F is for Folegandros
Is that this the quintessential Cycladic island? Sugar-cube village, clifftop monastery, luminous bays solely accessible by boat or vertiginous dust tracks — verify, verify, verify. Folegandros is now not the hippy hideaway it as soon as was, however it nonetheless has sufficient rustic appeal and barefoot insouciance to be quietly, intensely cool.
Fly to Santorini then take the high-speed ferry (seajets.gr) to Folegandros. Household-run Anemomilos (00 30 22860 41309; anemomiloshotel.com) has fashionable studios dangling on a cliff-edge, from €230.
G is for Gorges
You might have a wonderfully lazy seashore vacation on Crete, however the island’s true nature is hidden in its spectacular gorges. Samaria is probably the most well-known, however there are dozens of much less difficult choices. Maria Mylonaki, of Crete specialists Diktynna Journey, recommends the Aradena Gorge, which begins at an deserted village and ends with a swim within the Libyan Sea; Agia Irini, shaded by historic olive bushes; or Zakros, whose caves contained Minoan tombs. “The canyons resemble the Cretan character: rugged, tough, to be approached with warning, however at all times beneficiant and certainly not boring,” says Mylonaki.
Diktynna Journey’s (00 30 28210 41458; diktynna-travel.gr) strolling guides usually are not simply wilderness and wildlife specialists. They’ll unlock chapels coated in frescoes and pre-order fish soup at the most effective taverna.
H is for Hydra
“Ouzo, intrigue, and Leonard Cohen,” is how one overview described A Theatre for Dreamers, Polly Samson’s novel about an ingenue’s coming of age within the bohemian swirl of Nineteen Sixties Hydra. The heady, languorous isle hasn’t modified that a lot since then: its architectural integrity is undamaged, motorised automobiles are nonetheless banned, and courtyard tavernas draped in jasmine nonetheless thrum with artists, writers and muses. Sure, it’s craggy, expensive, and has barely any seashores; however Hydra’s attract stays irresistible.
Deliver the gang and shack up at Kamini Home, (00 30 6932906377; hipawayvillas.com), the image of blue-and-white perfection, with terraces shaded by exuberant bougainvillea. From €800 per evening, sleeps 8.
I is for Ionian Islands
“A love affair between romantic Britons and the Ionian islands has been happening for 200 years,” says Ileana von Hirsch, a local of Ithaca and founding father of luxurious villa company 5 Star Greece. “The islands had been a part of the British Empire for 40 years. Edward Lear painted the Corfu panorama and Lord Byron was provided the crown of Ithaca by the locals (sadly he turned it down, however was tempted). The Durrells had been following a revered custom of fleeing Albion’s dank and dirty shores for the readability of Ionian water, the smooth breezes, sultry mountains and shady groves of cypress and olive.”
With commanding views, elegant interiors, and entry to a non-public jetty, Corfu MC is a testomony to its Anglo-Greek homeowners’ nice style. From €18,000 per week, sleeps 8 (020 8422 4885; fivestargreeece.com).
