Sooo.. What to do to celebrate reaching your 8th decade? This was the question I (and my much younger wife Anne) had to consider in time for this Spring. It did not take us long to come up with idea of a ‘whole family’ holiday in/on/near water in somewhere warm and inviting. You guessed it – the Ionian.
Anne and I had spent a couple of holidays ‘luggering about in the sun’ both pre and post pandemic and we wondered if we could expand our normal routine of late morning motoring to a quiet bay or taverna, afternoon sail back and then a relaxing evening stroll from our usual base at Geni Gardens to something which would accommodate the diverse needs of 4 very sporty grandchildren aged 7 to 13, and their discerning parents. A couple of emails to Phil and we had a plan which we hoped would suit everyone – and so it proved to be.
Anne and I flew in from Bristol on Wednesday and had a few days to refresh our memories of the area before our daughter Caroline, husband Martin, Sam 13 and Seren 11 arrived Sunday lunchtime from Bristol, followed by son Robert, wife Lucy, George 10 and Sophie 7 from Manchester late that same evening. We had 3 apartments in Effie’s excellent Iris hotel which we had chosen so that anyone not wishing to go luggering would have easy access to Nydri and its diverse range of shops, tavernas and activities. All our airport transfers were arranged by Phil and expertly conducted by Statis in his smart Mercedes taxi.
As a family we quickly settled into a routine. The morning muster was at 09:00 on our balcony for any crew ready for the short boat trip across Vliho Bay to Geni Gardens. Their mission, to pick up the excellent breakfast rolls, croissants or doughnuts (very popular with the youngsters) which had been ordered from Sandra by text the previous evening. The Geni Garden ferry (aka lugger “Jo Jo”) also served to pick up our son or son-in-law if they had been for an early morning run to Desimi and back!
Over breakfast we mapped out a plan for the day, which normally involved motoring out to a beach for swimming, and snorkelling. Phil had kindly arranged a second lugger for us which meant we could all go out together. Rob quickly remembered the boating skills he had learned as a boy so was able to take charge of “Ellie” for these daily trips. A favourite destination was Paradise/Oasis Beach, usually deserted mid-morning, with its peaceful setting and beautifully clear water. For part of the week, we hired 2 paddleboards from Argi in the Iris Premium and towed these over to Paradise Beach where both younger generations (and Anne) demonstrated their prowess, whilst Grandad wallowed around like Moby Dick. We also enjoyed visiting Desimi and Spartochori.
In the afternoons we tended to split into 2 groups. One group went sailing once the wind had picked up, whilst the other relaxed by the pools in the Iris or Iris Premium hotels. Once the sailors had returned with salty tales of wind shifts endured and superyachts sighted, we all met up for pre-dinner drinks before heading to Gialos Taverna by boat or taking the 10 minute stroll into Nydri where there are numerous of eateries to choose from. A particular favourite with the youngsters was ‘Tasty’, a small taverna whose house speciality is Gyros. On our final evening together we took part in a Greek Night at Mama Mia taverna on Nydri seafront, an interesting experience and one which I am sure the youngsters will remember for a long time.
All too quickly Sunday morning arrived and we had to say farewell to Caroline and her family followed by Robert and his that evening. Anne and I then had a few more days luggering before heading back to the UK and a Coldplay gig the following Wednesday.
Once again, a holiday with Dragon Drascombe lived up to our hopes and expectations, this time as a 3 generation family holiday. Thank you Phil, you’ve made an ‘old man’ very happy.
