Sailing the Ionians with Elysium Yachting
I flew in to Preveza airport via Venice, as I had managed to snag some really inexpensive return flights from Ontario, Getting from the airport to the marina wasn’t difficult. On the first day, we joined our friendly and helpful Skipper Stan, who gave us an introduction to the area and a safety briefing over welcome drinks before freshening up and settling down for the evening.
We went ashore later to a quaint little waterfront restaurant with bougainvillea growing over the walls for an amazing, authentic Greek dinner with feta cheese salad, grilled fish and calamari (which is squid, by the way, in Greek). All of this at the water’s edge with the sound of the waves gently lapping the shore!
The Greek wines at this place were truly amazing, full bodied and dry, but flavoursome with a rich aroma and lingering flavors. I fancy myself as a bit of a wine afficianado, can you tell? If you haven’t tried Greek wine yet, I’d encourage you to give it a try, you will be glad you did!
I had a whole cabin to myself, so it was so cosy and relaxing to slide in between the cool white sheets after dinner and enjoy the gentle rocking of the boat as I nodded off to a deep, refreshing sleep.
The next morning after breakfast, we set sail south towards Scorpios, the private island of the Onassis family, where Jackie Kennedy spent some time with Aristotle. Passing Nidri, we came across the Diamond in the Crown; Meganisi, entering the village bay of Spartochori with its tiny port and truly amazing family run beach-side restaurant called Porto Spilia. It is operated by two brothers, Panos and Babis, who came out together to welcome us and help with our moorings. Greek hospitality at its very best!
After we tied up the boat, the sunshine, warmth and turquoise blue sea literally invited me to change into my bikini and jump off the side for a swim. The water was warm and pleasant, and I swam and lazed about on the deck, sunbaking late into the afternoon. the boat had a generator, which was handy because we had air conditioning in our cabins, which was refreshing, and helped me nod off to bed. Had the best sleep in years! I also was able to charge my phone by plugging my charger into the outlet in my cabin. Yayy!
The miniature port lying at the foot of the elevated ancient village provides water and electric connections for visiting yachts.
There is also a thriving and lively water front restaurant called Porto Spilia.
We enjoyed a relaxing evening with drinks and a delicious seafood meal, with tasty fresh seafood caught that very same afternoon. You really must eat here to discover the amazing Greek cuisine. The village was charmingly rustic, and I just fell in love with the small streets and friendly faces of the locals!
Our tour party had a lovely morning breakfast with our feet in the water, telling jokes and generally being cheeky, it was so much fun to get to know my crewmates! Other attractions to see are the sleepy village of Vathy around the bay to the east and the numerous unspoilt crystal-clear bays a little further to the east, where we sometimes anchored overnight or had lunch time swim stops in. I think this island hopping sailing tour ranks as one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, and If you’re thinking about it, my advice is to go for it!
