the Queen of the Cyclades says relax
Santorini Greece
May 18-23, 2019
THE EXPERIENCE
Santorini, the Love of Greece. Do not only fell in love with this vibrant seething white picturesque scenery but with yourself. The perfect combination of silent vibes and island zen. My take on Santorini is to release the senses and reveal the gentle luxury side of the island that only a few people knew. This island has everything your heart desires to live. Could this be your soul calling? A soul dressed in blue-white invites you to discover your true power of healing and transformation. It's my honour to lead an inspiring heartfelt retreat at the wanderlust boutique Hostel Caveland in Santorini. Nestled in the serenity of the Aegean-sea where island life meets luxury, you will enjoy yoga, meditation, relaxation, and deep transformation under the mindful guidance of the pure Love the island has to offer and my tiny one. This retreat is for anyone looking to create time and space for internal observation under the Aegean light. Get ready to hit the pause button and let yourself flow through your island days with grace. A luxury boutique Hostel in one of Santorini's’ finest sea-view combined with vulcano boat visits, hikes along the famous blue-white little villages, kayak or catamaran tours during a sunset, visit museums or sacred churches, climb a rock and afterwards have a downtown stroll with a sunset meditation on the famous skaros rock. All of this waits for you to retreat and rejoice. This journey of awakening the senses, open the hearts and relaxes into the concepts of soul, spirit and environment couldn't have had a better place to happen than the unique designed and rebuild wine Caves of the Caveland boutique Hostel in Santorini. Finally, your relaxation is completed by an hour-long massage of your choice. Of course, a daily fresh vegetarian with vegan option breakfast is served in the garden right after the morning practice. If you want to give these days a juicy sense, feel free to have a taste of Santorini's best wines, I mean we are sleeping in caves from an old winery, that's history is 300 years old where the grapes were collected by the local vineyards that are surrounding it. Above all your accommodation with its ethereal nature and historic private caves and this Retreat invites you to unwind and just simply be.
YOGA
Yoga practices on a beautiful terrace with views to Fira Town, Karterados, and the Aegean Sea. I will host two yoga classes daily, each flow is uniquely designed to be like a hug to the mind and soul. There will be 90 minutes morning and evening sessions, suitable for beginners as well as advanced participants. The first Sessions will be focused on feeling good within the body and gradually making it stronger and lighter. I will start by breaking down simple poses while building a consistent practice which by the end of the Retreat you will be able to do anywhere and at any time, according to your needs and level of practice. Mornings will be dedicated to flowy and dynamic Vinyasa sessions, mixed with steady elements of Hatha/Iyengar yoga, while afternoons will be more gentle, with stretching and restorative yoga. The whole Yoga practice is accompanied by my main focus on Yin & Yang Yoga to bring you in a completely balanced mood. Chakra Balancing, Breathing exercises as well as Guided Meditation, either in a seated calm position or in a flowing movement are part of your Yoga experience. This is a once in a Lifetime experience, having an unforgettable one that you can take home afterwards.
GREEK CUISINE
A freshly served breakfast with plant-based options is served daily. Homemade pastry and a variety of fresh fruits taste even better at Santorini when served and prepared by Caveland. And once the marmalade is empty, the glasses are used as a cup to drink either a plant-based nut milk or a watermelon smoothie out of it. The Greek Cuisine offers a lot of varieties made of vegetables and plant-based nutrition. During the Retreat, we will have a greek sampling dinner at a local tavern serving typical local dishes, certainly all vegan/vegetarian. Santorini offers a lot of healthy cafes, delis, and tavernas, where you can get everything your green hearts desires beginning from an açai smoothie bowl, to a fresh watermelon salad or typically greek salad to baked eggplant boats. As I am a holistic nutritionist studied in the Swiss I am living on a plant-based vegan diet for 8 Years now with lots of ayurvedic and alkaline influences. My aim is to offer you the best food during this Retreat, that will benefit your daily Yoga practice so you can shine from the inside out. You will feel lighter and detoxing in a very harmonious joyful way. On this retreat, I will also give you access to preparing your food by yourself and become more mindful about the ingredients you use as well as the relationship to your body and nature. So besides joining a cooking class, we have the opportunity to prepare our own barbecues at the beautiful Yard of our venue. There is also a fully equipped kitchen with a stove and an oven in the communal kitchen in Caveland. Likewise, most of the private caves have also a kitchen corner. A wholefood supermarket is within walking distance like other groceries so you can determine what fits your daily mood.
CAVELAND THE 5 STAR HOSTEL
Located in the small village of Karterados, a 20-minute walk from Fira town, Caveland has it's beauty and history perfectly combined. All the pictures online didn’t prepare for the reality of Caveland. Once people come to Caveland they extend their stay because they never slept in such a beautiful unique designed Hostel, that doesn't waste the feeling of missing any luxury amenities and of course the pool is a Highlight. WOW - this is usually the first reaction to the former winery, and now 5 Star Hostel Caveland Santorini.
Aptly named because of the cave-like accommodations that used to be a winery back in the 1700s, everything in it fits the light and airy atmosphere of Santorini, with its light-coloured walls and artistic bric-a-brac decorating the place.
The small touches — from the wall mosaic made of discarded red tiles to the chandelier made of grape vines — give Caveland a unique and very personal touch. Each decor has its own story to tell, and there is nobody more willing to share it than their creator, Cavelands co-owner Kostas Sakavaras. Kostas, is behind the main design ideas. He enjoys spending his time finding old, unwanted items before restoring them to fit the atmosphere and personality of the hostel. He and his wife Veronica are both also Yogis, so the zen and Yoga spirit unwinds the whole venue and stay.
The island of Santorini itself is highly volcanic and back in the day, people dug into the rock for safety, turning caves into houses.
Now, with the opening of a boutique hostel that is Caveland, a complex of cave houses and terraces with beautiful views can be enjoyed! Caveland takes Eco-friendliness to the next level! Reusing and recycling are very important to the staff here.
It is carried out whenever and wherever possible. Especially on an island, resources are limited. The hostel understands this.
When you wander around you may notice that a lot of the furniture has been upcycled: what once was a crumbling cabinet, has now become an eye-catching centrepiece for one room – a perfect time, money and resource saver.
It’s the little things we love about a place and for Caveland, it has to be the reuse of marmalade jars as cups! On a whole, this hostel is locally managed and the perfect space for a unique Yoga retreat with special unique people, like you.
THE RETREAT INCLUDES
NOT INCLUDED
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6 island days / 5 nights in dreamy boutique Style Caveland
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2 daily Yoga sessions (90 minutes each) including meditation and other rituals
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fresh healthy Breakfast daily with homemade pastry and fresh fruits to snack
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tea is available throughout the days
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a bottle of water is complimentary at check in
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a welcome dinner served by a local tavern vegan and vegetarian options available.
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together organized barbecues
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a boat trip to the famous volcano of Santorini
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a 60 Minute Massage
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yoga equipment
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Flights
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day transfer from the airport of Santorini to Caveland and back, but can be arranged if you want to. Thou it's very easy to come by bus to the Retreat destination
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no alcoholic drinks, but if you want to give these days a juicy sense, feel free to taste one of Santorini's best wines.
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travel insurance
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price for other activities
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lunch and dinner
PRICE & ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
TRIPLE ACCOMMODATION
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three single beds -- 450 € p.P
TWIN ACCOMMODATION
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two single beds -- 550 € p.P
SHARED ACCOMMODATION
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double bed -- 580 € p.P
* Suggested for couples, friends & family who want to share a double bed
SINGLE ACCOMMODATION
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twin or double bed -- 650 € p.P
* A deposit of 200€ will be charged upon booking and is non-refundable. The remaining amount must be paid within 2 weeks before the beginning of the retreat. Payment of the total amount is also possible. More information about the terms and conditions can be found here.
TRAVEL INFO
arrival at 18 th May
The Retreat starts on the 18th May with a get-together around 5:30 pm. We will get to know each other, I introduce you to our staff and what the next days will look like. We will have a little grounding yoga session from 6-7:30 pm, that will keep you back in balance after your arrival trip. We close this Day with a delicious welcome Dinner in our local taverna and let the day pass slowly.
departure on 23rd of May
Your Yoga journey for this time ends on the 23rd of May. After a small refreshing yoga session, we will have our last breakfast together before everyone gets ready for departure with lots of unforgettable memories and sunsets, that will accompany you back home and long afterwards the retreat.
HOW TO GET TO SANTORINI
There are many cheap flights from around the world they take you either in one way or by a stopover to Santorini Airport.
If you want to spend Time before or after the Retreat in Athens or another Greek island you can also reach and leave Santorini Port by boat.
VIA BOAT
Santorini (code JTR) can be reached via boat from many other Greek islands and Athens (code PIR). Tickets can be booked online at viva.gr.
WELCOME TO SANTORINI
The Retreat Venue is located in Karterados, the first village you will pass when heading south from Fira town, the capital of the Santorini island. Karterados is about 5 minutes drive/25 min walk from Fira town. Coming from Fira town, port or an airport, please ask the bus or a taxi driver to stop you at the fork at the Multimedia market/ Zotos bakery. Leaving Fira town behind you, there is the downhill road on your left and continue all the way down for about 5-7 minutes. You will pass a police station, a windmill, 2 mini markets. Still continue all the way downhill until you see 2 tennis courts, Caveland sign and vineyards. The Caveland sign is a small wooden sign that you will see on your left on your eye level.
If you prefer to avoid the walk during the heat of the day, please contact me for the option to organize you a paid transfer. Note, in the early season the transfers might not be available. Caveland is a large property nested in the middle of an old vineyard and therefore its location is tucked away from the busy crowds of tourists.
BY BUS
To get to Karterados with a local bus is very easy, we are the second last stop before Fira town (island’s capital) of every bus coming from any location in the South of the island. If you take a local bus, you purchase your ticket inside the bus. The fare is €2.20 from Athinios port and €1.60 from Thira airport. These buses are scheduled in direct accordance with the ferry and plane schedules. They are operated by ‘KTEL’ and are typically a blue/green colour. In Karterados you get off at ZOTOS bakery and then you just follow the walking instructions. Ask the driver to stop at Zotos in Karterados.
TAXI
If you take a taxi, ask them to bring you to “tennis club”, which is the name CAVELAND used to have from the early ’80s and is well known to local taxi drivers. You should not pay more than €20 one way.
CAR
Renting a vehicle immediately upon arrival and drive yourself here is yet another option. Rental prices vary depending on vehicle model and rental agency, but you can expect a price between €20 and €40 per day.