About this Service

August 22, 2025 - August 28, 2025

Nestled in between two bodies of water, Vale d’Agua Viva provides the perfect oasis to tap into your potent creative energy. This week long writer’s retreat is designed to allow you the space to write and create away from your everyday distractions, while simultaneously supporting you through nutritious foods and curated body-mind centered workshops.

At this retreat, there is ample time to give over to your project, and connect with your own uninterrupted flow. When your body and mind desire a break you may find yourself wandering the lush grounds, picking fruit from the orchard, reading under the shade of a tree, meandering through the Zen garden, or traversing the local forest paths. There are kayaks available to use on the river that borders this property. If you like swimming or just having a dip to cool off, each of the three houses has its own swimming pool, in addition to the very swimmable river which leads to a small waterfall only minutes from the group space. In the greater area of Lousa there are amazing hikes and trails to explore the ruins of a local castle). The city Coimbra, 40 minutes away, is known for its university that inspired Hogwarts.

What is included

Private room in one of the two villas

Private and shared writing spaces both indoors and outside

Semi-private pool

Access to the river and river toys (kayaks and paddle boards)

Catered buffet lunch and dinner and self-serve breakfast (all food and beverages are included. While we will not serve alcohol you are welcome to purchase yourselves)

One dream workshop

One cacao ceremony

Two 1.5 hour prompted free write sessions to explore the sparks of creativity and practice sharing in a noncritical environment

Other writers for you to engage with if you so chose, and time to share or ask for help and guidance from your peers

Cowriting sessions filled with parallel play

Note: This retreat will not include traditional writing workshops as this is meant to be a space to allow for you to deeply work on your own projects in communion with yourself. The curated experiences we are offering are meant to provide you with different access points to your own creativity, imagination, and internal world.

We do not provide a car but there are taxis around the local town and a direct shuttle from the airport to the center. However, if you are wanting to a lot of external explorations, before or after the retreat, we do recommend a car.

There will be no assessment of your writing to participate; all levels of writing are welcome.

If you would like more details please visit the website below

About this Lister

Kamyn Asher is a creative writer and curious mystic, who moved to Amsterdam two years ago with nothing but an intuitive hunch that it would be home. She currently supports her art by working in many different fields (editing, photography, and wine), and she also supports people on their personal journeys through cacao ceremonies and archetypal astrology readings.

Carole Burstein, PhD sees life as a continuous living dialogue that lies at the core of the creative process.
She has developed ‘Living Inquiry', a Jungian-based evolutionary approach to knowing who we are and what we are doing on the planet at this time.
After 52 years in clinical practice, she now loves facilitating self discovery by assisting individuals to express their souls essence through creativity.

Background and Expertise

Kamyn Asher is currently working on her first novel and has had work published online. Ever since the pandemic she has felt a call to provide spaces for writers to connect with themselves and others away from the demands of functioning life. She has experience co-facilitating retreats and has worked in many creative fields.

Carole Burstein, PhD, has had 52 years in clinical practice and she now loves facilitating self discovery by assisting individuals to express their souls essence through creativity.