Revealed: The Secrets That Will Let You Find Some Peace In Greece
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The rugged Mani peninsula, the middle prong of the Peloponnese, is one of Greece's most isolated and starkly beautiful regions, with the Taygetus Mountains running down its spine. Its people claim direct descendancy from the ancient Spartans.
Tick off Serifos and Sifnos, Naxos and Paros as well as the wild, mountainous island of Kythnos. You can also hire a catamaran complete with skipper and chef to sail round the less-well-known Cyclades.
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Better still, head over for lunch at one of the tavernas on Paxos's smaller, vine-covered neighbour, Volos guided tour 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.
Six nights' B&B costs from £1,660pp with flights (Alternatively, follow the gods, who, according to Greek legend, chose the Pelion peninsula between Athens and Thessaloniki for their revelries, but which is blessedly free from mass tourism. 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.
For some dramatic mountain and lake scenery, head to Epirus in northern Greece, where you can stay in a lodge transportation in greece Volos the heart of the Zagori region, Volos escorted tours visiting cheese farms and how to get to greece vineyards as well as quaint villages with medieval arched stone bridges spanning babbling rivers.
A week's B&B costs from £1,059pp, with flights and transfers (Sunvil also runs holidays to Ikaria in the Aegean, which is one of the world's Blue Zones - places where people live the longest as a result of their healthy diet and easy-going lifestyle. There are superb sea views, too, from rooms at Pedi Beach Hotel, which is right on a pebbly beach in the pretty village.
For a similar eco-village in the wilderness feel, try Onar on Andros, just a couple of hours by ferry from Athens. In the protected wetlands of Ahla Valley, this collection of 14 cottages lies between a white-sand beach on a secluded bay and a rockpool fed by a waterfall. Built from stone, wood and river reeds, with white and earthy interiors, the cottages make the perfect base to get away from it all.
Enjoy a massage using herbs grown on the estate, practise yoga in the pavilion, or walk to the nearby beach. On a hillside with sea views, the villas are set within their own gardens and share a pool, open-air cinema and a large library. A villa for two costs from £2,200 a week, or £2,500 for four, with car hire but excluding flights (oneoffplaces.co.uk).
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Take in the imposing Chora town on a rocky hill on Serifos, and the vineyards and olive groves of Sifnos, where trails lead to little monasteries or a medieval fortified village (be sure to try the local speciality of mastelo - goat or lamb marinated in red wine and cooked in ceramic pots). Why settle for one island when you could squeeze in lots more?
With plenty of wood and stone, the stylish cottages - some contemporary, others more traditional - share a pool surrounded by rocks, and a restaurant on the site of an old monastery that uses produce from Thalori's own farm. Stay in the Erofili Hotel by the fishing village of Armenistis, and take a dip in the seawater pool or in the sea at nearby Livadi Beach. Seven nights' B&B costs from £978pp with flights and transfers (It may be one of Greece's most popular holiday destinations but Crete still has some off-the-beaten-track areas. In the remote, rugged landscape of the Asterousia Mountains in the south, a collection of 20 cottages form Thalori Retreat, which takes its name from its position between the sea (thalassa) and Volos airport bus mountain (ori). A walking trail through the pine forest starts here, minibus taxi Volos linking four villages and spanning 15 miles.
And that's if all goes to plan. As we all know, someone's passport has always expired, someone has forgotten their driving licence counterpart, or to print out their boarding pass, and it's all a living nightmar
A network of footpaths weaves among the lemon and olive trees - it's a mile-and-a-half hike to the village of Spartia. Here, a group of 19 individually owned and decorated villas are available for hire, each with sea views. There are sunloungers and shade at the rocky shore, or it's a five-minute drive to a sandy beach.
