Greece Luxury Adventure Retreat

Now that you’ve found a great women’s only travel group, it is time to treat yourself to the adventure of a lifetime. Our Greece retreat is an ocean and mountain lover’s dream. This luxury retreat takes place in Crete, the cornucopia of the country. The island’s spectacular coastline is backed up by lofty cliffs, rugged mountains, and deep gorges. We will spend our days swimming and stand up paddle boarding in the crystal clear Mediterranean waters and hiking the mountainous landscape, exploring a few of the gorges that make Crete an ideal playground. We know Emerson said it’s all about the journey, not the destination, but when these hikes drop you at secret, untouched beaches, we don’t mind indulging in the destination.

Our home bases for this retreat are two towns: the beautiful city of Chania and the other located in the prefecture of Rethymno, both Cretan paradises. After a couple of days enjoying the picturesque town and harbor of Chania, we’ll head to Kapsaliana Village which has remained refreshingly undeveloped and unaffected by Crete’s booming tourism industry. Ease into the slow pace like a local, feast on traditional dishes from the healthiest diet in the world, and learn the recipe secrets in our Cretan cooking class. We’ll visit farmers’ markets and wineries, take authentic Greek dancing and mythology classes, and boat along the epic Southern coast to many private and secret beaches. It doesn’t get better than this. Well – actually, it does.

We will spend a beautiful time with an incrredible herbalist that will share with us her wisdom and uses of the herbs in the area (this island is known as the “medicine cabinet” of Europe).

As with every Women’s Quest retreat, there is always built in YOU-time with space to reflect on your week, unwind, and, of course, indulge and pamper yourself. More about hotels / where we will be staying here + spa. We will practice yoga and Qi Gong every day. Our women’s only travel group was created to help you reset your energy.

Highlights & Included in the Price:

• Plant walk and workshop with a local herbalist
• Walk through Old Town Chania- visit the vibrant Farmer’s Market
• Hike the Rokka gorge to visit Biolea
• Wine Tasting and dinner.
• SUP tour
• Daily Yoga and Qigong
• Private Boat Trips to secret beaches
• Minoan ruins and monasteries with our Greek guide
• Greek Dancing Class 
• Cretan Cooking Class and dinner with the legendary Stella
• Greek Mythology expert and music 
• Boat and snorkel adventure TBD
• 4 nights in Chania at Corissia Hotel & Resort
• 3 nights in Rethymno at Kapsaliana Village 

What is NOT Included in the Price:

• Airfare
• 3 lunches and 1 dinner  to enjoy the culinary delights of Chania
• Travel insurance – required
• All personal expenses (e.g., shopping, laundry, telephone)
• Tips for guides, driver
• Massages
• Alcoholic drinks

What are the accommodations?

Chania Flair by Corissia Hotel & Resort

Perfect location combining a sandy beach to relax on and swim and a quick walk into the vibrant, charming Old Town. This hotel is comfortable luxury with a beautiful rooftop to take in all the views sunsets, or even a massage.

Kapsaliana Village

 A restored village, this hotel is beautifully unique, each room is completely different yet each one features rustic luxury, amidst Crete’s largest olive grove. Massages available as they have a room. Indoor room and outdoor space for yoga. Noted for it’s gastronomy, the in-house chef and culinary team create from the in-house garden and local products.

Single Rooms are available at an additional cost of $1200.

What about transportation to the retreat?

Upon arrival to Chania, it is easy to get a taxi to take you directly to our hotel. We recommend arriving to Chania the morning or afternoon of Friday, September 30. You can fly into Athens a day or two before, then take a quick flight from Athens to Chania on Aegean or Olympic Airlines to have some time to acclimate to the time change. 

What is the arrival/departure airport?

Chania, Crete (CHQ) for arrival and departure. 

What weather can I expect?

Early autumn in Crete means warm days and chilly nights. Be prepared with layers and a rain jacket, just in case. 

What will the food be like?

The cuisine in Crete is easy to adapt to any diet: expect many fresh vegetables + Greek salads, the best yogurt + honey, all served with a healthy dose of olive oil. Many of the meals are served family style, so you can pick and choose what you’d like to try. 

Tell me about the Greek cooking class

We have a traditional Greek cooking class one evening. After a warm welcome including Greek coffee or organic tea with fresh homemade cookies, your introduction to the local agricultural products and mountainous herbs begins. We will learn from our Chef how to make fava, favatokeftedes, vegetable croquettes, methismena amorgiana dessert and many more delicious Greek dishes. We will be taking a piece of Greece with us.

THE GREEK NIGHT!!!

Greek night is a super fun experience with authentic Greek food and traditional dancing. It is the Greek way of life to enjoy dinner for a celebration of fun, dancing to the sound of the violin and lute all night long.

What about the yoga?

We will align and rebalance every afternoon with a restorative yoga practice. This gentle but powerful practice draws inspiration from Gyrokinesis, Qigong, and Tai Chi, and is a perfect way unwind and recalibrate your body after a long day of Play.

What is the average age on this retreat?

We have a wide range of women who attend our retreats, from 15-70 years young.

What if I am coming alone?

The majority of the women who attend our retreats come by themselves. Greece is a safe and easy country to travel as a single female. English is spoken in most tourist areas and we are here to answer any questions about travel that you may have. As a women’s only travel group we can assure you that you will leave the retreat with new, lifelong friends!

Do I have to participate in everything on the schedule?

No! All activities and outings are optional. This is YOUR retreat. We encourage you to do what feels most nurturing and right for you. You will be fully supported in doing as much or as little as you choose. All of our activities will be guided by expert staff, and instruction and support will be offered for every activity according to your experience level.

Am I in good enough shape to do this retreat?

This is a retreat that everyone can do.  We will be swimming, kayaking and hiking during the retreat, so make sure you get out and do some similar activities at home to get you prepared. This women’s only travel group is here to encourage and support you.

Payment Policy

A deposit is required to hold your reservation at a retreat. Deposits are $500 for domestic and $1,000 for international retreats. Additional deposits may be required to reserve a single room. All deposits are non-refundable.

We cannot hold your reservation until we have received your deposit. If you would like to reserve an available spot in a retreat 90 or fewer days prior to the retreat date, we require payment in full for the retreat to hold the spot. This is in accordance with our payment policy below.

Payment in full for all retreats is due 90 days prior to the retreat date. If you do not provide payment in full by 90 days prior to the retreat you risk losing your reservation.

A 4% payment processing fee will be added to all payments made using PayPal, Stripe or Venmo. 

You are welcome to send in a check or pay by Zelle to avoid this fee.

Cancellation Policy

If you must cancel a reservation, a full refund, less your deposit which is non-refundable, will be provided for any cancellation we receive in writing at least 91 days prior to the commencement date of the retreat. We are sorry but we cannot refund any payments for cancellations made 90 or fewer days prior to the commencement of the retreat.

We reserve the right to cancel retreats with inadequate participant interest. Women’s Quest IS NOT responsible for any personal expenses, such as airline tickets due to changes in schedules or tour cancellations.

Covid-19 Policy

Cancellations by Women’s Quest: Women’s Quest reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel or reschedule any retreat due to concerns over Covid-19. As a small company Women’s Quest is unfortunately not able to provide refunds of payments for retreats cancelled by Women’s Quest due to the Covid pandemic. This is primarily due to our financial commitments with the various retreat venues. As a result, in the event Women’s Quest cancels or reschedules a retreat due to Covid-19 Women’s Quest will apply all payments to the rescheduled or following year’s retreat, or to any other Women’s Quest retreat of your choosing through the end of the next year after the year in which the retreat was cancelled by Women’s Quest.  Because of the unforeseen and unprecedented circumstances of the outbreak, this policy supersedes earlier policies.

Cancellations by You: If you need or desire to cancel your reservation due to Covid-19, or failure to comply with the requirements of a negative test and being symptom free, this cancellation is subject to the Cancellation Policy above.  This is why we urge everyone to purchase travel insurance when signing up. 

Covid Waiver and Release
This waiver, release and acknowledgement of responsibilities is unfortunately necessary during this unique time of the Covid 19 pandemic. By signing up for and or attending any Women’s Quest retreat you agree to be bound by the terms of this document. We understand these times are challenging, however, these provisions are necessary to protect all attendees and staff members of Women’s Quest.

Testing For and Symptoms of Covid 19.  Irrespective of vaccination status you are required to provide a negative test for Covid 19 taken within 3 days of the commencement of the retreat. This test can be either a PCR test or a home antigen test. Also, irrespective of your vaccination status, you agree you will not attend the retreat if you have any symptoms of Covid 19 immediately prior to the beginning of the trip. These symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea (these, along with symptoms outline in the following link and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control shall be collectively referred to as the “Symptoms”.) More information on symptoms of Covid 19 can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Symptoms During the Retreat. In the event you develop any Symptoms during the retreat you must immediately leave the retreat and follow protocols outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and all local regulations. We understand this may result in you incurring significant expenses associated with separate accommodation and travel, however, you understand these expenses are not the responsibility of Women’s Quest and must be incurred by you. You agree to be fully honest with Women’s Quest staff in regard to any Symptoms you may develop and agree to comply with a request by Women’s Quest staff to depart as determined by Women’s Quest staff in their sole discretion. As provided below, this is why we strongly urge everyone to get travel insurance covering these and other expenses prior to departure.

Procedures During the Retreat. During the retreat Women’s Quest may, but need not, endeavor to practice social distancing and wearing of masks when traveling in close proximity. You agree to comply with all requests of Women’s Quest staff during the retreat related to these procedures. Any such procedures implemented by Women’s Quest are not a guaranty you will not be exposed to Covid 19 and you understand you are responsible for taking any precautions you deem necessary and providing your own personal protective equipment during the retreat. You also agree to comply with any reasonable requests by other attendees to respect their social distancing and other protective measures (“Participant Requests”.) Notwithstanding the foregoing, you are responsible to comply with all laws and regulations of the locality visited relating to protections against Covid 19.

Waiver of Coronavirus Related Illness; Indemnification. You understand that irrespective of protective measures that Women’s Quest or you may or may not take, you may be exposed to Covid 19 by another retreat attendee, a Women’s Quest staff member and or an individual to whom you may be exposed during, or traveling to or from the retreat. You agree to waive and release Women’s Quest, its officers, directors, staff, employees, contractors, and partners from any claims, liabilities or damages you may incur in the event you contract Covid 19 at any time during travel to, attending or after attending the retreat. You further agree to indemnify and hold harmless Women’s Quest, its officers, directors, staff, employees, contractors, and partners from any loss, liability or damages it or they may incur as a result of your failure to receive a negative test for Covid 19 prior to the retreat as provided above, attending the retreat with any Symptoms, not respecting Participant Requests, and not immediately departing the retreat if you develop any Symptoms.

Cancellation. In the unfortunate event you need to cancel your trip, cannot attend due to contracting Covid 19 or developing Symptoms prior to the retreat, or must leave the retreat due to contracting Covid 19 or developing Symptoms, Women’s Quest cannot provide any refund of any amounts you paid.

Travel Insurance. As provided in this document you could incur significant personal expense in the event you contract Covid 19 or develop any Symptoms during the retreat. As such, you are strongly urged to obtain travel insurance that provides adequate protections against these risks.

Additional Waiver. This waiver is incorporated into and made a part of other waivers you agreed to in connection with signing up for the retreat. In the event of a conflict between these terms and the terms of any other waiver, this waiver shall govern.

Purchasing Travel Insurance

We highly, highly recommend you get travel insurance to cover your expenses and losses in the event you test positive or come down with Symptoms prior to the retreat, develop Symptoms during the retreat, or cannot return home due to Covid related issues.  We recommend getting insurance that covers the cost of your trip, medical care while at the retreat, and coverage to pay for the necessary quarantine period if you test positive or come down with Covid.  Please remember, if you have to cancel your trip in the unfortunate event you come down with Covid, test positive, or suffer Symptoms prior to or during the retreat and need to leave, Women’s Quest cannot provide a refund since we have to pay your trip expenses well ahead of time.

If you are concerned about travel and the changing environment in which we are living irrespective of your Covid status, we recommend getting travel insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason. This coverage is more expensive, however, may provide you with the coverage and flexibility you desire.

We spoke with Allianz Travel Insurance about travel insurance primarily for Covid issues – trip cancellation, medical treatment and delay in coming home due to catching Covid. From our understanding, Allianz does offer policies providing for trip cancellation due to Covid and extended trip interruption coverage for Covid quarantine periods, however, you should talk to them via the phone to ensure you have the coverage you need. Irrespective of the travel insurance you get, please make sure you talk to a travel insurance agent prior to buying any insurance and make sure you have the coverage you desire and that the policy will cover trip cancellation, medical expenses and trip interruption due to Covid. We are providing this only as our understanding after talking to Allianz and not as a representation of what Allianz will cover.  You should do your own investigation including directly calling Allianz or any insurance provider you choose, and not rely on this overview to ensure you get the coverage that is right for you.

Are you ready to join Women’s Quest on our Greece retreat? Sign up today!