Independent Lodging Choice: While it is difficult to enjoy the program’s full benefit if staying offsite & separated from other participants, certain circumstances might make such a choice necessary. If you plan to opt out of program lodging and secure your lodging independently, please change the answer below:
(In case of Independent Lodging Choice, I understand it will be my sole responsibility to provide not only this lodging, but to secure transportation from my lodging site to and from any and all program activity sites.)
1) Availability:
• Cretan Destination Retreats (herein referred to as “CDR/we/us/our”) offers program placement & room selections on a 1st-come, 1st-serve basis.
• Program placement is secured only after participant has:
-Confirmed understanding of the Program Details, these Terms & Conditions; and the Travel & Program FAQs below.
-Submitted an accurate Program Registration Form.
-Transferred a deposit of 50% of program charges.
2) Costs Include:: (*Indicates program instructional items typically excluded for “Non-Participating Guests”, unless @ extra charge.)
• Ground transport from/to local airport (CHQ Xania unless otherwise specified) during recommended arrival/departure periods. (Recommended periods are typically late morning to late afternoon for arrival & early morning to early afternoon for departures, but may be adjusted to benefit the participation group.)
• Full lodging for the length of the program, including all meals during all planned activities and planned program-days.
• All beverages, including house wines & beers at all planned dinners and planned social activities.
• *Instruction, facilitation, guidance and support for specific program-focused activities.
• All planned extra-program activities, including tour-guidance, transportation, excursion fees, and/or gratuities.
3) Costs Exclude:
• Travel to CDR’s start/pickup location (CHQ Xania airport unless specified) and from the (usually same) end/departure location.
• Meals and other miscellaneous expenses during participant’s independent excursions.
4) Payments: Payments can be made in up to three installments but must meet the following parameters:
• Received in CDR’s designated currency, arriving exclusive of all bank fees equal to amount due.
• First payment at minimum 50%, received no later than 7 days from registering for program.
• Optional second payment at minimum 25%, received no later than 90 days before scheduled arrivals.
• Optional third or final payment at minimum of 25%, received no later than 60 days prior to scheduled arrivals.
Note: All payments are non-refundable unless cancellations result as described in section 5e, 5f & 5g below.
5) Waivers, Cancellations & Refunds:
• Each program’s confirmation or cancellation will be announced no later than the date designated in each program’s description. Until that announcement, participant should not book flights or incur any travel or indirect costs related to the program.
• We cannot be liable for cancellations or changes caused by the usual crazy, world-changing, force majeure events beyond our control, e.g., wars, threats of war, civil strife, industrial disputes, terrorist action, natural or nuclear disasters, fires, pandemics, major weather events, or Tom Brady losing a Superbowl.
• We cannot be liable for a participant’s individual circumstances such as his/her flight cancellations, or health problems. This waiver includes participant program fees and indirect expenses such travel costs, etc.
• Absent legal negligence, neither we nor our employees are liable for injuries or loss caused directly or indirectly by participation.
• We are responsible for cancellations initiated by us for reasons other than those cited above, including cancellation due to a program’s failure to meet minimum participation. In those cases, received payments will be refunded within two weeks of cancellation & constitute a full settlement.
• If, at the sole determination of lead facilitator and/or CDR, participant cannot complete program due to health or poor fitness/capacity, refunds will be made for the proportion of program missed, with no further liability, including for indirect costs such as travel, etc.
• Covid Cancellations: We will refund all payments to participants unable to attend due to Covid-19 related force majeures. (Note, force majeures include prohibitions like border & travel restrictions, not inconveniences like rescheduled flights, etc.)
6) Miscellaneous Understandings:
• Program Changes: At the sole discretion of program coordinators, the program details may change in good faith when necessitated by circumstances and/or safety.
• Participant understands the need to procure special travel insurance covering his/her health and any cancellations during his/her trip and will either procure such insurance or accept all responsibilities resulting from his/her failure to procure it.
• Participant will bring appropriate supply of medications needed for his/her health, including emergency-event (allergic reactions, etc.) medications ; and will inform program staff prior to arrival of potential health events and best-practice mitigations.
• To facilitate communication, participant agrees to secure a working mobile phone & number during entire program, including travel periods to and from program, and to supply program coordinators with this phone number prior to arrival.
• Participant privacy is important, and any photos taken during program will be used by Cretan Destination Retreats, (and/or its lodging platform Villa Koukouvayia Farms) only for program or facility marketing purposes, and will neither be shared nor permission be given to be shared beyond such use.
• Once confirmed, your selected room-type is guaranteed, but we may change your specific room within that type (and/or upgrade you to a higher type 😊) to best match program attendance.
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Travel & Program FAQs
• Covid Protocols: Covid expectations evolve and should be reviewed and understood prior to travel. In most cases, vaccination proof will be the limit
of requirements, but may apply to travel, and entries on the ground. Check & make sure with any country through which you will travel.
• Visas: Although most passports allow free 90-day tourist visas that will cover your program stay, you should specifically ensure that this applies to your country of origin. And check your passport’s expiration, too!
• Money & Currency: Greek currency is in Euros. ATMs provide Euro withdrawals from your bank with smaller fees than airport or tourist exchange desks. ATMs are at all airports, and once here, all towns. Almost all stores and even street vendors allow POS electronic payments.
• Mobile Service: Greece has two main carriers, Cosmote & Vodafone. Both will usually let your current SIM roam & make calls. For in-Greece calls, SIMs are available at Athens airport or (cheaper) once you’re settled in. Whatever you do, avoid SIMs from dubious sellers like kiosks, street vendors, or taxi drivers.
• Rental Car: CDR Programs provide program-related (and many “extra”) transportation needs. Because of the expense, if you want the freedom of having your own car, we suggest you split costs with others. Also, some companies insist on an international license. This is easy to get in most places (in USA, you just show a regular license at an AAA office) but check before you rent.
• Weather & Clothing: Generally speaking, your specific program and its calendar location will suggest types of clothes to bring and weather to expect.
But regardless of seasonal expectations, programs might take advantage of opportunities to visit a cooler (and perhaps wetter) altitude or to enjoy a moment—even in January—where a spectacular day calls heartier souls to take a plunge in the sea. And so, while it's rarely cold or rainy during summer months, you should bring at least a windbreaker to prepare for the odd day or excursion that falls outside the normal. Likewise, while November thru Feb can be chilly with truly wet days, those periods often alternate with clear, warm skies that call for simple shorts, tee-shirts & even a bathing suit. And for all months, you should be prepared to meet the Mediterranean sun, a gorgeous seductive siren on calendar photos, but a bit harsher in person.
• Greek/Cretan Cuisine & Dietary Preferences: Because of Crete’s unique cuisine, we asked you to distinguish between medically necessary dietary restrictions (e.g., a peanut allergy that will kill you) vs. a dietary preference (e.g., you, like Heidi, just read The Soul of an Octopus and your heart breaks to think of these amazing, sentient creatures swung against walls by old, black-aproned village widows and then hung on clotheslines prior to grilling.) Cretan food is healthy, almost always locally sourced, and rich in vegetable dishes. However, excepting the most expensive and chic restaurants far from our neighborhood, they’ve not cared to master the political nature of menus. In other words, if you’re a vegetarian, you’ll find many nutritious dishes to please your palette. If you’re a vegan, however, or a vegetarian expecting restaurants to use separate utensils for meat vs. vegetable dishes, that will be harder to find. We’ll almost always succeed in finding you a wonderful meal, but be prepared for a few political imperfections.
• Dining Out in Crete/Greece: The program includes all meals (with the only exception being any “free” day that allows you and perhaps friends to explore and therefore dine independently), so this issue is likely moot but worth mentioning: There is a familial and generous nature to Crete’s restaurants and tavernas that most people love because it results in food that is cheap, plentiful, and truly “home”-made. But this quality also results in food served ‘family style” with table rather than individuals ordering; and it means the splitting of bills will flummox most taverna servers—often compounded by 2nd Language barriers. We’ve noticed this throws off mostly our American friends, who share the cultural expectation of having their “own” proprietary dish, and are not used to collective ordering, eating or paying. In our experience, however, the art and human symphony of sharing a meal with others is much richer than merely eating a meal at the same time as someone else. It’s a wonderful exercise in community & reward: Everyone checks with others; nobody orders a dish only he/she wants or can afford; and when/if a person wants something truly pricey, he/she simply throws in more at the end. It’s one of many examples where Greek chaos reveals an organic logic.
• Health Limitations: A level of mobility is required for many of our programs. If you let us know of limitations early, we’ll have the best chance of working around them or warning you of a poor fit.
• Health Care Options: All participants should secure travel insurance not only covering cancellations but ensuring you have local health coverage, including transport and repatriation for serious illness or accident. For immediate care an emergency clinic is 5 minutes from Villa Koukouvayia, and a private clinic ½ hour away in Xania. (We’ve experienced excellent service there, both for routine care and emergency surgeries; and they coordinate with most insurers.)
• Shared Rooms: Unless roommates are requested by name in the Program Registration Form (above), rooms will be assigned by stated gender.
• Housekeeping: We always try to lodge programs in settings such as Villa Koukouvayia Farms that are more homes than hotels; and our housekeeping philosophy reflects this. Bathrooms & kitchens will be tidied every other day & towels freshened as needed. But we expect participants to respect shared spaces and keep them neat, with a typical option to care for personal items at the lodgings’ available laundry.
• Remember: Until minimum participation has been met, the program is not confirmed, and you should avoid booking flights or other non-refundable
travel costs. We will announce the program’s confirmation once the minimum participation has been met, or 60 days prior to the arrival day, whichever
comes first. At that point, you can book flights! (And then share your itinerary with us so we can properly plan airport transfers and the opening & closing
days of the program).
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What's Next?
• Registration Submission: Once you have reviewed the details above and completed your Program Registration Form, just confirm by clicking the
button below, and your registration requests and information will be sent to us.
• Registration Confirmation: We’ll quickly review your program and lodging choices, calculate your applicable discounts, and send you confirmation of
your payment and lodging plan.
• Payment: If you have any questions, just ask. If not, as soon as your initial payment is received, you’re in! You’ll be included via email
on all updates and information regarding the program!
