A Love Letter to Greece

Dear Greece,

Thank you.

Thank you for giving me a place that has always felt like home, long before I ever lived here.

My love affair with you started as a child.

You were family holidays that seemed to last forever. The smell of warm pine trees, salt on my skin, sleepy afternoons by the sea and evenings where nobody seemed to be in a hurry. You taught me, without me even knowing it, that life could be slower.

While everyone else remembers souvenirs, I remember feelings.

I remember feeling free.

I remember feeling safe.

I remember feeling like I belonged.

Life took me in a different direction after that.

I joined the British Army and spent seven years serving. They were years that shaped me in ways I’ll always be grateful for. They taught me resilience, discipline, courage and determination.

But they also taught me just how loud life can become.

The constant structure.

The responsibility.

The expectation to always keep moving forward.

When I left the Army, I wasn’t searching for another adventure.

I was searching for calm.

And somehow, I already knew where I needed to go.

Back to you.

Moving to Kos in 2018 wasn’t a spontaneous decision.

It felt like coming home.

You welcomed me with open arms.

Not through grand gestures, but through thousands of tiny moments that slowly changed my life.

The morning walks by the sea.

The sound of church bells drifting across the village.

The kindness of strangers who quickly became friends.

The conversations that lasted hours because nobody was watching the clock.

The smell of jasmine in the evening.

The endless blue that somehow makes every worry feel smaller.

You reminded me that life isn’t measured by how busy we are.

It’s measured by how present we are.

You taught me that healing doesn’t always happen in therapy rooms or through life-changing conversations.

Sometimes healing looks like sitting quietly by the sea with a coffee.

Sometimes it’s floating in crystal-clear water.

Sometimes it’s eating food that was picked that morning from somebody’s garden.

Sometimes it’s watching the sunset and realising you haven’t looked at your phone for hours.

You gave me permission to slow down.

To breathe.

To notice.

To live.

You helped me rediscover parts of myself that had been buried beneath years of responsibility, expectations and constantly thinking about what came next.

For that, I will always be grateful.

Of course, Greece isn’t perfect.

No place is.

But perfection has never been what made me love you.

It’s your people.

Your warmth.

Your generosity.

Your sense of community.

Your ability to remind us that the simplest things are often the most important.

You have shown me that wellness isn’t something we buy.

It’s something we create.

One walk.

One meal.

One swim.

One conversation.

One quiet sunset at a time.

And perhaps that’s why I created Retreats in Greece.

Not because I wanted another business.

But because I wanted to share you.

I wanted other people to discover the villages that never make the guidebooks.

The retreat hosts who pour their hearts into creating transformative experiences.

The islands where silence still exists.

The mountain paths that invite reflection.

The beaches that remind us how small our worries really are.

I wanted people to experience the Greece that changed my life.

Because while a retreat may only last a week, the feeling it gives you can stay with you for years.

I know it did for me.

Every retreat listed on Retreats in Greece represents more than a holiday.

It’s an opportunity to pause.

To reconnect.

To remember who you are beneath the noise of everyday life.

If you’re reading this because you’ve been dreaming about taking time for yourself, perhaps this is your invitation.

Not just to visit Greece.

But to experience her.

To let her work her quiet magic in the same gentle way she worked on me.

Maybe you’ll return home feeling lighter.

Maybe you’ll find clarity.

Maybe you’ll simply sleep better than you have in months.

Or maybe, like me all those years ago, you’ll discover that sometimes the place you’ve been searching for has been quietly waiting for you all along.

So thank you, Greece.

For the childhood memories.

For the courage to start again.

For the calm I didn’t know I needed.

For the life I’ve built here.

And for inspiring me every single day to help others discover the same feeling.

With endless gratitude,

Gilly

Founder, Retreats in Greece

Editor’s Note

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading my letter.

You may have noticed that this isn’t our usual blog. Most weeks, we write about the incredible wellness retreats, yoga holidays and transformative experiences available across Greece. This week, I wanted to share the reason why Retreats in Greece exists in the first place.

This website was born from gratitude.

Gratitude for a country that has shaped my life in more ways than I could ever have imagined.

When I first moved to Kos after leaving the British Army, I was searching for a slower, calmer way of living. What I found was so much more. I found a community, a connection with nature, a healthier pace of life and a renewed appreciation for the simple things that often matter most.

That experience inspired me to create Retreats in Greece—not simply as a directory of retreats, but as a place where people could discover the authentic Greece that has given so much to me.

Today, we’re proud to showcase carefully selected wellness retreats in Greece, from peaceful yoga retreats on the islands to hiking adventures in the mountains, Pilates retreats by the sea, creative retreats, meditation experiences and holistic wellbeing escapes across the mainland and islands.

Every retreat on our website has one thing in common: it offers the opportunity to pause. To step away from everyday life, reconnect with yourself and experience the warmth, beauty and generosity that make Greece such a special place.

Whether you’re searching for a wellness retreat in Greece, a yoga retreat overlooking the Aegean, a Pilates retreat on a Greek island, or simply a chance to slow down and breathe again, I hope you’ll find something that speaks to you.

Because my greatest wish is that, even if only for a week, you experience the same feeling that made me fall in love with this country all those years ago.

With gratitude,

Gilly Gwilliams
Founder, Retreats in Greece

Begin Your Own Greek Story

If Greece has been quietly calling your name, we’d love to help you find the retreat that’s right for you.

Explore our handpicked collection of wellness retreats across the Greek islands and mainland, meet passionate local retreat hosts, and discover why so many guests return home with far more than memories.

Sometimes, one week is all it takes to change your perspective.