Dream trips Look, no crowds! Pick your perfect Greek escape
These lesser-visited Aegean islands will provide you with the ideal post-lockdown introduction to the art of soaking up the sun SAMOS: AN ISLAND ROAD TRIP
One of the true outposts of the Greek islands, Samos has a remote, even wild feel that makes it a place for exploration as much as for relaxation on a lounger or taverna terrace.
WHY IT’S SPECIAL
You need glance only once at the map of Europe to grasp why Samos is unique. Set so close to Turkey that you can almost touch it across the Mycale Strait (which is just a mile wide), it is, in terms of the Greek islands, a last gasp at the edge of the Aegean Sea. That this has fomented an outsider vibe in its towns and villages should surprise nobody.
This is not to say that you cannot stay and snooze. There are hotels galore in the capital, Vathy – and welcoming resorts on the north shore, in Kokkari and Kampos. But it is the south and west sides of the island that really sing to the camera – partly because you have to drive along roads that curve across the broad torso of Mount Kerkis to reach them. And if you continue driving, you will all but leave the grid. The route along the west coast is a Greek equivalent of Highway 1 in California, the Tarmac leaping across ravines and clinging to cliffs, all the way into the tiny hamlet of Drakei, where it abruptly and conclusively stops.
YOU’LL NEVER FORGET…
The section of the west-coast highway between Kallithea and Drakei, where the road twists and arches so violently that the four miles between the two villages feels like 40. It certainly takes a while to finish the journey – as every corner offers a view to stop and absorb.
INSIDER TIP
Stay on the south coast in Ormos Marathokampou. A fishing village where boats bob in the harbour, it is quieter than anywhere in the north, but still has a range of hotel options.
HOW TO DO IT
Samos makes you work for its attention – in that there are no regular direct flights from Britain to its (southcoast) airport. If you are planning to travel with a mainstream carrier, it will probably be Aegean (0871 200 0040; en.aegeanair.com) – and its subsidiary Olympic Air (0030 210 6261000; olympicair.com). The former flies to Athens from Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh; the latter takes up the baton to Samos. You can, however, fly with Tui (tui.co.uk), which serves the island from Gatwick during summer – prices from £350 per person for a package of flights and a week’s accommodation. Sunvil (sunvil.co.uk), meanwhile, is rather a Samos expert – using hotels on the north and south coasts.