Yoga Journey to Crete

You will book your international ticket into and out of Crete - Heraklion International Airport (airport code: HER).

Crete is not only one of the most beautiful of the Greek islands but has one of the richest cultures as well. From the beautiful pink sand beaches of the north, to the central mountain villages and cove carved cliffs of the south, Crete offers awe inspiring landscapes to its occupants and visitors. Equally unique as it's landscape is it's local flavor found in the cuisine. Many restaurants produce their own olive oil, wine and cheese, everything with a flare of the regions unique herbs and spices. Gorgeous, charming and distinctive, Crete will be sure to delight your senses. 

American citizen visitors to Greece do not need a visa if they are traveling as a tourist with a valid U.S. passport. You will be issued a tourist card upon entry which is valid for up to 90 days.

 Note: Your passport must be valid 6 months beyond your date of arrival (September 21st). 

Daios Cove resort is located on the Northeast side of the island near the sight seeing center of Aghios Nikolaos & Elounda Village. It is a luxury resort nestled into a gorgeous cove complete with an ocean view infinity pool and exclusive sand beach access. Enjoy a meal or a refreshing beverage at one of the resorts three restaurants or bars. Do your daily practice overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean Sea. Between classes and exploring the beautiful island you will have time to relax in your luxurious ocean front room. This open style room includes a spacious bedroom, living room and marble bathroom, a wonderful place to rest, take a bath or get a well-rested night sleep. Each room boasts beautiful views complete with a private balcony where you might enjoy meditating, watching a sunset or reading. 

Attendance varies from trip to trip, but 15-25 attendees is a general average.

Tea, coffee and fruit will be provided before practice each morning. Breakfast and dinner are included in the price of the trip and will be served at the Pangea Buffet restaurant, the main restaurant at Daios Cove. Lunch is not included in the price of the trip and will be available for purchase at the Beach Bar, Beach Kiosk  and Taverna restaurant.  There are a number of restaurants to choose from at Daios Cove.

Pangea restaurant- An international buffet-style food bazaar, offering a tasty array of spectacular delicacies from all over the world — and special theme nights, too.

Taverna - Serving traditional Greek cuisine overlooking the cove which has a special ambience, particularly at night. Taverna serves superb local specialties with a fine selection of Greek and international wines. Fish is a must-taste dish here with a fresh catch arriving every day by kaiki boat, destined for your plate.

Beach Bar- Super-convenient for beach-lovers, the Beach Bar offers a choice of drinks and snacks down on the sand. You can enjoy refreshments while sitting at the bar — or orders will be taken from (and brought direct to) your lounge chair.

Ocean Restaurant-serving sophisticated and contemporary cuisine. Overlooking the infinity pool and the cove, the Ocean Restaurant is a picturesque setting for à la carte dinner, with a menu which offers Mediterranean cuisine with a fine dining twist.

We love solo-travleers and we have hundreds join us every year on retreat! If you prefer to share your room and are traveling alone, we will do our best to match you with another traveler of the same gender. If we are not able to find you a roommate, a 50% of the single supplement cost will be applied to your final invoice.

Gratuities are not included in the price of your trip. Service charge is included in all restaurants-bars etc. however if you receive exceptional service by staff, housekeeping or other employees helping you throughout the week then an additional tip is always appreciated. We suggest a budget of around $5-$10/day per guest.

All retreats include a $500 non-refundable deposit, which is required to hold your spot on the trip. If you cancel prior to the final balance due date we will refund your payment minus the non-refundable deposit. All payments are non-refundable after the final balance due date. International Yoga must strictly adhere to its cancellation policy to offset costs incurred prior to the commencement of retreat. Click here to view the Terms and Conditions to which you agree upon registration. Travel Insurance which covers 'Cancel For Any Reason, which must be purchased in a timely manner after registering, is strongly recommended. 

Additional Flexibility in the time of Covid-19:  Your deposit can be transferred to another trip or kept on file to be applied at a later date anytime before the final balance is collected. We will be collecting final balances later to allow more time for you to make a final decision about participation. If the retreat is prevented from running due to government travel restrictions to our destination country we will postpone the retreat and transfer your reservation and all payments towards the new date.

Yes. As all payments to International Yoga are non-refundable, the purchase of travel insurance is strongly recommended to ensure you are covered should any unexpected event arise. A personal, political, environmental, health or weather-related incident or pre-existing medical condition may prevent or interrupt your travels.  Should you elect to not purchase travel insurance, note that you will be assuming 100% of any costs incurred for trip cancellation or trip interruption. 

There are a broad variety of policies and providers for you to choose from. Be sure to understand the fine print of the policy you select to ensure you know exactly what is and isn't covered, especially if you are concerned you may need to cancel for COVID-19 / pandemic-related reasons which most carriers would cover only under a "Cancel for Any Reason" tier of coverage. IMPORTANT: in order to guarantee maximum coverage, most travel insurance providers require that you obtain a policy within 5-10 days of placing your initial deposit. Although International Yoga cannot advise on specific policies or providers, you may find this guide helpful.

As per the CDC Covid-19 travel guidelines, all travelers should be fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to the start date of the retreat.  Proof of vaccination can be shown up arrival in Greece and in this case no PCR test is required for entry. 

Accepted vaccines are: Pfizer BioNtech, Moderna, Astra Zeneca/Oxford, Novavax, Johnson + Johnson/Janssen, Sinovac Biotech, Gamaleya (Sputnik), Cansino Biologics, Sinopharm among others.

Currently, all air passengers traveling back to the US, regardless of vaccination or antibody status, are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result prior to boarding the flight back to the US. IY will coordinate on behalf of the group where, when and how this test will be obtained. The current cost of this is 60 Euros.

IMPORTANT: These details remain in flux and we will share the most up-to-date government travel requirements approximately two weeks prior to your departure.

Vaccines are required for participation on all IY retreats. We will also be following all of the necessary CDC-recommended CV-19 protocols for Greece including enhanced cleaning procedures in all hotel and yoga spaces, social distancing and masking in public places, etc. To read more about Daios' extremely extensive CV-19 safety protocols please read HERE and you can review their FAQ for safe travel HERE.  If you have any questions on this please don't hesitate to reach out.