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Ah, Mykonos. Clubbers\u2019 haven. Posers\u2019 paradise. Home of hedonism and hefty bar bills.<\/p>\n
This beautiful jewel in the Aegean sea has become synonymous with excess, taken over by a party crowd for summer, frequented by world famous DJs and a clientele \u2013 including the likes of Beyonce and Jay-Z, Kim and Kanye, Leo DiCaprio and Elon Musk \u2013 who cannot get enough of the sun, sea, sand and scene. <\/p>\n
With beach clubs, all-day parties and nightlife to rival Ibiza, no one goes to Mykonos on a health kick. <\/p>\n
Or do they? <\/p>\n
A new wave of traveller is flocking to the island and they have no intention of staying up past midnight \u2013 after all, they have a HIIT class at 6am. <\/p>\n
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Hugo Martini Mensch, who runs fitness retreats on the island with his company Helios Retreats, tells Metro.co.uk<\/strong> that while we were apparently too busy sipping cocktails on Paraga beach to notice, Mykonos has been busy repositioning itself as a wellness and fitness destination. <\/p>\n It\u2019s thanks in part, he says, to the younger generation who are, as he puts it, \u2018more into themselves\u2019. <\/p>\n \u2018This generation wants to look good and feel good,\u2019 he says. \u2018Since I\u2019ve created Helios, we\u2019ve seen the evolution. We no longer have to explain to the clients what a fitness retreat is \u2013 they already know.\u2019 <\/p>\n He puts the shift down in part to the pandemic, which inspired a whole generation of travellers to seek more out of their holidays. <\/p>\n Oink oink!\u00a0Metro.co.uk\u00a0have teamed up with\u00a0Paultons Park\u00a0to give five readers the chance to take their family on a fun-filled day out at the home of Peppa Pig World.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve got five sets of family tickets (worth \u00a3222!) up for grabs, each giving four guests day entry to one of the UK\u2019s highest rated family theme parks.<\/p>\n You have until midnight on Sunday 3 September 2023 to enter, so make sure you sign up soon!<\/p>\n In the meantime, don\u2019t forget to sign up for our brilliant travel newsletter The Getaway, for weekly holiday inspiration, reviews and offers. <\/p>\n Click here and fill in your details on the form to enter. Good luck!<\/p>\n GB, 18+. 21.08.23 \u2013 03.09.23. The prize is day ticket entry to Paultons Park for four guests (including at least one adult), on a pre-arranged date of your choice subject to availability and park opening times. Children under 1 metre in height enjoy free entry and do not require tickets. The prize does not include travel or any other expenses. There are 5 winners. Enter using the form here. 1 entry per person. See full\u00a0terms and conditions\u00a0for further details.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u2018After Covid, people are looking for more enhancement in a trip,\u2019 he says. \u2018They are not as keen on the whole idea of going on holiday and partying and coming back wrecked. <\/p>\n \u2018People are now looking for healing, not hedonism.\u2019<\/p>\n Holidays with purpose are de rigueur. \u2018It\u2019s not a novelty any more,\u2019 he says. <\/p>\n So how has Hugo ended up holding retreats on lively Mykonos rather than, say, a quieter, more affordable Greek island that might be just as beautiful? <\/p>\n \u2018The smaller islands in Greece are very nice but difficult to get to. The food is not catered quite so specifically. <\/p>\n \u2018Mykonos is a well-prepared island \u2013 it has everything you need. It has the infrastructure,\u2019 he says. <\/p>\n \u2018And as Mykonos is a high-end destination, you get the very high quality that people expect.\u2019<\/p>\n Hugo took his first retreat to Mykonos 7 years ago in 2016 when \u2018no one else was doing anything like this\u2019. <\/p>\n Always into fitness \u2013 he practised swimming, judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu growing up \u2013 he trained as a PT after moving to the UK in 2004, integrating his love of both fitness and travel.<\/p>\n He was scarred by the first ever retreat he tried to hold, in Ibiza in 2015, attended mostly by a group of his pals. \u2018I took a bunch of friends who didn\u2019t focus on the activities, they just wanted to go out,\u2019 he says. \u2018After that experience, I didn\u2019t like the whole idea of retreats in Ibiza.\u2019<\/p>\n A Greek client recommended the island of Mykonos \u2013 and noted that the parties were more daytime, more lighthearted than Ibiza. And in 2016, he concedes, Mykonos wasn\u2019t what it is now. <\/p>\n \u2018The hospitality in Greece is above and beyond \u2013 it\u2019s the birthplace of Xenia [welcoming strangers]\u2019, he says. <\/p>\n \u2018Seven years ago it was just me doing fitness on Mykonos,\u2019 says Hugo. \u2018Maybe because of the stigma attached to Mykonos as a party island, just like Ibiza used to be. <\/p>\n \u2018But now it has the best of both worlds.\u2019 <\/p>\n With Mykonos known for its fearsome bar bills, how does Hugo navigate the famously pricey island? <\/p>\n \u2018We don\u2019t go in peak season,\u2019 he says. In May, September, October, November, flights are not as expensive and places charge more reasonable prices. <\/p>\n \u2018If you go in July and August, prepare to spend a lot of money. Businesses have a limited window where they can make a lot of money. So, from the second week of June until end of August, don\u2019t go unless you\u2019re willing to pay higher prices.<\/p>\n Hugo explains too that it helps to know the island. \u2018We have VIP access to clubs. No queues, reserved seating. We have shared platters in restaurants, we know what to order, we are looked after.\u2019 <\/p>\n His client helped him find the perfect villa and set up the retreat. Greek hospitality has done the rest.<\/p>\n His retreat packages, which start at \u00a31,800 for the week \u2013 are all-inclusive, with boat trips, island tours and meals at Zuma and Scorpios \u2013 \u2018Mykonos\u2019s best restaurants\u2019 \u2013 built into the price. <\/p>\n \u2018Guests like to know what they are spending up front,\u2019 he says. <\/p>\n The 9-bedroom villa in Mykonos that hosts the retreats sleeps up to 18 if people share, but most guests take their own room. Most retreaters are female, though the mix varies by destination. More men take up Mykonos, though the balance is \u2018still around 60-40, maybe 70-30\u2019.<\/p>\n Helios Retreats welcome all-comers, but Hugo tells me the destination somewhat dictates the age range and demographic, with Mykonos and Crete attracting a younger crowd, in their 20s and 30s. Maldives and Tuscany attract a more refined group in their 40s and 50s. Moroccan retreat-goers are described as an \u2018adventurous group\u2019 who want to learn more about the culture \u2013 the Americans love it, apparently.<\/p>\n \u2018We like to have retreats that let people connect with the location,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CvMY9N1AiAS\/<\/p>\n As such, the fitness element of the holiday \u2013 morning yoga and HIIT classes, afternoon workouts \u2013 and convivial shared meals and free time at the villa are interspersed with excursions around the island, quad bike and boat tours and restaurant bookings at the best dining spots in town. Quad bikes, yacht trips, fancy dinners \u2013 all of a sudden this bootcamp has turned into a rather fabulous vacay, hasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n \u2018Our retreats are not bootcamps,\u2019 Hugo counters. It\u2019s not about \u2018all work and no play\u2019. <\/p>\n Does that extend to alcohol? \u2018People are on holiday, it\u2019s their break \u2013 if they want a glass of rose at sunset, they can have one,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n \u2018Alcohol is not offered with dinner in the villa, but the chefs can bring a glass if guests want, with no judgement.<\/p>\n \u2018Just remember you\u2019re exercising the next morning \u2013 but you can sweat it out. I don\u2019t mind,\u2019 he says. \u2018I\u2019d say, what\u2019s your goal? If it\u2019s to exercise and have a bit of fun, then have a glass of wine. <\/p>\n \u2018Look at Mykonos \u2013 it\u2019s about having adventures. If you\u2019re on a boat watching asunset, it\u2019s impossible not to have a glass of wine.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018That\u2019s what matters for an overall experience.\u2019<\/p>\n Hugo is keen to reiterate that Helios Retreats are not ascetic weight loss camps. The goal isn\u2019t for guests to starve themselves or necessarily to go away thinner. Instead, they are about a \u2018wholesome experience\u2019. <\/p>\n \u2018We are a happy retreat. Everyone eats until they are happy,\u2019 he says. <\/p>\n \u2018Food is shared, so if you\u2019re very strong-willed and want to avoid bread, you can,\u2019 he says. <\/p>\n \u2018If you know about food, you can choose salads and proteins. <\/p>\n \u2018The truth is, if you are doing all the classes and making good choices, you will likely lose weight. <\/p>\n \u2018We don\u2019t want people to go home and feel like they have been deprived,\u2019 he says. \u2018It\u2019s about eating healthy, trying different foods and exercising. <\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s a way of life that is more longterm \u2013 have carbs, have a glass of wine and watch the sunset. Enjoy the moment.\u2019<\/p>\n Despite his relaxed approach with guests, Hugo currently doesn\u2019t drink alcohol at and hasn\u2019t for the whole of 2023. He lives in Barnes [leafy suburb of west London that runs alongside the River Thames] with his wife and son Sebastian, two, where he says people are \u2018very into their fitness\u2019. \u2018It\u2019s very endurance-focused \u2013 people running, doing matharons and triathlons. <\/p>\n \u2018Training motivation drops a bit even with a glass of wine,\u2019 he says. \u2018I\u2019m really focused and don\u2019t think alcohol will help me at this time. I\u2019m 42 and have just had a 2-year-old!\u2019<\/p>\n Now Hugo holds 15 retreats a year and attends around 4 himself. His team \u2013 with a \u2018zest and enthusiasm for life\u2019 host the rest. <\/p>\n Helios Retreats now spans 7 countries, with retreats in Bahamas, Morocco, Maldives, Greece (Crete, Mykonos) Italy (Tuscany), France (Chamonix, a ski retreat) and Portugal.<\/p>\n For all of them, it\u2019s not just about fitness, it\u2019s about making connections and meeting people from all different countries. <\/p>\n \u2018You spend a week with new people on a retreat. Put that in perspective. The amount of time they spend with these strangers, it\u2019s longer than they spend with their friends,\u2019 says Hugo. <\/p>\n When they get the balance right, it\u2019s \u2018beautiful to watch\u2019, he says, reporting that some groups from years ago still talk in their Whatsapp groups to \u2018chat, have meet-ups and arrange reunions\u2019. <\/p>\n The trend for solo travel has helped \u2013 according to booking.com, solo travel has more than doubled since the pandemic and shows no sign of slowing down, while Google data shows search for solo travel up over 700% \u2013 and this is where Helios focus their trips. \u2018You get the most out of a trip if you come solo,\u2019 he says. \u2018We get some friends or siblings, or mum and daughter \u2013 but if I can focus on solos, I do.\u2019 <\/p>\n \u2018Since Covid, people are feeling lonelier than ever. Retreats help bridge that,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n \u2018In our 20s, we went to Ibiza and came back feeling like we needed another holiday.<\/p>\n \u2018Now we go on holiday and want to be healed.\u2019 <\/p>\n And it turns out that against all odds, Mykonos is the place to do it. <\/p>\n Hugo\u2019s n<\/em><\/strong>ext 2023 Mykonos retreats will be held in 15-20 September and 21 \u2013 26 September. From \u00a31,800pp (sharing). Visit Helios Retreats for more information and details of other forthcoming retreats.<\/em><\/p>\n Day 1<\/strong><\/p>\n 5pm Welcome drinks and introductions with the Helios team. <\/strong> 7 pm Chef\u2019s Greek BBQ<\/strong> Day 2<\/strong><\/p>\n 8 am Workout with Vitor<\/p>\n 9 am Yoga with Juliet<\/p>\n 10 am Brunch<\/p>\n 11-4 pm Free Time<\/p>\n 4 pm Strength session with Charlie<\/p>\n 7.30 pm Dinner at Zuma<\/p>\n Join us for a fabulous dinner at Zuma Mykonos. The chef has prepared a special three-course meal for our group, so get ready for a tasty evening.<\/p>\n Day 3<\/strong><\/p>\n 8 am Workout with Vitor<\/p>\n 9 am Yoga<\/p>\n 10 am Brunch<\/p>\n 11 am Sailing Catamaran day out \u2013 Discover the nearby island of Delos on an amazing day out with the team. Lunch and drinks on the boat are included.<\/p>\n 7 pm Dinner in the Villa \u2013 Chef\u2019s BBQ<\/p>\n Another scrumptious Greek feast prepared by our chef.<\/p>\n<\/i>WIN a set of four tickets to Paultons Park, the home of Peppa Pig World<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/i>MYKONOS SAMPLE ITINERARY <\/h2>\n
A team member will show you around Villa Joy, your home for the week, and introduce you to the other guests. Time to mingle and make some new friends.<\/p>\n
Our chef will whip up a tasty Greek feast to welcome you to Mykonos. Expect a variety of grilled meats and veg, alongside fresh Greek salads and other traditional treats. Vegetarian\/vegan options available.<\/p>\n