Why Greek island-hopping is a gentle way to ease back into adventures

The group shuffles onto the boat, some masks tightly strapped on, others dangling. There’s a bit of confusion about spacing – some leave a respectful bottom-sized gap between themselves and their neighbour, others pile in shoulder to shoulder. As it purrs away from the port and around the coast, several people on the top deck yank their masks off, facing outward to avoid disapproving eyes. One woman tuts as a man leans over her to snap a photo.

Suddenly, there’s a shift in mood as a sheer white cliff looms into view, tumbling vertically down to white sand and water the exact colour of a neon-blue highlighter pen. Everyone cranes over the barrier to get an eyeful, audibly ooh-ing and aah-ing at the natural splendour.

This is the reality of travel amid the remaining vestiges of Covid-19: stretches of mild discomfort, confusing instructions and judgemental looks – all instantly forgotten once you clap eyes on the scenery you came for.

For me, that’s Egremni beach, a Caribbean-esque knockout on Lefkada’s south coast. Sheltered by towering white cliffs and completely undeveloped – tourists bring everything from shade to water with them, castaway style – it’s every bit as vivid as I pictured it.

Two days earlier, I’d flown solo into Preveza on the Greek mainland, leaping straight onto a local bus that would cross the bridge to Lefkada and take me to Vasiliki, a small windsurfing beach in the far south. With two weeks to kill here in Greece, I slid on my headphones and embraced the slow travel vibe, glued to views of tiny harbours and dusty, thyme-trimmed roads. At the end of the line, I slung on my backpack and wheeled my tiny case up to a small sea view apartment for a few days under the radar.

Pretty though it was, I wasn’t really here for Vasiliki. I was here for Lefkada’s pin-up, unspoilt beaches – a series of raw, photogenic beauties strung along the high-ridged, unspoilt west coast. Many of these are only reachable by boat; few have accommodation nearby. During my five days on Lefkada, I planned to catch little boats out to these idylls – largely unknown outside of Greece - for lazing, swimming and DIY picnics.

Next on my marked-up map – though I wouldn’t bother glancing at it for a few days – was Kefalonia (an hour’s ferry south). Then its petite neighbour, Ithaca – mythic home of Odysseus and much whispered-about by the stylish Athenians who spend their summers there. I had a rough timeframe, a vague checklist: two weeks, three islands, three ferries and around 14 ravishing Greek beaches. After 18-odd months in my little south London bubble, I’m more than ready to stretch my legs.

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Egremni beach and its neighbour, Porto Katsiki, blur by in a serene beach day in glorious, sunbaked technicolour. I picnic on a tin of briny dolmades (stuffed vine leaves) and a can of zesty Mythos beer, picked up at Vasiliki’s mini-mart for a handful of shrapnel. Anchored off Katsiki, bronzed Greek couples leap from the top of the boat into vivid teal waters, climbing to the top deck to plunge in again and again.

Before leaving the island, I zip over to more upmarket Nikiana, on the east coast. Here the pretty Crystal Waters hotel lays on the charm with multiple tiered pools, swim-up bar, and rosemary-scented, flower-strewn open-air paths connecting each pristine-white room. With days to explore, I relish the chance to kick back and sip thick frozen margaritas in the shade - especially as the mercury climbs to 37C.

Once the heat drops, a fellow sunbather recommends Agiofili – a craggy cove not far away with calm, jewel-coloured waters and great snorkelling. Arriving on the double-decker water taxi that serves this cult favourite daily, I splash off around the small bay, marvelling at the glassy waters and cleansing coolness of the Med. I’ve been to a lot of Greece, but this has to be one of the most astonishing swimming spots out there.

After months of limited movement, my first ferry between islands feels like a treat. I take a cab the short hop to Nidri port to catch the hulking Captain Aristides ship to Fiskardo, Kefalonia’s quaint northern fishing town. Sitting on bright scarlet benches on a spacious top deck, I try to read during the breezy hour and 45-minute crossing, but end up gawping at the scenery, including Jackie O’s old Greek favourite, Skorpios, and the secret coves of Meganissi island.

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On arrival, I potter around Fiskardo’s chic, bougainvillea-draped jewellery shops and pastel-painted houses, parking my wheely case at the chilled Melina bar for a portside Kefalonia Microbrewery beer. A tabby cat curls up at my feet, completing the postcard I seem to have found myself sitting in.

With a slim-to-non-existent bus network on Kefalonia, my next move is to flag down a cab to Assos, a charming little bay of houses and tavernas in sugared-almond colours, facing a wild peninsula topped by Venetian castle ruins.

Checking into my £70-a-night self-catering apartment, I can’t believe the view I have – overlooking the bay below and the ridge of the peninsula opposite. Assos is a low-key, under-radar dream. With only a handful of accommodation options in the village, it’s a day-trip stop, which empties of tourists by each golden evening. At the unmanned reception is a sign saying “Call if you have any questions – Socrates”.

Fully on treacle-slow Greek time, I while away afternoons reading on its pebbles, but rise early one morning to make the hike up to the ruins. A steadily inclining, zig-zagging path makes for a pleasurable walk upwards, but by 9am, the thick morning heat has me sweatily scampering for the bay below.

As I take my pre-breakfast swim, it seems impossible that I’m only halfway into this trip. I’ve seen so much already – but somehow at an incredibly mellow pace. I remembered travel being frantic – planes to catch, sights to see – but this is different. Simply being “elsewhere” is the goal, and the reward.

To mark the halfway point, I head south for a rather more ritzy stop: my one-night, spendy treat of the trip. F Zeen is a delicious health-retreat-meets-boutique-hotel that feels like a real one-off in Greece. The smiling staff organise daily hikes to nearby beauty spots, plus snorkelling tours or outdoor workouts – all scribbled in colourful chalk on a vast blackboard with serious summer camp vibes.

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After dinner in its glam restaurant, I feel – for the first time in nine days – a little forlorn to be travelling solo. “Did you know the movie starts in 10?” a kindly waitress tells me. It turns out there’s a lovely mini-amphitheatre under the stars, with beanbags and cocktails just waiting for us to go and watch a nightly screening (tonight: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, filmed right here on Kefalonia).

Another day, another ferry – this time from Sami, on Kefalonia’s east coast, to Ithaca. Still under the radar for many British travellers, this mini Ionian treasure is unbeatable for peace and quiet, small-scale hospitality, and famous for its consistent, fresh breeze. Given the summer heatwave I’ve arrived at, it’s just the tonic.

Most people hop off the car ferry here and zoom straight to Vathy, the dainty main port, but I head for the upper half of the island – a neat figure-of-eight – to tiny Frikes port. Here I can walk daily to prettier and prettier pebble coves, dine out in its petite marina and people-watch the high fliers slinking on and off of their yachts.

Lower-key than Kefalonia, more luxe-feeling than Lefkada, my five days here are like a holiday from my holiday so far. I hike along the coast roads keeping an eye out for subtle steps down to idyllic pebble coves, often sharing them with just two or three other swimmers. I take the creaky bus down to Vathy for breakfast by the yachts, then stroll the 45 minutes to rustic-glam Sarakiniko beach.

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This one has pale jade waters and a southeast Asia vibe – a bohemian beach bar plays mellow tunes to a beer-drinking, college-age crowd and a painted boat trembles by a slim wooden jetty. The summer season is operating like clockwork here, after a couple of summers on pause – the tourist industry ready and willing for the return of its regulars.

The Greek islands don’t feel off the beaten track, but so much of them – and so many of them – still are. Frequent ferries and walkable coast paths have made this trip a cinch, low cost and full of heart-swelling scenery. It may be my first adventure in two years, but it’s whetted my appetite for more.

One night, an old Greek acquaintance of mine from Athens sees I’m on the island via the magic of social media, and tells me she is, too. “How are you enjoying it? Have you been to Kioni?” she messages, loading me up with tips for my final, sultry days before the ferry back to Kefalonia, and the flight back to London. For my last night on Ithaca, she invites me up to her family’s summer house in the mountains, a mystical-feeling place with an elegant pergola, a huge outdoor table, a cicada-chirp soundtrack and seemingly endless stars above.

We sit out, grazing on barbecued meat and veg as I try to tune into the convivial Greek banter. Sometime after supper, as we sit sipping tsipouro (a nostril-stinging, grappa-like spirit), someone puts on an old rembetiko (folk music) CD. As the woman’s tremulous voice fills the air, the group begins to sing along with throaty, unironic joy. An interloper, unable to join in, I sit back and look up, past vines and timber and space and stars. How did I get here? I think. But whatever mythic Med breeze brought me to this unexpected spot, I’m more grateful than ever for the freedom to roam.

Fly to Preveza, Greece. From there, take a bus or taxi south to Nikiana or Vasiliki (Vasiliki has more boats to islands – from Nikiana you’ll have to get to Nidri for boat services).

Next take the ferry from Nidri to Fiskardo, Kefalonia. You could stay around here for glamorous tavernas and pretty waterfront, or head south to tranquil Assos to live the quiet life. (Optional: head south to one of Kefalonia’s lovely sandy beach towns, such as Lourdata.)

Cross the island to Sami for the ferry to Pisaetos, Ithaca’s port – there’s also a less frequent service that leaves from Poros. From Pisaetos it’s around a 15-minute drive to main port Vathy, or a 30-minute drive to quieter Frikes. For your return journey to Kefalonia, bring water and snacks to Pisaetos port in case of delays (common).

Kefalonia Airport is a 45-minute drive from Sami port – you could spend a night in Argostoli or pretty Makros Gialos beach (close to the airport) before flying home.

Crystal Waters in Nikiana, Lefkada, has rooms from £107, B&B.

F-Zeen in Lourdata, Kefalonia, has rooms from £244, B&B, including all classes and activities.

Self-catering apartments start from about £60 a night in Vasiliki, Lefkada; Assos, Kefalonia; and Frikes, Ithaca. Lucy stayed at Sea Sound in Vasiliki and Vassilis Retreat in Assos.

For ferry timetable and bookings – book in advance for peak spring and summer – see directferries.co.uk and go-ferry.com.