SPETSES 04 – 18 June 2023
We return to the gorgeous Greek island of Spetses in summer 2023. This will be our seventh consecutive year, with the obvious exceptions of 2020 and 2021.
With singing workshops in the morning, sunbathing and exploring in the afternoon, and lots of lovely meals in the evening, this is a truly idyllic holiday.
WEEK 1: 04– 11June 2023 (Sunday to Sunday)
WEEK 2: 11 - 18 June 2023 (Sunday to Sunday)
BOTH WEEKS: 04 - 18 June 2023 (Sunday to Sunday)
A PICTURE OF THE TRIP
- Each week will be capped at approximately 30 people. Should bookings become popular, availability will be limited.
- This holiday is very different from our weekend trips. It offers plenty of relaxation time, lots of singing, friendly locals, optional excursions and events, great food and culture and even opportunities for a boogie.
- You may choose to combine a pre- or post-Spetses stay with a day or more in Athens. This has proved very popular in the past and also helps to eliminate the early start on the outbound journey.
If you travel on 04 or 11 June (with no Athens stay) - a very early morning departure from the UK is required in order to be in Athens by 1pm on the day of our departure to Spetses. The journey from Athens to Spetses is a combination of coach and then short boat trip. We’ll also include a comfort stop somewhere along the way.
It is vice versa for the return journey.
The coach travels from Athens to Kosta (a port town at the bottom of the Peloponnese), from where we take a boat for the short crossing to Spetses.
The two Athenian departure points are:
Athens city - departing at around 1pm
Or
Athens airport - departing around 2pm
The group will travel by coach to Kosta where we’ll then board a private boat for the 15-minute ride to Spetses. We’ll also include a stop to break the journey somewhere along the way. The group normally arrives on Spetses in the early evening. Thereafter, you can check in to your accommodation, freshen up and simply relax, or as many of the group do, go out for dinner.
ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
1: Villa
We have exclusive use of a traditional Spetses villa with a large outdoor space, including garden and swimming pool. Its large olive tree is perfect for relaxing shade.
Note: a maximum of 3 sole occupancy rooms (at the sole occupancy package rate) are normally available here each week.
2: Hotel
A boutique hotel option. Two minutes’ walk from the villa with charm, a pretty shaded courtyard and family-run hospitality. This does not have a pool. You would have full daily use and are welcome to enjoy all of the villa’s facilities.
PACKAGE COST
In summary this includes: accommodation with breakfast, transfers, short ferry and Greek government taxes.
Full inclusion/non-inclusion details are stated further below:
1 week (7 nights) 2 weeks (14 nights)
Sunday 04 - 11 June’23 Sunday 04 – 18 June’23
OR Sunday 11 - 18 June’23
SOLE OCCUPANCY
£949 for: villa room £1641 for: villa room
£862 for: villa with no terrace room £1447 for: villa with no terrace room
£885 for: hotel room £1508 for: hotel room
TWIN/DOUBLE
£687 per person for: villa or hotel £1097 per person for: villa or hotel
TRIPLE (limited)
£608 per person for: villa (only 1 room) £939 per person for: villa (only 1 room)
QUADRUPLE There is one two-bedroom apartment at the hotel at our disposal. This can accommodate 2-4 people. Please enquire if this is of interest to you.
Your balance/full payment will be required by: 19 March 2023 (04-11 June or two-week bookings) or 26 March 2023 (11-18 June bookings).
Greek government tax for Spetses is now included by our accommodation hosts in the above costs. This was previously a small extra cost.
Cost includes:
· 7 or 14 nights’ accommodation on the island of Spetses on a bed & breakfast basis. You have the choice of two Spetses accommodations below (see below and subject to availability), which we have used in all of our previous years. Both properties are walking distance to the beach and the charming old harbour with its restaurants and bars in a relaxed setting. The main resort centre is a pleasant 15-minute walk away and where you’ll find many shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. Each year we discover somewhere new.
· Private coach travel from either Athens airport or city (pick-up from our 3-star Athens hotel) to Kosta (Peloponnese) and vice versa. These journeys will include a comfort stop somewhere in each direction.
· Short ferry crossings (15 minutes each way) from Kosta to Spetses and back to Kosta, along with transfers to/from your Spetses accommodation, if required.
· Singing and teaching time on the holiday includes: up to 90 minutes' group rehearsal each day (subject to change) learning new songs which have been prepared for this holiday. The second week may have some new repertoire. At the end of each week there will be a performance (either formal or informal) to the public on the island.
Package cost does NOT include:
· Flights to/from Athens
· Extra nights in Athens
· Travel insurance (recommended and - if possible – please check for Covid cover)
· Lunch, dinner, other meals and drinks
· Additional organised tours/events
A SNAPSHOT OF OUR HOLIDAY
Our accommodation is within easy walking distance of a beach and the charming old harbour with its variety of restaurants and bars. The main resort centre is a pleasant walk away, where you will find many shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. Each year we discover something new.
If you're a fan of The Magus, Spetses is the island where John Fowles lived and wrote the book. He based the island of Phraxos on Spetses. You can see the Magus house - we've actually been right up close to it.
As enjoyed in previous years, there will be the possibility of organised tours/activities on the island such as:
- Chartering a private boat to travel around the island for the day where we stop for a swim in a quiet, sheltered spot, followed by the option of a group restaurant lunch (overlooking a lovely bay). This is a very popular day trip and allows us to see the whole island at a leisurely pace.
- Cycle or motorbike hire is a great way to take in the beautiful coast and island. You can cycle around the whole island in a matter of hours.
- Villa party – this party combined with local food catering happens one day of each week (no swimming or pool activities permitted during this event). This includes an open mic and a good boogie.
- Yoga and therapy treatments are generally available with a local professional whom we’ve used for all of our years on Spetses. She offers yoga at the villa exclusively to our group, as well as private treatments such as: massage, Reiki, meditative reflexology, breath and sound healing and more.
- Gym & spa. A local and very grand hotel offers a gym and spa for anyone looking to work-out or be pampered.
This holiday is open to friends and family and there's no need to be an active member of London City Voices to join us.* We have had several non-LCV members attend, and immerse themselves in the friendly environment and idyllic location and really enjoy it.
Please note: this holiday is not suitable for children - there are no crèche facilities and the activities are very much based around adults.
Alternative form of travel to/from Spetses – by sea
You have the private option of travelling to/from Spetses by sea.
Anyone who wishes to travel by sea can take the ferry from Athens’ Piraeus port (30 minutes outside the city) to Spetses.
This would mean travelling independently from the group and maybe on your own.
The sea crossing takes around 3 hours each way and an extra cost would apply as this method of transport is not with the group and therefore involves extra private transfers to/from Piraeus from either airport or city, plus a ferry ticket.
Piraeus is around 40 minutes to 1 hour from Athens city or airport.
All being well - and depending on your Athens airport arrival time on the Sunday of each week – it is possible to arrive on Spetses at a similar time to the coach group.
Summer ferry schedules and reservations are generally released around March and so extra costs for this option may be calculated around this time.
Please let us know if this is of interest.
CANCELLATION CHARGES
Recommendation: please take out appropriate travel insurance to cover you in case of personal cancellation and check for COVID cover, if possible.
Days prior to departure date Cancellation charge per person
Up to 71 days £100 deposit
70 – 51 days 25% of your total cost
50 – 16 days 50% of your total cost
15 – 0 days 100% of your total cost
FLIGHTS
Currently, there are several airlines who operate direct flights to/from London to Athens.
A new airline for 2023 is Jet2 to/from Stansted.
Outbound on: 04 or 11 June 2023
IMPORTANT: Your flight arrival into Athens on 04 or 11 June must be no later than 1300 as the coach is due to depart the airport at 1400.
We normally have an earlier pick-up from Athens city (from a fixed city pick-up point), should you be staying in Athens beforehand.
Currently, there are three airlines offering flights to arrive before 1300 on both 04 and 11 June 2023 (an EasyJet service from Gatwick may also be released in the future):
1) https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_gb/ (Heathrow)
3) https://www.jet2.com/ (Stansted)
Returning on: 11 or 18 June 2023
Please book an evening flight – after 1900 on 11 or 18 June as there will only be one coach journey back to Athens.
These airlines offer a departure from Athens to London after 1900 on 11 and 18 June (an evening EasyJet service to Gatwick may also be released in the future):
1) https://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_gb/ (Heathrow)
2) https://en.aegeanair.com/?gclid=CLDwr9SV0M4CFdS4GwodKwQMDg (Heathrow)
Do NOT book the following flights (unless you’re extending your time in Greece):
· Aegean Airlines for: London to Athens on 04 or 11 June’23 as their flights do not arrive before 1300.
· Ryanair: Unless you are extending your time in Athens (or Greece) - Ryanair flights should not be used as they do not arrive or depart at the essential recommended times.
ATHENS STAYS (pre- or post-Spetses)
You may like to experience a night or two in this interesting, historically-rich city, and if you do we have a group booking at a centrally located 3-star hotel, which we’ve successfully used since our first trip.
It’s in the centre of Athens, just a few minutes’ walk from Monastiraki Square (a hive of activity), with Plaka and Syntagma Square a little further on foot. All the major sights are walking distance away.
The hotel has an amazing rooftop terrace with a 360-degree view of the city, and the sight of the Acropolis at night is especially stunning.
If you prefer a higher star rating, or would simply like something different, we can help and book this for you.
An overnight stay in Athens also helps avoid the otherwise very early departure required on each week of the trip.
Our 3-star hotel rates are as follows (includes breakfast):
Sole occupancy £91 per night
Twin / double £52 per person, per night
Greek government tax for Athens to be paid on arrival:
· Athens: 1.50 euro per room, per night applies and is to be paid to the hotel.
BOOKING
To make a booking for Greece 2023 we require a non-refundable £100 deposit per person.
We recommend you book your place as soon as possible as we expect this holiday to prove as popular as ever.
Please note the cancellation charges listed above in the event you need to cancel.
Extension of holiday after confirmation: if you decide to extend the singing holiday dates, especially once you’re out in Greece, we ask you to book and pay for any change or extension via LCV Travel and not to make any arrangements individually with our accommodation provider. This is an activity-based holiday and costs must be factored in accordingly.
If you are interested or have any questions, please contact John Joannou (not Richard) on:
Tel: 07763 120452 or
Email: johnjoannou@live.co.uk.
* We reserve the right to refuse your booking if we think it in the best interests of our business and/or our clients.