The 2024 ‘joie de vivre’ wellness retreats
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- March 27, 2024
Jack & Margaret Reckitt found their joie de vivre in a hidden part of rural France – and, post pandemic, they’re helping others find it too.
The retreats at Manoir Mouret were established to give guests empowering Lessons on wellness and longevity from French slow living. These retreats are not the deprivation, weighing scale kind – much more about practical, empowering advice on sleep, nutrition, and exercise, connecting with the seasons, and encouraging guests to rediscover their joy for life. Guest reviews speak for themselves, but the programmes are thoughtfully researched and grounded, delivered by true experts in their fields and hosted by Jack and Margaret, who are currently studying for diplomas in nutrition.
Margaret and Jack Reckitt have always sought the joy in life – whether it be in busy working lives in the city of London, or through the adventure of running a vineyard in the South West of France. Since emigrating to France to make wine, they have inadvertently began to live the good life – growing their own food, aligning with the seasons, enjoying being part of the community (and sharing the odd glass of wine, of course.)
After nearly a decade as French vignerons, when an offer to purchase their vineyard came out of the blue they took the leap to buy their neighbour’s luxury holiday destination in the hidden village of Andillac, South West of France, and so started the next chapter. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Jack and Margaret were faced with a beautiful but newly-empty Manoir and dozens of cancelled holiday bookings. Their silver lining was the time this gave them to think deeply about how they might use their accommodation for good when things opened up again.
Surrounded by nature and imbued with the rich culture of French rural life, Manoir Mouret felt like the perfect place for wellness retreats – a way to share this slice of French idyll, encourage a connection to seasonal living and working with visiting experts – including nutritionists, holistic chefs and movement teachers – offer guests accessible information on what wellness really means in 2024 and beyond.
These retreats are not the deprivation, weighing scale kind – much more about practical, empowering advice on sleep, diet and exercise, connecting with the seasons, and encouraging guests to rediscover their joy for life. The retreat programmes are thoughtfully researched and grounded, delivered by experts in their fields and hosted by Jack and Margaret, who are currently studying for diplomas in nutrition.
By choosing a retreat at Manoir Mouret guests also enable Margaret and Jack to use Mouret to do good. Working with the UK child bereavement charity, The Compassionate Friends (TCF), each year the couple provide groups of bereaved parents with free week-long breaks at Mouret.
The hosts are real advocates of slow rural French life and offer people a nourishing space that looks after its guests in the truest sense of the term.
Mouret offers comfort, excellent facilities, and practical information, along with a community of gentle encouragement to help you look after yourself better, long after you leave the Manoir.
Free breaks for bereaved parents
Manoir Mouret operates throughout the year for wellness retreats, holidays and as a venue. With the income from the paying guests and working with the UK child bereavement charity, The Compassionate Friends (TCF), Margaret and Jack are able to provide free breaks to groups of bereaved parents. In 2023, 41 TCF parents had a week’s break at Manoir Mouret, free of charge.
The location
Manoir Mouret is based in the in the ancient winemaking region of Gaillac and on the edge of the village of Andillac. The region Tarn is one of France’s best kept secrets with picturesque villages perched on hillsides, winemakers galore, bastide towns and traditional markets. Surrounding towns and villages all within easy driving distance including the stunning 12th century Cordes-sur-Ciel just 12 kms away from Mouret. The Manoir is easily accessible from the UK with Toulouse the closest airport.
The House
This sensitively restored, elegant “maison de maitre” and its barns were built in the 1850s by the village’s master winemaker. Wine is still the lifeblood of the area and Mouret is surrounded by vines tended by local families. For 150 years Mouret was the village’s master winemaker’s home. With 12 bedrooms, many living and dining areas and extensive facilities, including swimming pool and tennis courts, Manoir Mouret provides a perfect year-round venue for retreats dedicated to wellbeing, in all its forms.
