There's more to Greece than it's many islands, argues Mark Hedges. Chiefly restorative breaks at Euphoria Retreat, a wellness resort surrounded by ancient ruins.
Step back 2,500 years and the dominant civilisation on earth was Sparta on the Laconia plain beneath the great Taygetus mountain range. The military-based society never lost a land battle until its ultimate defeat by Thebes at Leuctra and remains famous for its austerity and spartan lifestyle. There is little to see of Ancient Greece in modern-day Sparta—the stonework was recycled into a later part of this area’s extraordinary story.
The Spartan society didn’t feel the need to build walls around the city, but the way of life did give us the laconic phrase. When Alexander the Great’s father, Philip II, had conquered much of southern Greece, his attention turned to attacking Sparta, sending the message: ‘If I invade Laconia, I shall turn you out’, to which the Spartans replied with a single word: ‘If.’
The only inhabitants of the Archaeological Site of Mystras are a group of nuns.
I have visited Greece on many occasions to stay on the islands that dot the Aegean Sea, but I found the mainland, and the Peloponnese in particular, is less visited, much to my joy. It has a truly authentic feel to it: lives are still lived around the rhythms of Nature, olives, wine and figs. There are still echoes of the Bronze Age (what is believed to be the city of Menelaus and his wife, Helen, is being carefully excavated close to Sparta) and much more of the Byzantium Empire, to where the local Spartan stone was recycled.
We were staying at Euphoria, which is best described as a superb spa and accompanying hotel carefully built to echo the ancient glories around it. The space sits beneath the edge of the pine-clad mountain and above the delightful town of Mystras; Sparta just down the road.
‘Imagine a hotel being built beside Stonehenge’
Incredibly, it is next to the L -shaped Palace of Mystras, a World Heritage Site with its surrounding village set beneath a Frankish castle. Imagine a hotel being built beside Stonehenge.
The Euphoria spa (main image and above) is world class. It is the brainchild of Marina Efraimoglou, the first woman to run a major bank in Greece, who, having beaten cancer on two occasions, was inspired by her final treatment to found a retreat that combined scientific innovation and healing modalities, where people could live a more holistic life.
The spectacular architecture of the site includes a sphere pool reminiscent of Hagia Sophia church and a salt room, as well as the latest technology, including a human regenerator that did for me exactly what it says on the tin. For 40 minutes, I lay on a special bed with my wrists and ankles attached to the machine. For a while, it felt as if nothing was happening, but then parts of my body began to gently fizz. It was like lying on a cloud of bubbles, the ones that appear when a can of Coca-Cola is first poured out. The science is that it harnesses the power of cold atmospheric plasma to promote wellness.
There is a lot on offer besides the excellent treatments and I particularly enjoyed wandering around the village, where persimmons, figs and lemons grew in every garden, before stopping for a glass of thick yellow wine at the wonderful Mystras Inn, a tavern for the ages. To be laconic: go.
Rooms from £281 a night, including breakfast; a two-day Euphoria Escape for couples costs from £599. Visit www.euphoriaretreat.com for more information and to book.
