Five Star Greece

Not that they have a superiority complex or anything, but the Ionian islands off Greece’s west coast do like to point out  that they were  part of the very civilized Venetian empire for four hundred years, while the rest of Greece stewed under the Turkish yoke. There are many legacies of the Venetians; a local … Read More

  Mykonos continues to deliver every year, it takes huge pride in improving its offerings summer after summer, and the young new mayor of Mykonos  fights the good fight for stray dogs, beach licenses, rubbish collection and traffic control. The poor, bankrupt, state owned airport with its missing letters and rationed loo paper, (ridiculous on … Read More

  A trio of  grand new villas opening on Santorini, (see below for details,) makes a trip to the Rock, as it is known affectionately by locals, imperative, and my daughter and her boyfriend felt that I needed the help of a romantic young couple, as that is what Santorini does best. I had a … Read More

No more bleary dawn starts at Gatwick, thank you British Airways for giving us direct flights to this lovely Ionian island from Heathrow Terminal 5 at civilised times. Also great for those transiting  to Zakinthos through London from  outside the UK. For a magnificent family holiday villa on northern Zakinthos with ample room for 18 people, … Read More

A seven page spread in the Easyjet inflight magazine has a glorious article about Syros. We invited Lydia Bell as our guest and it was the start of a love affair for her. (Not literally as far as we know, though there are some very attractive and charming Syrianoi out there….) Wonderful pictures as well … Read More

    We are starting the year by blowing our own trumpet a little. The Five Star Greece team is very proud to be the only Greek villa company to have been chosen by the editors of the  prestigious USA  Conde Nast Traveler to feature on their annual list of global  villa experts. The vetting process … Read More

To end the year on a light-hearted note, here is a list of  things never to say to a Greek. 1. How are you? Sounds safe, no? But, a Greek, particularly if he is a she, will invite you home, tell you, in every last gory detail, plus the life story of their doctor, his … Read More

We didn’t feel we could compete with world events for your attention until now, but following some grumbles that we have not been keeping you updated, here is our news round-up  to help you choose your perfect island in 2017 Man up and brave the water Greek airport traffic  was at an all-time high this … Read More

So, feeling our age after a very busy summer, Five Star Greece asked a beautiful, young half-Brazilian half -Greek jewelry entrepreneur, who exhibits  cool, funky jewelry on her website, www.varvaralondon.com  to tell us where the party is at on Mykonos, and what to wear. She went with a bunch of equally beautiful friends and we are exhausted just … Read More

  There is good food, there is bad food, and OK food. I can cook  all three kinds, especially the last two. Then there is the food where you close your eyes and let something magic happen in the universe. I can’t do this at all, but chef Costas Bouyiouris  can. I will just say … Read More