May 24th I love crossing over to Koufonisia from Naxos. Forget the hydrofoil and the Superfast – call Captain Costas Prassinos to sail over from Koufonisia to pick you up in his Kaiki. Koufonisiotes were famous for having being brave and insouciant pirates (until probably not that long ago…) and Costas has the hawk nose, bright eyes and clear, open face … Read More
Five Star Greece still on the road – May 24th We just made our ferry to Naxos – we left the bashed-up car at the Paros car rental with an airy “Magna Travel will pick up the bill” (This is why we love Nasos and Co.) and boarded the “Aeolos Kenteris,” named after the Greek Olympic … Read More
May 22nd to 23rd Evi and I turned up bleary-eyed at 7.00 in the morning at the port of Rafina for the hydrofoil to Paros. By 8.00 we still hadn’t left which is very unusual for the hyper-punctual hydrofoils. “The captain’s car has broken down and he is waiting for a taxi” said the second captain. … Read More
What is going on in the Ionian? Corfu, Zakynthos and Kephalonia have all been pretty well discovered/exploited/developed, but below the radar, quietly quietly, keeping low profiles, large concerns and private buyers from the north are buying up big chunks of land on the smaller and less well known islands. Lefkada, an island of stupendous beaches and … Read More
Five Star Greece recommends the Jerusalem of the Aegean. We thought we would feature Patmos this week as we have taken on two really lovely houses on the beach. The only places to stay until now were beautiful but not frightfully comfortable village houses. Now we can offer you air conditioning, pools and beaches nearby; … Read More
Five Star Greece on Spetses We have just had a cancellation for August for one of our favorite houses on Spetses – the Queen of the Saronic Gulf, where the real insiders head for. Lazy, laid-back, elegant easy. Trying out baby steps in my newly acquired social media skills, I have done a tweet and a … Read More
Five Star Greece is back in the office (with a cold..) Sifnos is an island for the cognoscenti – a Cycladic beauty with 200 kilometres of heavenly footpaths, mostly ending at the white-washed gate of a small, blue-domed church with a name like “Virgin of the Flowing Water”, and commanding an extraordinary view over … Read More
Five Star Greece – February 18th I am stuck in Athens waiting for the wind to drop enough for the harbour master to allow the ferry that I need to catch to leave for Kephalonia. This is your gain as having nothing positive to say at the moment, other than Athens is on sale so … Read More
Corfu Sunday: After the wild, bright barrenness of the Cyclades, Corfu is radiant with flowers and lush foliage, drooping boughs heavy with dark olives, thickets of tiny scented purple cyclamen, pink grapes bursting with juice, and pomegranates splitting open to show their ruby red glistening seeds. A pale blue mirror- like sea reflects the Albanian … Read More
October 6th One of the closest Cycladic islands to Athens and just a hop away from Mykonos, Andros is ripe for discovery. Real estate prices are bucking the downward trend, fuelled by demand from the Greek island connoisseurs who prize the wonderful fresh and local produce, the rich and subtle cuisine, the tidy and picturesque … Read More
June 20th Medusa’s Island When people ask me for my favourite island, one of the answers I often give is Serifos. The Gorgon’s island; the island of Andromeda and Medusa, of Perseus and Hermes. Apart from its right to have “here be dragons” written on its map, it is the sort of island that a … Read More
