F L A U N T

While we trudge through what is hopefully the last weeks of cold noses and polar vortexes, we can at least dream about summer; of being warm, carefree, maybe even finding some time to ourselves...

Something better than a dream: Hacienda Las Mesas, a countryside estate isolated in the south of Spain, and home to long weekend retreats featuring yoga and horse riding lessons.

In addition to spending days downward dog-ing in sunny courtyards and riding horses through sunflower fields, guests at Las Mesas also visit the nearby city of Jerez de la Frontera, they have artisanal meals and wine by candlelight, they spend downtime resting by one of the estate’s two swimming pools.

I’ll pause here for a collective sigh while we shiver under our sweaters.

Los Angeles native Chanel Banoža began hosting these retreats after moving to Las Mesas with her husband in 2015. The couple came to Jerez for the slow paced living, for the horses, and for the world-famous sherry, and knew that they had found a slice of paradise. Their estate, achieving the perfect mix of luxury of authenticity, consists of a choice from eleven bedrooms and suites.

Yoga classes are taught either by Chanel herself, or by renowned Norwegian yogis Vibeke Klemetsen and Mia Eckhoff. The horseback riding lessons are instructed by Alfonso Lopez de Carrizosa.

Though summer still feels far away, spots in these retreats are limited. Check Hacienda Las Mesas’ Facebook page for dates and pricing.

Olé!