Big Blue Yoga and Swim Retreat in Amorgos, Greece

Malia Hill has been practising yoga for over 24 years and teaching for nearly two decades. Her classes mix creative, challenging Vinyasa flows with breathwork, meditation, restorative practice and yoga philosophy. She is known for a fun, dynamic style and likes working on arm balances with students — helping them build confidence and find what consistent practice makes possible. She also teaches Yoga Nidra and has been sharing Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga since 2009.

Her teaching CV is long: Wanderlust festivals in Tahoe and Hawaii, retreats in Croatia, Baja, Costa Rica, Maui and Yosemite, Yoga Day at the Oakland Coliseum twice, and several years organising the Yoga Reaches Out Bay Area Yogathon for Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland. She was a lululemon ambassador for four years, has led yoga teacher trainings, and currently teaches at Equinox. Outside the studio she is a full-time special education teacher and mother to a 17-year-old daughter.

The setting is the draw as much as the schedule. Amorgos is relatively untouched by mass tourism — mountains, meadows and coastline, with the Byzantine Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa clinging to a cliff above the Aegean. The hotel sits in an Amorgian bay with views of the sea and the surrounding mountains, built in Cycladic style with private balconies facing the water.

Getting there takes a little planning. Fly into Athens, transfer to Piraeus Port by taxi (45–60 minutes), metro (about an hour) or bus (about 1.5 hours), then take a ferry to Amorgos — roughly five hours, faster on high-speed services. Ferries from Santorini take one to two hours if you fly in there instead. Transfers from the port to the hotel on arrival and departure are included.

What separates this from a generic Greek island yoga week is the swimming. The water is the point — the island's clear bays are where the retreat gets its name, and the daily rhythm pairs morning flow with time in the sea. Add the spa, the seawater pool and the monastery trip and you have a week that alternates between moving and doing very little.

What's included

- 6 nights at the Aegialis Hotel & Spa, Amorgos - Daily yoga classes with Malia Hill - Daily brunch buffet breakfast (vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options on request) - Daily dinner (vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options on request; filtered water and herbal tea included) - Visit to the Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa and Chora for shopping and exploration - One 30-minute relaxing massage at Lalon Idor Spa - Daily use of spa facilities: indoor seawater pool, sauna, hammam, jacuzzi, fitness centre - 10% discount on face and body treatments - Use of the shalas and yoga equipment up to 5 hours daily, with attendants and set-up - Round-trip transfers on Amorgos (port–hotel–port) on arrival and departure - Wireless internet - Free time to explore Amorgos - Personalised welcome gift

What's not included

- Airfares and ferry/boat fares - Greece's Climate Resilience Tax (paid separately at check-out) - Alcoholic beverages - Tips and personal expenses - Optional additional activities (private yacht tour, wine tasting and distillery experience, Greek cooking class)