Riverside Painting Holiday

Highlights

  • Stunning accommodation with meals and airport transfers included
  • Daily art tuition and walks to explore & experience the countryside
  • Outdoor terraces & infinity pool overlooking the river to relax and inspire
From £828 pp
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What you'll do

Overview

Discover an alternative side to the gorgeous Algarve region on this unique 6 night creative art holiday; set in a stunning riverside villa with amazing views and cosy elegance inside, the combination of painting & walking will ensure you make the most of its natural surroundings.

2024 Dates

1- 7 June
21 - 27 September

This 6 night / 7 day painting holiday has been designed to develop your painting and drawin...Read All

Arrival

Settle into the river house and your room before enjoying a group welcome dinner.

Accommodation

Stay in an exceptional villa, lovingly known as ‘the river house’. Surrounded by countryside on a river-bend with an infinity pool to relax in and soak up the atmosphere. The villa boasts spectacular sunsets, sunrises and walking trails all around, and the town of Silves is just a 15 minute drive away.

The villa features 5 spacious and fully air-conditioned double bedrooms;...Read All

Natural Inspiration

Enjoy a relaxed introduction morning at the property getting to know each other and a chance to discuss your interests. Learn how to use different shapes, textures and form from the nature using various drawing techniques and materials including graphite, charcoal and pen. These tips and tricks will be ideal for those new to painting or a good refresher for the more experienced.

Enjoy an afternoon walk along the Via Algarviana to the church perched on the hill with gorgeous panoramic...Read All

When colour comes running

This will be a creative day exploring different colour and how it makes us feel, with the opportunity to try out different art materials like watercolour, acrylics, chalk pastel, wax resistance and much more. Create powerful abstract art using inspiration from different sources with vibrant colours and bold imagery.

In the afternoon, there will be massages for those who have booked and you are welcome to join the relaxing outdoor yoga session in the beauty of nature.

In the lat...Read All

A river with a view

This will be a day of two halves as you use the stunning location of the river as inspiration for creating some landscape art. First, you will work together and discuss how to select your view, then compose a painting or drawing while on location. After lunch, continue with the landscapes back at the river house where you can tune the fine details with guidance from your tutor to create your own impressive work of art. Having a camera today will be helpful as the most difficult part of t...Read All

Ink and mixed media

Learn all about using ink in various ways to create interesting work, followed by a morning of play and experimentation to discover how versatile this medium can be. Look at the possibilities when other mediums are used, from the application of ink from a pen for sketching, to brush work and the introduction of bleach and other unusual things.

Afternoon: Historical town (optional)

This afternoon there is the opportunity to vi...Read All

Suggestive animals

A tips and tricks session on all things animal to help you master simple shapes into various species followed by the techniques needed to make fur and feather come alive. From the smallest mouse, to the biggest elephant, anything goes!

Afternoon: Lunch at the Seaside

Following the morning’s captivating pastel workshop, we will venture towards the coast to relish a refreshing dip in the azure waters, followed by a relaxed...Read All

Departure

Enjoy your breakfast by the river before heading home.

What's included

Included

  • 6 nights accommodation in a private room with en-suite bathroom. Discounts are available for rooms with a shared bathroom
  • Daily art tuition from day 2-6 and all art materials
  • Welcome drinks
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily (not included: alcoholic and cool drinks (honesty bar provided), along with an optional dinner on day 5 in Silves)
  • Airport transfers to and from Faro Airport (at a specified time)
  • Afternoon guided nature walks
  • Mid-week room clean and towel change
Your local host

Cheryl and Graham

Cheryl and Graham look forward to welcoming you to their wonderful riverside home in the Algarve.

Cheryl and Graham look forward to welcoming you to their wonderful riverside home in the Algarve.

Location

Stay in an exceptional villa tucked into the bend of a river in Portugal’s Algarve countryside, just 15 minutes from the town of Silves. Lovingly known as ‘the river house’, it will leave you feeling relaxed, inspired and very much at home. With terraces overlooking surrounding countryside, limitless walking trails and a starry night sky, there isn’t a more idyllic place to perfect your artistic skills.

Getting there

Please note that prices for the holidays do not include flights. We recommend using www.skyscanner.net to check flights.

Nearest airport:
Faro – 35 minutes away by car

Pre-booked transfers:

There is a complimentary transfer service from and to Faro airport offered by your hosts. On arrival day the  airport pick-up will be at 3pm for the group, if you wish to take this transfer please choose flights with this pick up time in mind.

Departure to Faro air

What our travellers are saying...

Just spent a wonderful week on this art retreat. A truly remarkable venue with great food and top hosts. Rooms were beautiful as was the setting, and the art workshops were a great way to spend the day. Thoroughly recommend and look forward to my next stay!

Jo Ryder

Just spent an amazing week at the River House on their residential course. Very well organised and run with a great art teacher who was patient and encouraging. Excellent accommodation and wonderful food provided by Cheryl and her husband Graham. Great company and beautiful location. Can’t praise the week highly enough and hope to return again next year.

Ann Peak

River views, fresh meals, local culture, and art lessons from a friendly skilled professional made for the perfect holiday retreat. The River House is a gem in the Algarve countryside. I spent a week relaxing to the peaceful sound of birds and goat bells, enjoying walks through the surrounding landscape, and lounging poolside after lively morning art sessions. Our host, Cheryl, and teacher, Tracy, were very knowledgeable and lovely to work with.

A Rose

It was a lovely 5 days of painting and drawing with a fantastic teacher and a beautiful environment. The River House is a special hidden place in the Algarve! I was glad I was able to join the retreat as an Alagarve resident. I definitely recommend it!

M Gieling

This was an amazing holiday! The tuition was excellent - I learnt so much from Tracy and my confidence has increased. I am inspired to try painting more. The riverside house is a lovely villa set in beautiful surroundings. The owner Cheryl was very welcoming and an amazing cook! Perfect week.

R Ali

This was a very different holiday for me and I loved it. A great relaxing location with fantastic views. Cheryl made us welcome and cooked some amazing vegetarian food from local fresh produce. Tracy our art teacher was extremely knowledgeable in a variety of techniques, gave you confidence and always made you feel at ease. A lovely break from normal life.

S Pye

FAQs

Is dinner out on the town optional on day 5?

On day 5, the taxi and evening meal is optional. The taxi is about 90€ (for 8 people) and dinner is not included. If the guest doesn’t want to join, the kitchen will be open for soup and sandwiches.

Who is it suitable for?

- Suitable for all painting levels from beginners to advanced
- Minimum age 18 with no upper age limit
- This is a mixed media painting holiday

Do I need art supplies?

- Art equipment is supplied so don’t worry if you’re just starting out but if you have favourite brushes, paints or materials, please feel free to bring them
- This holiday has the following art supplies on hand: graphite pencils, chalk pastels, charcoal, watercolour and acrylic paints
- A3 paper is the maximum paper size; should you like to work with large canvases, these can be purchased for you at an extra expense

I'm travelling solo - can I join?

- Solo travellers are more than encouraged to join as you will meet others with similar interests in the group
- You will have your own private room for no extra cost

What time is check-in?

Check in is after 2pm and check out is after breakfast on day 7

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