Inside Cyprus's women-only retreat, where Israeli women go to reset

A new women-only space called Chava opened four months ago in the Secret Forest wellness resort in Cyprus, and a Hebrew-language reporter went to see whether the experience lives up to the hype. The retreat is designed as an intimate, female-only weekend of yoga, movement, breathing work, reflection, spa treatments and shared conversation, with the premise that women can let their guard down faster when no men are present. The reporter says the first evening included a dark room, tribal music and an exercise in which participants imagined themselves as jungle animals, an experience that quickly broke down the usual Israeli cynicism.

The Secret Forest was founded in January 2023 by Yoni Kahana in Miliou village in the Paphos hills. Chava, launched about four months ago inside the larger complex, has seven double rooms in the main building and eight wooden cabins among orchards and groves. A weekend from Thursday to Sunday costs 1,000 euros per woman including flights, while a week-long stay costs 1,125 euros including flights. Guests can also use the broader resort’s spa, sulfur pools, saunas, jacuzzi, treatments and activities.

Kahana said the women’s retreat came from demand. “When we said the farm was for women, it really came from demand,” he said. “Many initially said they did not need that, and wanted to mix. But something in me and in the team said it would work.” He described the place as suitable for “any Israeli woman who wants a place with Freedom,” meaning she can stay in pajamas, go barefoot and avoid constant self-monitoring. The space, he said, is about “inner freedom.”

The reporter found that the program is full, with separate tracks for the women’s space and the wider resort, so guests are advised not to try to do everything. Workshops included women’s yoga, Pilates, breathwork, limiting beliefs, body awareness and decision-making through listening to the body, along with communal meals, Sabbath observance and an optional boat trip to Blue Lagoon. The article says the setting is not for everyone, especially women looking for shopping and nightlife, but it can be deeply effective for those willing to engage.

Food is central too, with vegetables grown in a hydroponic greenhouse, kosher dairy-and-fish meals, fruits, fish, grains, juices, nuts, free wine and even cheesecake and chocolate soufflé. Kahana says the long-term vision is a small women’s village with organic farming, goats, eggs and cheese. For him, the point is a trio of healing, inner connection, community and nature. The piece concludes that the escape does not solve Israeli stress, but for exhausted women it offers something radical, a few days without having to carry everyone else.