With the peak of festival season fast approaching, it seems only fair to share an absolute saviour I discovered last year… After months of trekking up and down the country, dancing my body to the brink of exhaustion (the tunes were too good), and seshing until the early hours I was, to put it bluntly, knackered. While bed rotting, wondering how I’d recover, Cook’s Club Kolymbia popped into the Broke inbox with a seemingly universe-sent invite to the final event in their new series of poolside ‘Sessions’ featuring Olive F at their resort in Rhodes. Offering three days at their sanctuary under the sun that mixed meditation and yoga with mood-matching DJs pulled everywhere from the underground clubs of Ibiza to established names signed by the world’s biggest electronic labels, it was of course a no-brainer, so I packed my bags, put on my (now very crusty) Buffalos and dragged myself through Gatwick, gagging for a week of wellness, restoration and good music.
Arriving late at night, I felt the peaceful energy of this place immediately, an earthy oasis tucked within the mountains, with the air still warm I felt my body begin to relax into the tranquil environment, muscles loosening, mind slowing and after slipping between the cooling sheets in a semi sleep-deprived daze I woke up the next morning feeling peaceful and rested.
Inspired to do some grounding by the natural and organic design of the room, I meandered across the resort, met by palm trees and two massive sun-lit sparkling pools along the way, to make the most of Cook’s Club’s early meditation sessions.
Spending an hour reconnecting with my breath and bringing my senses back to the present moment, I walked back barefoot past the hammocks hanging lazily catching rays, over the woven Aztec-esque rugs feeling the threads under my feet and noting the wicker lanterns dangling above my head on the way. With subtle house tunes already soundtracking the space, I decided at that moment I must be in paradise.
Welcomed back into the room by a cooling breezing coming in through the open balcony door, I quickly changed into my bikini and headed over to one of the Kolymbia site’s two shimmering pools to witness a Cook’s Club Session in person.
Positioning myself on a comfy lounger resting on the ground underneath one of their palm-leaved parasols, Olive F hopped on the CDJs for a mesmerising hour of heavenly house that rippled through the rocky hills surrounding me.
Dipping into the archives of her godly collection of vinyls, the set mixed mellow brain-soothing beats with heart-wrenching drops, creating a perfect space to simply swim and soak in the sounds or for those still itching to end the summer with one last dance, an intimate floor beneath the decks. As the final song faded out, I felt I had Cook’s Club Kolymbia semi-sussed as a hidden rave-resort haven for weary electronic music enthusiasts to re-centre and wind down (with a booking team that definitely knows a thing or two about banging tunes).
Grabbing a cocktail from the nearby 360° bar, I moved over to Cook’s Italian Restaurant a few feet away to try a taste ofthe cuisine on offer. Met with a doughy, fresh-out-of-the-woodfire-oven first bite of Margarita pizza (that still makes my mouth water now when reminiscing), I sunk back into the cool stone bench, enjoying a brief break from the sauna-like heat once again finding myself lost in the rich green scenery and stunning stoney slope setting.
In classic Greek style, I met an adorable ginger kitten (which I named Ron) wandering the edge of the grounds as I made my way back to my room, considering my day already made from the interaction, I took a brief nap to gear up for the evening. Waking up naturally from my sun-induced slumber feeling more zen than I had months, I changed into a chilled outfit that suited the balmy breeze of a Rhodes October evening and followed my ears to the sound of soulful disco echoing from the site’s lengthy poolside bar, arriving just in time to witness Blehrin, Cook’s Club’s second ‘Sessions’ DJ of the day, drop’Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’.
Ordering a classic rum and coke which thanks to the talented team of mixologists was way more crisp than I’m used to, I noted both the subtle influence that the cinnamon stick slipped in there had on my drink and the free-spirited atmosphere this starlight set induced in attendees with a small group grooving comfortably by the speakers, others swinging in hammocks with a bev in hand and the babble of friendly strangers bonding. Taking a moment to sit by the blue-lit pool on a lounger, I kicked off my shoes, lay back and took in the glittering star-lit sky, noting how I’d never get a view this clear in London. Heading to bed I welcomed an early night, planning to release any remaining tension in my body with one of Cook’s sunrise yoga sessions the next day.
Taking full advantage of their open-air Asian dining and main onsite restaurant serving Mediterranean dishes, I spent the next two days refuelling, indulging in all the fresh food on offer, soaking in the calming atmosphere of this tranquil space, aligning my mind, body and soul through Kolymbia’s wellness sessions, swimming in seemingly endless pools, and making the most of Cook’s Club’s music-led mecca.
For ravers looking to recharge between festivals or recover after an intense season of partying, you can find Cook’s Club’s 2025 lineup of worldwide events below…
Sunday 11 May – Cook’s Club Kolymbia, Rhodes
BBC Radio 1’s Future100 founder Jaguar
Thursday 5 June – Cook’s Club Alanya, Türkiye
Bontan
Thursday 19 June – Cook’s Club Adakoy, Marmaris
La Discotheque
Thursday 3 July – Cook’s Club Hersonissos, Crete
Melon Bomb
Date TBC – Cook’s Club El Gouna, Egypt
The final Session closes the summer with a winter sun celebration. Headliner and date to be announced soon.