Yoga and Gastronomy in Crete

June 5-12, 2023
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Yoga Retreat in Greece

Yoga and Gastronomy on Crete Island

This is not your standard Yoga retreat. It’s for those who want to be a traveler, not a tourist. A special kind of person who wants to taste, smell, feel their destination. It’s a retreat for the healthy hedonist. Someone who loves Yoga, who craves an opportunity to rest and restore, but who also loves cuisine, wine and culture. Crete is a destination like no other. Stunning beaches and awe inspiring mountains. Fresh, local foods and outstanding wines cultivated mere miles from where you are enjoying it. If you are ready to engage in a week of healthy hedonisim, this is your retreat.

Hvar Yoga Retreat

When?

June 5-12, 2023

Early June is the ideal time to visit Crete. there are an average of 11 hours of sunlight. The Summer heat has not yet reached it’s hottest and stays in the 80s. Wildflowers are blooming and the beaches are warm enough to swim at 71 degrees. In June the Summer crowds are lower than their peak which occur in July and August. 

Cruise Yoga Retreat

Where?

Douliana Village, Crete

Douliana is a traditionally preserved community situated on a hill overlooking Souda Bay. Around the village you can find natural surroundings of extreme beauty, including enormous cypresses and oaks. Douliana has been a popular place of residence and a prosperous community since the 18th century, and it has maintained its character more than any other community in the area.

Cruise Yoga Retreat

How Much?

From $2090

Accommodation for this retreat is in 2, 3 or 4 bedroom villas. All villas share a spacious pool and offer pleasant views to the sea and the green surroundings of the village. Some villas share a pool and garden. The villas are furnished carefully with respect to the area’s tradition, while at the same time maintaining a high standard and numerous amenities. You will share your villa with fellow retreaters. If you are traveling as a group, it is recommended that you register ASAP to ensure that your group can share a villa.

retreat details

Healthy Hedonism

This is a very special retreat. Opportunities have been curated for you to taste, smell and feel everything that this incredible island has to offer. Your retreat price includes once or twice daily Yoga sessions with Mandy, your lodging and most meals. It also includes 3 very special tours with local experts to facilitate a deeper knowledge of the local culture through food, wine, plants and geography. Crete is truly a place to restore yourself. This is a trip that you will look back on for years to come as a idyllic moment of replenishment and learning. 

Yoga and Gastronomy in Crete Retreat Itenerary

This is a rough itinerary meant to give you an idea of how you will spend your time. Everything except the arrival and departure dates, location and venue are subject to change.

Monday, June 5
Check in
Tuesday, June 6
A day to relax
Wednesday, June 7
A Day in Chania
Thursday, June 8
Herbs and Wine
Friday, June 9
Elafonisi Beach
Saturday, June 10
Sacred Paths
Sunday, June 11
Replenish
Monday, June 12
Checkout
Crete Yoga Retreat 2023

Our First Day!

You will fly in to the Chania (25 km away) or Heraklion (118 km away) airport. It is recommended that you rent a car or partner up with another retreater who is renting for the week. You can hire a car if needed to get to the venue though.

Check in to our venue, Douliana Villas, is at 2 pm. Take some time to relax, unpack, meet other retreaters, take a swim in the pool or explore the Village. A gentle travel recovery practice is at 6 pm followed by dinner in the Village at 7:30 pm. 

Dinner is included

If you would like assistance with transportation or car rental, flights or additional accommodation, please contact our travel pro, Max Brown. 

Crete Yoga Retreat

Settle in to retreat life

8 am  Yoga on the Yoga platform

9:30 am Breakfast

The late morning and afternoon are free to relax in the Village or explore the area beaches and Villages. Though Cretan beaches get all the glory, Crete is really about the mountainous inland. 70% of Crete’s permanent inhabitants live in the villages. There are plenty of charming places on the Souda peninsula to explore, or you can venture into the nearby mountains for a an adventure like no other.

We’ll practice Yin at 6:30 pm and enjoy a dinner in the village at 7:45 pm.

Breakfast and Dinner included

Crete Yoga Retreat

Old Town Chania

8 am Yoga
9:15 am Breakfast
11:30 am Transfer to Chania (Included)
9 pm Return to Douliana (Included)

Chania is Crete’s second largest city and a short drive from our retreat venue. We will depart from Douliana after breakfast for a day in this charming city. You’ll have time to explore the old town before we meet our guides, Mary Claire and Stelios for a craft beer and city tour including lunch. Beer has not traditionally been a part of Cretan culture, but new generations are bringing their special Cretan traditions to an exciting craft beer scene. We will learn about the beer making process, and beer tasting before sampling a variety of beers paired with traditional dishes. We will explore the old town of Chania as we sample and learn. After the tour, you will have the rest of the day to enjoy the city.  Plan to have dinner  (not included) with your new friends in Chania’s Old Town or overlooking the Venetian Harbor. We will depart Chana for our villas via group transfer in the late evening. 

The craft beer tour, lunch and group transfers are included in your retreat price

Breakfast and lunch included 

Crete Yoga Retreat

Botanical Garden of Crete

7:30 am Yoga
8:45 am Breakfast
10 am Depart for the Herbs and Wine Tour

After breakfast we will depart for a day of nature, cuisine and wine. Our first stop will be a working olive oil mill. You will get to experience the way that the best olive oils in the world are produced. After recieving special notes on tasting olive oil, you will taste the many varieties available. Bring Euros! You can’t purchase these in the US and you WILL want to bring some home.

After olive oil tasting, we will visit the botanical garden of Chania where we will discover the secrets of herbs and all of their benefits. You will be encouraged to try and smell the plants with our private wine guide who will use this opportunity to enrich your olfactive memory and wine tasting skills. A lunch sourced from the garden is included. 

We will be back to Douliana in time for an evening swim before dinner. 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Yoga Retreat in Crete

Enjoy Crete

8 am Yoga
9:30 am Breakfast
7:30 pm Village Dinner

Friday is a free retreat day. You are welcome to relax by the pool, hop in the car with some new friends for a day of exploration or to take an optional day tour to Crete’s famous pink sand beach. 

The famous Elafonisi beach was named one of the world’s top beaches back in 2014. Elafonisi is actually an entire island, separated from the southwest coast of Crete by a shallow, warm lagoon and a sandbar that is submerged under about one meter of water at most during high tide. 

This tour is about 9 hours in length. The tour price includes private transfer to the South East part of the island. The trip will take 1.5 to 2 hours. Along the way we will visit a historical monastery with excellent views and stop in a beautiful village for lunch (not included in price). We will have plenty of time to explore the pink sand beach and nature preserve as well.

Cost for this special tour: $105

Breakfast and dinner included

Yoga Retreat in Greece

Cretan Wine and Cuisine

7:30-8:30 am Yoga on the Yoga Platform

8:45  am Breakfast

10 am Pickup for our Sacred Paths Tour (included)

This retreat is all about healthy hedonisim. On this day we will venture to nearby villages to sample wine and local cuisine. Marie, a generational sommelier from France will teach us how to truly appreciate the wines and pairings of the day. You will learn about ancient wine making practices, local grape cultivation and wine the art of wine tasting.

We will visit two wineries, one located in the historic winery of the Monastery of Tzagarolon. The monastary is a beautiful and peaceful place to explore and meditate before we taste the extraordinary wines that are produced there.

This special day tour and transportation are included in your retreat price. 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

 

Mljet Yoga Retreat

Rest and Restore

8 am Yoga
9:30 am Breakfast
6:30 pm Yoga
7:45 pm Village Dinner

So often, we finish a retreat as worn out as when we arrived. Though we want to see and do everything our location has to offer, today is a day to truly replenish yourself. Take time to relax, meditate, lounge on a nearby beach or find a hike in the mountains. 

Breakfast and dinner included

Crete Yoga Retreat

We depart

7:30 am Yoga
9 am Breakfast

Our final moments together are so sweet. We will gather for a final practice before breakfast. Checkout is at 11 am.

Crete Yoga Retreat

Yoga Practices

Healthy hedonism is all about movement, breath, mindfulness. Its devoting yourself to the true needs and wants of your body: healthy food, challenging or restorative movement, connection with others, nature and learning. Yoga is the link to hedonism and health. Each day we will practice one to two times. Practices will be customized to the needs and preferences of the group. Creative sequencing and strategies will be utilized to accommodate our environment. Mandy’s retreat practices are designed to help you inhabit your body truly to amplify the joy of travel and learning.  

Classes will be 60-90 minutes long depending on the day. It is recommended that you bring your Yoga mat and a big towel to use as a prop. 

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Yoga and Gastronomy Retreat in Crete

Instructor/Host

Mandy is an avid traveller and  experienced retreat leader, having led retreats in Costa Rica, Greece, Spain, Colorado, New Mexico, Croatia and locally in Nebraska. Her classes are creative, expressive and woven through with poignant themes that make practice even more profound. An expert in Yin and Vinyasa styles, she empowers students to own their practice and revere their own size, shape and ability level. As a teacher of teachers she sheds light on anatomy and Yoga philosophy during practice in a way that allows you to truly embody your new learnings. As a Pain Care Yoga specialist, she infuses an understanding of neuroplasticity to her teaching that informs a novel and interoceptive experience for each student in their own way. Mandy is the host of The Yin Yoga Podcast

Yoga Retreat in Greece

Accommodation Options

Single and double occupancy options are available but single rooms are very limited. Your villa will be 2, 3 or 4 bedrooms and you will share it with other retreaters.

Three and four bedroom villas have two shared bathrooms while the 2 bedroom villas have one or two shared bathrooms. Cleaning service is provided one time during our week stay. Welcome toiletries, a hair dryer and clothes iron are provided as well as a clothes washer in each villa. You will hang your clothes to dry.

There is a community pool in Douliana through some villas share a more private pool and garden. All villas have a view of the sea and green surroundings of the village. Each living room is equipped with a dining table and chairs, sofa and arm chairs. AnLCD TV and a DVD Player are also rpovided. The kitchen is equipped with electric oven, refrigerator with freezer, and microwave. A mini market is nearby.

 

Bathrooms

All villas have one or two shared bathrooms

Kitchen

Villas have a kitchen with the basics, including coffee maker.

Laundry

All villas have a clothes washing machine

Cleaning

Maid Service, linens, towels  1x /week.

Hvar Yoga Retreat

Double Occupancy

$2090

Interest free payment plan available

Double occupancy means that you will register for yourself and share a room with one other person. You will have a single bed if you are travelling solo or a double bed  if you are traveling as a couple. You will recieve an email after registration with a form to provide preferred roommate, or to request  a double bed if you are traveling as a couple. If you don’t have a roommate in mind, I will pair you with someone.

Yoga Retreat

Single Room

$2700

Interest free payment plan available

There are only a few single rooms available for this retreat. It is recommended tha you register as soon as possible if this is your preferred option. With single registration, you will have a bedroom with a double bed all to yourself. Ensuite bedrooms are rare at Douliana so it is likely that you will be sharing a bathroom with your other villa mates.

Crete Yoga Retreat Inclusions

This Yoga Retreat in Crete is a highly curated experience designed to help you relax and restore as you take in this incredible island. Tours and experiences have been hand picked to give you access to the real Crete with local experts. Our incredible venue is close to the cities of Chania and Rethymno, two charming and vibrant cities with Venitian Harbors. You have access to mountains and beaches, wineries and charming unspoilt villages. 

Inclusions
Not Included
Cancellation Policy
Yoga Retreat in Crete

Healthy hedonisim for a great value

 

Your trip price includes

  • 7 nights lodging at Douliana Villas:
    Monday June 5 – Monday June 12
  • Most Meals
    • Daily Breakfast
    • Three Lunches
    • Five Dinners (with local wines)
  • Once or Twice Daily Yoga Sessions with Mandy
  • 3 Special Tours with Transfers
    • Herbs and Wines Guided Tour: Includes a working olive oil mill tour and tasting
    • Sacred paths Wine Tasting and Education
    • A Day in Chania: Craft Beer and City Tour
  •  VAT (taxes) for all of the above

 

Mljet Yoga Retreat

Not Included in the Trip Price

  • Tips and gratuities
  • Flights
  • Transfers and transportation that is not a part of the included tours
  • Groceries and supplies for your villa (including laundry soap)
  • Additional purchases during our tours
  • Day trip to Elafonisi

Need help with flights, private car or car rental or additional lodging? Max is our official travel pro who is well informed about the retreat and your needs. 

Crete Yoga Retreat

Cancellation Policy

    We understand that sometimes things happen. For that reason we offer a refund policy.
    • If you cancel by January 15, 2023 Mandy Ryle Yoga retains $200 of your retreat price
    • After January 15 but before March 15, 2023 Mandy Ryle Yoga Retains 50% of your retreat price
    • After March 15, 2023 there are no refunds available.
    It is highly recommended that you purchase trip insurance or check with your credit card company to ensure that you are covered in the event of the unexpected. We recommend Nomad Travel Insurance. My company is an affiliate with Nomad and may recieve a commission if you purchase through the link)
    You will have an opportunity to sign the contract after registration.
    Got Questions?

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