FAQ
Asked, and answered.
The straight version, in one place. Anything else, ask us on the fit call.
Anything unanswered? Ask us on WhatsApp →
The essentials
What does it cost?
The six-day residency is from €2,800 per guest, all in: your room, all meals, transfers from Lisbon, the assessment and re-measure, every session, and your first month of The Return. One figure, everything in it, nothing sold during the residency. The exact figure depends on your room and cohort, confirmed on the fit call.
What is included?
Everything the week needs: your room, all meals, the assessment and re-measure, every session, private transfer from Lisbon, and your first month of The Return. Enhancements such as a sea-facing room, extra one-to-one work or a partner are arranged separately, before you arrive.
What is the cancellation policy?
A 20% deposit reserves your room. Cancel 60 or more days before the start and you receive a full refund, deposit included. Inside 60 days, everything you've paid is held as credit toward another Atlas Cove retreat rather than refunded. The balance is due 45 days before arrival and can be paid in full or in Klarna instalments. If we ever move or cancel a cohort, you can reschedule, take full credit, or receive a full refund. We recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation. Full details are on the booking terms page.
Do I tip?
No. The figure is all in, and gratuities are neither expected nor accepted. If the week moves you, tell the team at the table; that is the currency here.
Getting here
Where is it, and how do I get there?
A private quinta near Sesimbra, inside the Serra da Arrábida natural park, about an hour by car from Lisbon airport. Your private transfer is included and arranged for you; you will not need a car until you leave.
What should I pack?
Training kit, a swimsuit, one warm layer for serra evenings, and nothing formal. There is no dress code; dinner is unhurried, not dressed up. A short packing note arrives with your confirmation.
Can I work during the week?
You can. The wifi is good and the afternoons hold quiet hours for a call. But the week works best when work does not come: most guests warn their teams in advance, and are glad they did.
The week itself
How fit do I need to be?
There is no fitness bar. Every session is programmed from your own day-one numbers, so a beginner and a marathoner train side by side, each at their own edge. What we do need is willingness. You will train every day, at your own pace.
How hard is the week, really?
You will train every day, at your level, programmed from your own baseline and adjusted as the week unfolds. It is demanding, and it is kind. Every effort is met with real rest, because rest is where the body grows.
I have an injury, or a condition. Can I still come?
Often, yes. Every guest is medically screened for safety before the work begins, and every session is programmed around what your body can actually do. Tell us plainly in the application; it is the most useful thing you can write.
Do I need a wearable, or years of health data?
No. Everything we work from is measured by us on day one, on validated tools we bring. If you arrive with nothing but the sense that it is time to take your body seriously, you arrive with everything we need.
Do I have to give up my phone?
No. Handing it in on arrival is offered, never enforced; the house takes your calls either way. Devices go down at 21:30 for the sleep window, and you will find you reach for it less by day three.
What about food, restrictions, preferences?
The kitchen cooks to your protocol, and your protocol knows your restrictions. Tell us in the application; allergies, intolerances and preferences are all handled before you arrive. Nobody negotiates with a buffet here.
Is there alcohol? Coffee?
Coffee, yes: after the morning light, where the protocol wants it. Alcohol is not served during the week; the sleep data argues that case better than we can. If the table wants one, the last dinner raises a glass.
Is there an age requirement?
Guests are 18 and over. Most of the table is 35 to 65, and the protocol is built from your baseline, not your birth year.
What languages are spoken?
The residency runs in English and German. Portuguese is available through some of our coaches and specialists.
Is this medical?
No. We do not diagnose or treat illness, and we make no medical claims. We measure markers you can move and help you move them. If anything we see needs a clinician, we say so plainly.
What about privacy?
Ten rooms behind one gate. No photography of guests without consent, no guest list shared, and your numbers stay yours. Discretion is a house rule, not a service.
The people, and after
How many people will be there?
Ten rooms, five hosts and specialists, one cohort a month. You will be known by name by the first dinner.
Can I come with a partner?
Yes. One room, two protocols: each of you assessed and programmed separately. Mention it in your application and we will hold the room.
I’d be coming alone. Is that odd?
Most guests come alone. One long table, first names by the first dinner. Solo is the default here, not the exception.
What happens after the residency?
Your first month of The Return is included: weekly check-ins and your protocol at home. From month two, the Atlas Cove Membership continues it, by invitation, with monthly reviews, remote coaching and the month-twelve re-measure.
What if I apply and it isn’t a fit?
We will tell you, kindly and early, and where we can we will point you somewhere better suited. The application costs you nothing but candour.
we don’t take everyone.
One cohort a month, ten rooms behind one gate. Applying commits you to nothing but a conversation.
Next cohort: 1–6 September 2026 · from €2,800 per guest, all-in.
Applyevery guest is medically screened for safety before the work begins.
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