Posted on Friday, 19 June 2015

My Brian is rather a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to holidays. It's got to be either the Dordogne or Andalusia for him. And I must admit I do love both too. But this summer I thought Greece would make an exciting change; all that silky soft sand and azure blue seawater. And the food too – as good as anything in France or Spain. And let's not forget the history.

Indeed, history was on Brian's mind as far as Greece was concerned – history in the making, that is, in Athens. He didn't like the look of things over in the Hellenic Parliament, or the Bank of Greece.

“What happens if they exit the euro?” said Brian. “What happens if there's a revolution while we're there?”

“Honestly, Brian, we're going to the idyllic Ionian island of Zakynthos. It's hardly going to be a hotbed of political unrest.”

Navagio Beach, Zakynthos, Greece (dziewul/Bigstock.com)

And besides, I went on, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office hasn't significantly changed its advice for months.

But Brian looked up the section about there being a “general threat from terrorism and acts of political violence.”

“Brian,” I said, “even France and Turkey have that.”

Well, it was a miracle I ever got him in the taxi to Gatwick, let alone on the plane. It was a comfortable flight all the way to Zakynthos. At least, it was for me – Brian was a little nervous, bless him. Nothing a glass of red couldn't sort out, mind you.

It was with a faint look of surprise that Brian found himself on a sun-lounger by our pool several hours later, with an icy Mythos beer in his hand. Did he expect burning barricades and cries of ‘bring-back-the-drachma'? Possibly. He was certainly astonished that the taxi driver took his euros so readily.

And so we began our two week break in Zakynthos – known as ‘Zante' by the Italians – and I watched as Brian was steadily won over by Greece and its people.

First off, he was astonished at how friendly and helpful the staff at the hotel were, and genuinely impressed, for some reason, by how often they came to change our bed linen.

The food was delicious and very affordable in the hotel – and even better in some of the restaurants in town. He loved the fresh fish and dolmades – and was popping olives at every opportunity.

My only regret about my husband's eating habits is that he developed a rather unfortunate taste for taramasalata (fish roe dip), the stink of which only seemed to disappear after three brushings and a good swish of Listerine!

And while we were both happy to read by the pool or take leisurely strolls into town for coffee, we did see a fair bit of the island. Highlights for me were Porto Limnionas Beach which was simply divine – although I must say the rocks were a little difficult to navigate when accessing the sand.

Brian was astonished by the beauty of Navagio Beach – known by most tourists as ‘Shipwreck Beach'. He thought the pictures he'd seen in the brochure had been doctored. But no, Brian, the sea really is that blue and the sand really is that golden!

His enthusiasm dried up at the prospect of a speedboat trip – and so I took that one off our to-do list. But we did take the opportunity to visit ‘Turtle Island' which involved a boat of a slower variety. It was swelteringly hot and there was little shade, but we had our hats and sunblock with us.

Turtle Island, Greece (Olga355/Bigstock.com)

We did eventually glimpse a couple of turtles about 100m off the island's shoreline, but soon realised that with a little effort we could have swam out that far from Zakynthos itself – so the boat excursion seemed a little unnecessary. However, nothing could spoil our mood. In fact, personally speaking, I had fallen a little in love with Zakynthos.

Perhaps one of the biggest eye-openers for Brian was the range of Greek microbrewery ales available in some of the bars and restaurants; he had no idea the Greeks made such good beer. He discovered a number of India Pale Ales and even a stout.

Our final day on Zakynthos was one of sensational weather and exceptional food – and a little souvenir hunting on my part. Brian didn't seem too interested in buying any keepsakes – or so I thought. After our pleasant flight back to the UK and our not-so-pleasant re-introduction to rain, Brian revealed he had placed several bottles of obscure Greek ale in his suitcase.

We sat in the conservatory and watched the rain streak the windows, thinking of Zakynthos in the glorious sunshine.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Advice on Greece

While Greece has been in the headlines recently, UK Government has not changed its advice substantially in the last year. New updates relate to strike action, which is likely to be the biggest problem faced by travellers. However, as with all destinations, you should read FCO advice in full.

FCO page for Greece: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece

Get a Quote