Lefkada, Greece

After Zakynthos, Paros, Athens and Paxos... back in Greece... this time: destination Lefkada!!! Explore this island... lose yourself without fear among its paths... leave behind the most popular routes and spots (far too built-up and anonymous)... explore its interior above all, you won't be disappointed. Lefkada will surprise you with its ever-changing scenery: lush green hills, the mountain, the trail leading to the waterfall, cliffs plunging into the sea along endless, winding dusty dirt tracks, the clinging, welcoming little villages (Karia, Tsoukalades...). The interior of this island is fabulous! You have to get lost along these roads to appreciate it and wander aimlessly... being on holiday in these places means abandoning any sense of time, slowing your own pace... There's something for every taste: from the equipped beaches popular with surfers and fans of other sports (e.g.

Agios Ioannis near Lefkada) to the secluded, unexpected coves (a must is a stop at Kastri bay!!! there's a hidden little beach, tiny, reachable only along a long path that hugs the sea... a little jewel... it stayed in my heart!!!); from the long, kilometre-wide white sands (Avali, from Kathisma onwards, west coast) to the narrow pebbly ones, sometimes shaded by pines and olive trees... We stayed on the east coast but I found it too touristy; it's an endless succession, from one village to the next, of shops, bars, studios etc...

if I were to go back I'd definitely opt for the west coast: I'd choose Agios Nikitas as a base (a small village certainly geared towards tourism but without doubt prettier and better suited even for an evening stroll, perhaps after wandering around the island all day); or even an inland village, Karia itself for example, but there are others too: these are certainly more authentic places, and although they're on the hill, they're easily reachable and well connected... in any case the choice is really varied. I'd been recommended Sivota for excellent fresh fish; it's a small village set in a sheltered inlet to the south that makes a great mooring spot for boats; it's pretty: it winds along a main lane that skirts the little harbour and is lined with the various restaurants and tavernas.

But the best fish, grilled and very fresh, I ate in Geni bay (setting off from Nidri, east coast, you head south: the Geni peninsula); overlooking the bay are some very pretty tavernas, with pontoons for berthing dinghies and small boats that come from the sailboats moored further out to eat, drink or even just play a game of billiards. We went back several times; we ate at the Hippocampus and the O Gialos taverna, the owners are exquisitely kind and we had a really lovely time!