Simpson Travel (www.simpsontravel.com, 020 8003 6557), the independent, luxury specialist tour operator, has launched an exciting new wellness holiday in partnership with the founder of the widely acclaimed 'Method Putkisto' school – Marja Putkisto.  The week-long 'Stretch in the Sun' programme, with ten sessions of Method Putkisto activities, takes place from 20th September 2016, at Simpson's Arosmari Village Hotel in the heart of Vamos, in north west Crete. 

Suitable for couples, individuals, young and old, the Method, created by Marja Putkisto, is based on dynamic, deep, yet relaxing stretching which realigns the body and lifts the posture.  This body changing – potentially life changing - technique has been designed by Marja over the past 30 years to address her own physical challenges having been born with a disjointed hip.  The result is flexibility, strength and freedom of movement; relief from joint pain; a trimmer, more youthful body shape and a unique, entirely natural facelift – all from one simple exercise routine.

Set against a spectacular backdrop of the White Mountains, the peaceful Arosmari Village Hotel is the perfect retreat.    With just 10 charming stone cottages linked by stone pathways interspersed with olive trees, lavender bushes and jasmine, it has a gentle village feel.  There is a spacious pool area, a small spa and hamman area and even an original shepherds hut.  Breakfasts are home-cooked and organic and there will be plenty of time for massages, swimming in the pool, steam baths and country walks to help any lingering knots of tension and stress.  

Commenting, Marja Putkisto says 'Arosmari is the perfect setting for this holiday, with its sense of peace and gentle pace allowing us to totally focus and switch off from everyday routines.  My programme is aimed to help people understand their bodies and reach their full potential –  often to a level that exceeds what they think possible, in so doing giving them a new, healthier approach to life.   Through an intensive 10 session programme guests will see a visible improvement in their body shape, gain an increased sense of wellbeing, and also acquire a very practical approach to how to adapt this to their everyday life on their return home.”

Prices start at £995 per person based on 2 sharing and includes flights from London Gatwick; ten 90 minute Method Putkisto sessions; 7 nights accommodation on a b&b basis; two dinners; transfers and tours of Chania and Vamos.  For bookings call 020 8003 6557 or visit www.simpsontravel.com

For further media information, please contact:

Sarah Bolam on 07714 337756 or email sarahbolamcommunications@gmail.com or Anthea Yabsley – 0208 578 6777 or email anthea.yabsley@ideal-pr.co.uk

Notes to Editors

Simpson Travel was established in 2003, yet its heritage predates this by many years. Chairman Graham Simpson, a veteran of the travel industry, built up the highly successful Simply Travel in the 1970s with his Greek wife Yianna. From humble beginnings in a flat in Chiswick, it became one of the best respected independent travel companies of its time, renowned for offering authentic rather than 'packaged' holiday experiences, with carefully researched programmes, exceptional product knowledge and service.

In Simpson, he has recreated the original ethos of Simply Travel, offering a very personal service, with individually selected properties, expertise of each destination, a highly knowledgeable team of staff and excellent representatives in resort. Clients booking with Simpson can be safe in the knowledge that their holiday will have been created with their needs in mind, with each property matched to their individual tastes and requirements. They can also rest assured that they will be really well looked after by the excellent representatives on hand in each resort.

Simpson Travel features a wide variety of villas and boutique hotels in Greece; Turkey; France; Mallorca and Corsica and has more recently added properties in mainland Spain; Ibiza and Italy to its portfolio. In 2015, Simpson acquired French villa specialists Dominique's Villas and Italian experts Cottages to Castles. These companies continue to operate alongside the Simpson brand.

About Marja:

Born with a hip out of place, Marja Putkisto spent the first year of her life in a cast and, even after 15 years of ballet classes, she remained what she describes as an 'ungifted mover' with ongoing hip and postural problems.

However, when she was just 25, whilst working as a movement and dance teacher at the Sibelius Academy and Finnish National Opera, she took matters into her own hands. She'd had enough of waiting for a doctors to diagnose what was going on with her body and had strong sense that her muscles were simply too short. If she could open them up, her bone structure would be able to fall back into optimum alignment. A little like pulling everything apart and putting it back together again, the right way.

And so Method Putkisto, a deep, dynamic, precise stretching process, was born and although it's evolved in the 30 years since, and benefitted from the scientific input of one of the world's leading physiologists, Professor Mälkiä, the original premise remains intact.  Today, Marja, an international ambassador for the Method, is full of vitality, animation and humour – and the gift that she gave herself is a gift she now takes great pleasure in sharing.

Method Putkisto Institute, is now recognised as one of the leading bodywork and movement schools in Finland and includes ten studios in Helsinki, 70 full-time instructors and a studio in Richmond, London too.