I Found the Perfect Holiday for Book Lovers – A Reading Retreat in Greece
I found the perfect holiday for book lovers (and, yes, it involves lots of reading). Read on to find out more (and get a £100 discount!).
I recently spent a week on Aweventurer’s luxury reading retreat on the Greek island of Zakynthos.
What I expected to be just another holiday actually turned out to be an almost spiritual experience where I was able to rest, reflect and reset after what has been a transitional year for me.
Here’s the lowdown on my experience, followed by a more detailed look at everything that’s included.
Disclosure: I was invited to experience one of Aweventurer’s reading retreats in Zakynthos. However, all opinions are my own.
My Experience
Suffering badly from corporate burnout, I jumped at the opportunity to go on a reading retreat on a Greek island.
A whole week with no real agenda except reading, eating and mindful activities?
Perfection.
I was desperate to have a break from my desk, relax in the Ionian sun and hopefully get my creative juices flowing again.
This retreat did that, and more.
On day one of the retreat, we were introduced to the concept of ‘morning pages’, inspired by The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.
The idea is that as soon as you wake up in the morning, you write three pages of whatever is on your mind. This should be done the old-fashioned way with pen and paper, and can literally just be a stream-of-consciousness.
This writing practice is meant to clear mental clutter and help you overcome creative blocks.
And it really works.
I never quite made it to three whole pages, but I did feel a lot lighter each morning, and when I came back from the trip, I felt my creative juices flowing again and had so many ideas raring to go.
Our morning pages were followed by over an hour of yoga with a local yogi. Our instructor, Theodora, was an absolute gem, stretching us just the right amount both mentally and physically.
After yoga, there’d be a beautiful brunch spread waiting for us to fuel up for the day ahead. The spread was simple but delicious, made up of local produce and dishes made fresh for us that morning by our private chefs.
In addition to eggs (however you like them!), there was always Greek yoghurt, granola, fresh bread, a selection of jams, fresh orange juice, mini avocado on toast and more.
After brunch, we could choose how to spend the rest of our day. Most people opted for a spot of reading, walking, swimming, or simply napping.
On some days, we had activities planned for us like a yacht trip to the blue caves, a private bibliotherapy session, a book club discussion, a massage, a Greek cooking class and a movie night. More details on each of these later in this post!
In the evenings, we would all come together for a beautiful dinner out on the terrace – there was copious amounts of wine, freshly prepared local food and great conversation.
Divine!
The group was made up of women from different parts of the world, at different stages of life, but we got along like a house on fire, connected by our shared love of stories and learning.
I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to spend time a significant amount of time with a group of women of all different ages. I so rarely spend time with people who are not my own age in a social setting, and listening to the perspectives of women much older and wiser than me was most interesting.
This trip confirmed for me that readers and bookworms are the very best of people – kind, empathetic, open and endlessly curious.
I wasn’t expecting to connect so well with a group of strangers or feel so at ease so quickly, but it was genuinely the loveliest, most thoughtful group.
One woman gave each member of the group a handwritten card on the last night of the trip, and I may have shed a tear whilst reading mine.
We’re even starting an online book club so we can keep in touch and continue sharing our love of books!
If you need some time and space to recharge and reconnect with yourself, a reading retreat may be the very medicine you need.
Bonus points if it’s on a beautiful Greek island and you can enjoy the sun, the sea and good company.
Now here’s a closer look at the itinerary and everything that’s included.
Reading Retreat Itinerary
Due to some weather issues, our group itinerary shifted quite a bit to ensure we could make the most of the trip. The below reflects what happened on my trip, which differs a little from the usual plan set out by Aweventurer.
Day One – Sunday
The retreat usually begins on Sunday night with a welcome dinner and intention-setting ceremony. You’ll meet the other guests and your bibliotherapist for the week.
Sadly, the trip got off to a bad start with adverse weather conditions preventing planes from landing in Zakynthos, stranding most women travelling to the retreat in Athens.
Despite this, we remained in good spirits and were on our way again the following morning.
Our Aweventurer rep kept in touch with us throughout this and kindly rearranged our airport pick up to ensure we all arrived safely at the villa too.
Day Two – Monday
9:30am: Airport transfer
10:30am: Brunch and introductions
1:00pm: Free time to relax or explore
5:00pm: Yoga and meditation
6:00pm: Dinner and intention setting
8:00pm: Movie night
Day Three – Tuesday
8:00am: Morning pages (optional)
9:00am: Yoga + meditation
10:30am: Brunch
11:30am: Group orkshop with our bibliotherapist
7:00pm: Dinner
Day Four – Wednesday
7:30am: Morning pages (optional)
8:00am: Breakfast
9:30am: Pick up from the villa and transfer to the yacht
10:00am: Yacht sailing experience (swimming, blue caves & shipwreck island)
3:30pm: Return to the villa
5:30pm: Yoga to wind down and relax
7:00pm: Dinner
Day Five – Thursday
8:00am: Morning pages (optional)
9:00am: Yoga + meditation
10:30am: Brunch
12:00pm: Greek-style cooking demonstration
2:00pm: Chakra massage + free time
7pm: Dinner + novella book club discussion
Day Six – Friday
8:00am: Morning pages (optional)
10:30am: Brunch
11:30am: Free time to read + relax
2:00pm: Bibliotherapist open hours
5:30pm: Sunset yoga
7pm: Farewell dinner
Day Seven – Saturday
9am: Breakfast + goodbyes!
10am: Airport transfer
Activities
Now let’s run through all of the activities on offer throughout the week.
Group Bibliotherapy Workshop
Our very first group activity was a short bibliotherapy workshop with our bibliotherapist, Nicole. She introduced us to the practice of bibliotherapy, that is, using books to support our emotional and mental well-being.
We read a few poems together and discussed how they made us feel and which lines had the most impact on us. We even did a few minutes of writing, which elicited strong emotions in some of us.
Nicole was wonderful at guiding us through the materials, and this was a fab reminder of something I’ve always known – books can heal.
Yacht trip
In the middle of the week, we went on a luxury yacht and experience, where we got to visit the blue caves, Navagio Beach (sometimes referred to as ‘shipwreck beach’) and snorkel in the clearest blue waters I’ve ever seen.
Studies have shown that being in and near water can help improve one’s mental health, and I definitely understood that better on this trip.
It was only really when I was swimming in the villa pool or in the clear blue sea that I could truly feel my brain switch off.
The boat itself had an upper and lower level and two outdoor lounge areas where you could chill. There were refreshments on the boat, including wine and some antipasti.
I enthusiastically agreed to the wine during a calm moment at sea, but by the time it was served I was quite queasy so I had a little lie down on the sunny deck until my stomach had settled.
Massage
We each had a private 45-minute massage in a style of our choice at our villa. I opted for a mix of different styles and particularly loved the hot stone element.
Our masseuse was gentle and professional, and I found the session very soothing. It was a great activity to have towards the end of the retreat to ensure that we were departing feeling as calm and well-rested as possible.
Private Bibliotherapy Consultation
A definite highlight of the reading retreat for me was the private bibliotherapy consultation with our bibliotherapist, Nicole.
We each booked in for an informal 30-minute chat, and it was open to us to use this time as we wished.
We were encouraged to talk about our personal literary journey, were given new reading suggestions, and could ask any questions we wanted to about books and reading.
Whilst my session began with a discussion about my struggle to read certain genres that I once loved, it quickly tumbled into a deeper discussion about my life and state of mind at that time.
Nicole was wonderful at guiding me through these issues and, of course, recommended some great books for me to go away and read.
I may have welled up at the end of our session, and I am very grateful to Nicole for her kind words of encouragement in this session and throughout the reading retreat.
Greek Cooking Class
The itinerary includes a Greek cooking class, but this could more accurately be described as a Greek cooking demonstration.
Our chef led us through the cooking session to make a traditional Greek dish similar to a zucchini fritter.
He patiently showed us the process step-by-step and pausing to answer any questions or provide tips to make the dish even tastier.
We then enjoyed the dish as our starter in the evening, and it was delicious – fresh ingredients make all the difference!
I would’ve loved this activity even more if it were an interactive cooking session where we could all get involved and try our hand at making a dish ourselves.
Book Club Discussion
When we came down to breakfast on our second day of the retreat, we were pleasantly surprised to find a little present at each of our tables.
Inside beautiful floral tissue paper was a short novella chosen by our bibliotherapist: The Half God of Rainfall by Inua Ellams.
Here’s the synopsis:
From the award-winning poet and playwright behind Barber Shop Chronicles, The Half-God of Rainfall is an epic story and a lyrical exploration of pride, power and female revenge.
There is something about Demi. When this boy is angry, rain clouds gather. When he cries, rivers burst their banks and the first time he takes a shot on a basketball court, the deities of the land take note.
His mother, Modupe, looks on with a mixture of pride and worry. From close encounters, she knows Gods often act like men: the same fragile egos, the same unpredictable fury and the same sense of entitlement to the bodies of mortals.
She will sacrifice everything to protect her son, but she knows the Gods will one day tire of sports fans, their fickle allegiances and misdirected prayers. When that moment comes, it won’t matter how special he is. Only the women in Demi’s life, the mothers, daughters and Goddesses, will stand between him and a lightning bolt.
So that no one felt under pressure to read the book, we moved our book club discussion chat to Thursday evening, so we had two days to make time for this.
It was only 100 pages or so took each of us around an hour.
I must admit, I didn’t love this title. But it was very interesting to discuss and get everyone else’s viewpoints on what they did and didn’t like.
Movie Night
On our first evening of the retreat, we had a chill movie night in one of the bigger villas. Everyone had steaming mugs of herbal tea, and we had a laugh watching a rom-com. It was nice to spend time together, but in a very relaxed way!
Accomodation
The Villa
The villa complex we stayed in was, quite simply, stunning. I was surprised to find on arrival that participants were split between three villas so there were only 3-4 people in each villa.
Each villa had a private swimming pool and alfresco lounge, dining terrace and indoor lounge, which meant there was a huge amount of space for us to relax in, and lots of privacy and quiet time, if desired.
We designated one villa as the ‘hub’ that people would gather in before and after meals, but otherwise we were free to relax wherever we wanted, even if it wasn’t the villa our room was in.
The aesthetic of the complex was beautiful, boho, minimalist and perfect for a luxurious mediterranean getaway.
Think soft cream furnishings, a mix of wood and stone strutures, and clear blue waters.
Each villa was slightly different and Villa Marietta has a more bohemian style whilst Villa Athina is slightly larger with a sleeker, streamlined style.
The Rooms
You can either opt for shared or private accommodation on the trip, with the price differing by a few hundred pounds. Everyone on this particular trip was in their own private accomodation, so I can’t comment on what the shared accomodation situation would have been like.
One thing about the three villa set up is that no villa, and therefore no room, was the same.
Whilst all rooms were comfortable and stylish, there was a bit of a difference in layout, size and amenities for all participants.
There are some lovely photos of the villa on the retreat page on the Aweventurer website, but for a better idea of the specific rooms available, I’d suggest looking at the villa’s page on booking.com here.
I was in a lovely but relatively small double room on the bottom floor of one villa with access to a private bathroom on the same floor. As it was in the corner of the villa, it was a little dark and I did not spend any time in here except when I was sleeping.
However, as mentioned above, there were plenty of wonderful communal spaces at the villa to enjoy instead.
Another ground floor room in one of the other villas was a large double room with lots of floor space, a lounge area, a private hot tub just outside the room, with the shower, toilet and sink inside the room.
The rooms on the top floor were a large and bright, and each had a private balcony with lounge furniture and views out over the Ionian sea.
So there are lots of beautiful rooms available in different styles.
In terms of practical amenities there is also free WiFi, laundry services, minibar, free bottled water and air-conditioning. Each villa has a kitchen with an oven, dishwasher, washing machine, kettle, coffee machine and grill.
Pricing
There are two pricing options for the trip:
- Shared room: £2100 (deposit of £260 required when booking)
- Private room: £2700 (deposit of £320 required when booking)
It’s one of the pricier retreats out there, but it is a luxury holiday and the price reflects that. For all that is included, I don’t think it’s an unfair price to pay.
Get £100 off an Aweventurer retreat with the code LAURA100
Summary
Inclusions
- Workshop with bibliotherapist
- Bibliotherapist consultation and book prescription tailored to you
- Book club discussion
- 6 nights’ accommodation in a private Greek villa
- Brunch and dinner every day prepared by in-house chefs and made with locally sourced, organic ingredients that can tailor to any dietary requirement
- Daily yoga and meditation classes outside (weather permitting)
- Greek cooking demonstration
- Yacht sailing & swimming experience
- Massage
- All ground transportation
- Goodie bag
Exclusions
- Flights to and from Greece
- Meals and drinks not mentioned in the itinerary (i.e. lunch)
- Tips and gratuities
- Travel insurance
Reading retreats seem to be all the rage right now, and it’s not hard to understand why. People are craving slowness, peace and quiet and, above all, real connections with like-minded individuals.
If you’re looking for a luxury reading retreat experience, then Aweventurer may just have the perfect trip for you.
I had a great time, felt rejuvenated creatively, and connected with a beautiful group of women.
If you liked this post, check out these:
Book Lover’s Guide to Oxford
Book Lover’s Guide to Bath
Book Lover’s Guide to Dublin
Book Lover’s Guide to York
Book Lover’s Guide to Edinburgh
Book Lover’s Guide to Copenhagen
