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Grecian Gem!

Amorgos

Our luxury yoga retreat has now come to an end and I can say that we have all truly fallen in love with Amorgos Island.  Amorgos, the most eastern island of the Cyclades is the “exit” from the islands of the eastern Aegean towards the coast of Asia Minor.

Jackie and I headed to Amorgos a couple of days in advance of our guests.  We flew into Athens, took the local bus to the port, enjoyed a yummy Greek lunch at a cafe near the port and caught the ferry which leaves late afternoon.  Arriving in the early hours of the following day, we made our way on the bus to our hotel.  Little did we know of the beauty that surrounded us in the middle of the night!

Amorgos is truly a little gem. Stunningly beautiful, unspoilt, tranquil and an ideal place to disconnect from the stresses of everyday life.

Our yoga programme included twice daily yoga classes, a yoga workshop focused on developing a home practice, yoga nidra (yoga sleep), daily meditation, free access to the spa, a free spa treatment for each guest, delicious freshly prepared meals sourced from the hotel’s own kitchen garden.

Guests had plenty of time to explore locally, visit local beaches & coves, swim in the clear blue sea, sample local cafes, explore the local area by foot and generally take time to rest.

We enjoyed a day trip to the monastery of Panagia Chozoviotissa situated on the cliff side, northeast of the capital Chora.  It was built early in the second millennium in order to protect a religious icon dating from the year 812.  The icon is on public display within the monastery.  The monastery is still active with four practising monks in residence.  You get to meet the monks when you visit their living room and they serve you drinks.  The sea in this area is mesmerisingly turquoise and blue, no photo can do it justice!

From the monastery, we walked to the famous Agia Anna beach.  A small rocky beach with spectacular beauty and clear blue seas.  The chapel of Agia Anna is located at the beach.  Mid afternoon a short taxi ride took us to  Chora, a charming village which is the medieval capital of Amorgos.  This village is a labyrinth of small paved streets, white houses, churches, local squares and tavernas.  A great place to explore!

Amorgos has a huge variety of wild herbs, hosting around 600 species.  These plants are known for their medicinal purposes and we made a special trip to see Vangelis, a local herbalist and distiller.  He forages the wild herbs to produce essential oils, infusions, tinctures, tea mixes and other healing products.

We must also thank our wonderful hosts, Aegialis Hotel & Spa.  This 5 star family owned hotel is a real find.  We fully experienced the unique Amorgian hospitality provided by the hotel staff.  The location is stunning with all rooms offering amazing views of the Aegean sea and the Aegiali beach.

It was REALLY hard to leave but we have booked another retreat here for September 2018 so we will be returning very soon.  We will let you know once this new retreat goes on sale.  It really is NOT to be missed!