{"id":2078,"date":"2015-01-17T10:21:42","date_gmt":"2015-01-17T10:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/compass\/?p=2078"},"modified":"2015-12-04T06:42:29","modified_gmt":"2015-12-04T06:42:29","slug":"the-greek-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/2015\/01\/17\/the-greek-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"The Greek Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019ve been or not; mention the The Greek Islands and one instantly starts salivating over the idea of saucy waters, postcard-worthy villages and endless sun. And to be fair, these dreamy clich\u00e9s are right on the money; the Greek Islands are straight-up magic. The seas are impossibly blue. The sand is always warm under foot. The homemade tzatziki puts Tescos to shame. And the general pace of life is just a little more relaxed.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always said that the best part of living in Europe (and the UK) is the rest of Europe. Growing up in New Zealand the world always felt so damn far away (because it is). Being in Europe and having an entire continent right on our doorstep ready to explore never gets old. Neither, for that matter, does visiting Greece. So this summer Sam and I headed there for the second time to indulge in our age-old holiday mantra of swim, eat, read, sleep, repeat.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Supposedly there are around 6000 islands, 200 of which are inhabited. And while we haven\u2019t quite ticked off all 6,000 islands (let alone 200), we have covered a bit of ground. So if you\u2019re looking to book a trip next summer and can\u2019t decide which islands are your jam, I\u2019ve jotted down some of my travel wisdom below.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zakynthos<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

If being a Greek Island was a competition, then Zakynthos would be awarded the top spot. Yes, it has the infamous touristic Shipwreck Bay (which will blow your mind, particularly when looking down at from a precarious cliff edge with no rails in sight), but the island also has some of the most incredible water surrounding it \u2013 from oceans of crazy milky-blue to the clearest snorkeling spots imaginable. Throw in some rugged cliffs and you\u2019ve pretty much found heaven. I\u2019d advise to avoid the well-trodden south and head straight up north to find a quaint hotel nestled in one of the villages. We even hired our own little boat to explore the bays and secluded beaches; hands down the best part of our trip.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Spetses<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Spetses is the perfect mix of traditional Greek island living and killer swimming spots. Think windy beachside roads, entire walls of bougainvillea and turquoise seas. Hire a scooter and head out to\u00a0Agii Anargyri beach where you can find the hidden (but well known) Bekiri Cave \u2013\u00a0 where you take a leap of faith into near-blackness and swim towards the light where the water turns blue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hydra<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s cooler than bars and restaurants nestled amongst jagged cliffs? Nothing, that\u2019s what. Head up the town steps, grab a cocktail and watch the braver young boys jump off the cliffs into the sea below. It\u2019s also home to a killer sunset, if you\u2019re partial to that sort of thing (I\u2019m sure you are).<\/span><\/p>\n

Poros<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Poros was made for romantics. Hire a scooter and head up into the hills where you can find impossibly picturesque garden restaurants with lush views and grape vines overhead. After a day of exploring de-sand yourself and head to Dimitris Taverna (provided you eat meat) for one insanely big and juicy (sorry vegetarians) t-bone steak. Topped off with seaside views.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mykonos<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Ahh Mykonos, how I love thee. It may be the notorious party island but I spent an entire week there and managed not to get drunk once \u2013 so don\u2019t be put off by the rumours; you can go there just to relax. Mykonos can only be described as a Greek postcard in real life. Head there early June or September to avoid the crowds. For more in-depth info on my favourite places to swim, eat and sleep in Mykonos head here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Santorini<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Hands down the busiest, most touristic island of them all, I will be honest and say Santorini isn\u2019t 100% my vibe (sorry). Not that I\u2019m saying give it a miss \u2013 seeing it\u2019s white buildings stacked into the hillside with your own eyes is something not to be missed. For more info on where to eat, sleep and play head here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Folegandros<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Can I add another favourite to my list? Because Folegandros ticks all the boxes. Untouched beaches (largely thanks to the fact that they are only accessible by boat), white-washed streets and endless views over the horizon. For more travel tips (and photographic proof of it\u2019s deliciousness) check out my mini guide here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Crete<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Crete is the kind of place you head when you need something that can fit everyone\u2019s needs (it\u2019s also one of the cheapest places to fly to). It\u2019s the biggest island of the lot, which means it\u2019s impossible not to find a little nook that isn\u2019t exactly what you\u2019re after. Head north for the best beaches and put Balos at the top of your list.<\/span><\/p>\n

Created in collaboration with Faithfull The Brand<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Images & Text © We The People<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019ve been or not; mention the The Greek Islands and one instantly starts salivating over the idea of saucy waters, postcard-worthy villages and endless sun. And to be fair, these dreamy clich\u00e9s are right on the money; the Greek Islands are straight-up magic. The seas are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[187,196,197,189],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/files\/2015\/01\/jessiebush_wethepeople_travel_greeceguide_7.jpg?fit=2720%2C1925&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2078"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2728,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078\/revisions\/2728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wpzoom.com\/monte\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}