We drive from Agios Nikolaos to the resort of Elounda, an unforgettable beauty famed throughout the Aegean for its gorgeous green hills, its sugar-sand beaches and its pristine, inviting sea. From Elounda we sail the calm waters of the Bay of Elounda for the island fortress of Spinalonga, a former Venetian bastion and, until 1957, a leper colony.

Spinalonga also features in Victoria Hislop’s debut novel, The Island, which was adapted by Greek television channel Mega into a 26-part drama, To Nisi, the most successful television series ever broadcast in Greece. We leave Spinalonga for a small nearby bay to swim in its turquoise waters and enjoy a barbecue on the beach.