We Keep These Tables Small on Purpose
"The problem with the world is that we draw the circle of our family too small.” — Mother Theresa
People ask me all the time why we keep our retreats small.
Why not add another ten spots when we could easily fill them? Why not make the most of the villa and bring a few more people along?
Because for me, the people are the retreat.
In 2025, the World Health Organization released a major report on social connection. Roughly one in six people around the world experiences loneliness.World Health Organization: Social Connection
We spend so much time thinking about wellness as something we do for ourselves: better sleep, better food, movement, meditation, time away from our phones.
All of those things matter.
But so do the people sitting across from us at the table.
That is a big part of why I created these retreats the way I did.
The Group Matters As Much As The Place.
A beautiful villa in Provence is wonderful. A long lunch overlooking the Mediterranean is wonderful. But none of those things create connection on their own.
The people you experience them with can.
That's why I pay attention to who is coming to each retreat—not just how many people, but the energy they bring with them. How they listen. Whether they're curious. Whether they make space for other people.
I don't want everyone to be alike. I want women with different lives, stories, and perspectives who are open to sitting down together and seeing what happens.
Because that's where the magic tends to be.
Why small groups feel different
Many people come on these retreats on their own. Some arrive knowing someone else, but many don't.
And something usually shifts once we're together.
The first dinner might feel a little tentative. By the second, people are laughing. A few days in, conversations stretch well past dinner. By the end of the week, there are inside jokes, plans to see each other again, and friendships that didn't exist when everyone arrived.
That's what a small-group retreat makes possible.
You recognize everyone. You remember their stories. You share meals and experiences. You have time to actually get to know one another.
No one gets lost in the crowd.
And no one has to feel alone just because they arrived alone.
The luxury is the experience and the people
I've never wanted these retreats to feel like a tour group.
They're beautiful and thoughtfully planned, but they're also personal. There is time to linger over breakfast, wander, have a long conversation, or sit around the table after dinner instead of rushing off to the next thing.
The itinerary matters. The destination matters. The villa matters.
But the people are what you'll remember.
That's what turns a luxury retreat into something more than a beautiful vacation. It becomes a shared experience.
So yes, we keep the tables small.
Not because we're trying to create exclusivity.
Because we're trying to create connection.
And that, to me, is the whole point.
About the author
Lindsay Dover Wheeler is the founder of LDW Coaching and Retreats, where she leads luxury wellness retreats for women in Provence, Tuscany, Mallorca, Portugal and the Cotswolds. After fifteen years in corporate leadership, she now helps high-achieving women learn to rest, restore and reconnect.
