The reality is that there is no best Greek island, the right island depends on the group and so most Greek island villa holidays start with that choice.
The Cyclades is the classic picture with the whitewashed villages, bare hills and has a summer wind known as the meltemi.
The Ionian is greener with a calmer sea and has direct flights from the UK.
Then you have Crete which is a different scale altogether. The season runs longer than anywhere else in Greece and it’s big enough for a couple of weeks without having to go to the same beach on repeat.
Mykonos
Mykonos is full of energy, with exclusive restaurants, beach clubs in Psarou and Paraga to the tables tucked into Little Venice. All of which needs booking weeks ahead if going in summer. A villa is the go-to choice for those in a group wanting to dip into all of that and then go back to their own privacy and private pool. There is also an option to have a chef come in for those wanting a lazy day not having to worry about cooking. August is when the island is at its busiest and most expensive.
Santorini
Santorini is popular for those wanting a breathtaking few and nothing else in the Aegean quite matches it. A cliffside villa with a heated plunge pool is a great place for two people to spend the week. Families often end up elsewhere due to a lack of activities for children as the caldera villages is mostly steps, the beaches are volcanic and small.
Paros
If you are looking for something inbetween then Paros is the great choice, with proper sandy beaches. Only catch is you need to take a short flight from Athens or a ferry from Piraeus but it is worth the visit. It’s a working island with farms, fishing boats and has life outside of the high season. Making it a reliable choice for mixed groups visiting the Cyclades.
For big families travelling together, you will most likely need space, easy access to beaches with car hire being made simple. This points away from the Cyclades.
Crete around Elounda has calm, sheltered bays and some of the largest villa estates in Greece. You also have Spinalonga island which sits just across the water and is an easy boat trip suitable for all ages.
Zakynthos island and Lefkada are the Ionian options with both offering dramatic west-coast cliffs, green hills and direct UK flights.
For those looking to do a bit of island-hopping, it works best when each leg is a single ferry trip. For example, Paros and Naxos are a short boat trip away, Mykonos is a great base to explore Syros or Tinos and the best part, our concierge arranges all the pieces to the puzzle. We would suggest no more than 2 islands in a fortnight otherwise it feel like your holiday is jsut spent packing up and going again.
The best beaches in Greece for couples tend to be the ones with small coves reached by boat or a rough track, such as Koufonisi or the quiet bays of Kea. Families would be better suited to the long beaches with calmer water such as Paros and Naxos.
Going to Greece in June and September will always beat August, no matter where in Greece you travel to. The sea is still warm, the ferries are calmer and prices typically lower. Crete and the Ionian extend that window into October.
Tell us who’s coming and what you want from the holiday, and we’ll suggest the island first and then the house.
