a place to breathe
Tinhela610
Mission statement
“We’ve built a hideaway haven in rustic, northern Portugal...let's call it a wilderness wonderland, for all those in need of the healing power of Nature. We wish to inspire reconnection to one's self, to boost consciousness and stimulate creativity in order to meet the challenges of this millenium.”
At Tinhela610 come live a unique experience with nature, self and others. We are a one of a kind destination; not a hotel, nor a guest house but an off-the-grid wellness oasis. Come to shake yourself up; behold nature, surrounded by the mysteries of this enchanted land. This alone is enough to inspire those changes in your life that you've been thinking about but doing nothing. During your stay, whether it’s the Hermitage, Private or Curated Experience-- you will live the unusual alchemy of Tinhela610 that transforms everyday hum-drum moments into rituals--be it breathing, bathing, eating, exercising or sleeping. Thus, you awaken.
Tinhela610 is located in the wild and romantic Tras-os-Montés region of northern Portugal, near Trésminas, the ancient gold mines of the Roman era. This rural landscape has remained untouched for years. Follow the old paths made by generations of shepherds and their flocks. Experience an exclusive natural environment free from urban pollution--be it light, noise, air or water. We discourage excessive consumption—both of our own and the earth's resources—to learn to live more with less.
Tinhela610 is reborn with two renovated stone mill buildings, seven new wood cabins that hover above the old stone walls, a Japanese inspired bathhouse, a Finnish wood-burning sauna, an intimate dining hall, all with breathtaking views. Our on-site boutique will be filled with carefully selected products to enhance your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Tinhela610 also offers an outdoor yoga platform, elevated outdoor meditation alcoves, winding footpaths and natural swimming basins in the riverbed.
Tinhela610 sits proudly on the rocky ledges above the banks of the Tinhela river, measured at 610* meters altitude--a Fibonacci number we felt so important we integrated it into our name. When are you coming?
Damaged but not broken by the forest fire on July 28th 2022, our opening will be delayed till Summer 2023.
Quite miraculously, the eight wood cabins and two stone mills were untouched by the fire, protected--it seems--by a benevolent force.
We will reconstruct our technical building and all operation systems (water, solar, cables) that perished in the fire, improving even more, the overall operational capacity.
CONCEPT
Base Camp
Base Camp is the foundation of all wellness experiences at TInhela610--be it the Hermitage or Private Experience in 2022 or the Curated Experiences from 2023. In our secluded woodland, you will live an off-the-grid lifestyle to reconnect, regenerate and restore your overall wellbeing. Our electricity comes from on-site solar panels and our own source for water is heated by voltaic panels. The cabins are heated via ecological hot water radiators. We have a delicate phyto sanitation treatment system along with toilets that do not require water nor sewage pipes and do not harm the environment. We compost useable waste and try not to purchase plastic items. We are tech-free, which helps to de-connect the mind and soothe the soul!
The four cornerstones of Base Camp life are sleep, bathe, nourish and move. This combination builds and stabilizes our personal foundation for accurate self awareness along with experiencing daily moments for deep relaxation.
Sleep and relaxation are fundamental to our overall health. Learn to fall asleep peacefully and awaken rested in our simply luxurious and sweet smelling wood cabins. The cabins are conceived to promote the best quality sleep possible. Each cabin houses two guests, with tailor-made single beds that are equipped with all natural mattresses from CocoMat, fine Portuguese linens and black-out curtains.
Bathe in our Japanese inspired bathhouse with fresh water from our local source. Detox in our traditional Finnish sauna then jump into the cool, clean Tinhela river. We see water as a teacher and by being more attentive to our relationship with water we raise our level of awareness. We have selected ecological soaps, shampoos and toothpaste in line with our commitment to safeguard the environment and protect our organic water treatment system. We encourage you to only use these products while at Tinhela610.
Nourish yourself with three healthy, simple meals that, depending on your stay, are either vegetarian or flexitarian. You’ll find the type of menu in the description of each Experience. Also note that we practice intermittent fasting (14 hours) on some of our stays. We feel intermittent fasting helps to keep our bodies in form while also helping us to become more mindful eaters. We will organize full fastings, two times per year during the equinoxes (spring/autumn) under the guidance of a naturopathe. Our aim is to have the highest quality food that is locally sourced and when possible organic--including cheese, olive oil, honey and wine from the Tras-os-Montés and Douro regions. Breakfast and dinner are shared, convivial moments around the generous dining table. Lunch is boxed and ready to be taken to enjoy outdoors on one of the numerous hidden sweet spots along the river or up in the rocky ledges.
Move. Walk the paths and the ancient back roads, swim in the river, smell the wild lavender, connect to the earth and the sky. Understand and unlock the automatic habits that bind you to your over active mind and turn on soft fascination. Exercise is our last cornerstone. Depending on your stay, there are many ways to move. Our outdoor platform is perfect for yoga, internal martial arts, gym exercises or stretching. At Tinhela610 you can hike and even try some wilderness running. Eventually, we plan to hook up with mountain biking as there are many gravel paths throughout this region. We are very close to the Vila Pouca de Agiar access to the Camino de Santiago. You can easily plan to walk the Camino before or after a stay with us.
EXPERIENCES
HermitageExperiences
Hermitage Experiences (HE)
Hermitage Experiences are for those times in your life when you want to take a step back, relax and unwind in nature. With a minimum stay of 3 nights, come join us as we open our doors in Summer 2023. This soft opening will give us the best opportunity to receive our guests with personal attention and care as we chart a sustainable course for our eco-resort.
Upon arrival at Tinhela610, slip into a new way of being--we'll help you to unwind and relax. Let go of the urban lifestyle and listen to the sounds outside to better tune into yourself. Tinhela610 is a Place to Breath. The air is clean and fresh--take time to lounge on a big rock by the river, taking long, slow deep breaths. Empty your mind. Be in the moment.
At our wilderness wonderland time is kept by simple rituals--fetch your water from the fountain to bring to your cabin and wash up in the morning, hike the paths, practice your yoga on the outdoor platform, nourish yourself with fresh and organic food made with love and attention.
Sit in nature for some shinrin-yoku “forest bathing”.Explore the paths, fields and forests around us. Borrow the binoculars and do some seriously cool bird watching. Fish in the river for trout...Swim in the river and sweat it out in the sauna, meditate under the stars in the alcova escondida and then sleep soundly. Live the off-the-grid Tinhela610 Hermitage experience fully and completely.
Includes all Base Camp features plus half-board--delicious breakfast and dinner (including beverages/wine). 3 Night Minimum Stay.
Pruvate Experiences
Private Experiences (PE).
TInhela610 is available for private rentals. Families, friends, groups or corporates who wish to live a unique experience of the best that Tinhela610 has to offer.
Tinhela610 accommodates up to 12 people sharing wood cabins for 2 with comfortable twin beds. We will curate the best possible experience for your group including: outings with local guides, yoga, chi gong or meditation classes, vegetarian or flexitarian cuisine, port & wine tastings. For companies: team building events and off-site programs for the C-Suite are exclusive moments to boost your company's management perspective, creativity and leadership.
Includes all Base Camp features.
Curated Experiences
Curated Experiences (CE)
6 days/5 nights.
These experiences are developed around a particular theme or teaching. Our CE's are organized retreats that take place during our mid or high season (April through October). Every CE starts on Sunday at 4PM and finishes on Friday at 11AM. There is one group formed for each Curated Experience.
The CE experiential session is guided by one or two teachers. Choose your CE retreat based upon the content proposed by the teachers; Yoga, Meditation, Ecstatic Dance, Chi-Gong, Tai-Chi, Philosophy, Art/Painting, Singing, Creative Writing etc. We have announced 3 CE's for our opening season in 2023--exact dates will be announced in March 2023.
ALL INCLUSIVE. Room & Full Board, Teaching, Taxes/Services in a 2 person shared Wood Cabin with large twin beds.
Includes all Base Camp features.
Curated Experiences 2023 (examples)
CE
CE
LIVING IN HARMONY. Soul Singing and
Fine Tuning of Ourselves.
w/ Soumaya Hallak & Holly Niemela
Menu: Flexitarian
OUR STORY
We believe in order to build sustainable, ecological economies, our future world and a healthy planet, we must understand our own relationship with nature and ourselves. We use the term “inner-sustainability” to describe the process of knowing oneself and being consciously aware of how to best manage one’s present and future choices. Hopefully, these choices will coincide naturally with decision-making that opts for a durable world with equitable economies.
The nature at Tinhela610 offers beauty and abundance, calm and serenity. Using this as our base, our guests can plug into the flora and fauna, the stars and sky, the wildlife and birds--and become more grounded, adaptable, recharged and focused. We both feel, as perfectly put by podcaster Rich Roll:
"we share a bristled resistance to the flavor of the month self-help (gurus), an allergy to the life-hack culture and relentless optimization...along with the reductive binary conclusions and statements of the pursuit of excellence...".
Our combined experience of over 50 years of work in the field of human flourishing has given birth to our ultimate project, Tinhela610. Thus, our greatest endeavor is to contribute positively to human, animal, plant and mineral life on this majestic planet Earth.
Holly Niemela
Edouard Payen
