The Retreats · Portugal’s Costa Azul
A private Portuguese quinta in Sesimbra, less than an hour south of Lisbon, framed by the cliffs of Serra da Arrábida natural park. Quiet and walkable, with trails leading directly into the park. The location is part of the programme, not a backdrop to it.
The Setting
Ten rooms. Founder-led. Held at a private Portuguese quinta inside Serra da Arrábida natural park, an hour south of Lisbon.
The body builds capacity as much by what is removed as by what is added. We take away the noise. Then we add the right stressors at the right hours. Movement and light in the morning, when the body is most ready to build. Heat and cold in the late afternoon, when it opens to recovery. Sleep treated as serious medicine.
This is the Atlas Capacity Protocol, drawn from current research across sleep, nutrition, strength, recovery, mitochondrial biology, and mental health. Every hour has a reason to exist, and a measurable result to show for it.
Atlas Cove focuses on primary prevention: the clinical work of spotting drift before it becomes disease. Our approach draws on mitochondrial psychobiology, salutogenesis, and the functional medicine matrix. We run accessible, structured stays to reset the baseline, with the Atlas Capacity platform to hold progress between visits.
2026 Dates
Same venue, same protocol, both six days, a maximum of ten rooms. The July founding circle books at a special rate for a small cohort. September runs the full Atlas Cove Protocol at standard pricing.
6-day founding circle retreat at Casas na Ferraria
7–12 Jul 2026
A small-group retreat at Casas na Ferraria on Portugal's Costa Azul. Six days running the full Atlas protocol: training, recovery, nutrition, coaching, and Atlas Capacity assessment. A special rate for a small founding cohort helping shape what Atlas Cove becomes.
6-day Atlas Cove Protocol at Casas na Ferraria
31 Aug 2026 – 5 Sept 2026
Six days at Casas na Ferraria on Portugal's Costa Azul, running the full Atlas Cove Protocol: training, recovery, nutrition, coaching, and Atlas Capacity assessment. Costa Azul in early September is dry, warm, and quiet, ideal conditions for the work.
Included
A complete programme, measured start to finish. Accommodation, every meal, movement, recovery, coaching, testing, and your own protocol are all in the retreat price. Flights are self-organised; airport transfers to and from Lisbon are arranged by us in shared pickup windows.
A room at Casas na Ferraria, a dedicated Atlas Cove section of the estate. A maximum of ten rooms.
Protein-forward, anti-inflammatory long-table meals throughout, with welcome and closing dinners served as candle-lit events.
Coached yoga and strength sessions, taught from the ground up and scaled to you. Beginner to intermediate welcome.
A wood-fired sauna and cold plunge by Sunna Saunas, installed for the retreat. A daily ritual, each session with its own oils and music.
Daily mental-health sessions with Lisa, plus knowledge sessions with Tom on nutrition, sleep, stress, and recovery.
Lights out at 21:00, a 9.5-hour sleep window, phones at reception. The night is built to hold.
Phones at reception, not in pockets. A real digital detox, held for the duration of the retreat. The only exceptions (childcare, caregiving) are arranged privately.
One organised excursion: the Day 4 dawn beach morning at Praia dos Galapos. Plus walking and hiking routes directly from the estate, including a short 2.5 km loop and a longer 5 km hike to a nearby lagoon (around 2.5 hours one way, suitable for normal walkers).
Clinical depth, without the clinical packaging. A dedicated room for biomarker testing, targeted IV protocols, full-body red light therapy, and bodywork, staffed by Drip IV Portugal and our therapist team. All on the property, all opt-in, chosen by you and not by the programme.
Two VO2 max tests and two grip-strength tests, plus non-invasive check-ins on strength, endurance, recovery, mobility, and key lifestyle markers across the week. You leave with a clear before-and-after.
On arrival we turn your baseline, history, and goals into a protocol for the week. The structure is fixed; what you do inside it is shaped to you, from training load to recovery and the depth of the mental-health work.
Private time with Lisa, Tom, and our visiting practitioners. We use it to personalise your week, read your measurements with you, and turn them into changes you can actually keep.
Your baseline, results, and take-home protocol live in the Atlas Capacity platform, so the week becomes a starting point you can track and build on, not a one-off reset.
Designed by you with Lisa and Tom. Three practices (daily, weekly, monthly) to carry into the rest of your year.
Lisa and Tom Wuerden, siblings and co-founders, on property the whole retreat. Faculty-to-guest ratio 1:5 to 1:7.
Named Partners
Four trusted operators cover the venue, food, sauna, and clinical layers. Each chosen for what they do best.
The estate
All meals throughout
Wood-fired sauna & cold plunge
Clinical IV & bloodwork
A Typical Day
Each day follows a rhythm built around training, recovery, and real rest. The schedule below is indicative. Days adjust to the group’s energy and the weather.
Sunrise on the east deck.
35-minute seated mental-health practice with Lisa.
20 minutes, bedroom or terrace, with prompts.
A small protein and electrolyte start before movement.
60 minutes on the east deck with Vera Rodrigues.
60 minutes with Tom. Progressive, scaled to your level.
1 to 3 minutes, south pool edge.
Long table on the west terrace. Protein-led.
45 minutes with Lisa. One focused piece of inner work.
45 minutes with Tom: nutrition, sleep, stress, and recovery.
Long table, then slow.
Pool, hammock, estate walks and hikes, optional massage or movement bookings.
60 minutes. Wood-fired sauna and cold plunge in the kidney hour.
45 minutes at the long table. Eating window closes 19:15.
30 minutes, bedroom.
9.5-hour protected sleep window.
Pricing
Per person. The July founding circle books at a fixed founding rate; September runs the full Atlas Cove Protocol at standard pricing.
| Room category | July founder | September standard |
|---|---|---|
| Private room | €3,990 | €4,690 |
| Shared room (two guests) | €2,795 | €3,290 |
| Single, willing to share | €3,190 | €3,750 |
Opt-in, out of pocket. Booked through the host.
A 25% deposit reserves your room; the balance is due 30 days before arrival. All bookings have free cancellation within 72 hours. After that, the deposit is refunded in full at 60+ days before the start, 50% at 30 to 59 days, and is non-refundable inside 30 days; any balance paid is refundable up to 30 days before, and non-refundable inside 30 days. Travel insurance covering cancellation is recommended. See the full booking terms & cancellation policy.
Facilitators
Lisa and Tom Wuerden, siblings and co-founders, lead the week themselves rather than handing it to rotating staff. Vera and Alexander round out the team. You’re with the people who do the work, start to finish.
Founder of Atlas Cove
On property, start to finish
Came to longevity from a career in tech, drawn by one question: why people who know what is good for them so often can't do it.
Co-founder of Atlas Cove
On property, start to finish
An engineer who became an Ironman, and the person friends call when they want to actually change how they eat, sleep, or train.
Yoga Teacher & Clinical Psychologist
Leads the daily practice
A rare teacher who spends the other half of her week in a clinical psychology practice. Movement and the mind, treated as one.
Chef, Nourish/Nosh
Cooks every meal of the week
Michelin-trained, then went looking for food that is both genuinely beautiful and genuinely good for you. Now runs Nourish/Nosh.
Fit Check
The container only works if it’s the right shape for you. We’d rather have you on the next retreat than the wrong one.
Yes if you
Probably not if you
The Houses
Atlas Cove takes a dedicated section of the estate: the houses below, plus shared gathering rooms, terraces, the pool, and the long table. Not a hotel block within a larger operation.
House 1
The larger house. Open kitchen, generous living room, multiple bedrooms, direct access to the pool and terrace.
From above
Indoors
Pool & terrace
Sleep
Texture
House 2
The quieter neighbour. Detail-rich and private. Additional guest rooms and a dedicated space for coaching sessions.
From above
Indoors
The Estate
Beyond the houses: olive groves, trails through the pines, and wide quiet views. Most of each day happens outdoors. Training, recovery, meals on the terrace, slow walks at dusk.
Movement & Recovery
An open-air deck and a covered studio for breath, mobility, yoga, and quiet work. Both used daily, for morning movement, evening wind-down, and sessions in between.
The Food
Long-table meals prepared on-site from local Portuguese produce. Protein-forward, anti-inflammatory, paced to training.
Dietary requirements are captured in the pre-arrival questionnaire and accommodated. The week runs alcohol-free by design.
Location
Less than an hour by car south of Lisbon airport. The Costa Azul is the quieter coast: pine forests, Atlantic beaches, small Portuguese towns, almost no tourists in early summer.
Closest airport: Lisbon (LIS). A shared airport transfer is arranged by us within agreed pickup windows.
Our retreats, on Portugal’s Costa Azul.
Small group, full board, on Portugal’s Costa Azul. Tell us a little about you and we’ll get in touch to talk through fit, dates, and the protocol.