Frequently asked questions

A culinary retreat is an immersive escape where food, place, and presence come together to nourish both body and soul. Set in inspiring destinations, it blends hands-on cooking experiences, shared meals, and guided tastings with moments of rest, connection, and discovery— alongside chefs, artisans, and local, seasonal ingredients. More than a cooking class or a vacation, a culinary retreat invites guests to slow down, savor deeply, and rediscover the joy of eating and cooking as a mindful, meaningful, and celebratory part of life.

Unless otherwise noted on your retreat page, all experience levels are welcome!

Whether you’ve never cooked a meal on your own or you’ve started your own cooking channel, we would love to have you along.

We are accustomed to teaching all levels, and if you’re an avid cook perhaps you can teach us a thing or two!

Everything!

Well, almost everything.

Getting to us: Travel to and from the retreat city isn't included. Most retreats begin with your first night at a hotel (on us) — you're responsible for getting yourself from the airport or train station to the hotel. The next morning, we arrive to whisk you away to the retreat location by Rêverie van. Exact transportation details are always spelled out on the individual retreat page.

Once you're with us: All meals, drinks, and planned experiences for the week — tastings, winery tours, workshops, and more — are on us.

On your own dime: Any extras you decide to treat yourself to are yours to cover — snacks or trinkets at the open-air markets, that extra bottle of wine at lunch, or any shopping along the way.

On select day trips, you'll have the choice of a packed lunch or exploring the city and grabbing a bite on your own.

Booking your retreat requires a 25% deposit at the time of booking.

If your retreat is more than 180 days (about 6 months) away when you book, a second 25% payment is due at the 180-day mark.

Your final balance is due 90 days before your retreat start date. If you're booking within 90 days of your retreat, your remaining balance is due in full at the time of booking.

We'll send reminder emails ahead of each payment, along with instructions on how to pay.

Need more flexibility? Don't hesitate to reach out to our team — we're happy to work out a payment plan that fits your timeline.

All of our retreats are conducted in English unless noted otherwise (i.e. French language immersion retreats).

We have several staff members who speak fluent French if you would like to practice your language skills.

Otherwise, you can get by in English almost anywhere you visit, and most natives here in France are more than happy to practice their speaking skills! Not to fear!

If your retreat is more than 90 days away when you book, you have a 14-day grace period: cancel within 14 days of booking and you'll receive a full refund, minus credit card processing fees. This grace period doesn't apply if you book within 90 days of your retreat date — in that case, cancellation refunds follow the standard schedule below from the moment you book.

After the grace period (where it applies), refunds are based on how far out your retreat start date is when you cancel:

• 180+ days before the trip: Full refund, minus a $500 service fee per participant

• 60–179 days before the trip: 50% of the full retreat price

• Within 60 days of the trip: No refund

A few important notes:

• Your 25% deposit becomes non-refundable once the grace period ends (or immediately, if no grace period applies).

• Refunds are calculated on the full retreat price — not just what you've paid so far. If you cancel in the 50%-refund window, for example, you may owe additional payment even if you've only paid your deposit.

• Travel insurance is required for all guests. We're unable to make exceptions to the terms above for illness (including a positive COVID-19 test), family matters, or other last-minute circumstances — insurance is your path to reimbursement in these cases.

If a retreat does not reach the minimum number of attendees, we reserve the right to cancel it. In this case, a full refund will be issued to all guests who have reserved.

For each of our retreats, there are several options for how to get there. Please reference the GETTING THERE section on each retreat page. If you don’t find your answers there, feel free to reach out!

If you’re like us, you might think that coming all the way to France just one week simply isn’t enough!  Please reach out to us for suggestions or help planning your travel.

In France, we are delighted to partner with The French Travel , a locally owned and operated trip designer based in Paris. They are true experts who will help you perfectly plan your before and/or after Rêverie experience. Check them out if you plan to join us in France!

Great question!

We have several reasons to plan so many of our trips in France.

Foremost, it’s what we know best! Julie Belcher, Rêverie’s founder, spent a good part of her 20s traveling around France as a musician and working at a bakery in the Loire Valley when she wasn’t touring. Naturally, she fell in love, and had the opportunity to explore several different regions’ cuisines and wineries. Sharing the beauty of those discoveries with our guests is at the heart of what we do!

Secondly, the core ingredients in France are undeniable. From local produce at the market to freshly milled flour from the baker down the street (and don’t forget the wine!!) it’s so easy to source inspiring ingredients that draw us into the kitchen and spark the desire to create!

Yes! Our team is happy to make your French travel dreams work for your budget. Simply send us an email with the retreat you’d like to book and we’ll see to getting a payment plan established.

Yes — travel insurance is required for all guests booking a Rêverie retreat.

Our cancellation policy is applied strictly and as written, with no exceptions for illness (including a positive COVID-19 test), family emergencies, travel disruptions, or other last-minute circumstances. Travel insurance is your safety net for these situations — it's how you'd recover your costs if something unexpected comes up.

As your retreat date approaches, you'll be asked to confirm — via a simple checkbox — that you've secured coverage. We don't require you to submit or share your policy details with us; we're just asking you to confirm you're covered.

We recommend choosing a policy that includes trip cancellation and interruption coverage, and looking into it soon after booking — the earlier you purchase, the more likely you are to be covered for a wider range of circumstances.