and many quite common areas for reading and decompressing.
7 breakfast & 7 dinners prepared by an in-house private chef with ingredients such as olive oil from the house's grove, eggs from the free-range chicken on-site, and the freshest local produce.
Guided walking tour of the Medina (a UNESCO world-heritage sites recognized in 2001 for its exceptional 18th-century fortified medina (old city), a unique blend of European military architecture (like Vauban-style ramparts) and North African/Arabo-Muslim town planning, serving as a significant international trading port and multicultural hub., )Essaouira is known for its arts, textiles, musical culture.
Traditional Gwana concert
Group beach outing
Moroccan cooking class
Guided 3-hour hiking tour to Diabat
Winery tour & tasting
Round trip Group transportation from Essaouira airport
Roundtrip transportation to all included activities
Daily all levels movement & meditation by Melanie
Free time to relax or add on additional excursions (massages at the house anyone? Souvenir shopping, maybe horseback riding, or an extra surf lesson? We have options!)
Desi or Delphane from Sunshine Surf Retreats as your super fun guide!
Exclusions:
Flights
All lunches
Alcoholic beverages
Travel Insurance
Any additional tips for services (at your discretion)
About our luxurious estate accommodates and rooms:
8 spacious bedrooms feature private outdoor spaces with views of the olive grove, the pool and the countryside's open hills.
Our guest rooms are equipped with king-size beds and additional single beds as well as attached bathrooms and private terraces. Three bedrooms are attached to the main house while 5 Douarias (terracotta-style homes) are nestled within the olive grove and swimming pool area.
An array of common space for relaxing or socializing indoors and outdoors.
Multiple dining and living areas create the perfect settings for both quiet moments and large group gatherings. Guests can enjoy a large infinity pool, a 250 meter rooftop terrace with a 360-degree panorama and a shaded outdoor platform. Additional areas such as the shaded ping pong table, pétanque, board games, TV room, and a wide selection of books will meet every desire.
Our equipped outdoor space includes yoga mats and portable speakers
Booking, Room Availability, and Pricing:
Please note for all of our MMY trips our preference is personal check, Zelle, Venmo to melanie-smith-20, or cash. If you need to use a credit card, we prefer that as a last resort as we will need to add a 2.5% processing fee for CC payments.
A $700 non-refundable/non-transferable deposit is necessary to hold the bedroom space of your choosing. Once booked a terms and conditions email will be sent to you for review and signing. Rooms are first come, first serve basis. We do create a waitlist for room choices if your first choice is not available. Monthly/bimonthly & scheduled payment plans are always available to be arranged between each individual and Miss Melanie Yoga LLC.
Please note that your trip will need to be paid in full no later than August 12, 2026.
2 Double Rooms w/ 1 king bed & 1 single bed = $ 4100.00 per person.
1 Triple Room w/1 king bed, 2 single beds = $3800.00 per person.
4 Private King Rooms = $4300.00 per person for solo & $4100 per person for shared bed. (Currently sold out)
Getting to Essaouira from the East Coast:
There are no direct flights to Essaouira airport. In order to arrive on the 14th of September, the best option would be flying from Newark Airport to Madrid Spain, arriving no later than September 13th so that you can fly from Madrid to Essaouira on a 12pm flight arriving by early afternoon. This flight is 2 hours and 10 minutes. You’ll find a link below with more flight information!
There are other flight options from the United States to Portugal, Italy, or Paris (but remember that the Paris airport is the busiest in the world with the most flight delays). And not all cities have flights that arrive in Essaouira on the 14th. Other options would be to fly to Casablanca or Marrakech and take ground transportation to Essaouira Airport for pick-up between 2 & 3pm on the 14th of September. Current flight prices are between $500 and $800 for a flight from the US to Madrid round trip non-stop via economy business class. The flight from Madrid to Essaouira is around $100.00.
You are absolutely welcome to add any additional days on either end of your trip in any location you wish. Just know that your official trip begins at 3pm on September 14th and will end by noon on September 21st. Myself, Desi, and Del are more than able to help with any additional travel information you may want or need, and will help you figure out your flight plan as part of our services to you.
Everyone (as long as you’re an adult) is Welcome!
This is a co-ed trip. We welcome everyone over the age of 18 (preferably over 21). Please note, we will not place men and women in a shared room space or bathroom space unless you are traveling together.
Safety and how to dress
As per Desi & Delphine: “Although we were not expected to cover up, we do encourage our lady travelers to dress modestly outside of the house or beach environments as a sign of respect for Morocco’s Muslim culture. This means covering your shoulders and legs while in the town. Bringing a light scarf and shawl is very useful. As far as safety goes, we could not have felt more at home. Everyone was so friendly and respectful!”
Time of year and Temperature while we will be there:
The climate in Essaouira, Morocco, in mid-September is typically warm, pleasant, and breezy, offering a comfortable transition from summer heat with average highs around 75-80°F (24-26°C) and cooler nights around 65-67°F (18-19°C). Thanks to the Atlantic breeze which keeps it milder than inland cities, its perfect for enjoying beaches and sightseeing with less humidity and very little rain.
It’s ideal weather for walking the ramparts, exploring the medina, and enjoying outdoor cafes while still being comfortable for beach activities. Great for swimming, surfing, and kitesurfing.
In September, tourist numbers are also starting to decrease and are less overwhelming than peak summer. In short, mid-September offers one of the best balances of warm weather, refreshing sea breezes, and fewer crowds for visiting Essaouira.
As with all of our trips, we will take into consideration dietary needs and restrictions per person for our private chef to ensure that folks have a well-balanced and nutritious menu of foods to choose from daily. You can expect a robust menu including and excluding meat, fish, vegetables, and allergens depending on the needs of guests.
For these cultural adventure retreats we welcome each person to do as much or little as they like given how they feel each day. We never want you to feel pressured to participate in any activity and we do not overlap activities. The yoga and meditation provided by Melanie is meant to be for all levels with a mixture of light vinyasa yoga, restorative yoga, yin yoga, and hatha yoga, plus mindfulness meditation. Melanie will check in with each guest daily to see how they are feeling activity-wise and give options that best suit each person's practice. The movement practices are meant to be a compliment to our other daily activities.
We are really excited to be offering this trip to our community.
Morocco has been on the bucket list for some time. Having Delphine and Desi at the helm to help co-guide this trip with Melanie, makes us feel like this will be an unforgettable excursion for those who want to see a new part of the world and travel with some amazing and kind folks in the MMY community.
Our previous retreat guests have scooped up six spaces before we launched this to the public. This means we only have room for 5 more people in either the double room space or triple room space.
If you wish to book your space or have any questions, please email melanie@missmelanieyoga.com.
SUP Yoga Teacher Training
On Location SUP Yoga Certification Retreat
Stoked Yogi master trainer Melanie Smith has been practicing and teaching SUP Yoga since 2010, and is Miss Melanie Yoga's founder, the leading SUP Yoga provider in Western New Jersey and Pennsylvania. SUP Yoga is still new to the fitness world, so it’s a great time to get on board to expand your teaching offerings!
Trainings are customizable for individual and group certifications. All-inclusive trainings include accommodations in a beautiful private waterfront residence. A private chef will prepare amazing vegetarian, gluten-free meals and nourishing juice on-site.
With Stoked Yogi training, we attend to every detail to ensure that your certification experience is also a luxurious, transformative retreat.
THIS 4 DAY, 3 NIGHT – 25-HOUR CERTIFICATION PROGRAM INCLUDES:
- SUP Skills: Forward stroke, turn techniques and maneuvering, board anatomy and handling, launching, and landing.
- Beginner SUP: Clear, concise method for instructing a beginner paddleboard lesson.
- Safety & Rescue: Lifesaving techniques including flip rescue, active & passive drowning victims. Weather and marine hazards, local knowledge.
- Anchor Systems: Individual and group
- Aqua Asana: Beginner sequence and how to creatively sequence on the water.
- Stoked Yogi SUP Yoga Manual (Level 1)
- Business of SUP Yoga: Starting your business, insurance, permitting, and defining your brand. Fleet sales & ambassador opportunities
- Equipment provided for the duration of training: Glide Yoga Board, paddle, anchor, and PFD.
- Swag Bag: Awesome gear from our sponsors, including water bottle, sunscreen, hat, and tank top – plus a few surprise goodies!
ALL-INCLUSIVE CERTIFICATION RETREAT ALSO INCLUDES
- Thursday through Sunday accommodations (twin bed, shared room) in a private waterfront residence with all the comforts of home
- Wi-fi, fire pit, hot tub, laundry facilities, and everything you could need on-site
- 3 nourishing vegetarian meals per day are prepared on-site by private chef
- Evening sessions include night paddle, visualization, goal setting ceremony, and bonfire party.
PRE-REQUISITES
To provide the best training experience possible, we require a 200-hour yoga certification (or in progress) and current CPR certification at the time of training. If you do not have a 200-hour certification but have equivalent experience and are actively teaching yoga, please get in touch with us for approval. Not sure? Please send us an email at info@missmelanieyoga.com.
WHY CHOOSE STOKED YOGI?
As the leading educator in stand-up paddleboard yoga, we are the best at what we do as the leading educator. Our goal is to build a global network of the most passionate, talented SUP yoga educators on the planet – and we’ve worked hard to create the strongest, most comprehensive curriculum available. Our training is approved by Yoga Alliance, WPA, PaddleFit, NASM, ACE, and SUPIA. Our panel of teachers across the United States has trained over five hundred SUP yoga professionals and taught tens of thousands of students in the past five years. Stoked Yogi’s teaching team brings together six of the most inspiring and enthusiastic SUP Yoga teachers and businesses in the country to create a program that integrates a wide range of local knowledge and experience.
Choosing Stoked Yogi Teacher Training will also give you access to the largest global ambassador program for SUP yoga and awesome future opportunities like assisting or even facilitating teacher trainings workshops, retreats, and festivals in partnership with Glide Paddle Yoga.
MEET THE TRAINER
Pennsylvania teacher training is led by Melanie Smith, owner of Miss Melanie Yoga, Stoked Yogi Master Trainer. Melanie completed her SUP Yoga certification in San Diego in 2012 and has been an innovator and leading SUP Yoga provider in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey areas for 10 years.
ALL-INCLUSIVE TUITION (INCLUDES ACCOMMODATIONS AND MEALS)
Early Bird Tuition (Paid in full 30 days prior): $2,395
Regular Tuition: $2,495
PRIVATE TRAININGS (WITHOUT ACCOMODATIONS AND MEALS)
Early Bird Tuition (Paid in full 30 days prior): $1,500
Regular Tuition: $1,600
TRAVELING TO TRAINING
Training is three consecutive days, starting Thursday at 4 PM and ending the Sunday at 5 PM. Please arrange your travel plans accordingly. Sunday night accommodations are available for an additional charge of $75. Contact us if you have questions about your flight or travel options.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to speak with someone regarding this certification program, please drop us a quick message here or email info@missmelanieyoga.com, and we will respond within one business day.
