Itinerary
Overnight Stay: The Odyssey Centre
Dinner included
After your arrival in Athens, you will be met at the Athens International Airport and brought by car to Galatas for a short ferry ride to the beautiful island of Poros. Once on Poros, you will be transferred to our lodging. (Please plan to arrive at Athens International by 6:30 pm for transfer.)
We’ll settle into our accommodations at The Odyssey Centre which has bright and comfortable apartments with ensuite bathrooms. Each is equipped with air-conditioning, safe, TV, and their own kitchen. The apartments are located just steps from where our cooking classes will take place.
Our host and instructor, Katerina Sakelliou, will welcome us to our home for the next week. Katerina is a professional chef and is the owner of the Odyssey Centre. She is a native of Poros, is passionate about cooking, and is interested and knowledgeable in the historical roots of traditional Greek cooking. She specializes in both traditional and modern Greek cooking, and her skills have become very sought after; when she is not giving lessons in Poros, she also provides lessons in Greek cooking and Greek language throughout other parts of Europe.
We’ll have the afternoon free to explore Askeli, a small community surrounding our lodging with coffee bars, restaurants, and small shops. Or, you can take a stroll, relax by the pool, or enjoy an invigorating swim in the clear blue sea. In the evening, we’ll be Katerina’s guests at a welcome dinner at the Odyssey Centre Bistro and be introduced to some of the foods we’ll be learning learn to cook during our stay.
Overnight Stay: The Odyssey Centre
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included
After a buffet breakfast in the Bistro, we will explore the menus and recipes that we’ll be learning during our upcoming cooking lessons. The Greek cuisine and the Mediterranean diet are among the healthiest in the world. What you learn during these cooking classes will be useful in the future enhancing your skills in preparing new, delicious and healthy dishes for all your friends when you get home.
The beginning of the day will ease us into our trip as we get oriented to our surroundings. You can opt to take a 20 minute stroll or taxi into Poros Town, a larger harbor community on the island. Or you could stay closer and enjoy the amenities of the Odyssey Centre. Activities such as kayak and bikes rentals are available at your own cost. You can choose to have lunch at the Bistro or at another Askeli or Poros Town restaurant recommended by the Centre.
Next, it’s time to gather for our first Greek cooking lesson! We start with a small tour of the Odyssey kitchen and garden with all the fresh herbs that we will be using during our cooking lessons . Katerina will guide us though traditional recipes in a friendly and informal atmosphere. The workshop will be followed by a late afternoon drink or a small siesta.
In the evening, we’ll return to the kitchen to cook the final stages of our dinner and to enjoy the fruits of our labor as a group in the balmy and relaxed evening atmosphere of the Odyssey Bistro.
Overnight Stay: The Odyssey Centre
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included
After an early Bistro breakfast we’ll start with a historical walk into Poros Town. The walk is guided and takes around 1 hour as there are various sites of interest and stops enroute. We’ll stroll by Poros Harbor where pastel-colored houses are strewn across the mountainside and yachts the size of palaces float next to fishing boats. We’ll shop at the local fish market and select a range of fresh ingredients for a today’s cooking lesson. Once shopping is complete, we’ll take a break in one of the cozy tavernas for a coffee and snack. We can choose to return to the Odyssey for lunch with a walk or a taxi.
By mid-afternoon, we’ll gather with Katerina once again to begin preparing the evening meal from the fish we selected at the market. The fish can be grilled on the BBQ, then served with some freshly prepared salads, sauces, and roasted vegetables. Alternatives are cooking the fish in the oven or frying it in olive oil from Katerina’s personal olive grove.
When all the hard work in the kitchen is done, it’s time to eat! In the evening, we all will eat together in the Odyssey Bistro, surrounded by bougainvillea, geraniums and herbs in pots. Greek music plays in the background, while we enjoy the fruits of our labor together under the stars.
Overnight Stay: The Odyssey Centre
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included
After breakfast, we will set our on an exciting excursion by taking a mini bus to the Poros port and then a 35 minute ferry to the car-free UNESCO island of Hydra, a neighboring island of the Saronic gulf with a picturesque harbor-town. It is widely known as one of the most beautiful islands in Greece. It is most famous for its fine architecture, pebbly beaches, and captivating charming character, Hydra has a rich history and there are many sights and small churches and the narrow streets are full of small artistic shops and donkeys used for taxis. After a wonderful tour from our local guide, we are free to explore Hydra by ourselves. A traditional gyro lunch will be provided,
When we return to Poros in the evening, we will have a choice of dining at the Odyssey Centre or at a local recommended eatery. Nearby Askeli has restaurants and bars to choose from. You’ll also find supermarkets in case you want to buy supplies to make a meal for yourself in your apartment. You can also explore Poros Town nightlife. For a relaxing night out, try a leisurely dinner in one of the many taverns along the port side of Poros. Or, for a more lively night, there is a club in Poros Town with dance music that stays open until the dawn. Katerina may even join you! Taxis operate until 2:00 AM to return you to your lodging.
Overnight Stay: The Odyssey Centre
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included
After breakfast, we’ll take a day trip to mainland Greece to visit the wine country of Nemea. This region the largest and possibly the most exciting Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for red wines in Greece. With its unique alternating scenery of high mountains and rolling hills, this region is one of the most important regions in Greece producing high-quality wines. Two of the most important indigenous varieties of the region are grown in this land. We will visit one of the most prominent wine producers not only in the Peloponnese, but throughout Greece. We’ll get a tour of the winery, and sample products.
On our return journey, we’ll stop for lunch on the way to the in the historic and romantic town of Nafplio where we’ll further explore Greek cuisine with a guided food tour of different selected local items. Make sure to save some room for a late dinner. You can choose to eat dinner at the Odyssey Centre or by practicing your new cooking skills in your vacation apartment kitchen.
Overnight Stay: The Odyssey Centre
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included
After breakfast, we will cross the small stretch of sea over to the Peloponnese peninsula to visit to Katerina’s family olive farm. We’ll learn about this important ingredient’s versatile use in Greek cooking and a picnic lunch will be provided. On returning to The Odyssey Centre we’ll begin our next cooking lesson, a Greek classic meal that might feature such items as Mousakka, Pistachio, or Souvlaki. A dinner will follow at the Odyssey Centre Bistro featuring the fresh dishes we’ve just prepared.
Overnight: The Odyssey Centre
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included
After breakfast, the group will travel off site to learn about foraging. Depending on the season, today we will make some local visits to learn about the important seasonal nature of ingredients in Greek cooking. Foraging for ingredients is an traditional task and we will take a nature walk to hunt for wild and cultivated herbs and flowers at a Sakelliou family farm.
Today’s lunch will be provided in a picnic fashion or at the Centre Bistro.
The remainder of the day is a culinary finale and celebration. You’ll take part in your final cooking lesson and a wonderful farewell dinner — a true Greek feast with many surprises! It will be the kind of night that gives you lifelong memories, magical photos, and a desire to book your next cooking vacation!
Breakfast included
Breakfast will be followed by our transfer to Athens airport. (Please do not schedule a flight that departs before 1:30 pm.)
You could choose to extend you vacation by booking additional nights at the Odyssey Centre at very special rates or by travelling on independently to other parts of Greece or the Mediterranean.