Hooked Sails with Virgin Voyages

Virgin Voyages – Greece with a Splash of Turkey!

As expected, this trip did not disappoint.  It was full sensory experiences at every turn.  Greece is a destination best seen by boat. So heck we decided on a sober cruise. The cruise was not sober… but we were glad to indulge in Virgin’s abundant alcohol-free options! There are roughly 12 million people who live in Greece and 6 million live in Athens.  The rest scatter the islands making every island possible to do in a day.  Our itinerary stopped at Santorini, Rhodes, Bodrum and Mykonos.

In Athens we stayed at The Moxy.  With its fun, colorful décor and central location the group consensus was they would stay there again.

We had a 4-hour tour of the old town and the Acropolis with a stop at the first Summer Olympic Stadium.  The sensation felt from standing on the grounds where such significant history took place was enlightening. Our generation thinks we are so advanced with technology but the problem-solving and creativity when the Acropolis was built was extraordinary.  We had lunch at Dopios with a tasting of Roots Divino products.   Roots is an alcohol-free spirt produced in Athens if you are not acquainted with this product, we highly recommend it.  A fantastic addition to any mocktail and equally enjoyable on its own as a slow-sipping drink.  

During lunch it was recommended that we partake in sunset tour of Poseidon.  Half our group jumped at the opportunity, and we are so glad we did. The views were breathtaking and we had a great stop at Castus beach club with an opportunity to swim in the Aegean Sea,  The color of the Aegean Sea is magical.  Deep Blues, turquoises and brilliant green tones magically unite allowing each picture taken to have a new canvas.  Would we have noticed this is we were a drinking tour company probably not.  We likely would have focused on the buckets of beer and worried about what we looked like!  Speaking of beer they did have zero-proof beer at the beach club.  Kudos to Castus beach club.

All aboard!  On Day 3 we boarded the beautiful Resilient Lady.  With no children on board this ship is filled with adult fun!   Comedy Shows, Dancing, Karaoke, Trivia, Games Room, Pajama party and a Tattoo Parlor.  You name it …Virgin has it.  As a mocktail enthusiast what I found the most intriguing on this ship was the variety of mocktails on board.  Every restaurant had its own unique mocktail offerings and they were not sugar-based with syrup and ice they were carefully rimmed, smoked with Lyree’s and Seedlip spirits and elegantly garnished.  Noughty Champagne was found everywhere and Natueo wine was also on board. With so many restaurants on the ship we did not get to sample all of the mocktails available to us. This is unbelievable! 

Our in-destination full sensory experiences were a cooking lesson in Santorini, Olive Oil and Honey tasting in Rhodes, and Paddleboarding in Mykonos (which was canceled due to wind) but by far the best was the Hammam in Bodrum.  None of us had participated in a Turkish Bath house before and the belly laughs were plentiful while the relaxing element divine.  Sauna, Cold Plunge, Scrub, Honey facelift, and Coffee Oil massage! With all senses activated we felt fully rejuvenated when we left.

Our final ship day was a relaxing one at sea as we prepared to get back into the routine of our daily lives but many of us decided to conquer the fear of Karaoke.   Watching our group participants leave the stage with a sense of pride after singing (with no booze in their system) in front of a large group of people was empowering.  The sky’s the limit on a personal development journey and travel organically enhances the journey. Hooked is not a retreat-focused venture.  We travel from destination to destination just like everyone else but recognize that alcohol-free travelers have different needs.  Inclusion is a key theme for Hooked.   Virgin Voyages nailed the needs of our group and we will be launching another group itinerary with Virgin Voyages soon!