Five Star Greece

Did you know that the origin of the Christmas tree in ancient Greece, was not fir or cypress tree, but a branch from a wild olive tree? According to many references in ancient texts, the wild olive branch, or “Eiresioni”, was decorated with garlands of  red  and white wool.  On it hung the first autumn … Read More

Tiny Skiathos is a  sparkling pendant drop off the damp nose of the Pelion peninsular, and is a perfect, sandy playground  for families and youngsters. The south coast is lined with an almost continuous  strip of golden sand  kissed by calm,  shallow, pale blue water, and fronted by hotels, tavernas, some private villas and excellent … Read More

Back from Marrakech, where the utterly fabulous 2104 edition of PURE Life Experiences, the best travel show in the world, is over; we all remember the fireworks, the parties, the Berber horsemen,  but of course, the real excitement is meeting the stars from the travel world; the amazing new travel agents and trip designers that come … Read More

A rather late posting, but better late than never…. Skopelos is home to an eclectic group of people who go a bit native there –  documentary film makers, artists,  the designer Marc Held, and Martin Beckett, a giant in the world of advertising photography and president of the Association of Photographers. Martin  is wearing a … Read More

Part 1 Skopelos, the largest of the Sporades islands, is one of Greece’s most overlooked islands in spite of Mamma Mia being filmed there… pristine green pine forests with plane and sycamore trees give way closer to the sea to Mediterranean herbs, with  fine beaches under towering cliffs, sandy crescents backed by pines, and some … Read More

Milos is different, and I really can’t believe that it has taken me so long to discover it. I am so thankful we have a house there to show you, and I am desperately looking for another one as we want to share this lovely island with you. I have one in my sights that … Read More

Women, as all Greek men know, cannot drive. When they therefore have to reverse onto the little ferry deck of the Paros-Antiparos ferry, the shortest ride in Greece, and the one that affords the deepest insights into the gender war, any good Greek sailor knows he has to shout  “Left, left, LEFT, right RICHT RIGHTRIGHTRIGHTISAID, … Read More

The Five Star Greece Inspection tour hits Paros.  accompanied by our new Parian colleague Dimitris, whose enormous family seems to run Paros,  and is  clearly the key to the island. People wave and smile as we pass by. “I am beginning to feel like the Queen” I say.  Dimitris gently puts me in my place “The … Read More

    Our  grateful thanks here from all the Five Star Greece team, to all the readers of Condé Nast Traveller who voted us into the top 10 villa companies worldwide; we are the only country-specific company to have made it,  and it means a huge amount to us that  our clients took the time … Read More

Dimitris has just joined the Five Star Greece team, and to show him what fun it is to work for us, his first job was to write a blog about “What I did in my holidays.” Well, it is back to school time after all… and even if his last school was LSE, some homework … Read More