May 17 is likely to be the most exciting date on the calendar this year. Why? Because this is the date with the travel go-ahead button attached to it.
And as Brits start mentally packing their bags for sun and sea with a huge dollop of culture, Greece has already put out the welcome mat and has been the most vocal about inviting Britons who have had both doses of the vaccination onto its shores.
Travel companies are eagerly looking to capture some of that magic and making it easy and even reassuring to book now for later.
Greece has a myriad of appealing destinations; here’s a small selection.
Santorini
Santorini
This gorgeous hilly island in the southern Aegean Sea is as romantic as can be. It is best known for its cube-shaped buildings topped with those blue domes, sensational cliffs, and blessed with land so lush that as the honey-hued sunsets blanket the landscape with is dimming light, it takes your breath away
Oia and the capital, Fira, are two of the island’s most popular resorts and make for the perfect hillside hideaways.
Halkidiki
Haldiki
Halkidiki has three peninsulas that look like crooked fingers protruding into the warm waters of the Aegean Sea. The Kassandra finger is home to several gorgeous villages, such as Kriopigi, which spreads itself on a hill where pine trees rise up over Toroneos Gulf. Nearby is the village of Afitos, with amazing vistas over Sithonia and the eastern coast of Kassandra with quaint stone-built houses, cobbled streets and Orthodox Christian structures. Sani is a little busier, especially in the summer when pop concerts take place at the foot of a hill. The village also has lovely bars and a marina replete with restaurants.
Corfu
Corfu
The island of Corfu rises out of the Ionian and has a vast coastline, a rugged beauty of unkempt yet lush mountains and sandy coves lapped by calm, cobalt-blue waters. Everywhere are hints of its Venetian, French and British heritage – in its architecture, such as twisty medieval lanes, Venetian fortresses and the French-styled arcade in its atmospheric Old Town.
The eastern shores of the queen of the Ionian, such as Ipsos, Dassia, Moraitika and Benitses, are most liked by young families. Whereas the northeast offers pastel-hued architecture on a hillside dotted amid olive trees overlooking the sea.
Mykonos
A long-time favourite with partygoers, Mykonos is simply beautiful, slow-paced yet at nightfall, a frisson can be felt in the air as locals and holidaymakers come out to dine or sip cocktails. The main town, Chora, is adorned with white cube-shaped homes with bright blue doors and shutters, and often framed by colourful flowers and makes for a most delightful day-time stroll.