Friends of the Vine Reviews

No words come close to the deep gratitude I feel for the team – Fatima, Stefan and Joao. Their attentiveness, dedication and beautiful souls created an open and safe environment for me to explore my inner self to depths I’d never been able to reach before, even after a decade of therapy! I was really able to accept all that had been holding me back and let go of it. A truly transformative weekend.

I wholeheartedly recommend these guys & this retreat to anyone who wants to open their heart, mind and soul to limitless possibilities for an infinitely better future, and needs a guiding & helping hand in doing so.

Overall, I must say that my experience with Friends of the Vine and the atmosphere they created was remarkable. A retreat is not an easy journey to undertake, but they made sure that I was comfortable, had everything that I need, and most importantly I felt safe to open up. Choosing a retreat is hard, I've been there, I went only because of a friend reference and I'm very grateful to the friend, to the Friends of the Vine and to myself that I took that leap of faith. Good luck on your path and challenges of life.

I would like to share my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible experience I had during the Ayahuasca retreat, thanks to the wonderful facilitators – Fatima, Stefan, and Joao. This retreat was an absolute blast and a life-changing experience.

The ceremonies, guided by these compassionate and knowledgeable individuals, helped me finally reconnect with myself and find the love I had been searching for such a long time. Their guidance and support throughout the journey were invaluable, and I am immensely thankful for their dedication to helping others on their path to self-discovery. It was truly transformative, and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking profound experiences and personal growth.

It has been a week since I did my ceremony.

Ceremony is an understatement for I had experienced as I would call it the biggest awakening in my life, a rebirth and the biggest chance I have to become a better version of myself, a version that was always in me and through Mother Aya I was able to know, to see and to love.

I came to this retreat full of questions and worries regarding my future, my profesional life, my marriage , my passions, my hobbies, my vices, my mental health balance, my pains, my day to day stress, my negativity, my traumas, my decisions, my purpose.

It’s so magical to arrive in a place where people like Bianca, Stefan and Fatima meet you and appeared that they met you before and as long as you’re open and express all you’re thoughts they will guide you, they will support you and they will explain you how you can enjoy this experience to the fullest. Why? Because their souls are full with good intentions, with love, with transparency, with support. They experience life to the fullest, they know and understand what trauma, pain feels but they also know what fulfillment , joy, liberation and awakenings means.

Committing to an Ayahuasca retreat is no small thing. It means putting all trust available in the hands of people that are here to facilitate as best as possible when you are going to experience, whether wonderfully blissful or emotionnally challenging.

I had both sides of the coin on my experiences alongside Fatima, Stefan, Bianca & João. For sure, you’re not getting a shaman with decades of experience in the Amazon like a ‘proper shaman’. But I felt it had no importance at all, as those people have a very big heart: they deeply care about your ongoing process and will do everything they can to make you feel good, and make sense of your insights. In other words, they are full of love, and isn’t it what it’s all about?

I enjoyed the talks, the laughs, how the group is handled (it’s a small group, and it’s awesome!), how we shared our insights, the food, and the relatively small price.

I will be back :)

I have been interested in psychadelics and spiritual healing for a long time but the prices in south america have been too expensive for me to be able to go. A friend told me in March 2023 that she went to an ayahuasca retreat somewhere in Portugal (dont remember the name of the retreat) and i got really curious since she said the prices were much lower than south america. I then started to search around and saw that Stefan, Fatima & Bianca had retreats almost every week so i took a chance of booking almost right away. I left Sweden in late april for a retreat with 2 ayahuasca ceremonies and 1 san pedro. They picked me up at the airport and gave me food as soon as i got to the retreat (even though i landed late in the evening). We sat down and talked about why i was there and i immedietly felt their warmth and caring. Over the next 4 days i got to know both them and the other participants in a way i didnt think was possible. I was depressed and desperate and these people truly helped me to find myself again. I got rid of my traumas in only 2 sessions and as im writing this 4 weeks has passed and im looking to go back 6-11 april to meet up with two participants from the last retreat to do a 4 ceremony retreat.

If you are looking for a place to heal where the people really put in time and care into their guests, go for this. You wont be dissapointed.