Travel trend of the week: focus on Greece
For some retirees, Greece is the way to go given the country’s affordability, hospitable climate, Mediterranean cuisine, fantastic culture and knowledgeable, English-speaking locals. But if you’re not willing or able to take the plunge on a $500,000 house to acquire a golden visa, tourism is always an option. Travel to Greece has been booming since summer 2021 when the country was one of the first in Europe to reopen to Americans, with more than four million visitors in July 2022 alone. According to Virtuoso, it is one of the hottest global summer destinations (along with domestic travel within United States and Italy, France and Canada).
What’s new there?
For wellness buffs, Kalesma Mykonos will reopen for the season on April 14, unveiling a new spa with products and treatments by Barbara Sturm, M.D. There will be two treatment rooms, a hammam and a cryotherapy area. Kalesma is also launching new experiences this summer, including a visit to a farm to experience traditional, local life.
Lovers of literature and mythology can channel their inner Greek hero with Euphoria Retreat’s new Odysseus Journey. The new five-day retreat — in Sparta but anything but Spartan — is inspired by Homer’s “The Odyssey” and mixes Euphoria’s five-elements philosophy with group discussions and immersive experiences. (This philosophy dates from the ancient Greeks, exploring how the elements are linked to personalities.) The ”Euphoria Methodos” channels this along with Greek mythology to help explore self-awareness.) The retreat can be booked Tuesday, April 4, through Easter Sunday, April 9, or June 13 through 18, with more dates to come.
Noses will want to sniff out xenodocheio Milos in Athens, which has partnered with neighboring local favorite, Naxos Apothecary, to offer a new sensuous experience exclusive for guests to create a signature scent. Guests can choose to do this either in the chic, airy apothecary around the corner or in their own suite at Athens’ first designer boutique hotel, lauded for its cuisine, Cycladic minimalism and local artwork.
This September, Ponant is launching a new eight-day, seven-night journey, “Cruising the Mediterranean: Greece, Sicily and Malta — With Smithsonian Journeys,” in partnership with the travel program of the Smithsonian Institution. The trip will explore nearly six millennia of history from the 5,500-year-old megaliths on Malta to the mid-20th-century playground of the rich and famous on Hydra. (Sept. 26 through Oct. 3, starting at $5,920 per person based on double occupancy).
There are direct flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens on Delta and on American Airlines (starting May 5); and from Newark Liberty International airport on Emirates (year-round) and United Airlines (starting Thursday, April 6).
Meanwhile, Danae and Konstantina Orfanake, founders of the Omicron Hotels in Greece, have a new place: ACRO Suites, a boutique hotel overlooking the Aegean Sea on their native isle of Crete.
“Our vision was to bring together locally sourced materials along with renowned Cretan hospitality to create a new project, entirely dedicated to wellness,” they said in a statement. “Our vision came to life with the launch of ACRO Suites, developed as an eco-friendly destination to encourage the preservation of the local culture, values and natural Cretan landscapes.”