Pilates Retreat In Southwest France
23rd – 27th September 2026
Pilates Retreat In Southwest France
September 23rd – 27th 2026
We are incredibly excited to bring to you our first Pilates retreat here at La Cour de Husson, with the fantastically talented Helen Thompson. Helen brings a wealth of experience and knowledge around pilates and anatomy, and the small group size ensures plenty of attention and support during the week. Combined with the beautiful and calming surroundings, we’re sure you’ll have a wonderful and relaxing 4 days with us!
Alongside the daily pilates sessions, Helen will teach an anatomy workshop, which will give you more insight into the power of pilates and help you to understand more about the workings of our body and the wonderful effect exercise, and specifically pilates, can have on it.
There will also be plenty of free time to enjoy the pool and gardens or explore the local area, including the picture-perfect, quaint French villages that surround us. All your meals will be provided and will be plant-based, homemade, and using seasonal, local ingredients – healthy but with some decadent deserts and treats (it’s all about balance after all!).
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What’s included
Tuition by Helen, with daily pilates as well as breathwork & relaxation sessions
All the required equipment needed for the retreat
Anatomy masterclass with Helen
4 nights stay in luxury accommodation with full use of gardens & swimming pool
3 delicious homecooked meals per day
All drinks - Soft drinks and wine with meals
Level of pilates on the retreat
Beginner-friendly, with the option to work at a higher level.
What you’ll be doing
Pilates
Enjoy the many benefits of Pilates, from building strength and improving posture to enhancing balance and coordination.
Breathwork & relaxation sessions
Learn techniques that will help you relax and ground you on the retreat, and then take them back into your everyday lives to see noticeable effects on your mood, stress levels, and general well-being.
Anatomy Masterclass
Learn all about the importance of looking after our bodies and how Pilates, along with other practices can have huge life-changing benefits for us.
Flex-band Pilates
Helping build on the strength training side of Pilates, the bands alongside the mat exercises can elevate the benefits for you.
Flexible itinerary
Day 1
Arrival & Welcome Dinner
Settle into La Cour de Husson at your own pace, drop your bags and exhale. As evening arrives, gather in the courtyard for welcome cocktails and a relaxed first dinner, a chance to meet one another, unwind, and ease gently into the holiday.
Day 2
Breakfast
Start the day with a relaxed breakfast of freshly baked pastries, seasonal fruits, homemade granola, and freshly ground coffee, enjoyed in the softness of the morning light as the area slowly wakes up around you.
Introductory Pilates Session
Move into the day with an introductory Pilates session with Helen, giving you a chance to discuss your needs and expectations from Pilates. Expect slow, steady movement, deep breaths, and the chance to settle into your body as the pace of everyday life melts away.
Lunch
Enjoy a long, relaxing lunch (French style!) with fresh, home-cooked plant-based dishes. Served family-style with the whole group.
Late afternoon Pilates session
Let Helen guide you through a Pilates session. By the end of it, your body will be feeling truly wonderful, and your mind will be in a positive and relaxed state.
Dinner in the Courtyard
As the sun begins to set, gather in the courtyard for a nourishing plant-based dinner with a glass or two of local wine.
Day 3
Breakfast
Late morning
A wonderful pilates session using a flex-band, with time to ask plenty of questions and take guidance from Helen.
Lunch
Gather for a vibrant lunch made with seasonal ingredients. Colourful salads, hearty dishes, and fresh flavours enjoyed either indoors or out in the sunshine, depending on the mood of the day.
Afternoon
An interactive anatomy masterclass, covering lots of fascinating topics, including the importance of foot and ankle mobility for a healthy pelvic floor.
Free time
The rest of the afternoon is yours. Read in a hammock, wander the grounds, nap by the pool, or explore the local area. Do whatever feels good.
Dinner in the Courtyard
End the day with another leisurely dinner in the courtyard. Candlelit tables, warm air, delicious dishes, and the easy conversations that come naturally here.
Day 4
Breakfast
Morning Pilates
An energising pilates session to get you ready for the day and help you work on your practise, whether you are a beginner or an advanced pilates student.
Lunch
Afternoon breathwork & relaxation class
A breathwork and relaxation session, helping you to take some of the relaxation and skills you’ve learned back into everyday life with you.
Free time
Dinner
Day 5
Breakfast
Enjoy one last unhurried breakfast together shared in the morning calm. It’s a gentle moment to soak up the final bit of holiday atmosphere before heading home.
Check Out by 11am
Take your time packing up and saying your goodbyes. Check-out is by 11am, leaving you the rest of the day to travel onward feeling rested, reset, and restored.
Your tutor
Helen has always had an interest in fitness, certifying as a Group Exercise to Music Instructor in the early 1990s and then as a Personal Trainer in 2007. She discovered Pilates in 2011 and was instantly hooked. She loved how the practice allowed her to connect to her body on a deeper level and complement her more physical activities of netball, running, and the gym. In 2018, after many years of working with a private instructor, she started her journey to become an instructor herself. Once on this path, she fell in love with the practice even more and went on to complete her full certification.
Helen is a fully certified instructor in the STOTT Pilates method (mat, reformer, cadillac, chair, and barrels). She is also a certified Instructor Trainer for STOTT Pilates, teaching students who want to become instructors in mat and reformer. She also teaches anatomy courses that support students in their learning.
Helen loves to bring movement to people of all abilities and seeing how that leads to improvement in well-being and outlook.
Accommodation
La Cour de Husson is nestled in the beautiful rolling fields and cognac vineyards of The Charente. Guests will stay in two newly renovated self-contained gîtes (holiday cottages). Please see the prices section for more details on room setup.
The Gardens
The Rooms
Meals
All your meals during the week are included in the price. You can expect delicious homemade freshly cooked plant-based food. Breakfasts feature sticky homemade cinnamon buns, layered yoghurt and compote pots, fresh fruit, spiced masala beans on toast, and much more. Take a look at the images below to get an idea of what will be on offer.
What our guests say
I went to La Cour de Husson for an art retreat they hosted. It was a wonderful experience! Jen and Nick were wonderful hosts! They were incredibly helpful during both the planning of the trip and during the retreat itself. All the meals they prepared were delicious! The gites were lovely and comfortable and quite frankly giving me interior design ideas (if I can somehow recreate the feeling of living in a cottage in the French countryside at home). Highly recommend it!
If you want to feel completely looked after and cared for, this is the place to be. From the very beginning, Jen and Nick could not have been more warm and welcoming, meaning we could truly relax and enjoy our escape to the stunning French countryside.
Everything about our stay was perfect. The interior is beautifully designed and well thought through. You can tell the hosts have poured their hearts into renovating the gîtes to an exemplary standard.
The food was absolutely exquisite – every meal featured a beautiful and generous selection of inventive dishes using fresh ingredients, many of which were sourced from the neighbouring area. So not only are Jen and Nick the friendliest hosts you could wish for, but they are incredibly talented in the kitchen too.
We spent much of our trip plotting our return – we can’t wait to come back with our families to show off this gem we are so pleased to have discovered.
La Cour de Husson is such a beautiful place to stay! I was there for an art retreat and absolutely loved my time there. The gites were very well renovated and very comfortable (I’d love to live there) and the public space and landscape was so beautiful and picturesque. As part of the retreat we got three meals each day and the food was absolutely incredible. Nick and Jen are the nicest people ever and they were amazing hosts. Plus, they have an adorable pup! I would absolutely stay again and recommend to anyone.
My stay at La Cour De Husson was a wonderful experience. Nick and Jen are great hosts, very helpful and friendly and was their adorable pup Betty.
The gites are a delight, tastefully decorated and full of charm. The vegan food they prepared for our stay (art retreat) was delicious. I am looking forward to returning soon.
Prices
● Limited to 9 places
● Payment plan available
Double Room
€999 pp
€1998 per room based on 2 people sharing a double room
Pilates tuition
4 nights accommodation
Full board
Large double room
Shared bathroom
Must be booked for 2 people
Single Room
€1199
Have a double room to yourself
Pilates tuition
4 nights accommodation
Full board
Smaller double room
Shared bathroom
Twin Room
€1099 pp
€2198 per room based on 2 people sharing
Pilates tuition
4 nights accommodation
Full board
2 single beds, perfect for bringing a friend
En-suite bathroom
Must be booked for 2 people
Reserve your place
To give you the most flexibility, you can choose to either pay in full or a pay a deposit of €200pp now and the remainder in 2 installments*.
Please select from the options below on how you would like to pay.
*After the deposit, the 2 installments will be due on the 1st of March 2026 & 29th of May 2026 respectively. 50% of the remainder per installment.
FAQs
How do I get there?
Depending on where you’re traveling from you can fly into the following airports:
Poitiers – 50 minute drive
Limoges – 1 hour 20 minute drive
La Rochelle – 1 hour 45 minute drive
Bordeaux – 2 hours drive
If you are travelling by train our local main station is Angoulême (there are direct trains to Paris & Bordeaux from here)
You can pick up car hire from all of the airports and train stations as there is no public transport beyond these locations.
Travel to and from the retreat is not included and is the responsibility of the guest. We highly recommend hiring a car as we are in a very rural location and there are no Ubers or bolts, etc, and very few taxis.
We have arranged a special price with a local taxi for the retreat. He can fit in 4 people with cases for €200 each way from Limoges airport. This is a great option to share a journey with other guests. Spaces are on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact us to arrange.
Our address is: La Cour de Husson, 5 Route de Husson, 16140 Charmé, France
What do I have to bring with me?
We will provide mats, relaxing eye masks, blankets, bands, and blocks. If you require anything else, please feel free to bring that along. Please bring comfortable, pilates-appropriate clothing.
How do I get there?
Depending on where you’re traveling from you can fly into the following airports:
Poitiers – 50 minute drive
Limoges – 1 hour 20 minute drive
La Rochelle – 1 hour 45 minute drive
Bordeaux – 2 hours drive
If you are travelling by train our local main station is Angoulême (there are direct trains to Paris & Bordeaux from here)
You can pick up car hire from all of the airports and train stations as there is no public transport beyond these locations.
Travel to and from the retreat is not included and is the responsibility of the guest. We highly recommend hiring a car as we are in a very rural location and there are no Ubers or bolts, etc, and very few taxis.
We have arranged a special price with a local taxi for the retreat. He can fit in 4 people with cases for €200 each way from Limoges airport. This is a great option to share a journey with other guests. Spaces are on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact us to arrange.
Our address is: La Cour de Husson, 5 Route de Husson, 16140 Charmé, France
What do I have to bring with me?
We will provide mats, relaxing eye masks, blankets, bands, and blocks. If you require anything else, please feel free to bring that along. Please bring comfortable, pilates-appropriate clothing.
At La Cour de Husson you’ll find everything you could wish for—and much more. Hosts Jen and Nick are not only highly professional but also incredibly warm and attentive. From arrival to departure we were looked after in their stunning, eco-friendly estate. Natural materials are used throughout, the furniture is carefully chosen, the bedlinen is crisp cotton, and the mattresses are very comfortable.
The vegan food was delicious, made with top-quality ingredients and served in a beautiful, private setting. On warm evenings dinner was served outdoors beneath a sky full of stars. We attended an art retreat led by the renowned artist Carne Griffith, held in an open barn set in the expansive garden beside the swimming pool.
The surrounding countryside is wonderfully peaceful—perfect for a restful night’s sleep—and during the day you can enjoy long walks through the sunflower fields. I highly recommend La Cour de Husson for an exceptional stay. We plan to return soon.
Thank you, Jen and Nick, for a truly memorable experience!
The gites are a delight, tastefully decorated and full of charm. The vegan and gluten free food they prepared for our stay (art retreat) was delicious. I am looking forward to returning soon.
The welcome guide has lots of ideas for exploring the area and we enjoyed wandering around local villages and spending lots of time at the nearby river as well as a day trip to the coast.
As well as the included breakfasts we also arranged an evening meal and a picnic. All the meals were delicious and beautifully presented and really added to the overall experience. This was such a great option for a vegan holiday in the area, some lovely meals included, simple self catering in a very well supplied kitchen and lots of suggestions for eating out. Jen and Nick are such kind and welcoming hosts who provided lots of helpful suggestions. They have created a wonderful vegan experience that feels super relaxing and luxurious. I can't stop thinking about it and when we can go back!
The accommodation was beautiful, nestled in gentle sunflower and chickpea fields, with a lovely pool to cool off in under the warm sun. My gite was tasteful and spacious, and very stylish.
Ritchie's food was exceptional, with eight-course vegan tasting menus each evening, crafted with such skill and creativity, accompanied by flowing wine that brought everyone together in laughter and conversation. The cognac cocktails were the perfect touch to warm up our taste buds.
The other people on the course were so friendly and good fun, it felt like a gathering of old friends by the end. Everything was organised seamlessly, leaving me feeling inspired and like a right fatty fatty.
I look forward to returning.
I have not had the opportunity to stay with them but the friendly and honest reactions in our communications for sure makes me even more see the Cour de Husson with my own eyes.
Everything about our stay was perfect. The interior is beautifully designed and well thought through. The bedrooms and communal areas are modern without sacrificing a homely feeling. You can tell the hosts have poured their hearts into renovating the gîtes to an exemplary standard.
The rest of the property is equally stunning, with a lovely pool area as well as a cosy covered area lit by fairy lights.
The food was absolutely exquisite - every meal featured a beautiful and generous selection of inventive dishes using fresh ingredients, many of which were sourced from the neighbouring area. So not only are Jen and Nick the friendliest hosts you could wish for, but they are incredibly talented in the kitchen too.
We spent much of our trip plotting our return - we can't wait to come back with our families to show off this gem we are so pleased to have discovered.
home, days spent by the pool, epic scenery, even the weather was perfect. And homemade vegan ice cream, come on! Jen and Nick are super hosts and went above and beyond to help us have the best, most relaxed time. We are vegan gîte converts now and we're already counting the days until we return. Merci pour tout!
The grounds and house is absolutely stunning, with a huge garden, great pool, BBQ etc and set in lovely fields. Very quiet, relaxing area but with plenty to do nearby. The hosts are super nice and accommodating. The vegan breakfast was a highlight also.
Loved our stay there and would certainly come again.
I was personally after a trip where I was able to switch off and relax, but also be able to explore a bit of this fairytale part of France - and this stay really delivered! We were able to find real peace chilling out in the gîte, but also enjoyed fun days out cognac tasting, exploring local towns, eating cake in local villages, going for evening walks through the fields and even visited some historical sites and museums (thanks to Jen & Nick's amazing recommendations!) I honestly barely had to use my brain the whole time - and had no idea how much I needed that!
I cannot recommend La Cour de Husson enough - and can't thank Jen & Nick enough for being such brilliant hosts. We will absolutely be back!
Thank you for the best stay- we will 100% be returning!
Although Jen & Nick were around if needed it was such a private little haven, honestly I could have just stayed there the whole time and been extremely happy! I read on my private terrace for hours with a beautiful local wine that my lovely hosts suggested I try. However, there are some lovely places to see nearby and there is a book of things you can do too in the gite which I found really handy.
The vegan breakfast was also divine!! It was so delicious, among other things I tried Jens vegan cinnamon buns. For all my fellow vegans out there, just come for those alone! Next time I also want to try the vegan picnic hamper that you can organise via the hosts too.
Without a doubt I will definitely be coming back here again. I felt so comfortable and at home, and there is still so much I would like to do. I genuinely feel like I had a luxury break away from the madness of London.
Thank you so much to Jen & Nick, I hope to see you again next year!!
The surroundings are beautiful and lovely towns and villages to go to.
Jen and Nick made our holiday unforgettable, for so many reasons. And we also love the vegan life.
We hope to visit them again and enjoy everything they have to offer.
And the swimming pool is the best we had in years.
Nick & Jane are high-quality hosts who go out of their way to offer you a very high standard of stay (special mention for vegans, who will appreciate the efforts of adapted breakfasts).
The lodgings are extremely comfortable, perfectly equipped, and decorated with great taste, in a rustic and modern mix which totally preserves the authenticity of the atmosphere.
The place is in a hamlet which adjoins a medieval village with many shops (including a very practical grocery store / tobacconist), and 10 minutes from a town which offers all amenities.
The ideal place to visit a region that never ceases to surprise us, for its tranquility, its immediate nature, its historical heritage and even its proximity to the ocean!
Thanks again !
Nestled between cognac vines and sunflower fields is a beautiful relaxing place. La Cour de Hudson. Our hosts welcomed us with a delicious vegan dinner and couldn’t have been more welcoming.
The gite is surrounded by local markets and farm shops. A treasure trove for a foodie like me.
The accommodation itself is sparkling; beautifully decorated and every night was like sleeping in cotton wool. We couldn’t have asked for more than an everyday refreshing swim in the clear blue pool before drinks in the courtyard.
Nick and Jen were perfect hosts and knew best recommendations.
I’ll definitely be returning !
Nic and Jen went above and beyond to make our stay perfect !
Will definitely be returning
The Gite is stylish, tasteful, and simple yet chic, with every convenience. I even had my own private little courtyard - perfect for coffee and croissant in the mornings after a sublime morning dip in the crescent shaped pool!
The wonderfully comfortable beds with gorgeous crisp, white linen ensured a great nights sleep in this haven of peace and tranquility.
Jen and Nick are lovely: perfect hosts, discrete yet on hand when needed. They have done an amazing job of bringing this wonderful old building back to life.
Thank you for a really enjoyable stay!
Top tip: try the delicious vegan breakfast served in the courtyard - I'm now a convert to vegan cuisine.
What we all loved about staying here is that it felt like no detail was left unnoticed. The gite had everything we needed and was decorated so tastefully-it's the perfect combo of feeling "homey" and also like a hotel. There were fresh flowers and a great welcoming basket of snacks (chocolate, chips, Lotus cookies, cake), all excellent quality, when we arrived. Then we had beautiful breakfast spreads every morning -fresh baguettes, homemade cinnamon rolls, overnight oats, preserves, orange juice, chia yogurt cups, homemade granola-a different combo of the above, each day. They had coffee and tea and options for all: French press, espresso maker, and Italian coffee maker, and non dairy milk. All of it was tasty and we really looked forward to the breakfast every morning.
The rooms are spacious with cute decor and we had plenty of space. We loved the big tub in one of the bathrooms (and plenty of hot water for baths!!!!), and the aromatherapy soap was a nice touch:)
The setting doesn't get more beautiful. It overlooks the countryside, and there is a ton of outdoor space. There's an area to barbecue, including a full-sized grill and table. There's an area to hangout on the hammock and read a book. There's an area for lounging at the beautiful, clear blue pool. It's all so peaceful and picturesque. It's a dream switch up for us city people-all the amenities but in nature!
Jen and Nick, the owners were the most hospitable and gracious, hosts. They left no stone unturned inside the gite and with the meals. They also were super helpful with info and recommendations on what to do in the area, where to eat, and just made us feel at home and comfortable. We went to a local cake and flower shop that they recommended as well as a Cognac tour, about 45 minutes away and enjoyed both. We loved staying here and plan to come back whenever we next visit France.
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