Hosted by Helena Moursellas & Allegra D'Agostini
Little known beyond Greece, Chios is an island that has largely escaped the forces that have reshaped so much of the Mediterranean. Through Genoese traders, Ottoman rulers, and centuries of fortune and ruin, it has held on to a unique way of living, eating and celebrating. The resulting culture is distinctly Chian, bringing together the best of Greek, Middle-Eastern and Italian influences.
The island's soil, among the most fertile in the Mediterranean, allows crops to thrive. Here, citrus trees produce fruit and flowers in abundance, and in the warm months, the air is heavy with the fragrance of orange and lemon blossom. Chios is also the only place on earth where mastic is cultivated. Drawn from the bark of the Skinos tree, this aromatic resin is harvested by hand in the island's southern villages, just as it has been for centuries.
Behind this natural wealth is undisturbed history. Whole medieval villages still stand in the south, Byzantine monasteries perch on hillsides, and centuries-old culinary traditions persevere as part of everyday life.
This is where our story begins.
The Retreat
For six days, the island of Chios becomes home.
We will settle into an archontikó of our own, a restored merchant mansion in the walled citrus country of Kampos, and gather around Helena and Allegra, two culinary experts whose work is rooted in the traditions of Greece and the wider Mediterranean.
The week will move seamlessly between the table, the landscape, and the living past of the island.
Culinary Host
Helena grew up steeped in her Greek heritage, learning the art of home cooking alongside of her Yiayia, Koula. Those experiences continue to shape everything she creates today.
Alongside her twin sister, Helena first captured hearts as finalists on the TV show My Kitchen Rules, where their family-style Greek cooking won them a passionate following. That momentum carried them to publish two cookbooks: their 2015 debut, Taking You Home: Simple Greek Food for Friends & Family, and their 2023 bestseller Peináo: A Greek Feast For All, which topped Amazon's charts, sold in Harrods, and was reprinted twice. Their third book, OPA! Recipes Inspired by Greek Tavernas, is out now!
Currently based in London, Helena has become known for her viral Instagram series Eat Like a Greek, bringing the warmth and vibrancy of Greek cooking to audiences around the globe. Her work blends technical skill with genuine heart, honouring tradition while making it feel fresh and accessible.
CHEF
Allegra is a chef and culinary artist working between London and Toronto. Her practice explores the intersection of food, visuals, and the natural world. With over seven years cooking in leading kitchens across Europe and North America, including Restaurant Pearl Morissette and Violet Cakes, she works intuitively with the flavour, texture, and form of ingredients, treating each project with intention and material sensitivity.
Allegra spent three years living and working on the Greek island of Andros, hosting retreats and cooking for a rotating community of guests. It was there that she learned about Greek food and the nuances of the cuisine, marking a turning point in her approach to cooking more broadly. Her work shifted away from something strictly menu-driven into a practice focused on community and place.
RETREAT Highlights
A seat at the island's table
Guided by our chef and storyteller, we will cook beside the island's grandmothers and growers, from sweet spoons to mastic scented ice cream, then gather for long meals and lose track of time.
Local stories & characters
We will wander medieval villages built as fortresses against pirates where nearly every facade is decorated in intricate geometric patterns unique to Chios. Here we will learn their history and explore the inherited crafts from the people born within them.
One with Chios' exquisite nature
We walk the mastic groves of the south where walled citrus gardens of Kampos flourish and Skinos trees are scored by hand to extract their resin. The growers will share with us how the island's ingredients come to life.
Explore the sea with those who know it
Led by people who have spent their lives by the sea, we will swim from quiet shore into water clear to the seabed and lift urchins from the rocks to savour with a cold glass of ouzo.
A historic estate of our own
We make our home in a stone estate among the walled citrus gardens of Kampos, where olive trees shade an infinity pool and the chef and lead storyteller gathers us for many of the week's workshops.
Food is one of the ways Greece keeps its traditions alive.
During our retreat, we will cook alongside yiayiades who have spent a lifetime preparing the food of the island, preserving seasonal fruit as spoon sweets and churning kaimaki ice cream scented with mastic: sweet, fragrant, and slightly chewy in the old Chian way. Together, we will learn the dishes that have remained at the heart of family tables for generations, then sit and enjoy them during abundant meals.
There are drinks to discover as well. Mastiha, the island's sweet liqueur distilled from mastic resin, is enjoyed far beyond the shores of Chios yet produced nowhere else on earth. Souma is another: a clear, intense spirit distilled in villages and poured freely. Alongside them come wines from small Chian growers and olive oil pressed at mills just up the road. We will get the chance to visit local distilleries to get closer to the terroir, the processes and also taste the beauty of their different distillations.
By the end of the week, you will have tasted the island's ingredients and traditions and begun to understand the landscape, history, and people that shaped them.
Beyond the villa, the island opens up.
In the mastic groves of the south where low Skinos trees are carefully scored by hand to collect their resin, we will spend a couple of hours taking part in the mastic harvest itself if the season allows. This slow and meticulous process has shaped the island’s calendar for centuries.
Through the narrow roads of Kampos, we will wander with local citrus growers and admire the historic citrus district where our villa sits among walled gardens planted with fragrant orange, lemon, and mandarin trees.
Along the footpaths of locals that have spent their lives by the sea in the even less explored parts of the island, we will make our way down to quiet beaches beyond the reach of boats, where crystal clear water laps against the shore and urchins can be carefully harvested and savoured with a cold glass of ouzo.
Much of the island still lives the way it always has.
We will walk the medieval villages of the south in the company of people who were born inside them. Built like mazes to hide from pirates, now heavily protected by their inhabitants, these villages have kept their medieval allure. In Pyrgi, every façade is covered in xysta, black and white patterns scratched into the plaster, found nowhere else in Greece. In Mesta, the lanes fold in on themselves beneath stone arches, a whole village raised as a single fortress.
In those villages, we will also get the chance to sit with the island's women and witness the weaving craft they keep alive, inherited skills handed down without ever being written.
Home, for six nights, is a stone estate in the Kampos valley.
Kampos is the old citrus country of Chios, a few kilometres inland from town, where Genoese and Ottoman merchants built their mansions behind high walls and planted the ground with orange, lemon and mandarin. Our villa is one of them, restored with traditional stone, intricate woodwork, vast gardens with olive trees and citrus groves, and an infinity pool set before the house with the valley opening beyond it.
Helena and Allegra will gather us here for several of our workshops and long table meals.
ESTATE Highlights
A restored merchant mansion
A stone mansion behind the high walls of Kampos, traditional architecture, intricate woodwork and protected by the Ministry of Culture.
An infinity pool, and the valley beyond
A pool set before the house, ideal for early morning and late afternoon relaxation by the citrus orchards.
Lush rooms to settle into
Comfortable bedrooms, each with an ensuite, and inviting shared living spaces to settle into for the week.
Gardens to roam
Gardens filled with olive trees, lavender, citrus groves, ponds and bikes for exploring the walled lanes of Kampos are at your disposal.
Two kitchens and bountiful tables
Two working kitchens, in the garden and at the heart of the house, and long tables set for workshops and meals that follow.
Pricing
Per person, double occupancy: £2,500
Per person, sole occupancy: £3,100
What's Included
Six nights at our archontikó in the Kampos valley of Chios.
Every meal of the week, from slow breakfasts to long lunches and dinners at the estate's tables, alongside the island's wines, its mastiha and souma, and olive oil pressed just up the road.
All workshops and cooking sessions, led by Helena and Allegra, paired with local cooks, growers and craftspeople who will be joining us through the week.
Every outing in the programme: the medieval villages of the south, the mastic groves and, if the season allows, the harvest itself, the walled citrus gardens of Kampos, the village distilleries, and the quiet beaches that we'll be exploring.
All transport on the island, including your transfers from Chios airport or port on arrival and departure.
All entries and admissions, and gratuities throughout.
What's Not Included
Flights to and from Chios, and any travel to your point of departure.
Travel insurance, which we ask every guest to arrange before arrival.
Anything of a personal nature and any experiences taken before or after the retreat.
Anything not named above.
Payment & Cancellation Policy
To hold your place, we ask for a full payment at the time of booking.
To reserve, or to ask anything at all, write to us at hello@notosworld.com.
Places are confirmed on a first come basis, and the group is small (8 people maximum), so early booking is wise.
Should you need to cancel, you are welcome to pass your place to someone else. Unfortunately, due to the deliberately limited number of guests in our retreats, we are unable to provide refunds.
The retreat runs once a minimum number of guests have reserved. We confirm as soon as that number is reached, and we suggest holding off on booking non-refundable flights until you hear from us.
Should we not reach the small number of guests the retreat needs, we will let you know at least four weeks before the start date and return your payment in full. Refunds are made by international bank transfer, and we are unable to cover any travel you have already arranged.
Terms & Conditions
Every guest is asked to hold travel and cancellation insurance, ideally covering medical care abroad, lost luggage and emergency evacuation.
We will do everything to deliver retreat as described, but the season, the weather and the island have a say, and we reserve the right to adjust the itinerary where we must, for reasons of safety or anything beyond our control.
Images captured during the retreat may be used in Notos's own storytelling, never in a way that intrudes, and you can tell us at any point if you would rather not appear.
How to Travel to Chios
Chios sits in the north east Aegean, a short hop from Athens. Most guests fly to Athens first, then take the domestic flight on to Chios, which lands in about 45 minutes and runs daily through the season. The island's airport is a few minutes from the estate, and we will be there to meet you.
If you would rather arrive by sea, a daily ferry runs from Piraeus to Chios in roughly eight hours, a slower and quietly beautiful way to reach the island. There are also seasonal connections from Thessaloniki and the neighbouring islands.
We recommend arriving on Saturday, September 19th and departing on Friday, September 25th.
Good to Know
We keep our retreat to eight guests, no more.
You will not need a car. From the moment you land we take care of the moving around, so the week is yours to be present in.
Before you arrive we send a short guide: what to pack, what the days ask of you, and a few of our own favourite corners of the island should you choose to come early or stay on.
The week involves gentle walking on cobbled village lanes and uneven ground, with time in the sea. No particular fitness is needed, only a willingness to be on your feet for parts of the day.
Tell us of any dietary needs or allergies when you book. On an island this generous, the table bends easily to accommodate them.
Check-in is from 3pm on Saturday, September 19th. Check-out is by 11am on Friday, September 25th.
