Vine Of The Soul Reviews 80

Amazing team Christina and Rosa. I just finished 5 days retreat full of ayahuasca mushrooms and San Pedro. This is my second visit since May 2025. Had a lot of guilt I could not give my daughter a full family, relationships, lost house due to the fire. Got rid of all guilts and ready to start life full of ecstasy and joy and freedom. I fully recommend. Beautiful food prepared by the healers with love, Portuguese countryside, great accommodation, lots of support, integration, music, laugh, singing. Just go and you will want to return again like me to get your peace back and allignment with your soul purpose. Worth every penny. Best investment you ever did for yourself. I am 56 years old woman from Krakow, Poland.

I honestly can’t say enough good things about our experience with the team. From the very start, the online prep call with Bianca was a lifesaver. Since we were coming all the way from Asia and balancing work meetings in different countries, having those "dos and don’ts" laid out for us was so important, even if adjusting our lifestyle for it wasn't exactly easy!

We really didn’t know what to expect and were just hoping for the best after such a long journey. We actually came in from Spain and didn't reach the venue until late at night, so a massive thank you to Ric for picking us up from the train station—he’s just such a grounded guy, you feel at ease with him instantly. When we finally arrived, Kristina had dinner ready for us, and hearing the music from the ongoing ceremony in the distance was such a vibe. Meeting Rosa and the other participants over that first meal made us feel welcome right away.

I’ll be honest, that first night I was still overthinking everything and even had some second thoughts about going through with it. But the next morning, sitting in that cozy sharing circle in the ceremony area, everything shifted. I finally felt like I was in good hands and completely safe. After the orientation, my mind just kind of let go of the doubts and I felt ready to just dive in.

The ceremony itself was just... perfect. Everything was so calm, comfortable, and well-organized. It was genuinely one of the best experiences of my life—a total life-changing retreat. It’s so deep and memorable, and the best part is how clearly you can remember the whole thing afterward.

To Bianca, Rosa, Riccardo, and Kristina: thank you all so much. The food, the talks, the music—it was all incredible. And Riccardo, I can still hear that deep voice: “If you ever forget how strong you are...”

Also a big thanks to Rooney, Yeray, and Mette for sharing the journey with me. Considering how far we traveled, it was worth every single mile. Mamahuasca!

If you are looking for a place to truly reconnect and find clarity, I cannot recommend this beautiful experience enough. If you feel the call, choose Vine of the Soul. It is a sanctuary where the spirit is nurtured, and the heart is allowed to bloom in ways you never thought possible. It’s more than just a retreat; it’s a homecoming for the soul. (soul, spirit -- these aren't words I ever imagined I’d use in this context, but after this retreat, they’re the only ones that feel right)

A'ho!

Negatives:

- Me and another participant haven’t felt any effect of ayuhasca since the retreat
- Odd to be taking ayuhasca within a couple hours of arriving with complete strangers. Rosa kept emphasising “trust” but this is dependent on many factors (integrity, knowing others, confidentiality, boundaries, settling in).
- Christina was on her phone a lot during ceremony - I saw this when I took my eye mask off and it sort of undermined the integrity of the ceremony for me, there is no phone policy!
- No mention of confidentiality agreements like every retreat I do …. Christina told a participant about another participant’s experience at midnight after the ceremony (“he told me that his whole life had opened up….”) this is NOT for her to share!
- Facilitators shared with us messages from a previous participant, shared her name (M******e) and how she wanted to commit suicide early on in her journey…confidential?
- 4 - 5 hour long “integration” circle…. the circle wasn’t so much about the ceremony (as I desired and i judge to be more appropriate ) but rather each participant was encouraged to open up about the problems in their life for about 50 mins each. The three facilitators and EVEN a participant advised /questioned / analysed each person’s contribution (so the role changed from facilitator to therapist)- even Christina and Riki had their eyes closed at various points laying on their mattress tired and bored - think of these circles more like therapy circles. I questioned some of the advice eg about anger release, Bianca said “do sport”…. women too often misunderstand the relationship men have with anger/violence. I’d exercise caution as many participants are coming with overwhelmed nervous systems, severe depression….. ? Can these participants even meet you on the level you’re talking? Do they just need to be witnessed ? At one point Rosa and Bianca were just going back and forth like enthusiastic ping pong balls together with their opinions and insights! Ask each participant first “are you open to advice? Listening to my life experience?” Their unsolicited input goes against my training to avoid fixing/projecting.
- This is not like any other retreat where facilitators have a separate area - everyone eats and chats together all the time - quite difficult for participants to all sit together and share without anyone hearing/commenting. It’s an intimate old house and everything is very close - in my opinion facilitators need a separate area. Even Bianca’s children (who live on site) would appear walking around the table.
- Front gate is locked at all times so you need permission to get out
- The location of the house is in the middle of arid land right beside a motorway where you can always hear low level traffic noise all day and night…
- There wasn’t a comfortable seating area away from the house to relax - just one hammock, a swinging chair and a couple of old dirty white plastic sun loungers scattered about - easy cheap fix!?
- The mattress, duvet and pillows are very thin and I found them uncomfortable personally - again easy fix! Especially if you pay 80 euros for the night just for bunk bed and some food ? A self catered apartment with pool (Umbral booking.com) in Albufeira costs 24 euros a night.
- The ceremonies should have started At 4 but started at 5:30 because of the length of therapy circle - the late starting of everything undermined the process a bit for me
- There is no ceremony outside (Incase you want to connect with nature) and no opportunity to be alone in ceremony. No fire and no shamans playing music (stereotype of ayuhasca).
- The showers often didn’t work well
- The building and bedrooms smell of incense during and after ceremonies from midnight.
- If you aren’t in a ceremony one night then you have to be very quiet / whisper - the kitchen is right beside the ceremony room…you have no option but to walk past it to the bedroom - there is no door to the ceremony room - one participant came out of ceremony off his face on mushrooms and he bumped into me as I was walking to the bedroom on my night off, which was one reason I left early that evening. It’s such a small intense space, and there isn’t really anywhere nice to get space. Ironic given the beauty of Portugal
- The facilitators were all women. I really wanted some males.
- I left on day 3 with severe nausea. Nobody checked in all week, Bianca just replied to say she should have trusted her intuition and not let me do the ayuhasca? And that my sickness must be a bug?!
- No after care - integration call offered TWO months later because a participant reminded them..even people who stayed for the whole retreat didn’t get a call? I just wanted someone to call me to ask how I was doing. I was unwell abroad

Positives

Clean, great breakfast, caring staff, pre retreat call, Bianca’s vision

I’ve been meaning to write this review for some time. My hope is that it helps you decide whether this is the right place for you. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend going anywhere else, especially as a westerner.

I’ve been to Vine of the Soul twice, and each visit was profoundly different.

My First Visit
My first time was an intimate session with just two others. I arrived very lost, with little to my name, and decided to spend the last of my savings on the retreat. It turned out to be one of the most important decisions of my life.

During those ceremonies, I reconnected with my inner child and became his parent. The second night was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and I had already worked with psilocybin many times. That journey felt like it lasted for months, dissolving old belief systems and giving me the clarity to see the world with fresh eyes. Soon after, I found a job I still love to this day.

The facilitators were incredibly caring, genuine, and respectful. They left a lasting impression on me, showing me how deeply humans can hold space for one another. The changes stayed with me long after: I started to see life differently, discovered activities I truly enjoyed, and finally found balance instead of overwhelming myself by trying to do everything at once.

My Second Visit
I returned later that year, this time for the Soul Family retreat, which was a much larger group with people from all walks of life. I already had direction in my life, but I was seeking community, and I found it.

The group was a beautiful mix of individuals, each contributing in their own way. This retreat became one of the most important experiences of my life. The ceremonies took me to incredible states of bliss and wonder. At times I felt like I touched enlightenment itself. Coming back from that has been, and still is, a journey of self-discovery.

I gave myself a year afterwards just to let my mind settle and integrate everything. Even now, I look back on those sacred moments with deep gratitude.

Comfort, Food and Location
My stay itself was very comfortable, and I always felt well looked after. The food was delicious, nourishing, and prepared with real care. The retreat setting is secluded and peaceful, the perfect environment for this kind of work. The atmosphere had a wonderful vibe – safe, supportive, and full of heart.

Safety and Facilitators
I completely trusted the facilitators from the moment I met them, which does not come easily to me. They were grounded, caring, and present in every interaction. Across both visits, I met six different facilitators, each of whom made me feel safe, supported, and welcome. Bianca, who created and holds this retreat, deserves special mention. She is an incredible person, and I have a great deal of love and respect for her. What she has built is a truly beautiful space where people can find themselves and connect deeply with others.

The Experience
Words will always fall short here. My experience was truly ineffable: humbling, mind-expanding, and deeply grounding all at once. It gave me a connection to something far greater than myself while also reminding me of the importance of being rooted on this earth.

Advice for Others
Do your research before coming. Watch videos, read, and explore symbolism. It helps prepare you for what you may encounter so the visions feel less overwhelming. Listening to others’ stories can also bring reassurance and perspective.

Will I Return?
Yes. I’m already planning a third visit. I’ve just given myself some time to rest and integrate. My path now is one of inner mastery, and Vine of the Soul will continue to be a part of that journey for many years to come.

I can’t recommend Vine of the Soul enough. I felt incredibly safe with them, and the facilitators were absolutely amazing. Each ceremony was profound and truly life-changing, helping me learn so much about myself. What really makes this retreat extra special, though, is the dedication and care of the entire team, they create such a supportive and transformative environment. I’ll always be grateful for this experience.

I've joined a 4 days reatreat with Vine of the Soul in Portugal. I had had issues with past unresolved trauma and I was looking forward a way to loosen certain energetic blockages I felt had been with me for too long.
I chose this group after I had watched the online interview with Bianca. The way she offers to go about this Aya journey, the psychologically trained background, the honesty that I perceived in her approach convinced me. It's been a very good choice I've made.
The crew was fantastic from the beginning, helping everyone to feel at ease, welcome and accepted as they were. Warmhearted, well trained and prepared, passionate about what they do.
As a natural consequence, everyone loosened up very quickly and showed the wonderful people that they are.
Integrations talks, both one on one and group ones, help go deeper into what one is looking for that is missing out in their lives, set the right intentions and then between the session understand and acknowledge what is the work that is going on within.
The work with the plants is a very unique one, and really effective, and at Vine of the Soul they serve it in a way that balances out a devoted receptivity to the mystery of life and a determined intention to help others.
For me it's been not super easy, but they were there with me, supportive and loving, helping me walk the walk. When I left I've brought away with me a better state, better connection with my body and feelings, more honest with myself, and with a little less pain in my soul, purged in the sacred chamber.
I am grateful I have found these people and this medicine on my path of life.
If you feel you want to understand better what is inside of you, unlock stuck energies and find new better patterns for a better life routine, you might take great benefit from this retreat. It's healthy.

I have been on two retreats with Vine of the Soul and both times I found they felt safe, well held and deep powerful experiences.

I visited Vine of the Soul’s Portugal site in May 2025, and I can honestly say it is the best thing I could have possibly done in my life to help me on my healing and spiritual journey.
From the start of the process, I felt supported and safe and knew this was the right place for me. The introductory call and pre-retreat guidance couldn’t have been any better.
I done 2 ayahuasca ceremonies and since then the intentions I had set for myself have all come to light.
The approach that Bianca and her team take to facilitating people with this sacred medicine is truly special and met my personal needs on a psychological, scientific, emotional and spiritual level and is something I will remember for the rest of my life. The love I felt from Rosa, Ana, Kristina and Rikki was so pure and I have never met a more emotionally intelligent group of people in my life who have so much respect for the work they are doing. This also allowed for a safe space to take from the ceremony what I, and I believe the other participants, needed and I will forever be grateful to all of the team for the role they played.

All is good. Thanks

Very special, capable, lovely and professional group managing this unique experience, Vine of the Soul Retreat was an unforgettable pit stop in the road of my life. It was for me a deep exercise of self awareness and mindset reframe. So many intriguing insights came up during these 5 days in June 25. I came looking mainly for fun but found a place filled with love, community and wisdom where I experienced a wide spectrum of the possibilities that the retreat can provide. I loved this place and each one of the people working on it.

My experience at Vine of the Soul in Portugal was probably the most transformative thing I have ever done.

To describe it is very difficult because it is both an intensely individual experience - the medicine really takes you on your own journey and, to be honest, it's entirely your journey - and a group experience of profound healing and sharing. Everyone is going through it together and we applauded each other, cried together and offered companionship and collective peace. The integration circles after each ceremony were as important and healing as the ceremonies themselves.

In all of this, you are supported by an incredible, warm and knowledgeable team who, and it sounds cliché until you have experienced it - welcome you as family. In probably the "weirdest" experience you can have, you feel at home, safe, supported, and even loved. That's a really strange thing to say about a group of strangers, but Mother Aya is a strange, wonderful medecine, and the overwhelming, and lasting feeling I got out of the experience is one of deep love and healing.

It's also a lot of fun too, there's great music, great food and a huge amount of laughter. The team all have their experiences and struggles that have brought them to the medicine which they share. Their approach is very grounded in psychology whilst still honoring the spiritual elements of the medicine which, for me as someone who isn't particularly spiritual, was a real (and completely undeniable) part of the ceremonies.

I should also point out that I am a wheelchair user and the site is accessible, and the team were absolutely fantastic in building little ramps and things so I could move around freely, as well as helping me out in ceremonies when I was a bit less agile :)

I would advise anyone who is interested in a profoundly healing and loving experience to do themselves a huge favour and visit VotS. The medicine will challenge you deeply, heal you deeply, and the team will help you move through and beyond the experience with love, laughter and grace.

Thank you so much Vine of the Soul Team (Bianca, Kristina, Rosa, Ricki and Richard).

With love, thanks and warmest wishes,

Max

I had many doubts before going there, but upon arrival I was met by smiles and hugs… Felt like a family that many of us don’t have…
The sharing circle and 1-1 prep talk convinced me that I was ready and I went all in. The facilitators kept the space and made all of us feel safe and looked after- very important for relaxation and then the inner work to begin 🫶🏼

The people who run the retreat are the selling point and the uniqueness of this place. Thanking all of them and continuing remembering that life changing experience 🥰

DO the prep work though! Read what you are sent to read, watch the videos, be on the diet for two weeks. It is very important and will make the inner journey easier, and the integration smoother.

A really well-held and grounded retreat experience. The facilitators created a safe and respectful space, and the setting was peaceful and supportive for the process. The ceremonies were intentional and not overly performative, which I appreciated. Integration was taken seriously, and the overall structure struck a good balance between guidance and personal space. Highly recommend if you’re looking for an authentic and well-run retreat.

I recently participated in the Vine of the Soul retreat in the Algarve, Portugal.
Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin this review… so let’s keep it simple. Those days were the toughest, most profoundly healing, darkest, and yet most luminous and victorious experience of my life so far. It was a paradoxical blend of diving into a terrifying, endless void and receiving the warmest, most familiar hug.

I am deeply moved by the power of the healing medicine and the transformative processes taking place at that center. And in turn, I feel deeply touched and loved by the people who bring these retreats to life.

I was welcomed by four amazing facilitators, each one unique and special in their own way. Throughout the journey, I always felt embraced, understood, and gently guided by them. Their love, patience, devotion, and honesty are present in every corner of the house, in their words, and in the experience itself.

They have created a true center of healing and commitment, and I am so grateful to have crossed their paths—hoping, of course, to cross them again, more than once, in this lifetime 😊.

I had often read in others’ experiences and sources that it’s crucial to choose your facilitators or shamans carefully before embarking on this kind of journey. But only during the retreat did I truly understand how much truth lies in that statement: you may reach one of the lowest points of yourself in such a process, and it’s absolutely essential to have someone there to guide you through it with love and without judgment. And they all did exactly that—for each and every participant.

I can truly say they are doing a great deal of good for people. And now that I’m back home, doing my “homework” XD, I know they’ve given me—and the others—one of the most precious gifts we could ever hope for: a better way of seeing and living ourselves, and Life itself. It takes patience, commitment, and love—but it is possible to get there.

Thank you!! In alphabetical order: thank you, thank you Ana, Kristina, Riccardo, Rosa – and thank you, Bianca, for having started it all!

That was my first meeting with the medicine. No regrets, I recommend truly. 1000 words is not enough to describe the experience. Life-changing.
The facilitators, the place... I have no complaints, everything was more than just fine. Glad that I went there. It's a safe space 🌌

I can write and write, trying to find the "right" words. Just go there to find out. Have your own experience and opinion. For me the experience was, like wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow and still it is

I couldn’t have asked for more from Axis, Robert, and Chiara at Vine of the Soul in Spain—truly, everything was perfect in a way I couldn’t have imagined.

They understood my intentions both before and during the retreat, and were wholeheartedly focused on guiding me through every moment. I felt deeply cared for throughout; they took my concerns seriously and listened with genuine presence, all within a consistently safe and balanced atmosphere. Every meal was nourishing and accompanied by rich, meaningful conversation. The living space, garden, and temple were all beautiful, reinforcing the ever-present level of care and attention to detail.

I came away from the retreat feeling reborn—with renewed energy and powerful insights into my mental health. I now feel equipped to face life with strength and clarity, thanks to the tools and experience I gained during my time with Axis, Robert, and Chiara. If you feel the call to explore the realm of plant meditation, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Vine of the Soul. You’ll be in truly good hands.

Great atmosphere, I felt well from the very first moment. They really take care a lot.
They have a beautiful house and garden amd delicious food. I will definitely come back.

So with some trepidation I decided to do the healing retreat in Valencia. Words can't fully describe the joy I experienced. There was lots of laughter, lots of tears, lots of introspection. Axis, Chiara and Robert who were all facilitating are simply beautiful souls who through compassion and understanding where able to create the space to let the healing flow. I for sure will be back. I strongly recommend this retreat for anyone who may have suppressed emotions as the plant medicine will bring them to the surface and then release them.

The team at Vine Of The Soul are an incredible group of people. It goes without saying that this is a profound and nerve wracking choice to make, especially the first time. It is so important that you feel comfortable, relaxed and in the hands of people that know what this means to you - this was there for the very start.

I couldn't speak highly enough of the team. Kristina, Rosa, Ricky & Bianca are kind souls with so much insight. Our honest conversations were met with kindness, understanding and gentle guidance when needed. I did 3 ceremonies and they were collectively life changing - I learned that I could appreciate myself and trust in my gut feelings.

I will be back again - I feel like this is the start of an incredible journey. The preparation advised is so key to the process, but if you follow everything in advance and trust in the facilitators, then you are in safe hands.

Thank you so much,
Dave

The overall experience was fantastic and hoping for another opportunity to visit again. Truly a magical place with wonderful people.