A Life less Ordinary - Living on a Greek Island

Santorini Cliffs
Cliffs on Santorini
photo courtesy Graham McLellan

18.8 million tourists every year prove that Greece is a popular place to go on holiday. But why do so many people come, and keep coming back, to this dispersed nation of islands and peninsulas in the Mediterranean? From the striking natural beauty of places such as Crete, Santorini and Plakias to the ancient built charms of the Pantheon, Acropolis and the medieval walled-city of Rhodes, Greece has a lot to offer tourists and residents.

Because of the sheer attraction many tourists feel towards this ancient land, many end up moving in and calling it home. This has resulted in one of the most cosmopolitan and heterogeneous societies in Europe. It also means there are plenty of estate agents, lawyers and recruitment consultancies set up just to cater to the needs of foreigners.

Choosing where to live is hard though because you have so much choice. Many people write off places such as Kos for being over-run with tourists and clubbers. However, although this is one side of it, the other side of this enduring island is calm, tranquil and undeniably beautiful. It has plenty of amenities because of its size, but is also a place where you can escape and switch off. It is right on the doorstep of Turkey too, so is heavily influenced by the country and its food in particular.

Paros
Paros (Paroikia)

Santorini is another island gem with even more charm. Not just because it has white-washed buildings topped in blue hat-like roofs and adorned with flower-boxes full to the brim, or even because of endless olive groves winding down to the sea, nor the beaches which are paradise like, but this island is remarkable because of the giant caldera left over from one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history.

The sheer cliffs, tumbling down to the azure blue ocean are truly awesome. These cliffs are made for watching the Med’s best sunsets.

But often it is the smaller islands that hold more of an appeal. They are less overrun by holidaymakers – some aren’t even known to tourists – and are as Greek as they can be, being sheltered from the waves of globalisation. Kia, Kythnos, Nisos Paros and Sifnos are perfect places to get lost in and soak up Greek culture in all its ancient glory.

If you want to explore Greece, possibly with a view to moving to a life less ordinary in the country, Monarch offer some very reasonable rates on Greece holidays.