I watched the young backpackers striding confidently on to the ferry, water
bottle in one hand, the Rough Guide to the Greek Islands in the
other, with the same nostalgia I feel seeing home movies of myself as a
child. They reminded me of a younger, more carefree self, when 20 years ago
I had island hopped around Greece with a rucksack on my back. Now a harassed
working mother, I was attempting a similar holiday with three children in
tow, ranging in age from 8 to 16.
When planning the trip I had reasoned that the children were now of an age
when they would enjoy the adventure of travelling around and that we would
no longer have to confine ourselves to a single resort or villa. The
youngest was old enough to pull his own small suitcase on wheels - crucial
if you are constantly getting on and off ferries and buses with your luggage.
I like activity holidays with lots to do and see; my husband prefers to spend
two weeks horizontal with several large nonfiction books. Milijan, the
16-year-old, wanted to go clubbing, Sasha, the 14-year-old, shopping, and
Callum, the eight-year-old, is happy with a sandy beach. I figured that the
Greek islands would have something for everyone.
In the end we went to Mykonos for the shopping and clubbing, Samos for
beaches, Patmos for sightseeing and Hydra because it’s quiet and has no
cars. I loved arriving and exploring a new place every few days and - for
the most part - so did the kids. But my husband hated it. As the five of us
dragged our suitcases on to the final ferry through a crowd of backpackers,
in 40C (104F) heat, he hissed violently at me: “Next year we’re renting a
villa and staying put for two weeks. I’m too old for this.”
However, in spite of my advancing age (44), I found travelling around Greece
easier and more comfortable than it was 20 years ago. This is due to the
investment put in for the Athens Olympics and some generous funding from the
EU. You can now travel from Athens airport to the ferry terminal at Piraeus
on the shiny new metro system in only 30 minutes. In the past it was two
hours by bus or taxi sitting in the heat of an Athens traffic jam.
The boats are much improved, too. There’s a whole new generation of fast
ferries and hydrofoils that have cut journey times in half. All of them were
extremely punctual and with the exception of one floating rust-bucket that
we took from Samos to Mykonos, air-conditioned and comfortable with
reclining airline seats.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the swarm of Greek home owners who descend on
disembarking tourists shouting “room, room” and waving faded photographs of
picturesque whitewashed lodgings. You don’t have to book accommodation in
advance, but if you are travelling with children and want a few creature
comforts then it’s probably wise to do so. Many Greek restaurants now offer
a children’s menu serving staples such as pasta with plain tomato sauce - a
huge relief when you’re travelling with fussy eaters.
On Mykonos - a trendy, up-market clubbers’ paradise - we stayed in La Veranda,
a ten-room hotel with a small pool. Perched on a hill, it has amazing views
of the boxy blue and white town. It’s a steep ten-minute walk from the
bustling centre but a peaceful place to escape the crowds of toned, bronzed
young clubbers.
Like many hotels on Mykonos, La Veranda advertises itself as welcoming
families and gays, although Marina, the friendly owner, explained that their
gay clients prefer to come in September. She was there to meet our ferry
when we got in at midnight and asked us if we had plans to go clubbing that
evening. She said that on Mykonos people go out at midnight, return around
eleven the next morning for breakfast, sleep until four and then go to the
beach. “Not us,” said the husband firmly.
We were up early exploring the town, which was almost deserted until
lunchtime. Then it turns into shopping heaven with countless tiny boutiques
crammed into a maze of narrow cobbled alleys selling clothes, jewellery and
designer ornaments. We even found Victoria Beckham designer jeans on sale.
That night Milijan met some American teenagers in the Scandinavian Bar and
in true Mykonos style stayed out until breakfast. “Great music, sort of
techno hip-hop,” he reported, adding that 70 per cent of the clubbers were
young Greeks and Italians with a smattering of Australian, American and
British backpackers; and that the beer was very expensive.
Although the teenagers loved Mykonos, the husband and I preferred Samos,
described by the Rough Guide as having a tame nightlife and
attracting a sedate, fortysomething clientele. Samos is lush and green with
vineyards, hilltop villages, monasteries and classical ruins. Appropriately,
it was the home of Epicurus the philosopher, who formed a commune on the
island from which he advocated the pursuit of pleasure. Sadly the commune no
longer exists but our hotel made a good stab at providing for hedonists.
The Doryssa Bay is a five-star resort, modelled on a traditional Greek village
with a large swimming pool, whirlpool baths and beach front with
watersports. The rooms are in bungalows built around a village square with a
café, shops and a small Orthodox church.
We rented a car and drove around the whole island, which can easily be done in
a day. For lunch we stopped in the village of Manolates, which sits on top
of a hill and has stone steps instead of streets. The restaurants serve
pinenut salads and organic goats’ cheese and the houses are painted pretty
pastel colours.
The historic island of Patmos is a short boat journey away. It’s dominated by
a hilltop monastery built in the 11th century to celebrate St John the
Divine, who claimed to have heard the Revelations in a cave on the island.
Samos is also within spitting distance of the Turkish coast and the ancient
ruins of Ephesus.
Our final stop was the island of Hydra - 90 minutes by the Flying Dolphin
ferry from Athens. The only forms of transport on Hydra are donkeys or water
taxis. There are no beaches, just black rocks from which you can leap into
the sea. It keeps the hoards with their beach towels away.
Hydra had a faded glamour about it, having once been fashionable in the 1950s
and 1960s after Sophia Loren filmed Boy on a Dolphin there. The most
famous inhabitant now is the Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, who
has restored one of the 18th-century mansions in the old port. However, the
children were unimpressed by the lack of beaches and the treatment of the
local donkeys.
Our trip around the Greek Islands was a great mix. “I really liked travelling
everywhere by ferry because it felt more of an adventure,” said Sasha,
summing up the week. The travelling can be onerous at times but if you pick
your islands and accommodation carefully, it’s well worth it.
Need to know
Getting there: To Athens, easyJet (0905 8210905, www.easjet.com)
flies from £53 return from Luton and Gatwick. BA (0870 8509850, www.ba.com)
flies from Heathrow from £147 and Flyglobespan (0870 5561522, www.flyglobespan.com)
operates from Glasgow from £120 (May to October). From May BA will operate a
twice-weekly nonstop Gatwick-Mykonos service from £129.
Getting around: Ferries from Piraeus to the islands can be booked at www.ferries.gr
or at the port. Greek Island Hopping by Frewin Poffley (Thomas Cook,
£12.99) is useful. If travelling in peak season, book a couple of days in
advance, especially for the Flying Dolphin hydrofoils which have fewer seats
than the big ferries.
Hotels: On Mykonos rooms can be booked through Mykonos Accommodation
Center (00 30 22890 23160, www.mykonos-accommodation.com),
which offers doubles at La Veranda from £63 in July. Thomson (0870 5502555, www.thomson.co.uk)
offers a week’s half board at the Doryssa Bay hotel from £525 per adult,
children from £349, including flights from Gatwick and transfers.
