The ‘Greek Caribbean’ the place you’ll be able to vacation like a celeb for a fraction of the associated fee

Weaving by means of a maze of sun-kissed tables and sky-blue chairs, ebullient host Freiderikos Errikos leads me inside his eponymous household restaurant on the little-known Greek island of Meganisi to a wall of images that includes well-known diners who’ve graced his tables.

Amid the montage of framed snaps, Errikos is pictured smiling proudly with Hollywood actress Demi Moore, Italian designers Georgio Armani and (the late) Roberto Cavalli, in addition to a number of Greek dignitaries worthy of the VIP standing the image wall instructions.

We’ve anchored at Vathi, the beautiful essential port of this hidden Ionian gem off the west coast of Greece, apparently a hang-out for the wealthy and well-known who moor their yachts close by and arrive quietly to discover.

Earlier, we cease at a secluded pebble and sand seaside on the island, abandoned aside from a smattering of empty solar loungers and a small bar, the place two younger locals are serving ice-cold frappes and espressos for lower than it could value at a well-known espresso chain at house.

Asking if any celebrities have visited their bar, they speak of Sarah Jessica Parker and present me a TikTok on their cellphone of rapper Travis Scott making an attempt his hand at Greek dancing with the Meganisi locals, which they are saying has gone viral.

My Gen Z youngsters are most likely extra impressed than me, however leaving this under-the-radar celeb hang-out, our skipper Dasos places the throttle down on his rib to present us a tour of neighbouring Skorpios, as soon as the personal island of late Greek transport billionaire Aristotle Onassis (he married Jackie Kennedy there in 1968), now leased long-term by a Russian oligarch.

There’s a James Bond vibe to Skorpios – even the identify sounds prefer it may come out of a film – as Dasos factors out the safety males wanting ominously at us, plus the cameras at each doable entry level. He tells us that when the oligarch is in residence, safety boats patrol the world to keep at bay undesirable guests.

Sufficient of the drama. Meganisi is only a watery detour from the place we are literally staying, on its bigger sister island Lefkada, nicknamed the ‘Greek Caribbean’ due to its vivid blue waters and wonderful seashores, however much less well-known than the favored Ionian islands of Kefalonia, Corfu and Zante.

Lefkada is the one Greek island which you attain by a causeway (by way of a small bridge) from Preveza airport on the mainland – so no ferry journey is required to get right here.

In simply half an hour you’ll end up on a verdant mountainous island awash with olive bushes and tall skinny cypress, with Mount Elati, the island’s highest peak, rising 1,158 metres above sea stage. Stalls promoting native honey, thyme and olive oil are dotted alongside the roads.

Due to an plentiful storage of underground water, coupled with historic gentle wet winters, Lefkada is unusually inexperienced in summer time in contrast with the barren landscapes of the Cyclades islands together with Santorini and Mykonos, so mountaineering the hills is widespread. Nevertheless it’s the seashores which actually stand out – many accessible by land, others simpler to achieve by sea – set towards a backdrop of majestic limestone cliffs.

It’s a household vacation and we’ve opted for a villa with Classic Journey, which has properties in each Lefkada and Meganisi. Villas might be a cheap possibility in case you have grown-up youngsters who’re working and also you break up the associated fee.

Preveza can be served by price range airways Ryanair and easyJet, whereas Tui additionally gives aggressive flight costs, and in the event you store round you’ll be able to lease a automobile for every week in June for round £150.

Heading previous the well-known Faneromeni Monastery within the north and 10 minutes from the extra touristy capital of Lefkada City, we arrive within the conventional village of Tsoukalades, the place locals put the world to rights over robust espresso in easy, workaday cafes and go about their enterprise unfettered by hoards of holidaymakers.

A number of bakeries supply home made spanakopita (spinach and feta pie) and bougatsa (custard-filled filo pastry) for a number of euros, lower than you’d pay for a few muffins in a British equal.

Whereas it isn’t picture-postcard fairly – there are not any whitewashed homes with eye-catching blue roofs – there’s a sure appeal to a village that appears to have stepped again in time.

Tavernas right here supply genuine dishes comparable to souvlaki, saganaki, Greek salad topped with slabs of feta cheese, child grilled octopus, sea bream and sardines, washed down with a glass of palatable native wine – a meal will set you again round £15 a head.

Thrill-seekers can head for the extra industrial centres of Vassiliki within the south, famed for its kitesurfing and windsurfing, and the vacationer city of Nidri within the east which gives many boat journeys from its small port.

Extra refined Instagrammable cafes and eating places have sprung up in fairly Sivota within the south, as clients negotiate their acai bowls whereas admiring the yachts passing by means of the picturesque little harbour.

The west coast is windier however has probably the most spectacular seashores together with Porto Katsiki, Kathisma, Pefkoulia and Milos, though some are simpler to entry by boat.

Essentially the most beautiful – and possibly the hardest to achieve – is Egremni within the south west, an enormous expanse of white pebble seaside which sits beneath sheer limestone cliffs. From the closest automobile park, we stroll a kilometre down a winding highway to the steps, round 400 of them, which result in this majestic seaside.

Struggling again up these infinite steps and the winding highway on the finish of the day, we agree {that a} water taxi or boat from Nidri or Vassiliki would have been a much less arduous solution to expertise this idyllic spot.

Boat rent on Lefkada is reasonable and you may get to Meganisi in 20 minutes from Nidri. We lease a 30hp craft with no boat licence for €90 (£78) plus gas prices (Ionian Boats) for as much as six individuals, full with cover and ice field to place our personal drinks and meals in.

Discovering hidden coves and swimming off the boat within the waters round each Lefkada and Meganisi proves a spotlight, because of the shortage of water visitors and the pristine Ionian Sea.

Dragging ourselves away from the ocean for a morning, we got down to discover the well-known Dimossari waterfall close by, scaling a path of uneven stone steps, solely to find that within the top of summer time the autumn has run dry. Finest to do that hike in spring or autumn, when the water is prone to be cascading and guests can dip within the cooling pool at its base.

For those who’re looking for actual celeb remedy on Lefkada you will discover it. On our anniversary we blow the price range at an costly, refined hotspot, Amente, excessive within the hills past Agios Nikitas.

There, we take pleasure in elegant cocktails and positive dine on scallops and black pork loin earlier than being proven previous the pool and the resident harpist to cosy viewing spots beneath the bushes to look at probably the most spectacular sundown. We may have been within the Caribbean.

The best way to do it

Classic Journey gives 9 villas in Lefkada, with 2025 costs from £648 for seven nights (based mostly on 5 sharing); and eight villas on Meganisi from £748 for seven nights (based mostly on six sharing). Flights not included.