Winning tip: Quinta Mimosa, Portugal
A stunning yoga retreat in the beautiful Algarve, Quinta Mimosa is rural Portugal at its best. Wake up to yoga classes, then wander down to the orange groves before brunch. Swim in one of the pools, head off to the sea or visit the lovely town of Loule. There is a pilates class before dinner. Great food and tuition. From £430 per week. 00 351 289 397486; quintamimosaalgarve.com or orangetreeyoga.com.
mary46
Egypt
Moon Beach Retreat, Sinai peninsula
Tiny resort on the western coast of the Sinai peninsula, about halfway between Sharm El Sheikh and Cairo (you can fly to either, and then it's a fairly long drive though they will send someone to pick you up). It's mainly a windsurfing place but they also run yoga courses which are really good, and also cheap - about £400 for a week half-board, including the yoga. It's three-star but clean, with airy chalets dotted around the grounds, and a beach-front bar. The yoga sessions (when I went a few years ago) are held for 90 minutes every morning and evening in a shady room just off the beach. I was travelling alone and really enjoyed the social aspect.
• 01580 753824; moonbeachretreat.com
annakhall
Scotland
Dhanakosa Buddhist Retreat, Balquidder
Fantastic loch-side location. I've spent many a week in the warm and friendly atmosphere learning yoga, eating delicious vegan food, walking in the Trossachs. You can also do meditation, photography and go hill-walking, among other things.
• Prices are suggested as voluntary donations and start at £165 for the unwaged. Future dates for yoga: 22 May, 19 June and 17 July for a week. 01877 384213; dhanakosa.com.
ruthpimenta
France
La Roane, Aveyron
La Roane offers one-week yoga retreats (as well as other holistic-themed weeks) during summer in a converted barn. There are three houses, set in a huge meadow and surrounded by woodland. You'll find a tree house, swimming pool, sauna, ping-pong tables, croquet and badminton in the grounds, and there are also bicycles to borrow. The nearby medieval town of St Antonin has a lively market on Sundays. The food is exceptionally good. Vegetarian lunch and supper, prepared by Enzo, an Italian chef who has lived in the village for 20 years, are served on the terrace.
• 00 335 6368 2367; nigelshamash.com, £420 per week, full board including yoga tuition.
janelondon
Spain
Hotel Alahuar, near Alicante
The fresh air and fine views from the mountains north of Alicante make this a good spot for daily sun salutations. Expat owners Nicole and Gary hold their yoga breaks in the Hotel Chamarel in the coastal town of Denia during the summer months, then move into Hotel Alahuar in the lovely mountain village of Benimaurell, which is set in a national park, for spring and autumn. Peace and quiet is the key with retreats limited to 12 people of all abilities. Yoga is offered twice a day, alongside meditation and pranayama classes and a host of optional activities including mountain biking, painting, beauty therapies and hiking.
• 00 346 2014 7089; yogabreaks.org.uk, from £500 per week, half-board including activities.
kerryamberlaw
India
Surya Thejus Advaita Yoga Centre, Kochi, Kerala
Forget the fashionable yoga retreats, this place is both affordable and authentic, with not a chakra-aligning celebrity in sight. The centre is tucked away in Kalady, a serene green corner of Kerala by the peaceful river Poorna, which is a shrine to Adi Sankara, one of India's foremost philosophers. It was a great place to dissolve stress and unwind - even my sceptical partner was chanting by the end. We left feeling lighter, thanks to healthy, delicious food, and at about £24 a night, you don't pay through the nose for Zen-like calm.
• hostelbookers.com/hostels/india/kalady
Sissi
