Accommodation

Creative Writing course participants stay in rooms close to the Centre that combine modern comforts with a Skyrian ambience. Most are ensuite rooms or small apartments, with a touch of luxury; some are charming rooms within traditional houses. Participants normally share a twin room. Single rooms are bookable in advance at £245 per session in low season and £295 in the high season (21 July to 31 August). During the months of June and September, when the Skyros Centre programme is run in Atsitsa, accommodation will be in our spacious stone villa or in two person bamboo huts situated in the midst of lush gardens and shaded by pine and fruit trees. Some single huts are available at a supplement of £175 per session. Shared twin rooms in the house carry a supplement of £75 per session.

‘I didn’t really know who I was until I went on that holiday. If I hadn’t gone I’d still be a TV producer’. Red

Food

Adapted from the villagers’ traditional diet, meals are based on fresh fruit and vegetables, natural yoghurt, grains and cheese. They are eaten on the Centre’s terrace which enjoys a panoramic view over the sea. Food is prepared by Vasso, about whom writer Michèle Roberts wrote, ‘Where is heaven? Here on earth, in Skyros, in Vasso’s kitchen’. The Centre is half board (usually breakfast and lunch). In the evenings there are plenty of options to choose from in the village, from traditional tavernas to sophisticated restaurants serving modern Greek cuisine (£7 - £12). When the Skyros Centre courses are held in Atsitsa, full board is provided.

‘After a week on the island of Skyros, I feel fitter, calmer and braver than I have for a long time. It felt as though we were close to nature and, as time went on, close to each other.’ Daily Express

Daily life

The day starts with gentle yoga followed by breakfast. The main course is held between 10.30am and 1.30pm. After lunch one can stroll down to the sea or have a siesta. Late afternoons are usually reserved for courses such as music and singing, digital photography, painting, comedy improvisation or walks in the countryside and a visit to the local museum.

Every session offers the traditional Skyros structures of demos (community affairs), co-listening (meeting a partner daily to share feelings and ideas) and light community work such as vegetable chopping or watering the plants.

One-to-one sessions in massage are bookable on site.

‘Returning home after a week on Skyros was like waking up from a dream: when friends asked how it was, it was hard to think of anything more specific to say than an expansive 'Wonderful'... I would have been brokenhearted to leave had I not known that I had made good friends that I would keep in touch with.’ Sunday Tribune, Dublin

Nightlife

Skyros nightlife is relaxed yet with much to offer. There are bars with live music that are open until the early hours and tavernas with delicious food and inexpensive drinks. In the village‘s nightclubs one can dance the night away.

‘Skyros isn’t "unreal". In fact, it’s a hell of a lot more real than most people are used to.’ The Sunday Telegraph

‘I immediately fell in love with the place as everybody does... I kept thinking, 'I am an actor in A Midsummer Night's Dream; this is Arcadia, I want to live like this for ever'. Sue Townsend, The Guardian