First things first — I'm really glad you're coming!
This pack covers all the practical stuff:
- When to arrive
- How to get there
- How the days actually run
- What to throw in your bag
- A few recommendations for when you fancy getting out and exploring
Read it once now, then keep it somewhere you can find it — it's built to work on your phone at the airport.
There's just one thing I'd ask you to do before we go: complete the guest information and health form.
It covers your travel details, anything that might affect how you train, and your dietary requirements. It means I've got everything I need to make the week as smooth and enjoyable as possible for you, and gives the chef plenty of time to plan around any dietary requirements.
Please complete it by
Thursday 11 September 2026
That gives the chef time to build the menus around everyone's requirements, and gives me time to plan the sessions around any injuries.
Your essentials
- Arrive at the villa
- From 4:00pmFriday 2 October. Light bites waiting when you get in.
- Check out
- 9:00amWednesday 7 October. Breakfast will be ready before you head off.
- Fly into
- Chania (CHQ)Your airport for the retreat. Transfers to the villa are arranged individually — more on that below.
Vellis Residence
Vellis Residence Stavromenos, Rethymno Crete, Greece Full street address to follow in the WhatsApp group.
Flights, transfers and arrival
Getting there
Book into Chania (CHQ)
Chania International Airport is the airport to aim for. The villa is in Stavromenos, just east of Rethymno, and it's typically around an hour's drive from Chania.
You can get into the villa from 4:00pm on Friday 2 October, and the welcome dinner is at 7:30pm. Book your flights around that — beyond it, there's no arrival time you have to hit.
Getting from the airport to the villa
Airport transfers aren't organised as part of the retreat, so you'll just need to make your own way from Chania Airport to the villa.
We'll have a WhatsApp group set up a couple of days before the retreat, which makes this really easy to coordinate. If a few of you are arriving around the same time, you're very welcome to share a taxi and split the cost between you.
As a rough guide, a private taxi from Chania Airport to the Rethymno area is usually around €90–€110 per car, depending on the operator. Prices can vary, so it's worth checking when you book.
Sharing a taxi
Share your flight times in the group and you can coordinate with anyone arriving around the same time. Sharing a taxi is often the easiest and most cost-effective option.
The WhatsApp group
I'll set up a group a couple of days before we go. It's where we'll do introductions, coordinate arrivals, sort shared taxis and handle anything that comes up during the week.
It's also just a nice way to connect with everyone before we all meet at the villa in real life.
I'm your point of contact for the whole retreat — before, during and after. If something comes up on the way over, message me.
When you arrive
I'll be at the villa to meet you. There'll be some light bites and refreshments waiting, so you can have something to eat, get your bearings and settle in before dinner at 7:30pm.
Friday 2 – Wednesday 7 October 2026
Your week
Here's how the days run. A few details are still being finalised and are marked TBC — I'll confirm them in the WhatsApp group before we travel.
All of it is optional
Every session, run, hike and outing on this list is yours to take or leave. Some people will do everything. Some will skip a morning and read by the pool, and that's a completely fine way to spend the week. If you're skipping something we've planned, just drop a quick message in the group so we know you're doing your own thing.
Arrivals and check-in
Light bites and snacks available. Get settled, meet everyone and make yourself at home.
Welcome dinner at the villa
Greek village salad, hand-cut fried potatoes, roasted seasonal vegetables, a generous mixed BBQ platter and a selection of Greek cheeses.
Light breakfast
CrossFit session
Around an hour. We head over together after breakfast.
Brunch at the villa
Free time
Pool, beach, Rethymno, or nothing at all.
Dinner at the villa
The White Party
This is the night for your white outfit.
Light breakfast
5km run / hike
The non-CrossFit day. Route and timings TBC
Brunch at the villa
Free time
Dinner out in Rethymno
We'll head into Rethymno for dinner together. As this is an evening out rather than a catered meal at the villa, you'll just cover whatever you choose to eat and drink on the evening. Restaurant TBC
Light breakfast
CrossFit session
Around an hour.
Brunch at the villa
Free time and activities
TBC
Dinner at the villa
Charcoal-grilled lamb chops, slow-cooked rooster in a rich Cretan sauce, Caesar salad, buttery pasta and potato purée.
Light breakfast
CrossFit session
Around an hour. Our last one.
Brunch at the villa
Free time and activities
TBC
Greek Night — the big one
A proper Cretan feast to finish the week. Details in the food section below.
Breakfast before you travel
Same as every other morning, so nobody leaves on an empty stomach.
Check out
The villa requires us to check out by 9:00am, so breakfast will be served in good time and you'll have plenty of time to get packed up before heading off.
Three sessions, one run, zero pressure
The training
Four training slots across the week — three CrossFit sessions and one 5km run. Every one of them is optional.
Every session starts from the villa after a light breakfast at 7:30am, and we travel over together. Brunch is waiting when we get back at 11:30am.
You don't need to be a CrossFitter
Every session will be scaled to suit the person doing it — different weights, movements and levels of intensity depending on where you're at, all in the same room at the same time.
If you've never touched a barbell, you'll be looked after. If you already train seriously, there'll be plenty there for you too.
If anything affects your training, let me know
If you have anything that might affect your training, just let me know on the guest form.
Whether that's a current injury, something that flares up from time to time, ongoing pain or simply an exercise you're not comfortable with, knowing beforehand means I can plan around it properly and make sure you get the most from the sessions.
And if something feels off during a session, say so at the time. Modifying or stopping is always the right call.
Bring with you
- A water bottle — it's still warm in October and you'll want it.
- Training clothes for three sessions plus the run.
- Suitable trainers for CrossFit — flat and stable, not soft running shoes.
- Running shoes as well, for the 5km.
Cooked for us, all week
The food
Food is a genuine highlight of this week, not an afterthought. Our chef cooks for us at the villa using Cretan produce, and the day is built so there's always time to sit, eat properly and talk rubbish for an hour afterwards.
Around 7:30am · Light breakfast
A simple start to the day
The same light spread every morning, laid out from 7:30am: fresh fruit, yoghurt and granola, eggs, toast, coffee and juice. Enough to set you up for the morning without sitting heavy, and there whenever you surface.
Around 11:30am · Brunch
The main event of the day
Buffet style at the villa, straight after training. A flavour of what's coming — menu is subject to change:
Evenings · Dinner
Dinner at the villa
Buffet style, outside under the pergola when the weather plays along. Menu is subject to change.
Dietary requirements
We'll do our best to accommodate all dietary requirements, allergies and intolerances — we just need to know about them in advance.
When you complete the guest form, let us know about anything you can't eat, as well as any allergies or intolerances. If you have a serious allergy, please include as much detail as possible so the chef can plan accordingly.
Drinks. Water and tea are available throughout.
One thing worth being clear about
This is an alcohol-free week
The retreat is completely alcohol-free, so there won't be any alcohol served or consumed as part of the retreat.
We'd also really appreciate everyone continuing to respect that when we head into Rethymno together on Sunday. The idea is simply that we all get to enjoy the week on the same terms and make the most of the experience together.
Thanks for helping us keep it that way.
Vellis Residence, Stavromenos
Your home for the week
The whole property is ours. It's two matching buildings sitting in around 1,400 square metres of grounds, with everything laid out for a group this size.
- Two private pools, both with hydro-massage jets, and twenty sunbeds and umbrellas around them.
- Outdoor space that gets used. A long dining table under the pergola that seats all of us, a BBQ, a fire pit corner and a ping pong table.
- The beach is under a five-minute walk. Mostly sandy, with some pebbly and rocky stretches.
- Wi-Fi and air conditioning throughout.
- Towels are provided — bath towels and pool towels both. Don't waste luggage space on them.
- Bed linen provided, with linen, towels and cleaning refreshed during the week.
- Two full kitchens and indoor dining, plus a gated entrance and plenty of parking.
Bring your own toiletries
Pack whatever you normally use — shower gel, shampoo, deodorant, sun cream, anything you'd miss. Towels and bedding are the things you don't need to bring.
I'll be there to meet you, show you around and get you settled into your room.
The part that isn't scheduled
Your free time
This isn't a week of being marched from one activity to the next. Once training and brunch are done, most of the day is yours.
Some people will not move from a sunbed. Some will walk down to the beach and swim. Some will get a taxi into Rethymno, wander the Old Town, sit with a coffee and watch the world go by, and come back for dinner. All of it is the right answer.
Nothing needs booking, nothing needs planning, and nobody needs to know where you are. If you fancy company, say so in the group — there's usually someone up for it. If you'd rather have a few hours to yourself, take them.
If you fancy getting out and exploring
Your guide to Rethymno
Rethymno is the nearest proper town and it's a good one — a Venetian and Ottoman old quarter that people actually live in, a small harbour, and a long beach running east towards us. Everything below is simply there as a few recommendations for your free time. If you fancy heading into town and exploring, these are some of the places I'd suggest checking out.
Getting into town
The villa is in Stavromenos, roughly 10km east of Rethymno — about a ten-minute drive. A taxi is the easiest option if you're heading into town, and you can also use the local KTEL bus along the coast road if you'd prefer, which takes around twenty minutes and runs roughly hourly. A taxi is usually somewhere around €15–20 each way, though it's worth checking the fare before you set off.
The Old Town
This is the reason to go. Narrow lanes of Venetian townhouses and Ottoman balconies, a surviving minaret or two, courtyards full of bougainvillea, and the Rimondi Fountain at its centre. It's genuinely lived-in rather than preserved for tourists, and the best way to see it is to stop navigating and just walk.
Wear something you can walk on cobbles in. It's small enough to cover in a couple of hours.
The Venetian Harbour
A tiny curved harbour at the edge of the Old Town with a stone lighthouse at the end — five minutes' walk from the middle of things, and the prettiest corner of the town. The waterfront restaurants here are the most touristy in Rethymno and priced accordingly; worth the walk, but eat a street or two back.
The Fortezza
The huge Venetian fortress on the headland above the Old Town. Wide-open ramparts, sea views in every direction, and the old Sultan Ibrahim Mosque in the middle of it. Entry is a few euros at the gate and it opens early. Forty-five minutes gets you the highlights; an hour and a half gets you the whole site. The ground is rough and there's very little shade, so go in trainers and take water.
Beaches
- Stavromenos beach — ours, under five minutes on foot. Mostly sand with some pebbly and rocky sections.
- Rethymno town beach — a long sandy stretch running east from the town, with sunbeds to hire or free sand if you'd rather. The view back towards the Fortezza at sunset is the one everyone photographs.
- Preveli — about 30km away on the south coast, a palm-lined river gorge meeting a sandy cove. A proper half-day trip rather than an afternoon, but a beautiful one if you want to see a different side of Crete.
Coffee
Meli Melo
Old Town institution for Greek coffee and loukoumades. Order both.
Cul de Sac
Right by the Rimondi Fountain — the spot for sitting and people-watching.
Bankery
Properly made coffee in the newer part of town, if you want a serious flat white.
Practical bits
Cash and cards. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but it's worth having a few euros on you.
Taxis. Easy to find in Rethymno, harder to flag down out our way — worth booking one for the journey back.
Weather. Early October in Crete is usually still very warm in the day and cooler once the sun goes down. Sun cream matters; so does a light layer for the evening.
Tick as you pack
What to bring
Towels are provided, so leave those at home. Everything else worth thinking about is here.
Training
Pool and beach
Evenings
Everything else
The White Party — Saturday 3 October
All white, and beyond that it's completely up to you. Linen shirt and shorts, a full look, something you'd wear out — anything goes as long as it's white. Nobody's being judged on it, but the photos are much better when everyone commits.
One house, six days
Living well together
Nothing here will surprise you. It's just worth saying out loud.
- Treat the villa like a home, not a hotel. It's someone's property and it's ours for the week — look after it.
- Keep the shared spaces tidy. Kitchen, pool area, dining table. Clear your own bits and nobody has to think about it.
- Give people their space. Some of the best moments will be the loud group ones; some people will need a quiet hour on a sunbed. Both are fine.
- We'll aim to keep things running on time. Especially for CrossFit, as we'll be travelling over together.
- If you decide to skip something, just drop us a quick message so we know.
- Respect the alcohol-free week. All week, including when we're out.
- Everyone's coming from a different place. There'll be a real range of experience in the room, so there's no need to compare yourself to anyone else.
- Don't feel pressured to join in. Opting out of something isn't antisocial. It's the week working properly.
Everything else
Questions, answered
Tap any question to see the answer.