Sept. 19 - 26, 2026
If you’re a woman who has built a full life but finds yourself craving a pause from the constant pace of everyday demands, this intimate week in Greece was created for you.
You arrive in Naxos and something begins to soften. Life here moves with the land and the seasons. Mornings unfold slowly, the sea just steps away, and the rhythm of the island invites you to settle in. You’ll wander through whitewashed lanes worn smooth by centuries of footsteps, taste cheese made by hand, and watch the sun slip behind Apollo’s Gate as the sky turns gold. Without trying, your body begins to relax and your mind grows quieter. This is where the reset begins.
Later in the week, Santorini shifts something in you. Beyond the postcard views are layers of volcanic earth, endurance, and beauty shaped over centuries. Sailing across the caldera at sunset, the cliffs rising around you and the sea stretching endlessly beyond, you feel both grounded and expansive at once.
Between sea swims, long lunches, shared wine, and unhurried evenings, something begins to open again. The constant doing softens, and you start to feel a spark of energy and possibility return.
This is not about escaping your life. It is about remembering how you want to live. If this sounds like the kind of week you’ve been craving, we would love to share it with you.
Our home in Naxos is Lianos Village, a peaceful hillside property overlooking the turquoise waters of Agios Prokopios Beach. The whitewashed architecture, soft blue details, and expansive sea views create an atmosphere that immediately invites you to settle in.
Rooms are light filled and designed in classic Cycladic style with private balconies or terraces, comfortable bedding, modern baths, and thoughtful touches throughout. Mornings begin with a generous Greek breakfast, and afternoons invite you to lounge by the pool or stroll to the beach just minutes away.
Perched along the cliffs of Oia, Strogili Traditional Houses offers breathtaking caldera views and the iconic beauty Santorini is known for. Built into the volcanic rock in traditional cave house style, the property feels intimate, elegant, and quietly luxurious.
Each suite features curved white interiors, private terraces overlooking the sea, and modern comforts for a restorative stay. Many accommodations include outdoor seating or hot tubs, perfect for sunset moments with a glass of wine.
During our time in Naxos and Santorini, you’ll enjoy meals in a variety of beautiful local settings, from relaxed seaside tavernas to charming open-air terraces. Greek cuisine is simple, fresh, and deeply rooted in the land and sea, and our meals will highlight the region’s best ingredients, including fresh seafood, local olive oil, creamy feta, ripe tomatoes, and seasonal vegetables. Each meal is an opportunity to slow down, share conversation, and enjoy the warm hospitality Greece is known for.
Your days will begin with leisurely breakfasts of fresh fruit, eggs, pastries, coffee, and traditional Greek specialties. During our island explorations, we’ll enjoy casual village lunches featuring dishes like grilled fish, octopus, and vibrant salads. Evenings will bring relaxed dinners at hand selected local restaurants where you’ll experience authentic Greek flavors and classic desserts like baklava. Dietary needs are happily accommodated so everyone can relax and enjoy the experience, and during free time you’ll also have the opportunity to explore the islands’ many wonderful restaurants and cafés on your own.
This eight-day journey explores the art of uncomplicated living through contrast and intention. Shaped by the island's understanding that slowing down does not mean doing less, but seeing more clearly, this retreat steps away from the pace of modern life in favor of an older, more attentive way of traveling. You will spend time on Naxos and Santorini—two islands with very different relationships to time, visibility, and change—each revealing a distinct face of the Cyclades.
On Naxos, daily life still moves with the land, the seasons, and the sea. On Santorini, you will look beyond the spectacle to the deeper layers of history, labor, and endurance beneath its famous surface. Through visits with weavers, cooking alongside farmers, sailing on traditional fishing boats, learning herbal remedies, and sharing music and dance with locals, you’ll encounter island life as it is lived rather than displayed. This journey invites you to step away from a fast-paced, digital world where everything looks the same. Instead, you’ll experience the handmade, walk through monasteries, rest on open shores, share local wine, and meet people who value resilience, interdependence, and generosity—those who know that the most precious things are not what we acquire, but what we share.
Your analogue escape will begin on the island of Naxos. Dominated by sea, sun, wind, and mountains, you'll have your first encounter with the island beauty of the poet Sappho where "love for the sun has a share in brilliance and beauty."
At 4:00 pm you'll meet your Alithea guide and Naxos local for an orientation to your next week of analog travel and the in-person approach that still thrives in small island communities. This evening we'll dine while overlooking the sea, enjoying the Greek tradition of philoxenia, the love of strangers, while making new friends of our own.
This morning we'll take time to slow down to the pace of Greek island life. After an optional Pilates flow session on the beach the morning will be yours to swim, visit the spa, or relax on the beach.
In the later afternoon, we'll regroup and head to the Chora, or main town of Naxos, for a walking tour through the historic center. Continuously inhabited for more than five thousand years, Naxos was the capital of the Aegean in ancient times. Whether walking alongside the seashore filled with pottery shards, strolling through the Venetian Castle and medieval town, or tasting local cheese, we’ll begin our immersive journey through the traditions and culture that make the Greek islands unique. Our walking tour will conclude with a visit to Apollo's gate in time for sunset.
This evening, our visit to Naxos' Chora will conclude with a dinner overlooking the sea.
After breakfast in your hotel, you'll drive to the center of the island for your first full day dedicated to learning to live like a local Naxian. Today's first lesson will introduce the importance of agriculture and seasonal festivals for the development of community and sharing knowledge. As you visit the ancient temple of Demeter, you'll begin to see that the story of Greece illustrates the development of humanity and the birth of Western Civilization through community, shared belief, and rootedness in nature.
Your next stop, in the village of Chalki, will take time for conversation with a traditional weaver, honey farmer, and a visit to the local church where you'll see the importance of religion and nature in maintaining the bonds that connect one generation to another.
After lunch in Chalki and an opportunity to try the Naxian classic dessert, galaktoboureko, you'll take a stroll through some of the oldest olive groves in the world before returning to your hotel for a free evening or a swim in the sea. For those interested in returning to Naxos' Chora for an evening of shopping or sipping wine by the sea, your guide will help coordinate transfers.
After breakfast, you’ll take a short boat ride to the nearby island of Paros, beginning in Paroikia, where the harbor, narrow lanes, and whitewashed churches reflect the island’s long relationship with the sea and community life.
After a walking tour introduction by your local guide and free time to wander, you’ll visit Naoussa. Once a fishing village known for its nymphs in Greek mythology, this area is still defined by its small port, boutique charm, and refined atmosphere. Here you'll have more free time for lunch or a late morning coffee, with time to explore at leisure.
In the late afternoon, you'll return to Naxos by local ferry for a free evening.
This morning, you'll check out from your seaside hotel to sail the waters where the earliest Greek sailors developed the art of navigation. Traveling by traditional fishing boat, come prepared for a day of swimming, exploring coves reachable only by boat, cooking and chatting with the boat captain, and experiencing the Greek sea as a horizon that fosters curiosity and connects one small world to another. Among our various stops we'll get to explore the nearby islands of Iraklia and Schinoussa--reachable only by boat.
In the early evening, you'll return to your hotel overlooking the sea for a free evening.
After a free morning, we’ll arrive in Santorini. Famous for its beauty even in ancient times, the Phoenicians who settled here in the thirteenth century B.C. called the island Kallisti, ‘the most beautiful’. Created by the volcanic craters that gave way to its existence, the Caldera of Santorini is unique in the Aegean.
Time-permitting, we’ll explore the archeological site or the museum of Akrotiri. Like a Greek Pompeii, this city was destroyed when the volcano erupted in the sixteenth century B.C. and is a window in time to observe the daily lives of bronze-age Greeks.
For lunch this afternoon we’ll enjoy a tasting of its world-famous wines paired with a light Greek lunch that create a sommelier’s journey through the ages.
And after checking into our hotel in the late afternoon, we’ll be free for the evening to stroll through Oia and conclude with a spectacular view of the sunset over the Caldera.
After breakfast in our hotel, we'll be free this morning to hike the path towards Fira or to relax and explore the cobbled streets and classic views of Oia.
We will regroup in the early afternoon and head to the port to embark on a spectacular sailboat cruise around the island. During our last evening together we'll sail through the caldera and have dinner on board while observing the sunset and sea of the Greek mariners.
Walking: moderate
Breakfast is included this day but there are no planned activities. Catch a boat to Crete, Folegandros and other easily reachable Greek islands or head to the airport to connect to your next destination or to fly home. Your Alithea guide will be available to help with travel plans throughout breakfast.
With a deep passion for travel, health, and wellness, April has dedicated her career to helping others live vibrant, balanced lives. She spent 22 years in corporate America—15 of those in senior leadership roles, where she led high-performing teams for a large organization. While she thrived in the corporate world, she ultimately felt called to pursue a career that aligned with her passion for health and well-being.
In 2017, April earned her Health Coaching certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, setting the foundation for her journey in fitness and holistic well-being. She went on to open her first fitness business in 2018, an indoor cycling studio, and later expanded into Pilates, where she is currently completing her instructor certification. Through her studies and personal practice, April has developed a deep appreciation for the mind-body benefits of Pilates, recognizing its ability to enhance strength, mobility, and overall well-being. She believes Pilates is a powerful tool for creating strength, reducing pain, and building resilience at any stage of life.
An avid traveler, April has explored 21 countries, embracing the transformative power of new experiences, movement, and mindful living. She is passionate about combining travel with wellness, creating opportunities for others to move, explore, and reconnect with themselves in meaningful ways.
For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.
This experience may be a beautiful fit if you are a woman who:
This retreat may not be the best fit if you are looking for:
Most of the women who attend come on their own.
One of the beautiful parts of a small group retreat is how quickly meaningful connections form. By the end of the week, many women say the friendships they formed were one of the most special parts of the experience.
This is an intimate small group experience with approximately 8 to 10 women attending. Keeping the group small allows for meaningful connection, relaxed experiences, and plenty of personal space throughout the week.
The week includes light to moderate activity such as walking through villages, boat outings, and island transfers. Movement sessions are optional and designed to feel enjoyable and accessible rather than intense.
Not at all. This is your time, and you are always welcome to participate as much or as little as you’d like. While we encourage you to experience everything the retreat offers, you’re equally free to take quiet time for yourself whenever you need it.
Not at all. We offer both single occupancy rooms and shared double accommodations. If you’d like to bring a friend and share a room, that’s wonderful, but many women attend on their own and quickly connect with the group.
You will fly into Naxos Island National Airport (JNX). Most international travelers will first arrive in Athens (ATH)and then take a short connecting flight to Naxos, which takes about 40 minutes. After you register, we will provide detailed travel guidance, recommended flight windows, and step by step instructions to make planning your journey easy and stress free.
Yes. Starting in late 2026, U.S. citizens will be required to obtain an ETIAS travel authorization before entering Europe.
ETIAS is a simple online application, with responses typically issued within 96 hours. Once approved, it is electronically linked to your passport.
ETIAS is not yet in operation, but it is expected to be introduced soon. We kindly ask travelers to check whether ETIAS is required for their travel dates and to complete the application if necessary.
To apply, please visit: https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias
Your deposit is fully refundable for 30 days. Consider purchasing trip insurance that provides cancellation for any reason if you'd like to have complete flexibility.
Yes. We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance to protect your investment in the event of unexpected changes to your travel plans.
Yes. We are happy to accommodate dietary preferences and restrictions, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options whenever possible.
Please email April at april@savorthesol.com or call 757-575-4458.
