Blog posts from June 2018

My first visit to the Azores, an archipelago of nine islands in the Atlantic, was long overdue and greatly anticipated.

Sete Cidades, Sao Miguel

We bundled ourselves off to the airport and soon enough were zipping in our hire car along the easy route south through Lisbon, over the Vasco Da Gama bridge. This stupendous feat of engineering wasn’t meant to be a feature of our holiday, but we just couldn’t help ourselves marvelling at the sheer ambition of the thing - opened to traffic in 1998, complete with lengthy spokes and spindly, chic lamp posts. We were transported over the Tagus River and ever closer to our destination.

Alentejo, Portugal

Here we take a look at the traditional villages of the Pelion region of the mainland.

Vilages of Pelion, Greece

Greece is beautiful at any time of the year, but in our humble opinion, spring is the best season to visit the islands, especially April and May. Aside from it being the cheaper time of year to book your holiday, wildflowers start to rear their heads and carpet the fields and roadsides with their blooms, poppies can be seen everywhere, as can white clover and chamomile, and the beautiful mauve wisteria, usually seen growing over buildings on the islands, releases its scent as you stroll past. Visiting the islands during this time is ideal as many people tend to take their holidays from June onwards, hence the islands aren’t as busy, affording you the opportunity to mix with the locals more. The temperature averages 15 Celsius during the day, and April sees the country awaking from its winter slumber; restaurants, tavernas and guesthouses start opening their doors to welcome visitors. And let’s not forget Greek Orthodox Easter—usually held one week after Western/Gregorian Easter—one of the biggest celebrations in the Greek calendar. If you can arrange your trip to Greece during Greek Easter and spring, you’re in for a treat.

Landscape, Crete, Greece

The island of Corfu is blessed with a unique and diverse mix of attractions. You will discover busy coastal resorts, quaint waterfront hamlets, forests of ancient olive trees, sleepy hill villages with pastel-coloured old houses and crumbling Venetian-style bell towers, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Corfu Town. There truly is something for everyone. This blog details what can be done during a 7 night stay based at the horseshoe shaped bay of Kalami, on Corfu’s unspoiled north- east coast. Our featured self-catering property, the Kalami Bay, offers panoramic views over the Ionian and is just 5 minutes' walk (300m) from the beach and village centre. To the front of the apartments is a large, freshwater swimming pool.

Kalami Bay Studios, Kalami, Corfu