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Accommodation Booking Community COVID Discounts Location Schedule Terms & Conditions Things to Bring
What are my responsibilities as a community member?
- We ask all community members to participate in our Rota System by helping prepare meals and cleanup a few times each week. The number of shifts depends upon your role and the number of people on-site.
- Typically we ask workshop participants and community guests to contribute three shifts per week, FIRs to contribute three to five shifts per week and volunteers to contribute three to six shifts per week. We do our best to maintain equity in this process.
- Staff members (volunteers and Facilitators in Residence) also contribute to certain daily tasks and periodic gatherings to keep the center running smoothly.
- All community members attend the introductory community meeting (09:30 – 11:15 on the first full day of each workshop week) and any other (rare) community meetings.
Can I stay without taking a workshop?
- Yes! We welcome you as a Community Guest.
- If you would like to be in service during your stay, you can also join us as a Volunteer or Facilitator in Residence.
Who runs Kalikalos?
- The present custodians of the Kalikalos legacy are a dedicated team of volunteers – some old, some new – continuing this project as a labor of love rather than for financial benefit.
What is Pelion like?
- Mt. Pelion is an impressive mountain peninsula four hours north of Athens, well off the beaten track of industrial tourism. The area combines a lush green forest ecosystem with gorgeous white sandy Aegean beaches.
- Pelion is dotted with small villages, each featuring a square or “platia,” usually with a fresh water fountain and one or more large plane trees (platania). The closest villages to Anilio are Mouresi, Agios Dimitrios, Makrirachi and Kissos. A bit further away you can find two larger villages, Tsangarada and Zagora. The nearest city is Volos, a little more than one hour’s drive from Anilio.
- In Greek mythology, Pelion was the home of the Centaurs and where Jason set off for the magic fleece. Over 2000 years ago it was the site of numerous healing centres utilising fasting and dream interpretation. We continue this tradition of the “wounded healer” at Spiti ton Kentavron.
- At Kalikalos Anilio we are in close proximity to many Pelion beaches, villages and hiking trails. View this Google Doc for detailed descriptions of many of these attractions, including links to GPS files for many of the hikes.
What are the accommodations like?
- Simple shared quad or triple accommodation in a traditional Greek house. Single or shared double rooms can be booked upon request at additional cost. Indoor lodging is limited and assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Visit this page for more details.
- Single or shared tent accommodation. Each tent is set up on a wooden base and features a foam mattress, pillow and all bedding.
- Volunteers are typically accommodated in tents. When there is space in the house, indoor lodging may be available for volunteers.
- Long-term staff are quartered in Bell Tents, a yurt and two small rustic huts.
- Indoor/outdoor kitchens with patios where community members gather for meals.
- Wireless internet which covers the office, Nook (lounge area), dining terrace, Long Room (main workshop space), tent areas and some bedrooms in the house.
- Non-denominational sanctuary open 24/7 for quiet contemplation.
- Yurt for small group sessions and private 1-1 healing sessions.
What does the price of a week-long workshop include?
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. First meal is dinner on the arrival day and last meal is breakfast on the departure day. We eat out at a local taverna once during each workshop week.
- Shared (triple/quad) accommodation. Single and shared double accommodation available with a supplement. In some cases shared or single off-site accommodation in the village of Anilio may be available for an additional fee.
- Twenty hours of workshop sessions, generally in the morning.
- Daily lift to and from the local beaches at Agios Ioannis.
What is the food like?
- We offer three delicious, nutritious vegetarian meals each day, along with a healthy snack midway through each morning.
- We do our best to accommodate special dietary needs, which you can tell us about during the registration process.
- Many of our vegetables come either from our own gardens or from other local growers. We try to always serve organic food to the maximum extent possible.
What discounts are offered?
- 15% discount for traveling overland (not including countries bordering Greece by land or sea).
- 10% discount for attending two or more workshops in the same season.
- 10% discount on a community guest week attended before or after a workshop week.
- 10% discount for attending three successive community guest weeks, 15% for attending four community guest weeks.
- 10% discount on select workshops for Early Bird booking six weeks prior to workshop date.
- Greek residents may apply for a 33% discount if needed.
- We honor only one discount per booking. Please contact us to confirm your available discounts.
Can the whole family come?
- In general, families are welcome throughout the season. If you would like to visit as a guest or volunteer and bring your family, please contact us to ensure this will be a good fit.
- Please be aware that ask parents to commit fully to the care and well-being of their children, either directly or by bringing along an adult caregiver. We do not have the resources to offer childcare.
- Some seasons we offer a Family Week workshop, which can be a great option for families seeking affordable, educational and holistic holidays together with access to healing arts, creative activities and cooperative games. Check the Workshop Page to see if one is being offered this season.
Can I bring my family pet?
- In general, we discourage guests and participants from bringing their pets. We often have one or more resident cats on-site and want to respect their peace and well-being at all times.
- If you think it would be impossible for you to attend without bringing your pet, please contact us and we will try to find a strategy that works for everyone.
Where is the centre?
- Our centre is located near Anilio, a small village about a fifteen minute drive from the beach village of Agios Ioannis.
- See our Getting Here page for more details.
What is a typical day like at Kalikalos?
- 7:00 Yoga, meditation or other spiritual practice (depends on availability of facilitators)
- 8:00 Buffet Breakfast
- 8:45 Breakfast cleanup
- 9:30 Daily Staff Operational Meeting (Community meeting on first full day of each workshop week)
- 9:30 – 13:30Workshop Session, usually with a coffee/tea break midway
- 12:30 Staff sharing circle or other meeting as needed
- 13:30 Buffet lunch and picnic boxes for the beach
- 14:30 — 17:30 Beach / free time
- 18:00 Evening work shift
- 20:00 Dinner
- 20:45 Dinner cleanup
- 21:30 Free time and ad-hoc offerings (closing circle / fireside sharing on last evening of each workshop week)
- 23:00 Quiet time till the breakfast bell at 08:00 the next day
How do I book my stay?
- To participate in a workshop, book directly through the website listing on the Workshop Page.
- To join us as a Community Guest, book directly through the Community Guest listing.
- To join us as a Volunteer or Facilitator in Residence, complete the application process shown on the respective listings. We will book you in once you are accepted for one of these programs.
- In all cases, we accept booking payments via credit/debit card (through PayPal) or by bank transfer.
What do I need to bring with me?
- Please see our Things to Bring page for a list of what we provide and what we ask you to bring with you.
Terms and Conditions / Refund Policy
- Deposits and payments for workshops cancelled by a leader or the centre are fully refundable.
- In all other cases, deposits for workshops or retreats are non-refundable. However, they can be transferred to a friend or deferred for personal use for up to one year.
- Volunteer and FIR payments are non-refundable but are also transferable and deferrable for up to two years.
- Accommodation supplements are non-refundable and non-deferrable.
- Fully paid balances for workshops, retreats and the community guest program may be transferred or deferred for up to one year as described above. These balances are partially refundable depending on the timeframe of cancellation:
- Cancellation at least 3 months in advance: 80% refundable.
- Cancellation 2 – 3 months in advance: 67% refundable.
- Cancellation 1 -2 months in advance: 50% refundable.
- Cancellations less than 30 days in advance: Non-refundable.
- We are willing to consider requests for full refunds due to special circumstances on a case-by-case basis.
Is Travel Insurance Required?
- Travel insurance is required for all workshop participants, community guests and staff volunteers residing outside the EU. EU residents please carry your E111 card. If you are a participant on a walking or hiking week, your travel insurance must cover repatriation.
What is Kalikalos doing about COVID?
- Kalikalos has been operating in the midst of the COVID pandemic since 2020. We feel very confident that our strategies of testing, distancing, hygiene and mealtime protocols are effective in preventing the transmission of disease.
- For all the details, visit our COVID Risk Reduction page.