Happy New Year to you all! I know it seems such a long time ago when the new year came in, but we have been so busy at Vassaliki and we feel that time is flying so fast. In fact Samantha and I have already had to book all our return travel to Greece and we are now busy getting all the purchasing done for the summer.
The summer of 2016 is already looking like it’s going to be busy with some periods now fully booked and others very close to full. So if you do plan a trip to us you need to act fast, as Samantha is busy trying to fit everyone in. Don’t forget we still have rooms available in June and July in the gorgeous Vassaliki Villa.
As I write the newsletter we are both still recovering from the amazing time we had at the Vassaliki Reunion Weekend in Bournemouth. I have a small article with a few pictures of the event later in the newsletter.
We also have below some information about our new booking system, new wellness week and our new raffle, the prize for which is a free weeks holiday!
Enjoy and see you soon!
Loyalty Cards and New Vassaliki Raffle
Back in 2013 we gave out a customer loyalty card to all our guests as they left the resort. Every week they stayed they received a stamp on the card, collect five stamps and we gave you a free weeks stay at Vassaliki.
Well this promotion was an amazing success and many people took advantage of the deal straight away, so they have received or booked their free week already. All good things have to come to an end and this promotion finishes on October 31st 2017 after which no more stamps will be given out. Your free week then must be used by the end of October 2018. All the loyalty cards become invalid after this date so if you have a card with stamps on it, you need to book your free week soon.
New Raffle for 2016! But don’t panic we have a new deal and promotion for everyone. Starting this summer all guests will receive a free raffle ticket for every €100 spent onsite. This includes bar, food, excursions and merchandise. So the more you drink… the better your chance of winning! And after what I saw at the reunion weekend there is going to be a lot of competition!
The winning ticket will be drawn at the end of the season and the winner will be contacted directly.
New Booking System – now you can book online if you want!!!
After several attempts to set up a new booking system for the resort we have finally successfully managed to launch a brand new online system with NewBook.
It has been a huge job with Samantha and I working into the night trying to get all the data from the old system to the new. We had over 2500 records to move over. If you have a booking for this coming summer (2016) you should have received an email about your booking for you to check and ensure all the details are correct.
We are really happy with the progress of the set up and the team at NewBook eManagment have been amazing. After our terrible experience with Hotelogix and E21 Software we could not have asked for a better service from NewBook.
Special Discount in May To Celebrate Our New Online Booking System
So to celebrate the launch of our new system, we have a special offer available for the month of February only. If you book online through our new system, a stay at Vassaliki from May 7th to May 28th, we will offer you an amazing 30% discount on the start of summer prices. That is an incredible saving of nearly €60 per night compared to our standard rates.
All you need to do is to put the code ‘NEWBOOK2016’ into the ‘redeem discount code’ field and the discount will be automatically applied.
We have found some amazing flight prices for May from the UK with RyanAir (£78 return 9th May), Thomas Cook (£135 return 10th May), Norwegian (£150 return 7th May) and Easyjet (£188 return 10th May), plus from Amsterdam with Tui (€279 return 9th May) and Transavia (€280 return 13th May). These prices are per person and were found on 28th January. Remember you have to pay extra for luggage or you can just travel light with a small carry on case.
With our discount and great flight prices, this adds up to a cheap holiday at what I think is the most beautiful time to visit our luscious green island.
Wellness and Wellbeing Week – 6th to 14th October 2016
Vassaliki Naturist Club is offering this year a Wellness and Wellbeing Week from 6th to the 14th of October which includes:
Meditation Groups, Pilates Classes, Aqua Gym, Power-Walks, Free 15 minute Back and Neck Massage for each guest.
We have invited therapists and instructors to join us at the resort during the week to offer you the opportunity to learn and practice these amazing wellness skills.
(If you already instruct on any other wellness activity and would like to offer your skills please give me a call to discuss this.)
We believe wellness, naturism and the relaxing setting of our resort are a perfect combination. All the activities are included in our normal low season rates, meaning you can try as many of the classes as you wish with no additional cost.
All the therapists will also be able to offer private consultations on meditation, hypnotherapy and massage at an extra cost, for those who really want to take full advantage of this great week of relaxation.
We will also be running other activities during the week including walks and group meals out, so not everyone has to be interested in the wellness side to enjoy this week. A minibus will be on hand to take you down to the local naturist beach for organised evening swims.
So what is included?
- Accommodation in one of our self catering rooms
- Full use of all of Vassaliki Naturist Resort facilities
- Meditation Group session
- Pilates Classes
- Complimentary 15min Massage
- Aqua Gym Classes
- Power Walks to the beach for a swim
- Minibus to beach swims, earthquake village walk, mountain walk, group meze meal (Meal €20 p/p)
What’s not included?
- Flights to Kefalonia
- Transfer to the resort (can be arranged) €65 return
- Meals and drinks during your stay
- Private massage treatments, meditation and hypnotherapy consultations
Prices – One Bedroom Apartment – €95 per room per night (based on two sharing)
Studio and Roof Studio – €80 per room per night (based on two sharing)
The Reunion – What a party!!!!
Our guests started arriving at the Queen Hotel and Spa in Bournemouth from lunch time on Friday 22nd of January. Most tended to head towards the hotel bar after checking in to their newly refurbished room. There was lots of laughter and reminiscing between guests, plus this year the hotel offered us more spa and pool time, so many people headed down to the spa for a nude swim, sauna or Jacuzzi.
This year’s Friday night meal was supplied by the hotel in the form of a Mediterranean BBQ buffet. The food was delicious and the guests were able to enjoy a complimentary glass of wine and some light entertainment from a very talented young guitarist Lee Rasdall-Dove. Of course being a Vassaliki event, some guests just could not resist the opportunity for a quick dance round the buffet table.
Saturday was a dry and partly sunny day so many guests went for a walk after breakfast along the seafront and into the town of Bournemouth. Throughout the day, guests used the nude spa and pool with some enjoying a massage or treatment.
But what we all came to Bournemouth for was the Saturday night gala dinner! This year we upped the stakes and everyone dressed in their finest formal evening wear. Even Samantha managed to peel me out my shorts and tee shirt and into a dinner jacket, waist coat and bow tie!!
We decided this year to have a fun casino from our friends Garry & Isabelle at Viva Las Vegas. All the guests were given fun money to spend on the Roulette and Black Jack tables. This seemed to be a great success with most people having a dabble.
The entertainment did not stop there, Jason Taylor (my brother) once again got the party started with his range of swing and popular music. This year Jason was joined by fellow singer Peter Snipp for his second set and the pair took the roof off the room with an amazing operatic battle which included raucous audience participation.
The evening was rounded off by the ever popular band “The Unusual Suspects”. We have had the same band for all our reunions and once again they rocked the room. The dance floor was full before they even finished the first verse of the opening song.
The evening ended all too soon with “Hey Jude” (which has become a tradition!) Everyone locked arms in a giant circle with the bands singer, brass section and lead guitar player in the middle and everyone singing their hearts out.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the weekend, as requested on the Sunday morning by nearly everyone, we promise we will do it all again in 2018. See you there!
During the weekend one of our regular guests was on hand with her new range of skin products. Sam Devlin was very generous and gave all our guests a range of samples to try. Sam is hoping to offer this range of natural products to the naturist market. She also has business opportunities open to anyone who would like to join her team. We really like the sun cream range and we hope to be able to offer them at the resort next summer.