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A pouter's paradise, but ironically given the hotel's name, I find it a bit dark and dingy - the only natural light comes from a small window in one corner (and the view is of a crumbling building next door) and creating a relaxing glow artificially is tricky.

The other contented-looking guests, lounging on loungers and lolling in cabanas, are busying themselves with selfies and soaking up the August rays, which are pushing the mercury to the late-30s Celsius.



Still, we sleep well on the sumptuous king-sized bed and in the fresh light of day appreciate the hotel's efforts to inject some stylish avian-related quirk into the interior design, typified by the bare lightbulb by the bed held in the beak of a wall-mounted bird sculpture, the golden egg chairs in the foyer and the banquettes housed in birdcage-style frames in the dining room.

Better still, head over for lunch at one of the tavernas on Paxos's smaller, vine-covered neighbour, Antipaxos. Hire a boat to see the best bits, pottering around the coast to stop at Galazio beach, which is accessible only by water, and to marvel at the natural rock arch of Kamara.

Throw in a circular bar, a couple of hot tubs and the option to order light bites, and the rooftop can stake a claim - alongside the price - to being one of the major lures of this hip 220-room property, the fourth hotel by Tel Aviv-born hospitality group Brown Hotels to open in the Greek capital.

Among the Ionian islands, taxi prices Katigiorgis greece Kefalonia may have become busier since its 2001 starring role in the film of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, but there are still quiet corners, including the small peninsula of Cape Liakas, which doesn't attract day visitors thanks to its no-through-road and a rocky beach rather than a stretch of sand.

Greeks come here to ski in the winter and best day trips from Pelion to swim in the summer. With pretty villages, lush forests and hidden beaches, the area where Mount Pelion drops into the sea has a sprinkling of small pensions - or guesthouses - rather than big hotels.

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Those who love their own reflection will no doubt be bewitched by the dark reflective surfaces that abound - the walls behind and in front of the bed are mirrored, along with the black door and dividing wall for the ensuite.



We parents, meanwhile, are taking the window this unannounced babysitting shift has afforded us to soak in the view, which is stupendous - an almost-360-degree panorama of Athens, including the famed Acropolis, which lies a couple of miles away.

A week-long trip, with flights, transfers and car hire, costs from £971pp (The tiny islands that will make a huge impression Ionian Island Holidays has a number of villas in the area, including the simply furnished two-bed Villa Jason, with private pool in the village of Horto.

We vow to rise early and reach the ancient site before the midday sun and taxi Pelion to airport price the crowds and fail miserably, instead hoping on a subway train at around 11.30am and ascending the slopes to the pillared Parthenon and the other glorious monuments and sanctuaries in the former city - built in the 5th century BC - amid heaving crowds and in blowtorch heat.

Inntravel has a ten-night walking trip in September starting in Athens, including B&B but not flights, from £1,095pp (inntravel.co.uk). On volcanic Milos, explore the lunar landscape and soft sandy beaches along a shoreline that also features sea caves.

For some dramatic mountain and lake scenery, taxi prices Pelion head to Epirus in northern Greece, where you can stay in a lodge in the heart of the Zagori region, visiting cheese farms and vineyards as well as quaint villages with medieval arched stone bridges spanning babbling rivers.

We opt for cooked-to-order pancakes with chocolate sauce, watermelon, good coffee from a high-end Douwe Egberts machine and croissants, before taking advantage of the hotel's handy location in Omonia Square, taxi prices Katigiorgis which has a metro station just three stops from Akropoli - the station for the Acropolis.

A separate visit explores one of the six remaining monasteries once the day-trippers have left, ending with a magical view of the sun dipping behind the rocks. Six nights' B&B costs from £1,660pp with flights (Alternatively, follow the gods, who, according to Greek legend, chose the taxi Pelion airport to piraeus price peninsula between Athens and Thessaloniki for their revelries, but which is blessedly free from mass tourism.

A week in Koulka House costs from £830, taxi fare piraeus to Pelion airport excluding flights (Lunar landscapes - and island-hopping in style Villa company Scott Williams has many properties on Paxos, including the simple stone Koulka House, with a pool, sleeping four in the hamlet of Kastanida on the west coast.

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