Family holiday in Greece
| country: | Greece |
| departures: | Departs every Sunday from early May to late October |
| price: | From £529 - £1149 (7 nights) to £719 - £1599 (14 nights) per adult including flights from UK & transfers. Can be booked without flights. |
| offers: | 31st August departures from £659 for 14 nights - save £250. Book by 10th July |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Located in a corner of rare natural beauty with tiny coves, green hills and deserted beaches, the aptly named Retreat offers an idyllic haven from hectic modern life. Around 10 minutes' walk from the bustling harbour of Sivota, The Retreat clings to the side of a tree-covered coastal hillside.
Its various buildings are linked by numerous steps and paths leading dramatically down to the shores of the Ionian Sea. The Retreat is situated on a coastal hillside, opposite the tiny uninhabited island of Mourtemeno with spectacular views over the Ionian Sea.
PLEASE NOTE: This holiday can be booked with or without flights. Flights are available from the following UK airports: Gatwick and Manchester
When enquiring for further details it would be very helpful if you could let us no how many people in your party.
One of the unique features of the hotel is the shallow sand spit which connects The Retreat to the beautiful beaches on the island. We appreciate that holidays are a time for families to spend time together and our flexible activity programme, combined with our varied children's clubs, enable you to enjoy the best of both worlds so nobody has to make any compromises. You can stick together and learn new skills, or all do you own thing and meet up at mealtimes to chat over the day's achievements. When you are off doing you own thing, you can be assured that you children are having just as good a time doing theirs.
Our accommodation is chosen to suit family needs with a range of room types. We are also pleased to offer cots, highchairs and baby baths free of charge in resort. All of our clubs are based in private grounds and are exclusive so you can feel happy letting your children explore with their new friends. You also need not worry about child friendly mealtimes with optional high tea available free of charge every night. (Please note: The route to the beach is via a series of several steps, meaning pushchairs will have to be carried down to the waterfront).
Accommodation
The rooms are housed either in the main hotel or in one of the bungalow-style buildings set amongst the gardens. They are all of a high standard with stylish décor, air conditioning, direct dial telephone, safety deposit box and en-suite facilities (shower only, baby baths available). All rooms have a balcony or small terrace with table and chairs, the majority with sea view. There is a choice of twin, double and triple rooms and a selection of interconnecting rooms for families which are all located within the main hotel, enabling easy access to all public areas. All rooms are large enough to take a cot.
Facilities
The club is built on various terraces with a combination of paths and steps leading down to the waterfront. You enter the club through the airy reception area, with a small outdoor terrace and a bar with satellite TV and pool table. Wandering down the stairs, you will find a small shop and another terrace en-route to the restaurant. The restaurant is split over two levels. Both areas offer a choice of seating and impressive views over the beach and beyond. On the next terrace down, you will find the main bar and swimming pool. From here, the crèche, boules, table tennis, volleyball court and tennis courts can be accessed. There is a separate children's pool nearby for younger children. The terraced bar area commands stunning views over the island and the southern most tip of Corfu. From the pool, there are approximately 100 steps down to the waterfront - not for the faint hearted but certainly worth the effort. You will be greeted by a picture-postcard setting of secluded beaches and crystal clear water with a host of watersports equipment all ready and waiting. The beachfront directly in front of the hotel is quite small but with our wooden decks and the easily accessible beaches on the island, there is always plenty of space to relax and new places to discover.
Our staff will be happy to organise any of the following activities for you (all payable locally):
Its various buildings are linked by numerous steps and paths leading dramatically down to the shores of the Ionian Sea. The Retreat is situated on a coastal hillside, opposite the tiny uninhabited island of Mourtemeno with spectacular views over the Ionian Sea.
PLEASE NOTE: This holiday can be booked with or without flights. Flights are available from the following UK airports: Gatwick and Manchester
When enquiring for further details it would be very helpful if you could let us no how many people in your party.
One of the unique features of the hotel is the shallow sand spit which connects The Retreat to the beautiful beaches on the island. We appreciate that holidays are a time for families to spend time together and our flexible activity programme, combined with our varied children's clubs, enable you to enjoy the best of both worlds so nobody has to make any compromises. You can stick together and learn new skills, or all do you own thing and meet up at mealtimes to chat over the day's achievements. When you are off doing you own thing, you can be assured that you children are having just as good a time doing theirs.
Our accommodation is chosen to suit family needs with a range of room types. We are also pleased to offer cots, highchairs and baby baths free of charge in resort. All of our clubs are based in private grounds and are exclusive so you can feel happy letting your children explore with their new friends. You also need not worry about child friendly mealtimes with optional high tea available free of charge every night. (Please note: The route to the beach is via a series of several steps, meaning pushchairs will have to be carried down to the waterfront).
Accommodation
The rooms are housed either in the main hotel or in one of the bungalow-style buildings set amongst the gardens. They are all of a high standard with stylish décor, air conditioning, direct dial telephone, safety deposit box and en-suite facilities (shower only, baby baths available). All rooms have a balcony or small terrace with table and chairs, the majority with sea view. There is a choice of twin, double and triple rooms and a selection of interconnecting rooms for families which are all located within the main hotel, enabling easy access to all public areas. All rooms are large enough to take a cot. Facilities
The club is built on various terraces with a combination of paths and steps leading down to the waterfront. You enter the club through the airy reception area, with a small outdoor terrace and a bar with satellite TV and pool table. Wandering down the stairs, you will find a small shop and another terrace en-route to the restaurant. The restaurant is split over two levels. Both areas offer a choice of seating and impressive views over the beach and beyond. On the next terrace down, you will find the main bar and swimming pool. From here, the crèche, boules, table tennis, volleyball court and tennis courts can be accessed. There is a separate children's pool nearby for younger children. The terraced bar area commands stunning views over the island and the southern most tip of Corfu. From the pool, there are approximately 100 steps down to the waterfront - not for the faint hearted but certainly worth the effort. You will be greeted by a picture-postcard setting of secluded beaches and crystal clear water with a host of watersports equipment all ready and waiting. The beachfront directly in front of the hotel is quite small but with our wooden decks and the easily accessible beaches on the island, there is always plenty of space to relax and new places to discover.
activities
On the water: - Waterskiing - 2 ski boats and a variety of skis and wakeboards.
- Sailing - 5 Funboats, 10 Picos, 6 Laser 1, 2 Laser 2000, 4 Dart 16
- Windsurfing - a selection of 60 beginner and intermediate boards for all ages, with a choice of 60 rigs to suit all abilities and changing conditions.
- Kayaking - 20 one and two seater kayaks.
- Snorkelling - the club has a selection of snorkels, masks and fins.
- Yachting - skippered day yachts (available at a supplement, subject to availability).
- Swimming pool - with a separate children's pool
- Tennis - 4 floodlit courts (rackets and balls provided)
- Biking - a range of frame sizes (minimum age nine years)
- Yoga and fitness classes.
- Volleyball
- Boules, table tennis and pool
- Health & Beauty treatments (available at a supplement)
Our staff will be happy to organise any of the following activities for you (all payable locally):
- Island boat trips - Discover the beauty of the Ionian island on a boat trip to Paxos, Antipaxos or Corfu. Once a week an exclusive Neilson 'caique' will depart directly from The Retreat to visit Paxos and Antipaxos with a BBQ lunch in a secluded bay. There will be regular stops where you can swim, snorkel and explore or simply sit back, relax and soak up the Mediterranean sunshine. Alternatively, you can take one of the daily ferries from the nearby port of Igoumenitsa and visit the islands independently.
- Walking - Lets you adjust to the pace of real Greece. From the hotel you can enjoy walks in the nearby hills and down to the village of Sivota. Hiring a car opens up numerous other opportunities with the Pindos Mountains, the traditional villages of Zagori and Acheron River Valley all within easy reach.
- Diving - With its crystal clear waters, islands, secluded bays and caves, the area around The Retreat offers an idyllic environment for both first timers and experienced divers. Beginners can build their confidence with a 1-day Discover Scuba Course to see if they take to the sport before committing to a 4-day Open Water Course. For certified divers, there are a variety of dive sites to explore with plenty of marine life.
travellers' tales
There was a lot to do (windsurfing/dinghy sailing/etc) and fantastic thunder storms! (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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90% of our shore-based accommodation is based in small locally owned hotels, or small hotels managed by us, in preference to the larger chains. In both our locally owned and our own-managed properties local people are employed and training and promotion opportunities are provided where appropriate.
By avoiding fully-inclusive board arrangements and by recommendations in our literature and in briefings, we encourage our guests to eat out where possible to enhance their holiday experience and boost the local economies. Where we manage accommodation units all food and drink is sourced locally where possible. On our shore-based activities programmes we have been employing and training local people as assistant instructors with the long term goal of their achieving professional Royal Yachting Association Instructor Qualifications. The majority of our activities programmes are based on wind, pedal or muscle power, providing enough energy to satisfy most thrill-seeking speed-freaks in the most environmentally benign way we know how. We can also cater for our more sedate guests, however! We no longer use anti-fouling on our day boats and where possible we use 4-stroke outboard engines on our powerboats to reduce noise, fuel consumption and emissions. We have tasked our overseas staff to identify 3 long-term initiatives that will bring positive benefits to the economies, communities and environments in which they live and work. We are working with The Travel Foundation to seek ways to develop practical, sustainable tourism solutions to help protect and enhance holiday destinations. And we are also working with the Federation of Tour Operators to develop responsible travel codes of practice. Kids can make a difference too! We encourage children to take an interest in the destination they are holidaying in and they’re loving it. We have been working with the Travel Foundation to produce a play and puzzle book aimed at 7-10 year olds, called "Hatch the Turtle". "Hatch" is a friendly little fellow who has lots of stories to tell about all the people and animals living in the amazing places our guests go on holiday. He encourages children to try local dishes, buy locally made crafts and speak a few words of the local languages. There are even a few words of Turtlish! This activity book will be piloted in the childrens’ clubs this summer. In addition to this exciting new initiative, we have a range of activities running in our childrens’ clubs overseas and here is a selection of the kinds of things they get up to:
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Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |