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Greece offers over 10,000 miles of coastline and some 1,500 islands. She is the ideal yachting destination offering a wide variety of islands groups to suit all tastes. Greece is a country of white-washed houses, colorful fishing villages, crystal clear waters, sandy beaches, and seaside taverns. She is a country steeped in ancient history and lore. The Greeks are famous for enjoying a vivid nightlife and dancing until dawn.
The Cyclades:
The Cyclades are barren mountainous islands of various sizes a dry Mediterranean climate. They are the most popular of Greek islands. Each island has its own characteristic and unique capital, a harmonious cluster of all white cubic houses, narrow cobbled streets and gracious little churches. Typically each island is topped by a castle, large or tiny, whole or ruined.
Mykonos:
The tourist mecca of Greece. She is bright sunny and breezy. The churches and narrow winding alleys appear to be naturally evolved forms sculpted from the island itself. By day the fine sandy beaches are crowed with sun bathers and my night the hum of bars and clubs carry on until dawn. Santorini is an island of of wild volcanic beauty and miles of black pebble beaches offering an entirely different aspect of the Cyclades. Its capital, Thera, lies on the breathtaking Caldera, the brim of the enormous crater of an ancient volcano, the eruption of which, three and a half thousand years ago, marked the end of the Minoan civilization. On Paros, Cyladic houses, shops and churches are dazzling white cubes bursting with colorful bougainvillea. She is home to Katapoliani, one of the finest churches in all of the Aegean. Ios is a never ending beach party. Milos is famous for the Venus of the Louvre museum. Serifos, Sifnos, Sikinos, Folegandros, with beauty matching the mystical charm of their names, and the cluster of picturesque Koufonisia, complete the magical ring that awaits to be experienced.
The Ionian:
Rich in natural beauty, rare geological formations, lush vegetation and enchanting coasts, the Ionian Islands have been the meeting point of various people and cultures since the antiquity. Gentle slopes clad with pines, cypresses, olive trees and vineyards create a harmonious landscape of rare beauty that charms the eye. The Ionian Islands float like a string of emeralds on the blue green waters of the Ionian Sea marking the westernmost borderline of Greece. Zakinthos is like a bowl holding something precious as the mountains encloses the fertile plains. She was completely devastated in the earthquake of 1953 destroying her Venetian buildings. A museum houses some of the relics including some fine icons. Kefalonia is the largest area of the Ionian Islands. Here, archaeologists have been able to find evidence of the ancient sites mentioned in Homer. The tombs of Krani are said to be the best examples of Mycenean tombs in Greece. Kefalonia produces excellent white and red wine. Lefkada, an all green island with a fantastic variety of beaches is virtually united with the mainland and adorned with islets The island takes its name from a precipitous white cliff called Leukatas presumed to be Sappho’s Leap. Ithaki, according to Homer is the island home of Odysseus. She has numerous caves and anchorages with water so clear it is difficult to believe you won’t touch bottom. Corfu is the most northern island of the Ionian Group and lies at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea. It is the second largest island of the Ionian. She is a mountainous island with impressive landscapes, dense vegetation due to the many winter rainfalls, long golden sandy beaches, one of Greece’s prettiest towns, many traditional villages, Byzantine churches, several museums, impressive Venetian fortresses and some lively resorts spread all around the island.
The Saronic Gulf Island and East Peloponnese:
Unexpectedly close to Athens, ideal for weekends, the four islands of the Saronic have tremendous historical value and rich cultural tradition. Aegina, one hour from Piraeus, with large plantations of pistachio trees, colorful and vivid, with beautiful beaches and picturesque taverns. She is also a site of great archaeological importance. Nearby, Agistri, is a tiny pine clad islet with wonderful waters and bays. Poros, renowned for lush vegetation, emerges opposite to Peloponnese, forming the narrow passage to which it owes its name. Hydra, a great naval force of the past, stands beautifully proud and indomitable, a bare rock with imposing mansions of hewn stone and a rich cosmopolitan air. Spetses, another significant nineteenth century naval power, marks the southernmost limit of the Saronic Gulf. Great mansions by the sea, a relatively flat inland and dense pine woods complete its captivating beauty. The town of Nafplion, marvelous with its cobbled streets, stone houses and Venetian piazza and the tiny fortified islet of Burtzi, is crowned by the tremendous castle of Palamidi. The Peloponnesian coast continues southward to the wooded bay of Kyparissi, and the picturesque town of Gerakas. Further to the south, stands the proud medieval city-fortress of Monemvasia, a steep rock emerging from the sea. Across the end of the Peloponnesian coast is Elafonissos a small island with superb beaches, the small bay of Porto Kayo, and a few miles to the south, the beautiful island of Kythira, with its unsophisticated charming Mediterranean landscape.
The Sporades:
Scattered in the northwest Aegean, these pine clad islands with their idyllic golden shores and picturesque towns, have an identity of their own. Skiathos is green and cosmopolitan with pine woods separated from the sea by strands of golden sand. She has become a “mini” Mykonos with discos, bars, and good restaurants. Alonissos is a hilly, wooded island that relies on donkey and the caique as much as on motor vehicles. She offers beautiful bays with pine clad slopes and inviting tavernas. Skyros is ancient and wild, with a long cultural tradition of its own, steep shores, beautiful bays and sea caverns. The island is the natural habitat of a very rare pony, known as the little horse of Skyros. It is also known for its traditional furniture, elaborate and robust, direct descendant of the Byzantine pieces. Karistos is the largest of the Greek Islands after Crete and is situated on a narrow strip of land at the foot of a magnificent mountain range. In places the range drops sheer to the sea for over 500 meters.
The Dodecanese and Crete:
Twenty six inhabited islands of all sizes and a thousand islets and rocks form this wonderful concentration across the Asia Minor. Rhodes, the largest of all has a rich ancient past. The capital of the island, where in the antiquity stood Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, is a great Venetian fortified city, with a castle that once was the greater stronghold in the Mediterranean world. Cosmopolitan and lively, Rhodes has been a favorite tourist destination for decades. Kos is a well-watered and fertile island which produces fine fruits and vegetables. Ancient Kos had many famous citizens including Hippocrates, the great physician and father of modern medicine. Kalymnos, barren and quiet, is renowned for its sponge divers who, with their small boats, go as far as the northern coasts of Africa to find this precious commodity. Patmos is the northern most of the Dodecanese. Skala is the natural harbor and above it the monastery of St. John the Divine. Samos is the closet of the Greek Islands to Turkey. Spanning just one mile across, she is covered by thick pine forests. Villages perch precariously on the small plateaus. One of the largest islands of the Mediterranean Sea, with a unique diversity of landscapes is Crete. This is the island of King Minos and the Minotaur, birthplace of El Greco and the Hellenic renaissance. Breathtaking ruins of rich prehistoric cities, impressive Venetian fortresses, villages intact by modernity, steep mountains and shadowy ravines constitute the habitat of a proud, indomitable people with a strong tradition in hospitality. Four large cities full of life (Heraclion, Chania, Rethymnon and Aghios Nikolaos), offer superb hotel complexes, wonderful beaches, excellent port facilities and a vivid nightlife.
Yacht Charter Specialist, Ali Kaufmann, Visits 2011 Poros Yacht Charter Show in Greece
I just wanted to write to you about my recent experience with Erik Mayol as my broker. He was OUTSTANDING to us. We started with a single boat viewing with him for a blind call to him on a boat he had listed. That particular boat was already sold but he took the time to listen to us regardless about what we wanted and worked to find us a great boat. Along the way we nearly purchased another boat through him that was not the right fit for us for many reasons. However instead of pushing us into something that we werent comfortable with after a certain point, he put… [read more]
- Dane and Corrie Hutchens