Back in March, I wrote a blog about the very unique experience we have been putting together for one of our UK based clients. This was a sailing retreat in Greece and I was lucky to have been invited by my client to join! She told me she wants to run these types of retreats more regularly and therefore it will be of great help if I can take part in the first one so that I can help her design others. This made sense, so after an initial inner struggle about the amount of work I would face when I am back in the office, I set off for Athens
My client, Antonina wanted to rent a yacht in Greece and she chartered a luxury catamaran Lagoon 450 Fly with Boataffair. She wanted enough space and comfort for her clients taking part in the retreat, so this brand new catamaran ticked every box. The topic of the Retreat was transformation and focused on female energy and how women can drive positive change in all aspects of their lives.
The success of a highly tailored experience like this one lies in the fact that the perfect fit has to be achieved. The yacht, the skipper, the itinerary, the food – all those elements had to come together to ensure that the retreat can go smooth and Antonina can achieve what she wanted through her programme without having to think about any practical details.
One of the special touches to this experience was the presence of the Swiss-based internationally known food stylist Andrea Mausli. Andrea has joined the retreat to provide a gourmet experience to the guests and as an avid sailor herself, she was a perfect fit. Having worked with such major brands as Nestle and Coop amongst others, Andrea’s food was a multitude of textures and colours with freshly sourced Greek ingredients.
Antonina picked Greece not only because of its crystal-clear turquoise waters but also because Greece has many ancient sites, filled with powerful energy and history. The whole idea behind this retreat was to combine the freedom sailing a yacht offers, island hopping, visiting unique little islands far from the tourist hot spots to offer truly authentic journey. Therefore it had to be a perfect mix of activities.
This is exactly what we did.
Thanks to the extensive knowledge of our skipper Kostas, he was able to tailor the itinerary to enable the group to see ancient sites, dine on local delicacies, sleep in the open sea under the stars and dive into the welcoming sea at sunrise. We also anchored near the uninhibited island for a spot of swimming, danced the night away in a local taverna on a small and stunning island of Ermioni and dined on a boat with the backdrop of the most breath-taking sunsets.
Then we sailed to the Island of Epidavros, where an ancient theatre is located. The atmosphere is magnetic in the theatre, it’s not like any other ancient site. It is considered to be one the most perfect ancient Greek places with regards to acoustics and aesthetics.
A short sail from Apidavros to Aegina and we hop off again for some more history.
We hiked to an ancient temple of Athena on the island of Aegina. The view of the temple on the top and looking down at sea was spectacular. Again, the atmosphere in this place is different – the feeling of positivity and love makes you think that Ancient Greeks knew about where to put their temples. It's mysterious and unforgettable.
The final stop of Sunion. We arrived at night and were treated to the most magnificent view of the Temple Of Poseidon lit up at night. The night on the free anchor (not docked in the Marina) once again allowed for that superb morning swim. The whole group jumped off the boat many times into the most amazing blue water and it felt very sad to leave and set course back to Athens.
The week has flown by – yet it felt that so much has been done. Of course, the transformational work Antonina was doing with her clients during the course of the week, was the most powerful thing to see. I have witnessed, how transformations literally took place in front of my own eyes. In fact, it happened to me too.
I finally managed to get over my own fear of doing videos and going live on my social media accounts for Boataffair. On day 3 I did my first ever live story on Instagram and on day 6 I recorded a short podcast interviewing Antonina. This personal breakthrough stunned me and liberated me.
I always loved boating and sailing as it offers you a total sense of Freedom. After this retreat, that sense of Freedom has grown even more.
The retreat has proved so popular, we now designed it into an experience – you can view this here
If you want to know a little more about Antonina’s work – just send her an email or WhatsApp message to inquire about the programme and how you can join her next retreat. antonina@thecoachinista.com or WhatsApp on +447557673716
Read my interview with Antonina here about who this programme is for and what it is set to achieve
Finally, do not take my word for it – read and listen what our clients said about the experience and how Boataffair made the magic happen for them
Here is a 5-minute podcast where I interview Antonina about her experience with Boataffair
Here are the reviews we got from our happy clients on TrustPilot and on Facebook
I truly believe in offering people quality and to make people happy. This is why we created Boataffair – to put smiles on people’s faces. So, do not just rent a boat – invest in an experience, create memories to last a lifetime! Send me an email today nwalker@boataffair.com
