THE NEKED FOOD LIFESTYLE RETREATS
Clarens, Free State,
South Africa
Thursday 16th - Sunday 19th April 2026
Thursday 21st - Sunday 24th May 2026
Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th August 2026
This Is Not Just a Retreat
It’s four days of extraordinary food, creativity, nature, and connection.
No rushing.
No schedules that exhaust you.
Just slow mornings, beautiful meals, mountain air, and a table where
strangers become friends.
The NEKED Lifestyle Retreat was created to bring people together
around what matters most:
food
creativity
nature
community
A Retreat For All The Senses
Beautiful food
Creative expression
Fresh mountain air
And time to simply be
420 Friendly
What you will experience
Extraordinary Food
Every meal is crafted by Vanessa, chef & co-founder of the multi-award-winning NEKED Food restaurant.
Expect gourmet harvest tables, shared cooking experiences, and unforgettable breakfasts, luncheons & dinners.
Creativity Without Pressure
Guests are invited into relaxed painting sessions where curiosity matters more than perfection.
Nature & Exploration
Clarens is surrounded by one of South Africa’s most spectacular landscapes.
Golden Gate Highlands National Park becomes our playground.
The Programme at a Glance
4 Days / 3 Nights | Clarens, Free State
The NEKED Plant-Based Lifestyle Retreat unfolds gently over four days, allowing time to arrive, slow down, and truly settle into the experience.
Each day balances beautiful food, creativity, nature, rest, and connection, with plenty of spaciousness built in. Nothing is compulsory. Participation is always optional.
This is not a tightly scheduled retreat it’s an invitation into a slower, more intentional rhythm of living.
Day 1 — Arrival & Grounding
Guests arrive late morning to a warm welcome, light grazing, and time to settle in.
A relaxed welcome lunch is shared, followed by a generous afternoon at leisure to rest, unpack, read, or simply arrive.
The evening opens with a gentle opening circle before a fully hosted dinner. No cooking, no expectations just nourishment and ease.
Day 2 — Create & Connect
The day begins with a slow breakfast, followed by a guided creative painting session. This is gentle, pressure-free, and open to everyone no experience required.
After a long-table lunch and a spacious free afternoon, the evening centres around the kitchen. Vanessa begins with a relaxed food demonstration, sharing techniques, flavours, and inspiration. Guests are then welcome but never required to assist in preparing the evening meal in a social, unhurried way.
The day ends with dinner at the table, followed by a special evening of stargazing under the Clarens sky, weather permitting.
Day 3 — Nature & Celebration
After breakfast, guests head out for a gentle nature excursion to Golden Gate Highlands National Park, allowing time for presence, stillness, and connection with the landscape.
A picnic-style lunch is prepared for guests, followed by a quiet afternoon to rest or enjoy optional creative time.
The final evening includes another relaxed kitchen session beginning with a food demonstration, followed by a celebratory dinner , elegant, joyful, and unhurried.
Day 4 — Closing & Return
The retreat closes with a final breakfast and a gentle closing circle, allowing time to reflect, integrate, and prepare for the return home.
Departures take place late morning.
Note on the Experience
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All cooking sessions begin with a food demonstration
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Guest participation is always optional
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Free time is intentionally built into every day
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Times may flow gently, this is part of the retreat’s design
The NEKED Plant-Based Lifestyle Retreat is about being, not doing.
It’s an experience of living well, together, around the table.
Your Hosts
The NEKED Plant-Based Lifestyle Retreat is hosted by husband-and-wife team Vanessa Jarvis-Findlay and Daimon Findlay, founders and hands-on creators of the NEKED world in Clarens.
This retreat is not a pivot.
It is a culmination.
Vanessa’s journey to this table did not begin in curated retreat spaces. It began in the real world, in kitchens, in studios, in hospitals, in grief, in reinvention, and in choosing life again and again.
She is a multi award-winning vegan chef, restaurateur, author, and creative producer, but those titles only tell part of the story. Vanessa is also a cancer survivor who came out the other side with clarity, humour, and a deep reverence for nourishment in all its forms. Food, for her, has never been about trend or restriction. It has always been about life force, pleasure, and connection.
Together with Daimon she founded NEKED Food, the Clarens restaurant recognised by the Restaurant Association of South Africa as one of the Top 100 Restaurants in the country, not in a vegan category, but alongside South Africa’s most respected establishments.
That recognition came from years of standing on the floor, welcoming guests personally, and building a culture of generosity around the table.
Vanessa is also a South African Music Award–winning executive music producer, which explains something guests often feel before they can name it. She understands rhythm, timing, and atmosphere. Hosting, for her, is choreography.
Daimon is her partner in life and in this work. Calm, grounded, and deeply present, he is a creative music producer and DJ who understands energy in a way that cannot be taught. Where Vanessa brings spark and story, Daimon brings steadiness and space.
Together they create environments where people feel welcomed without pressure, and cared for without being managed.
NEKED was never meant to be a brand in the traditional sense. It was meant to be a way of living, honest, generous, playful, and rooted in place.
This retreat is simply an extension of that life.
You are not attending an event.
You are being hosted.
And that is the difference you feel the moment you arrive.
The Setting
Guests stay in a beautiful Clarens lodge reserved exclusively for the retreat. Expect elegant rooms, beautiful gardens, peaceful mornings, and evenings under the stars.
Clarens is called the Jewel of the Free State.
RETREAT PRICING & BOOKING INFO
Investment
The NEKED Luxury Lifestyle Retreat is boutique, intimate experience with limited availability.
Your investment includes:
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4 incredible days & 3 nights luxury accommodation in Clarens
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All plant-based meals and all drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
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Creative painting sessions (materials included)
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Guided nature excursion in The Golden Gate National Park or The Dinosaur Museum (Park fees included)
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One shared kitchen co-creation moment per day (Days 2 & 3)
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Hosting and facilitation by Vanessa Jarvis-Findlay & Daimon Findlay
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Should you be a cannabis consumer all medicine is included.
Pricing
Own/ Self Accommodation
R7 900 per person
Shared Room
R19 900 2 persons
Private Room
R11 900 per person
Private Villa
From R14 900 per person
Booking & Payment
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A 50 deposit secures your place at the table
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Balance payable 30 days prior to the retreat start date
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Spaces are strictly limited to preserve intimacy
Once your booking is confirmed, you’ll receive:
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A welcome email
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The Retreat Welcome Pack (PDF)
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Ongoing gentle guidance leading up to arrival
Is This Retreat Right for You?
This retreat is for you if:
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You love plant-based food and shared meals
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You crave connection without pressure
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You enjoy creativity, nature, and slower living
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You value intimacy over crowds
This retreat may not be right for you if:
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You’re looking for a structured cooking course
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You want a packed schedule or wellness bootcamp
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You’re uncomfortable with communal dining
Ready to Join?
This retreat will fill quietly and intentionally.
👉 Reserve Your Seat at the Table
Deborah Dreyer
Thank you Vanessa, Daimon and your wonderful team.
It was such a treat! The delicately presented delicious vegan meals, the food prep lessons, the gatherings and new friends made, the outings and play times and of course the restful moments in our heavenly bed!
I Loved every minute
Thank you
We laughed, we painted, we star gazed, we drummed, we relaxed and of course we ate, and ate and ate good wholesome fare... like royalty.
Keeping my eye out for an invite to the next one!
Mel Nieuwoudt
Wow, wow, wow!! This weekend was spectacular. I felt like a rich 7@itch with the most beautiful plates of food served.
Your love embraced us all & I felt super comfortable & relaxed. Your home breathes love and joy.
This weekend was exactly what I needed, to get a chance to ground myself & be reminded of what’s important in life, to really focus & enjoy time with friends and family. I haven’t touched a paintbrush in about 10 years, I forgot about the intense feeling of magic, peace & being in sync with my heart beat.
I am inspired to make more plant based food, that’s almost too pretty to eat. Art & nutrition on a plate , will be my new motto in the kitchen. Thank you.
Anneke Malan
Beautiful Vanessa Jarvis Findlay, you & Daimon Findlay are a blessing not only to those who spend any time in your presence, but to the vegan movement in its entirety. And your new enterprise as the hosts to a one-of-a-kind retreat in your wonderful town of Clarens is another shining example of how you're making the world a better place.
As people who have just spent several days basking in the luxury of your exceptional hospitality & experiencing our hearts just bursting with the joy of your sparkling company, your creativity, your to-die-for cooking, your overflowing generosity, all enveloped in the beauty of the nature that surrounded us, hubby Daniel Malan and I wish to recommend this retreat with all our hearts and souls - literally!
Book Your Spot NOW!
Choose from 4 options
Self stay - Luxury private Villa
72 hr
7,900 South African rand72 hr
11,900 South African rand72 hr
19,900 South African rand72 hr
14,900 South African rand
Clarens & The Golden Gate Highlands National Park
Nestled in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains, Clarens is one of South Africa’s most beloved mountain villages a place where time slows, creativity flourishes, and nature quietly takes centre stage. Known for its crisp air, golden light, and artistic soul, Clarens has long drawn writers, artists, chefs, and seekers looking for beauty without noise.
Just minutes away lies the breathtaking Golden Gate Highlands National Park a protected wonderland of rolling grasslands, dramatic sandstone cliffs, and ever-changing skies. As the sun moves across the mountains, the rock faces shift from soft honey to deep gold, giving the park its name and its magic.
Walking through Golden Gate is a grounding experience. The landscape invites quiet reflection, gentle movement, and a deep sense of perspective. It’s not about conquering nature here it’s about meeting it, slowly and respectfully.
Together, Clarens and the Golden Gate create a rare kind of setting: wild yet welcoming, expansive yet intimate. It’s the perfect backdrop for a retreat rooted in presence, connection, and nourishment where the mountains hold the space, and everything else gently falls away.
REFUND & TRANSFER POLICY
Refund & Transfer Policy
The NEKED Plant-based Lifestyle Retreat
Due to the intimate nature of our retreats and the significant preparation involved, the following policy applies.
Deposits
All deposits are non-refundable.
Cancellations by Guest
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More than 30 days before the retreat:
Your payment may be transferred to a future NEKED Retreat (subject to availability), minus a small administrative fee. -
Within 30 days of the retreat:
Payments are non-refundable and non-transferable. -
No-shows or early departures:
No refunds or credits apply.
We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance.
Cancellations by Host
In the unlikely event that the retreat is cancelled by the host due to unforeseen circumstances, all payments made will be fully refunded. The host is not responsible for additional costs such as flights or travel arrangements.
Transfers
Transfers are subject to availability and must be requested in writing. Transfers cannot be guaranteed and are offered at the host’s discretion.
Exceptional Circumstances
Requests due to medical emergencies will be reviewed compassionately on a case-by-case basis.
Final Note
This policy exists to protect the integrity of the retreat and ensure every guest receives a beautifully curated experience.
Thank you for understanding — and for honouring the table.