By Amira Hashish
Where to begin when navigating Greece’s sparkling islands? There are more than 200 inhabited destinations to uncover, brimming with world-class beaches, dazzling sunsets and culinary delights. Start by getting to know the main groups, each with their own mix of statement escapes and hidden gems, before deciding on the island-hopping route that works for you….
The Cyclades Islands
The lowdown: Many of the Greek islands’ most well-known and magical spots can be found in the Cyclades. There are two big players; Santorini for ultimate romantic escapes bathed in luxury and Mykonos for parties and beach clubs.
These destinations aside, there are so many more hidden gems to be found with signature sandy beaches, beautifully crafted white and blue houses and isolated chapels.
There is a buzz around Milos’s breathtaking beaches and Kleftiko caves, Tinos has a cool creative scene emerging whilst Naxos is the place for activities to keep the whole family busy. Paros houses Byzantine footpaths connecting traditional villages and breathtaking landscapes with crystal clear waters. Sikinos is a more tourist free option, as is Serifos with its white villages, quiet harbours and golden sand.
A place to know: Just a seven-minute ferry from its big brother Paros lies Antiparos. A truly dreamy destination, it has the feeling of being a secret paradise whilst also subtly featuring a brilliant selection of restaurants and well-curated shops. Stay at The Rooster for a truly impeccable experience. Most of the wonderfully designed suites have their own private pool, the sunsets are movie-quality, the restaurant is a joy and there is access to a translucent soft-sand beach, theroosterantiparos.com.
Alternatively, for a selection of villas across Mykonos, Paros, Antiparos and more check out The Luxury Travel Book, theluxurytravelbook.com. Email Jamie@theluxurytavelbook.com and let him know you are a BBB member.
In Santorini and Mykonos BBB members receive 15% off spa treatments and a complimentary bottle of champagne for bookings of 7 nights or more at the luxe Katikies hotels, katikies.com.
Click here to become a member of BBB if you aren’t already.
Crete
The lowdown: It takes around six hours to drive from one end of Crete to the other and there is so much to take in along the way. This island has it all; nature, history, produce and beaches to write home about. You’ll find pink sand in Elafonissi and laid-back but luxurious beach clubs in Elounda. Chania is a picturesque harbour town that packs a punch. The Venetian, Turkish, traditional and modern architecture is set against archaeological sites. History buffs will also be keen to visit the ruins of Knossos, Malia, Zakros and Phaistos.
A place to know: those in the know are heading to Acro Suites, a new wellness resort just west of Heraklion. At the very tip of a peninsula, its cave suites are built directly into naturally occurring caverns with pool terraces half-shaded by natural rock, acrosuites.com.
Alternatively, Daios Cove has a selection of suites and villas that can be booked via Carrier, carrier.co.uk. Contact bbb@carrier.co.uk to get access to benefits.
The Dodecanese Islands
The lowdown: Rhodes and Kos are the two most famous islands of this group, both with airports. They provide a gateway to some of the much more off-the-beaten-track but beautiful spots. One to know is Symi. Centred around the delightful port, the hill that sits just above blooms with colourful mansions. With incredible views of the Aegean Sea from most corners, there is something mystical about this island. Hop around by boat and soak up life’s simple pleasures.
A place to know: If you are seeking an adults-only beach getaway with a healthy dose of style Oku Kos has you covered. The chic beach resort has a very chilled out spa, farm-to-fork dishes and a rustic but luxurious design. Not to mention a standout sunset every night, okuhotels.com. The hotel is a part of the Red Savannah collection. Contact Sarah Leigh slshenton@redsavannah.com and let her know you are a BBB member.
Saronic Gulf Islands
The lowdown: Keen to tie in an Athens trip with an island break? This is the closest group to the Greek capital and is full of picture perfect isles. Hydra, Poros, Spetses, Agistri and Aegina tend to fly under the radar and that’s part of their appeal. Hydra is built in the shape of an amphitheatre on a slope overlooking the Argosaronic gulf. Think stone mansions, cobblestoned streets and, perhaps most remarkably, no cars. Donkeys are the main mode of public transportation here.
A place to know: Hotel Bratsera is a former sponge factory in Hydra that has been lovingly restored and turned into a charming little bolthole. The building surrounds a peaceful garden with a pool and the vibrant harbour is just a two-minute stroll away. If you’re keen for an authentic slice of Greece, this is it, bratserahotel.com.
The Ionian Islands
The lowdown: The most prominent of these lush, green islands is Corfu with its beautiful UNESCO protected old town. There are other notable options though; Kefalonia has emerald beaches and standout wineries. Then there is Paxos for underwater caves, small bays and green hills. Antipaxos is its neighbouring small but perfectly formed island. In Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, you will find peace and serenity. If rugged cliffs and a vibrant underwater world are your thing, make a beeline for Zakynthos or try Lefkada for secluded beaches and sweet villages. Not forgetting Aphrodite’s birthplace of Kythera.
A place to know: If you are planning a trip to Paxos, Scott Williams are the specialists. The family-run travel service prides itself on knowing all the locals; from chefs to diving experts (some who double as both) and they have an impressive villa collection alongside a team on the ground to help with boat and car hire or table bookings, scottwilliams.co.uk.
The Sporades Islands
The lowdown: Skiathos may be known as the nightlife spot but just across the way is the much more chilled and nature-filled Skopelos with forests, monasteries, coves and shipwrecks off the coast. Did we mention it is also where Mamma Mia was filmed? Alonissos is the base for fishing or spotting Mediterranean wildlife. Culture lovers will soak up the ceramics of Skyros before meandering through the mountaintop capital of Chora and exploring its Venetian castle.
A place to know: Adrina Resort & Spa is ideal for families with 22 villas and 16 rooms on site. All have an outdoor balcony with sprawling views across the glistening blue Aegean Sea, adrinaresort.com.
Northeast Aegean Islands
The lowdown: Closest to Turkey, these islands are brimming with stunning beaches, forests and sand dunes. The main islands to have on your radar are Limnos, Samos, Lesvos, Chios and Ikaria, packed with thermal springs.
A place to know: Lesvos is the third biggest island in Greece behind Corfu and Evia but it remains much less trodden. With delicious food, sprawling beaches, imposing pine and hardwood forests (including the remarkable petrified forest of western Lesbos) and more than a million olive trees, this feels like traditional Greece. Oliver’s Travels has a collection of luxury villas on its books, oliverstravels.com.
Converted Places to Stay
By Anya Cooklin-Lofting
One of my 2022 New Year’s resolutions was to take a trip outside of my comfort zone, so my partner and I hired a campervan and toured some of the most beautiful parts of the Scottish Highlands. At the time, life in the van felt like enough of a departure from my aggressively urban existence in London, but having returned to the metropolitan hubbub of the capital, I want to take my out-of-comfort-zone travel experiences one step further. Having researched the subject of unusual places to stay for comfort zone-averse holiday-making, I am continually drawn to the weirder, more wonderful accommodation available, especially in the form of converted planes, trains, forts and even machinery.
SiloStay
First up is SiloStay, a collection of purpose-built grain silos converted into apartments in Christchurch, New Zealand. Each of the 9 silos available to hire is sustainable and stylish, breathing new life into the industrial, corrugated complex. The complex won the ADNZ/Resene Architectural Design Award in the Commercial Interiors category in 2014, and the timeless, utilitarian schemes still feel modern, fresh and design-led. Staircases wind seamlessly around the curving, blonde wood-clad walls, and the raw effect of the corrugated metal walls serves as an exciting reminder of the structures’ history.
From $200 per night, www.silostay.kiwi.nz
Das Park Hotel
Not for the fainthearted, Das Park Hotel in Ottensheim, Austria, is perhaps the ultimate ‘converted stay.’ The rooms, designed to provide the most space and comfort as possible, are set in converted sewage pipes. So successful has the innovation been with younger travellers and holiday-makers looking for something different, that a second location has been established in Bernepark near Essen in Germany. The amenities are limited and guests are provided with only the minimum necessities (think light, power, a sleeping bag and a blanket and local bathrooms at the nearest petrol station…), but there is an honest and rare ‘pay as you wish’ system that takes the edge off.
Pay as you wish, www.quirkyaccom.com/das-park-hotel
The Old Railway Station
Everyone is familiar with the converted train carriage – they abound on AirBnB and can be hired for cosy weekends away with the family or a loved one all over the UK, in fact. The Old Railway Station in West Sussex, UK, is a train carriage hotel comprising four Pullman train carriages at the former Petworth Railway Station is a beautiful example of how charming these converted carriages can be. There are several other examples across Yorkshire, Norfolk, and in Wales that simply ooze quintessential British charm.
From £300 per night, www.old-station.co.uk
No Man’s Fort
For the most unique, memorable family holiday, party or event, the ominously named No Man’s Fort, built in the late 19th century as a fort to protect Portsmouth, reopened in 2015 as a hotel. It sleeps 44 guests and can hold up to 200 people for parties. Although the hotel is currently closed to the public, it’s certainly one to keep an eye on for the rare opportunity to stay. The spacious rooms, a selection of bars, elegant dining rooms, jacuzzis and spa treatments in this eerie and historic setting surely make for a totally unique stay.
Helicopter Glamping
Finally, and continuing along the military theme, you and five friends can now head to Stirling in Scotland to stay in a 17 metre-long aircraft, the Sea King ZA127. Its active service in the Royal Navy as a search-and-rescue helicopter ended in 1994, and shortly after a stint in naval training, was purchased by a couple at a MoD auction. Its dimensions are surprisingly generous, and although its owners have created a warm, homey feel with soft furnishings and thoughtful details, original elements of the aircraft have been retained and restored, including the exterior, the cockpit (painted with an RAF roundel and complete with the original dashboard, roof panel switches and foot pedals) and the original lighting.
From £170 per night, www.helicopterglamping.com
Unusual City Breaks
By Anya Cooklin-Lofting
What cities spring to mind when you fancy a culturally rich, stimulating, exciting city break with friends or a loved one? Paris, of course. Rome, naturally. Innsbruck? If you say so. The timeless sophistication of the greatest and most renowned ‘weekender’ cities is undeniable and will appeal for generations to come, but what about some of the other incredible cultural hubs on our doorstep that don’t get the same kind of air time?
If you’re looking for somewhere new (to you) to explore, you’ve come to the right place. Read on for a round-up of some of the most interesting, unusual spots that the tourism industry has cruelly undersold…
Innsbruck, Austria
In Bill Bryson’s hilarious travelogue, Neither Here Nor There, he compares the quaintness and somehow pastiche predictability of Innsbruck to a Disney film he saw as a boy: “…what made a lasting indent on me was the Europeanness of the background – the cobbled streets, the toytown cards, the corner shops with a tinkling bell above the door… it all seemed so engaging and agreeably old-fashioned compared with the sleek and modern world I knew, and it left me with the unshakeable impression that Austria was somehow more European than the rest of Europe.” According to locals and online guides, the best time to visit Innsbruck is in the winter, mainly for the winter sports (there are nine ski resorts around the city) but also for the sheer levels of cosiness available. Sit down for a mug of Jägertee in Innsbruck’s architecturally diverse Old Town or rug-up and book a walking tour of the city including the heavily embellished stucco façade of the Baroque Helblinghaus for optimal Hygge (which makes for a perfect Danish segue…)
Skagen, Denmark
The northernmost town in Denmark, Skagen benefits from light, warm evenings in the summer months. This geographical advantage was enjoyed by the Skagen Painters, a group of Scandinavian artists who gathered there in the late 19th century to paint en plein air in the style of the French impressionists. Some of the most famous works (which are so heavily defined by their luminescent expression of natural light that visitors continue to enjoy today) are P.S Krøyer’s Hip Hip, Hurrah! and Anna Anchen’s Sunlight in the Blue Room. H.C. Andersen, a national cultural personality, once said of Skagen’s artistic allure, “Here in the Danish country, you will find a nature that reminds you of the desert in Africa, of the ash mounts of Pompei and of birds flying around the dunes by the sea.” Should you decide to flock to the town with your paint box, make sure you stay at the Brøndums Hotel, which was the only hotel in Skagen at the time the artistic group was working.
Kutna Hora, Czech Republic
While you can easily take an hour’s train trip to visit Kutna Hora for a day trip from Prague, the city feels like such a distillation of history, ritual and legend it would be a shame not to spend more time there. The crowning glory of this unusual city break is the Church of All Saints, also known as the Bone Church, and its underground chapel, the Sedlec Ossuary. If you want a particularly unusual trip, this should cut the mustard. Built in the 14th century, the Church of All Saints was the site of the burial ground for the victims of the 1318 plague and for those killed in the Hussite wars. In the 1500s, the cemetery was abolished and the bones of all the bodies buried there were exhumed. The colloquial signifier, the Bone Church, begins to make sense when you discover that all the intricate decorations across the church’s walls are made from bones. The arrangement of the bones, which includes a chandelier in the centre of the nave containing all of the bones in the human body, is the work of František Rint, a Czech wood carver, who finished the macabre installation in 1870. For the stronger-stomached amongst us, a tour of the Sedlec Ossuary is offered with a 3-course lunch at a nearby restaurant.
Annecy, France
Known as the Venice of the Alps amongst fans of the quintessentially French village, Annecy is a charming town in southeastern France known for its eponymous lake (immortalised in Paul Cézanne’s 19th-century Post-Impressionist work, The Lac d’Annecy) and snow-capped mountain vistas. It has all the charm of a baby Provence and certainly fewer tourists. The scale of the lake allows for watersports including sailing, paddleboarding, wakeboarding and scuba diving, and catamarans and yachts can be hired, too. For land-dwellers, the coiling canals of Annecy’s Vieille Ville prove the perfect warren in which to lose yourself entirely to the cobbled streets and putty-coloured houses. A trip to rural France seems pitifully incomplete without a lazy stroll around a farmer’s market, and both the local markets, the Old Town Market and Au Rendez Vous du Terroir are exactly what you might hope for.