A family retreat is an opportunity for a family to spend time together in a relaxing, stress-free environment. The purpose of a family retreat is entertainment, rest, and relaxation . Many families enjoy using family retreats as a way to spend quality time together as a family and to give them an opportunity to get to know each other more. Family retreats can be very beneficial to a family because the retreat is fun for the kids and also gives the parents a break from the everyday pressures of life. They’re also a great tool for parents to relax, recharge and find time for themselves. It's an all-around win-win! What are family retreats for? So forget this being "the perfect chance to unwind and spend time together", as Jess has priorities all wrong and I was unusually annoyed by the fact that she couldn't take a few weeks off. The Dorset setting is used well, but there's just a lot going on so you're never in the holiday mood. Even her parents come to visit, so it feels like this family had moved to a new town rather than taking a break. Contributions should be travel related. The most helpful contributions are detailed and help others make better decisions. Please don’t include personal, political, ethical, or religious commentary. Promotional content will be removed and issues concerning Booking.com’s services should be routed to our Customer Service or Accommodation Service teams. I was drawn to this novel when I saw an informed review of the novel, describing it as full of psychological ‘aha’ moments. And it is. In the review it said that it has “an astuteness that most other books would miss, whatever their genre....” Swear words, sexual references, hate speech, discriminatory remarks, threats, or references to violence

I loved the characterisation because, through the lynchpin of Jess, we get to know the people in The Family Retreat so completely. Jess felt totally real to me and so many aspects of her personality resonated with me personally, particularly that of trying to be all things to all people, so that the narrative was all the more affecting. However, the one person who astounded me most was Polly who is a universal everywoman so familiar in today’s society. Helen’s response to Polly’s experiences has a seismic impact on the reader and I wish every politician and patriarchal figure could read The Family Retreat so that they understand the lives of so many in our society. Through these characters Bev Thomas gave me far greater clarity and understanding than any factual account has managed. A retreat suggests a place of reflection and learning and my word do these characters learn about themselves and others! We will be teaming up with Uganda Adventure Safaris, accompanied by their professional guide, Chris, for the duration of the retreat. Chris will be showing us what makes Uganda so special as we hike the Murchison Falls and drive through 5 National Parks for a chance to see Elephant, Buffalo, Giraffe, Lion, Hyena and Leopard, just to name a few. We will set out on foot to trek Gorilla and Chimpanzee, which will for sure be one of the most memorable experiences of your life...whilst also focusing on your yoga practice."As autumn approaches, Jess - and the reader - will come to realise this is going to end in a way no-one could have imagined. . . Anyone who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team so that our fraud team can investigate.

GP Jess, her writer husband Rob and their children Sam and Ruby retreat to a seaside cottage for a month as Rob believes Jess in particular needs a break from their London life. At a fundraising event Jess meets Helen, their initial meeting is not auspicious but then something changes when Helen asks for Jess’s help. As autumn approaches, Jess – and the reader – will come to realise this is going to end in a way no-one could have imagined… These guidelines and standards aim to keep the content on Booking.com relevant and family-friendly, without limiting expression or strong opinions. They're also applicable regardless of the comment's tone. Each review score is between 1-10. To get the overall score that you see, we add up all the review scores we’ve received and divide that total by the number of review scores we’ve received. In addition, guests can give separate ‘subscores’ in crucial areas, such as location, cleanliness, staff, comfort, facilities, value for money and free Wi-Fi. Note that guests submit their subscores and their overall scores independently, so there’s no direct link between them. Ideally, we would publish every review we receive, whether positive or negative. However, we won’t display any review that includes or refers to (among other things):

We recommend Wonderment, a retreat festival held once a year in September in Berkshire, UK. A retreat by day, featuring a full programme of workshops and family activities, including yoga, and a joyous festival by night. This intimate, friendly and inclusive hybrid offers a weekend away of complete balance and joy. On arrival, guests are greeted with delicious plant-based appetisers and a cold glass of Wonderment water. During the retreat, the chef and team provide three delicious plant-based meals per day with large portions to keep you nourished throughout. What happens at a yoga retreat?

It's been a long time since that book and I was delighted to find that Thomas had published her second novel; The Family Retreat. The summer heat intensifies Jess - ever vigilant - unearths a secret, a problem she's sure she can help solve. But things are not always as they seem. The water may look inviting but even the gentlest looking waves can hide the deadliest undercurrents.Ngorongoro and Serengeti Safari is arguably one of the finest experiences in Africa and offer a wealth of wildlife viewing opportunities. Pretty much every large animal in East Africa can be regularly seen in the Ngorongoro crater national park or wider ecosystem. This Serengeti and Ngorongoro Safari gives you the opportunity to fully Explore the Ngorongoro Crater/Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park entirely. During this one-week Northern Tanzania safari, our itinerary will cover these two parks that are the Northern Circuit big weights." Jess isn’t convinced though their kids are thrilled and the combination of the Dorset sea air and the idyllic cottage works their magic and Jess starts to relax into the holiday vibes. She even makes friends with Helen, another woman who is holidaying there with her husband and kids. Jess and Rob have decided to spend the summer in a cottage by the sea. Jess works as a GP in an inner-London surgery where she often takes on too much, and gets far too emotionally involved in the lives of her patients. The reader is aware that Jess is currently not working, but it takes some time for us to know why. Rob is a script writer, always on the verge of great things, currently working on the script that will make his name. From the outside, this couple and their two small children appear happy and carefree, but the inner turmoils that they face daily are slowly simmering toward the surface. In the cottage next door Helen her husband James and there two children Ollie and Lexie have also come to spend the summer in Helen's mum cottage whilst she is away. Even though James can only visit at weekends due to setting up is own business.

Lovely fellow readers. It was the first book that I've read that for 12% or more I didn't know what's the name of the main character. Sure, it is mentioned in the synopsis, but I've read it a long time ago and I forgot. It was only then that it was mentioned, and then I've caught her name perhaps three times more. In the whole book. Nobody directed her with her name. Why? Were they all really so damaged, so deep into their own thoughts and problems?Overall, the plot is good but I would have enjoyed it more with a more in the moment proactive approach from Jess. Each review score is between 1 and 10. To get the overall score, we add up all the review scores and divide that total by the number of review scores we received. Guests can also give separate subscores in crucial areas, such as location, cleanliness, staff, comfort, facilities, value, and free WiFi. Guests submit their subscores and their overall scores independently – there’s no direct link between them. Jess is a GP and is hoping for a lovely break in Dorset. She immerses herself into village life immediately and meets a mother with children similar to hers in ages. They form a friendship but Jess feels it is very one sided as she is really trying but Helen is very closed. Spending days with the children on the beach seems idyllic but Helen only starts to show another side when she gets calls from her sister. Jess is struggling with not coping well as a GP and a parent so gets involved with Helen to help her sister but trouble is on the horizon and neither see it coming.