Greece is a place you can visit and be almost guaranteed to leave feeling happier, warmer and more fulfilled than you were when you arrived.

The Greeks are warm, inviting and possibly some of the kindest hosts in the world. The food is mouth-watering, yet casual and almost always eaten outside under the stars (at least in the Summer). The landscape is scattered with ancient ruins, and every place seems to have an intriguing story lurking beneath the surface. 

Greece is one of the countries I’ve already written about most on this blog. All of these posts have been about an area in Northern Greece called Zagoria. Zagoria is mountainous, thickly forested and the perfect place to hike or go whitewater rafting, but it’s absolutely not what most people think of when they go to Greece. So to celebrate our virtual trip to Greece, I thought I’d write a quick guide to some other Greek places I’ve visited and fallen in love with.

Mani

Mani is a finger-like protrusion on the South of the Peloponnese, and like a lot of Greece the landscape of Mani is mountainous and inaccessible. The furthest south part of Mani, or Deep Mani, is also the southernmost point of mainland Greece.

Maybe because everyone is chasing that perfect Greek island escape, most visitors overlook the Peloponnese, and most visitors to the Peloponnese overlook Mani. Having said that, Mani is only around a four hour drive from Athens Airport. You wouldn’t know though. Mani is by far the quietest and most undeveloped part of Greece I’ve visited. 

Deep Mani, in the south is even quieter. We stayed in the small village of Porto Kagio, overlooking the natural cove. We spent our days eating and drinking alongside, and swimming in the cove. It felt like being in a pirate cove at the edge of the earth.

Mani doesn’t have Greece’s best food, but it is decent. While the food in Mani won’t blow you away like may in Zagoria or Milos, Mani makes up for this with its tranquility, breathtaking sunsets and beautiful sea coves.

So, visit Mani if you want some time for reflection, reading books, and doing not much at all. It’s perfect.

Milos

For me Milos is the perfect Greek island in the Cyclades. As far as I can tell it’s mainly popular with Athenians seeking a short break from the bustle of city life.

While Mani isn’t a culinary destination, Milos is definitely known for its excellent seafood. Every single meal we ate in Milos without exception was excellent. 

From the top of my head I’d here are some Milos food and drink tips:

• Akri for a pre-dinner cocktail and to enjoy the beautiful harbour views as the sunsets

• Bakalikon Galanis for the most delicious Greek small plates

• Gialos for a slightly more upscale fish menu

• Zygos for delectable barbecue if you fancy something more land-based

• O! Hamos! Tavern is also excellent, but everyone knows this, so you’ll be waiting quite a while for a table

Milos has a wide selection of beaches from relaxed sandy beaches such as Paliochori Beach to a stunning inaccessible beach set in the remnants of the abandoned Paliorema Sulfur Mine. 

If you like fantastic food, a wide choice of quiet beaches and beautiful island scenery, visit Milos.

Pelion

I wasn’t going to include Pelion, but Joe offered to write a short snippet about how lovely Pelion is, so here’s Joe’s take on why Pelion is worth visiting.

The Pelion peninsula for me is synonymous a stay we had at magical Hotel Faros.  Perched on a cliff above the Aegean, it’s a working farm and olive grove. You can imagine how good their food was using ingredients from the farm or the sea.  It’s possible to swim straight from the rocky outcropping at the hotel - and I remember while swimming one morning spotting a man diving down and collecting urchins. Every time he surfaced, he pulled out a small knife to open up the urchin and slurped up its orange flesh!

Another notable moment was meeting a senior civil servant from the UK over breakfast, who had apparently been coming to Faros for years. And also had some interesting stories about working with Theresa May.

Just a short walk from the hotel is another beach (Milopotamus) which one arrives to via climbing a neighbouring cliff with a gorgeous cafe which made the freshest, crispiest fried calamari served with a big slice of local lemon.

Hotel Faros certainly isn’t all Pelion has to offer. The peninsula is just picture perfect Greece and another town was even the set for some of the Mamma Mia movie. 

Faros is not the fanciest place. It’s not a place for amenities. It’s not that easy to get to especially if your rental car is a small red Peugeot. And it didn’t even take credit cards back in 2015 as I learned when checking out without any cash and not an ATM anywhere close (they kindly just let me bank transfer when I got back to the UK - not sure why that was the option we had settled on!).  

But when I come back to Faros one day, I really hope that not a thing has changed.