Aegean dream
Fabulous family Greek odyssey includes jaunt to the island of goats…
We had never been so relieved to smell the unmistakable aroma of goats. The first 20 minutes of my maiden voyage as skipper of a brand new, 15ft rental motorboat with my wife, my son Charlie, 13, and 12-year-old daughter Eva across the Aegean Sea to the island of Drenia had not been without incident.
We had been intrigued by the story of Drenia, in this north eastern region of Greece, where goats beyond use and too old to eat were taken to die. But against the odds, the goat population there thrived, so we decided to pay a visit.
The voyage had been going well despite the Mpoukadoúra (pronounced moo-ka-doo-rah) – a hot wind that whips up the surface of the translucent green sea late each afternoon.
I headed for a sandy cove with crystalline waters, where another boat had moored and an elderly couple were sunbathing. As I slowed the engine and aimed for the beach my wife shrieked: “Stop! Turn away!”
Fearing we were about to founder on some unseen danger I turned sharply. “What’s wrong?” I yelled. “They’re naked,” came the reply, followed by shrieks of laughter from my children.
Their mirth was matched by my growing panic as we suddenly had rocks either side of us.
So, faced with risking a shipwreck or heading for the safety of the beach, I ended up doing a complete circle before crash landing on the shore as the couple scrambled to put on some clothes.
Our sudden arrival had sadly ruined the Greek pair’s romantic idyll.
With everyone trying to regain their composure, we bade them a cheery English “good afternoon” as we strode past in search of the nearest goat. We battled up a small cliff, weaving our way between perturbed seagulls and wild flowers and herbs, and were finally met with the welcome sight of goat.
Drenia was strange and beautiful, wonderfully peaceful and, for the most part, unspoiled by humans – clothed or unclothed. And the island seemed to follow a theme for this part of the world.
The day before we had taken a sea cruise to observe the holy Mount Athos peninsula, a self-governed Greek Orthodox republic of 130 square miles – almost as big as the Isle Of Wight.
Here, no female of any species is allowed and men who wish to visit must apply at least three months before their intended arrival. The borders are controlled by police and no one is allowed within 1,600ft of the shore without permission. It is currently home to around 2,000 monks in 20 monasteries and hermitages.
Despite the restrictions, the boat trip was fascinating. Many of the dozen or so monasteries that we saw from our boat were magnificent.
These Byzantine structures, perched, as many were, on the top of cliffs, each could have made a perfect setting for a Harry Potter or James Bond movie.
Then our guide listed some of the incredible treasures contained inside. One monastery has a room built of solid gold, and other monasteries contained priceless artefacts, including an ancient piece of timber said to be part of the cross
I crashed the boat on the shore as the pair rushed to get dressed
upon which Christ was crucified. The seeming contradiction between the display of power and wealth, and the supposed simple life to be closer to God, left me desperate to find out more.
I had taken my family to Greece on a five-night stay during the school summer half-term holiday. We stayed in the exquisite Eagles Villas, a recent addition to the Eagles Palace Hotel, in the unspoiled region of Halkidiki on mainland Greece.
With spectacular views across the coastline and nearby islands, the stylish, luxury villas sit on a hillside among aromatic Mediterranean gardens, which are home to hundreds of butterflies.
Our apartment was beautifully designed and gleaming in white tiles and glass, and had a private pool, a kitchenette and an outdoor living/eating area.
The resort itself has a wide choice of amenities. On lazy days we sauntered down the hill and crossed a small bridge to the resort’s beach.
For variety we also enjoyed the infinity pool at the top of the hill, where we swam with swallows swooping overhead. The resort had a gym, a beauty centre and a spa, which offered a list of massages.
On days when we fancied some more excitement, we sampled the watersports on offer at the beach hire shop. The choice ranged from kayaks, pedalos and wind-surfing, to water-skiing, wakesurfing and jet-skiing.
EXPLORE
Motorboats and sailing boats were also available for those wanting to explore neighbouring beaches, as we did for our voyage to Drenia.
Trips were also available to the ancient city of Ouranoupoli. At the harbourside we enjoyed a glorious lunch of fresh fish, seafood and local delicacies at the Lemoniadas restaurant.
Ouranoupoli was also a handy place to buy wine and honey made by the monks at Mount Athos.
We loved sampling local food and drinks – and this was aided by the incredible choice and quality of Eagles
Resort’s restaurants. My children loved the Lofos at the top of the hill among the villas, with its varied buffet, which meant they could choose their favourites and also try some local delicacies that they had never tasted before.
The Armyra tavern on the beach was a great place to spend evenings bathed in glorious golden sunsets, as we sampled freshly caught fish, squid and octopus, and Greek bites.
The Vinum Grill, set in palm tree gardens, was a high-quality yet informal place for meat-lovers.
We saved Kamares, a Michelinstarred restaurant offering fine dining, until our last evening.
Set on the terrace of the Eagles Palace overlooking the bay and lit with candles and lanterns hung from trees that covered the terrace, it was a wonderfully romantic experience.
But we all agreed that our favourite was the less formal but magical Eleonas – a small Italian set among the resort’s hillside villas, which served some of the best pasta and pizzas we have ever tasted.
Our five-night stay at Eagles Villas offered wonderful relaxation with enough fascinating historic sites, treasure island explorations and diving off boats to keep our young family more than happy.