An off-grid valley in the Cederberg, four and a half hours north of Cape Town, on a stretch of the Doring River that has never been touched by city lights.
It’s here where Daria and Heine built Bliss & Stars on a single, almost ordinary belief: that the things which matter most ask very little of us in the way of complication, and almost everything of us in the way of paying attention. They ask you to stop in the way that lets the rest of you arrive. Because the part of you that has been waiting can’t find you while you are still moving.
Six
PRIVATE CHALETS
Ten
GUESTS PER RETREAT MAX.
One
LONG COMMUNAL TABLE
Zero
NO WIFI
1
Slow down
We resist the present by treating it as a way station to somewhere better. Which means most of us are living slightly ahead of our lives. Slightly too fast to actually be in them.
The self you have been outrunning catches up here. Not all at once. In pieces.
Out here, with no signal and nowhere to be, the rushing has nothing to attach to.
2
Soften
The logic of clenching is real: hold yourself tightly enough and nothing catches you off guard. You maintain the sense of control. But control is expensive, and it runs on tension you didn’t consciously agree to. What you are bracing against is often what most wants to reach you. What happens when you stop? Most people don’t pause for long enough to find out.
3
Simplify
RETREATS
Small-group retreats in Cederberg
Six chalets. Ten guests maximum. Each retreat has a different character.
- Connection, Rest
Shared, undivided attention is the thing that actually bonds two people, and modern life quietly starves you of it. Here you get it back.
- Meaning, Rest
Do Nothing retreat is an invitation to live your life with care. Understand and embody why presence is the greatest gifts we can offer ourselves and others.
- Food
Few things drop you into flow faster than full attention on a knife and a flame. Our Chefs make sure it happens. Plant-based cuisine.
- Meaning
The new year doesn’t need a plan. It needs your attention. A four-day new year retreat for intentions in the Cederberg, near Cape Town.
- Astronomy, Food
Three nights under the darkest skies on Earth: guided stargazing, astrophotography with Heine and a cosmos-inspired tasting menu. Cederberg, South Africa.
- Rest
The signature Bliss & Stars retreat: 4 days of mindfulness practice, breathwork, guided stargazing and rest in the Cederberg. Ten guests.
OUR STORY
A bet on meaning over certainty
WHAT GUESTS SAY
