Sorceryum
Double room · sleeps 2
One super-king bed. It cannot be split into singles.
Private bathtub
- Per personTwo guests sharing£695
Best for couples or close friends. Both guests share one bed for the whole stay.
Hocus Pocus Tiny Hotel · York
A two-night magical escape in York
1 – 3 February 2027 · Ten guests only
There is a hotel in York that people do not stumble upon. They find it when they are ready for it.
Hocus Pocus Tiny Hotel sits in the heart of one of the oldest cities in England, in a building that has stood for centuries and accumulated centuries worth of stories. The rooms are not decorated. They are built — each one a world of its own, with its own logic, its own atmosphere, its own invitation. The Libraryum draws scholars and secret-keepers. The Sorceryum, with its super-king bed and private bathtub, belongs to those who already know what they want. The Apothecary smells of herbs and old knowledge. The Itinerandum holds the spirit of the wanderer.
This is not a hotel for everyone. It is a hotel for people who understand that where you sleep shapes what you dream — and who want to wake up somewhere that remembers what most modern buildings have forgotten: that a space can hold a story, and that story can change you.
What we mean by magic
The word 'magic' has been softened by the modern world into something decorative. A candle here. A crystal there. A filter.
That is not what we mean.
What we mean is the practice of paying attention — to what you want, to what is stopping you from having it, to what you are willing to do about it. We mean the tradition of gathering in small groups to share knowledge that was once considered dangerous precisely because it was powerful. We mean herbs and candles and intention not as decoration, but as tools: the same tools women have used across cultures and centuries to mark what matters, to call things toward them, to let go of what no longer serves.
York is the right place for this. The city has been standing since the Romans built it. Its lanes are narrow because they were built before carriages. Its walls still stand. Somewhere beneath the tourist shops and the ghost tours, the city has a memory, and that memory is long.
You will leave knowing something you didn't know when you arrived. We cannot predict what it will be. That is rather the point.
The woman behind the retreat
Camelia grew up in communist Romania, where a hotel receptionist on the Black Sea coast was the most glamorous thing a ten-year-old girl could imagine — a woman who spoke languages, wore beautiful clothes, and had access to a world that shimmered just out of reach. That ten-year-old decided, quietly and completely, that one day she would have her own hotel.
It took thirty years, two countries, two degrees in Tourism Economics from the University of Bologna, two daughters raised largely alone, and more courage than most people are called upon to exercise. When she found the right business partner in Vincent Roberts — someone who shared her belief in what the building could become — the dream finally had a home. In June 2022, Hocus Pocus Tiny Hotel opened in York.
Camelia is also a trained hypnotherapist and a student of intention. The love spells workshop she leads at this retreat is not a performance. It is the distillation of something she genuinely believes in: that clarity of intention, paired with the old practices, produces results.
She will meet each guest individually on the first evening. She wants to know what brought you here, and what you are hoping to carry home.
Everything included
Three days
Monday 1 February
Arrival and gathering. There is nothing you need to do on the first afternoon except settle in.
Arrivals — check in, settle into your room, explore the hotel
Welcome gathering — hot drinks, introductions, the beginning
Arrival dinner — our resident artist draws guests throughout the evening
One-to-one conversations — Camelia and our meditation practitioner each meet guests individually
Evening relaxation meditation
Lights out
Tuesday 2 February
The full day of magic — the heart of the retreat.
Breakfast together at Shambles Tavern
Love spells workshop with Camelia — intentions, herbs, candles, and the craft of calling things toward you
Free time — York's lanes, independent shops, a moment to breathe
Lunch together at Zest
Walking tour of York — the darker legends, told by someone who knows them all
Tarot course — learn to read the cards for yourself
Dinner together at Cresci
Personalised tarot readings · Coffee reading workshop with Camelia — choose your experience
Wednesday 3 February
Sound, magic and farewell. A slower morning before you go.
Breakfast together at Shambles Tavern
Sound healing — Tibetan singing bowls, one hour of stillness
Closing magic workshop with Camelia
Checkout — collect your witches' kit, take your time
Farewell lunch together at Zest
The people
Host · Love spells · Coffee reading · Personal conversations
One of the two creators of Hocus Pocus Tiny Hotel, and the woman behind this retreat. Her workshops draw on the traditions of herbs, candles and the old knowledge — grounded, practical, and warm. She meets every guest individually on the first evening, and closes the retreat on the last morning.
Sound healing
An hour of Tibetan singing bowls on the final morning — the kind of deep quiet that sends you home carrying something you cannot quite name.
Tarot course · Private readings
Someone who teaches you to read the cards, not just receive them. The afternoon course gives you enough to begin a practice of your own; in the evening, private one-to-one readings by candlelight.
Relaxation · Evening meditation · Personal conversations
With us for the whole of the first evening. She joins Camelia for the one-to-one conversations and closes the night with a gentle relaxation meditation — a quiet signal that the retreat has truly begun.
Portrait drawing
Moving through the arrival dinner drawing guests — capturing the atmosphere and the faces around the table. Each portrait is a memento of the first evening, yours to take home.
Private walking tour
A tour of the city's darker history — the stories the guidebooks soften, told by someone who knows where they are buried.
Where you'll sleep
Every room at Hocus Pocus is a world of its own. Because our building is old and its rooms are unusual, the price depends on which bed you take. Please read each room carefully — we would rather you knew exactly what to expect before you book.
The Apothecary is reserved as our ritual and healing space for the retreat.
Double room · sleeps 2
One super-king bed. It cannot be split into singles.
Private bathtub
Best for couples or close friends. Both guests share one bed for the whole stay.
Double room · sleeps 2
One double bed. It cannot be split into singles.
Private shower
Best for couples or close friends. Both guests share one bed for the whole stay.
Family room · sleeps 3
One double bed and one bunk bed. The double cannot be split.
Private shower
Bathroom access is through the double bedroom. Guests in the bunk room pass through it to reach the shower. Best for three people who know each other well.
Family room · sleeps 3
One double bed and one bunk bed. The double cannot be split.
Private shower
Bathroom access is through the bunk bedroom. Guests in the double room pass through it to reach the shower. Best for three people who know each other well.
Before you book
Your place
One city that has been holding its secrets for a thousand years.
info@hocuspocusyork.com
01904 375666
Come as you are.
Leave as something slightly more.
Camelia