A New Year, a new you with Skyros
Skyros, ‘the most talked about holistic holiday destination in Europe’, has just announced its 2010 programme. It unfolds in Greece, Cuba, Thailand, Cambodia and the Isle of Wight.
The programme is facilitated by a staff of eighty that includes many of the very best in their fields, from writers to psychotherapists and from artists to yoga teachers. Comedian, writer and broadcaster Arthur Smith is just one of them this year.
The numerous courses Skyros offers include life coaching, creative writing, art, music, singing, dance, T’ai Chi, yoga, sailing, windsurfing and much more. Participants can either sample many of them in Atsitsa Bay or alternatively, focus on one course such as writing or life coaching at the Skyros Centre in Skyros village and go into it in depth.
Whatever their choice, all people are all given the chance to navigate beyond old boundaries, explore new possibilities, try new things and acquire new skills. In a world far removed from daily routines, they can also take the opportunity to reassess their life, redefine their needs and re-set their priorities. It was in Skyros that Jimmy Carr, the comedian, decided to leave Shell and give it a go as a performer.
Sung about by Homer and full of ancient memories, Skyros island, Greece, is an enchanted place. Unspoilt, it’s blessed, like Thailand’s Koh Chang, with sun-drenched beaches, crystal-clear waters, protected forests and the heritage of the ancient land. Havana, Cuba, is the romantic’s dream and Cambodia an adventure into a world of mystery. Close to London, The Grange in the Isle of Wight is part of the charming old village of Shanklin and only moments from its long, sandy beach.
Established in 1979 by Dr Yannis Andricopoulos, a Greek author and journalist, and Dr Dina Glouberman, an American psychotherapist and writer, Skyros pioneered the concept of educational holidays and the holistic approach to life within a community context.
Skyros has been hailed by the media as the very first and still the best alternative holiday. Its courses in creative writing offer for others ‘the world’s best writing holiday’. Its Cambodia venture is viewed as ‘one of the top five adventure retreats’. Its Thailand holidays are commented for their ‘exquisite’ facilities. And its outpost in the Isle of Wight has been described as ‘a stylish wellbeing retreat that won’t break the bank’.
Yet Skyros is more than all this. It’s ‘the sheer, crazy, overwhelming joy of letting go and feeling alive’. It’s is simplicity, the trust it generates, ‘the bonds made that will last you a lifetime’, the ‘fun you probably haven’t had since you were a kid’. Skyros, one wrote, is ‘a magical, healing place that brings out the best in people’. It’s ‘magically successful thanks to its unique alchemy of people, settings and ideals’, noted another.
To find out more visit skyros.com.
