Mountain trekking, mushroom hunting, yoga, horseback riding, mountain bike, cooking classes, soap making classes, olive harvesting, and the list goes on! Quite a few visitors of the Greek countryside do not choose a guesthouse only for the sleeping systems and the rich traditional breakfast (not that they are not asked for), but also for the activities they can do with their company or their family so as to come into an actual contact with nature and get to know the place that hosts them in depth. Therefore, from large resorts to small guesthouses all over Greece, an increasing number of small and larger hotel units listen to the new travel need and enrich the list of experiences, giving flesh and bone to a velvet “agricultural revolution.” Making a fresh start as “Abeliona Retreat”, Aldemar’s classic hotel in Ambelionas, Messinia, offers special experiences, such as the opportunity to explore the secrets of the Temple of Epicurean Apollo, and then walk along a network of marked trails among chestnut forests, scents of rare herbs and babbling creeks.
Yoga, meditation, and alternative therapy classes, as well as activities, such as mountain biking, rafting and river trekking, are included in the activities proposed by the hotel – as long as the weather and the mood of the guests allow. In neighboring Lakonia, the Organic Farm and Guesthouse Evmeleia, one of the pioneers in the field of experiences of this kind, organizes cooking and bread making courses, soap making courses, wine, olive and olive oil tasting, and suggests to its guests to feed the farm animals, pick vegetables from the kitchen garden to eat with their meal, and become farmers for a whole day. Massages, yoga, walks and bicycle rides are also included in the experience package offered by “Evmeleia.” In the beautiful village of Neohori in Mt. Pelion, the “Archontiko Mytilineos Skretaion” offers its guests the opportunity to become familiar with horses, go on a horseback ride, hike along the mountain trails, go mountain biking and also enjoy Lomilomi Hawaiian massage. Last but not least, there are plenty of options for younger guests too. In the atmospheric spaces of the Katogi Averoff, the iconic winery of Metsovo, the educational program “A Journey through Wine” was launched recently, using a variety of audiovisual media and appropriate interventions in the cellars and production areas.
