The Best Couples Retreats For 2024
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“The partner truly best suited to us is not the one who miraculously happens to share every taste, but the one who can negotiate differences in taste with intelligence and grace.”
— Alain de Botton
You don’t have to be married to enjoy the benefits of a couples retreat; neither do you need to be experiencing problems or hardships. Taking a retreat with our significant other can be beneficial no matter the stage of the relationship. By spending intentional time with our partners in unique and intimate settings, we can foster our communication skills, develop deeper connections, and reawaken lost intimacy.
There are endless retreat options for couples happening worldwide; the ones listed below are only a few of our personal favorites. Some are guided and in group settings, others allow for you and your partner to select the workshops and activities that best meet your needs. Whether you are longing to play, learn, reconnect, or just spend uninterrupted time together, check out these unique resorts for a truly engaging couples retreat.
1. Esalen Institute
Location | Big Sur, California
Best For | Couples seeking transformation and relationship tools; tailored workshops
Investment | Starting at $1,200 per person for weekend retreats, although scholarships covering 50% to 90% of the cost are available
Escape with your partner to Big Sur’s rugged coastline and embark on a transformative journey at the Esalen Institute. A magical retreat center, it offers more than six hundred workshops throughout the year, including workshops specifically designed for couples.
At Esalen, couples can enjoy cliffside hot springs, a bookstore and massage center, and an art barn with supplies. Accommodations vary from budget-friendly bunk-bed rooms to private houses with balconies overlooking the Pacific, and all workshop rates are inclusive of food and board. For meals, anticipate local and organic menus served in the institute’s lodge. A place pulsating with history and sensory details, the lodge predates the institute and was once a gathering spot for the Big Sur community. For couples with dietary restrictions, the kitchen staff is happy to accommodate.
Esalen is also a sustainable retreat center, and this goes beyond the widespread definition of being environmentally conscious or “green.” While the institute is a Certified Green Business and adheres to an impressive Sustainability Action Plan, Esalen believes that to embrace truly sustainable living is to approach each aspect of life with holistic and regenerative ethics.
Left image source: @_sammynix
2. Red Mountain Resort
Location | St. George, Utah
Best For | Active and adventurous couples needing time together in the outdoors
Investment | Starting at $786 per night for the Essential Retreat
For active couples looking to rekindle their love in nature, Red Mountain Resort is renowned for its customized health & wellness retreats. Nestled among Utah’s picturesque cliffs and canyons, the award-winning resort has been an oasis for singles, couples, and families alike for twenty years.
Days at this retreat center are designed to offer you and your partner experiences grounded in nature and physical activities. Biking through the nearby national parks (Zion and Bryce Canyon are at the resort’s doorstep), hiking under the full moon, and chakra balancing and music healing sessions are only a few of the exciting activities available to guests. The resort also has pools, a massage center, cooking classes, and wellness lectures.
Retreat packages at this resort are also all-inclusive, and accommodations at Red Mountain vary from bright and airy rooms to elaborate villas.
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3. Lake Austin Spa Resort
Location | Lake Austin, Texas
Best For | Couples who want to divide their time between nature-inspired activities and spa treatments
Investment | Inquire for rates
Lake Austin Spa Resort is an oasis in the heart of Texas. Only a thirty-minute water taxi from bustling Austin, the all-inclusive luxury spa invites couples to reconnect with nature, with self, and with one another.
At Lake Austin, guests can customize retreat packages, selecting everything from accommodations to wellness activities and spa treatments. Live music, paddle boarding, boxing classes, and morning sound baths are only a few options on the long list of offerings. The onsite spa is also ranked among the best in the United States—it’s the perfect place to unwind alongside your loved one after a day of outdoor adventures!
We also love the small details at Lake Austin Spa Resort. Fresh-cut flowers in guest rooms, lavender bath amenities (with the option for unscented products), and a gourmet menu made with conscientious and locally-sourced ingredients are all indicators that time at this retreat center will be truly memorable.
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4. Firelight Camp Retreats
Location | Ithaca, New York
Best For | Yogi couples (all levels welcome) in need of a digital detox and time in nature with their partner
Investment | Starting at $199 per night for a private tent
Attention NYC couples: are you longing to reconnect with your SO away from the city? Buttermilk Falls State Park is beckoning. Firelight Camps, near downtown Ithaca, offers one of the most comfortable, revitalizing glamping experiences out there, helping guests connect to nature while still offering modern comforts (and sometimes necessities) like electricity in some tents and hot running water in the bathhouse. The bathhouse even has a sauna and steam room, and fluffy bathrobes are provided. While not solely for couples, we can’t envision a more perfect way to reconnect with your partner.
The property hosts activities like wild foraging walks, yoga classes each day, and live music with pizza and s’mores on Tuesday nights. Complimentary continental breakfast is provided daily, and you can grab a drink at the on-site bar or snacks from Camp Store Provisions. Couples will also love the accommodations’ private porches, lanterns with USB ports, and easy access to hiking trails. Firelight is all about connecting with other people, connecting to the local culture, and being good stewards of the land.
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Hotels.com
TripAdvisor
5. Hotel Joaquin
Location | Laguna Beach, California
Best For | A hidden retreat space for couples in need of sun and sea water
Investment | Starting at $269 per night
A petite oasis hidden in the chaos that can be Southern California, Hotel Joaquin is a place for lovers, for couples longing to rest their souls and pour fresh life into their relationships. Designed to honor the Spanish heritage of Laguna Beach, what was once a rundown roadside motel is now a luxurious refuge—a seaside sanctuary overlooking Pacific waters.
Although the hotel is not exclusive to couples, Hotel Joaquin is sexy and chic, making it an ideal destination for lovers in need of some r&r. Rooms are cozy, brimming with light, and have balconies overlooking the waves. Curated artwork, vintage furniture, and handcrafted tiles alluding to the era of the coastal craftsman also compliment each space. A fun and quirky touch, guests also have access to the hotel’s vintage vinyl collection, and each room is fitted with a record player.
Hotel Joaquin is an adventure-inclusive resort, so rates include a handcrafted breakfast as well as morning yoga and access to gear for exploring the local area and cove. Whether you and your partner want to play in the water or cruise around Laguna Beach on bikes, the hotel has sea and land equipment to meet your needs. Other amenities include an onsite spa with couples massages, a pool with double daybeds, and a fantastic restaurant where ‘seasonal menus are inspired by feminine ocean archetypes.’
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Hotels.com
TripAdvisor
6. Chatham Bars Inn
Location | Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Best For | Physical relaxation in a charming setting
Investment | Spa suites start at $483 a night for a two-night stay
One of Cape Cod’s most romantic destinations, the Chatham Bars Inn is a full-service resort on the outer coast of the Cape. Its 214 guest rooms and suites are situated in 30 individual cottages spread over the 25-acre property, which also includes a spa, a beach, and an eight-acre farm where they grow much of the food they serve in their five restaurant concepts.
For a physically pampering retreat, book one of the twelve adults-only spa suites, which include oversized hydrotherapy tubs, in-room saunas, yoga mats for private practices, a selection of wellness books and cozy fireplaces. Guests can also book private in-room couples massages. Outside of the sanctuary-like suites, couples can find plenty of on-site activities to have fun together, like boating or fishing, or relax in a reserved private cabana by the outdoor pool.
For couples thinking about marriage, the Chatham Bars Inn also offers a few adorable proposal packages, which include champagne, snacks, candles, and flowers.
OR BOOK ON:
Hotels.com
KAYAK
TripAdvisor
7. The Green O
Location | Greenough, Montana
Best For | Connecting in seclusion and getting adventurous
Investment | Starting at $2,582 per night for a two-person cabin
This new luxury adults-only wellness retreat in the Montana woods was designed for couples, aiming to help them connect with nature and with each other. The retreat has 12 two-person cabins located on 37,000 acres of densely timbered wilderness, each with strikingly modern design blending indoors and outdoors.
The retreat aims to give couples a once-in-a-lifetime experience, focusing on wellness and activities with as much outdoor time as possible. The wellness program includes tents for couples massages or mud wraps, yoga, meditation, and forest bathing classes, and a fitness center. The resort offers exciting activities for every season, designed to bring couples closer together, like equestrian experiences, hiking, watersports, skiing, and even hot air balloon rides.
The Green O’s on-site dining concept, called the Social Haus, provides the cherry on top of each day when the chef cooks up an eight-course tasting menu that encourages guests to be adventurous. The New American experimental dining menus heavily feature locally grown and made ingredients.
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TripAdvisor
8. Twin Farms
Location | Barnard, Vermont
Best For | Rural, whimsical setting and top-notch service
Investment | Starting at $2,550 per night
Often regarded as New England’s top resort, Twin Farms in bucolic Barnard, Vermont offers a luxurious, quaint getaway like no other set in the former estate of author Sinclair Lewis. The retreat’s 20 rooms and cottages are designed with contemporary New England influences and museum-worthy art, and they all have swoon-worthy amenities like fireplaces and bathtubs. At the Relais & Chateaux property, you can experience a couples massage at the spa or try your hand at one of their many on-site activities like stand-up paddleboarding, beekeeping, cross-country skiing, gardening, or having an opulent outdoor picnic.
The hotel’s investment becomes more and more worth it when you consider some of the exclusive amenities: an on-site private alpine ski hill; a small pond for swimming in the summer (and ice skating in the winter!); and a Japanese Furo, a cedar-clad bathhouse in the woods that pays homage to traditional Japanese bathing rituals. Not to mention the service here goes above and beyond, helping you celebrate milestones in a unique way or orchestrate the perfect proposal.
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TripAdvisor
9. Blackberry Farm
Location | Walland, Tennessee
Best For | Slowing down and trying new things
Investment | Starting at $1,045 per night, inclusive of food
At this five-star hotel in pastoral Tennessee, guests are invited to find their “spark,” whether that means reconnecting with their partner, trying out new things, or igniting a new passion. Blackberry Farm sits on 4,200 acres in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and features elegant rooms along with a fully operational farm—much of the food served at their three gourmet restaurants is from that farm. The resort is all about intimacy—slowing down from the bustle of life, getting closely acquainted with a new place, and, naturally, connecting with whoever you came there with.
What makes Blackberry Farm so unique is all the one-of-a-kind experiences you can plan while there. Some weeks are yoga retreats, while other times you can find special whiskey tastings or demonstrations on the farmstead. You can also discover horseback riding, boating, archery, a full-service spa, and wellness program with offerings like forest bathing and healthy cooking classes. And, as the backdrop for the whole trip, you’ll have some of the best views east of the Mississippi.
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