Search Retreat
Sintra, Portugal
16 people. 4 nights. One glass house and private villa in the hills above Lisbon.

Web Summit Lisbon: 9–12 November 2026
Retreat check-in: Thursday 12 November, from the afternoon
Lisbon → Sintra: ~40 minutes by train from Rossio, or ~35 minutes by car
Already coming to Web Summit? Stay a little longer.
Sintra is forty minutes up the road. Come straight from the summit, drop your bag at the villa, and spend four days unpacking what you just heard with fifteen people who will actually argue with you about it. The things you take home from a big conference are almost never the ones you wrote down, they are the ones you got to talk through with someone afterwards. This is the afterwards.
And if Web Summit is not your week at all, book anyway. The retreat was built to stand on its own and most of the room will not be coming from Lisbon. The timing is a convenience for the people it suits, not a requirement for anybody.
What this actually is
Half of it is work, laptops open, everyone getting on with their own client load in the same room, which turns out to be the most productive week most of us have all year.
The other half is learning from each other, properly, with enough time for the conversation to go somewhere.
There is no stage. There is a glass house (event pavilion) at the villa with light coming in on all sides, and that is where we work and where we teach.
Meals are long and at one table. Nobody is networking. Everyone is just there.

You are not an attendee. You are on the programme.
It does not have to be polished and it does not have to be long. Some people bring a full ninety-minute training. Some bring a twenty-minute teardown of a problem they solved last month. What matters is that you can turn up with something to give as well as something to take.
We’ll shape the programme together once the group is complete. You’ll have the chance to share what you’d be happy to teach, what you’d most like to learn, and we’ll build the days around the areas where those interests naturally overlap. And if presenting isn’t your thing, that’s absolutely fine too; you’re just as welcome to join, contribute to the conversations, and take part in the experience.
Salon Discussions
Peer Problem-Solving
Optional Co-working
Proper Networking
Four days together tends to solve that naturally.
Long Tables
Sintra
A Rough Rhythm
Thursday, 12 Nov
Friday, 13 Nov
Saturday, 14 Nov
Sunday, 15 Nov
Monday, 16 Nov
Your Home for Four Nights






Your SnS Salon ticket includes accommodation from:
Eight rooms, sixteen places, and that is the whole retreat. Take a room to yourself, or bring people and split it, three of you in one room works out at about €334 each, which is the cheapest four nights in Portugal you will find this November. The two bunk rooms are the easiest way in on a smaller budget, and there are only two of them.
*If you hold a Blind Date Package, your credit applies to this retreat and you get first pick of the rooms, email yagmur@searchnstuff.co.uk and we will sort it before general booking opens.
Choose Your Room
Private Room
Limited private rooms available.
Shared Room (for 2)
Shared Room (for 3)
What’s Not Included?
We’ll share recommended travel routes, transfers and optional activities with confirmed guests closer to the retreat. And guess what? If we find a headline sponsor, we may bring some complimentary surprises for tours and gifts.
Getting to Sintra
From Web Summit or central Lisbon: train from Rossio station, about 40 minutes, running frequently; or 35 minutes by car
On arrival: full villa address and directions go out with the booking confirmation
Getting around: Sintra’s centre is walkable; taxis and rideshares run to the villa
Already Have a Search ’n Stuff Retreat Credit?
Want to bring somebody with you? Where your room has additional capacity, you may also be able to add an additional guest for an extra fee. Contact us before booking publicly and we’ll help arrange it.
Frequently asked questions
12-16 November, 2026. Arrival is on Thursday, 12 Nov and departure is on Monday, 16 Nov.
A maximum of 16 guests. We won’t increase that number once tickets sell out.
We have 6 rooms allocated to Search ’n Stuff.
Yes. Your ticket includes four nights’ accommodation at the private villa.
Yes. Breakfast is included every morning.
Hosted group dinners included within the final retreat programme are covered by your ticket. We’ll share the exact meal schedule with guests closer to the event.
Yes. Choose the Shared Room for Two or Three option.
Absolutely. Most people at Search ’n Stuff events don’t arrive knowing everyone – and that’s never stopped us before.
No. Guests arrange their own travel to Sintra.
Not currently. We’ll help coordinate arrival information and recommended transfer options closer to the event.
Not at all, and most of the room will not be. The retreat is complete on its own, the timing just happens to suit people who are already in Portugal that week.
Not in the traditional conference sense.
SnS Salon is deliberately built around conversations, peer learning and collaborative sessions rather than a stage full of presentations.
We may invite guests to lead particular conversations or workshops, but everyone in the room is expected to contribute.
You’ll receive your booking confirmation first. As the retreat gets closer, we’ll create a private attendee group and share:
- Travel recommendations
- Arrival information
- Optional activities
- Programme updates
- Guest introductions
- Everything else you need for Sintra.
Hopefully this one changes a little more than that.
Nights
People
stage

