Athens, then Paros, Santorini and Crete, with a day on the water from each.
Over 12 nights, the journey starts among the monuments of Athens and moves out across the Aegean to Paros, Santorini and Crete, with a day on the water from each island. On request, the Acropolis for a small private group outside public hours, the marble quarries of Paros, sculpture in a restored Santorini winery, and Cretan olive oil tasted beneath an olive tree on the Gulf of Mirabello.
01
Days 1 to 3 · two nights
Met at the airport and driven to the coast. A private walk the next day begins at the Acropolis Museum and climbs to the Acropolis itself; on request, the whole site can be booked for a group of up to five, with a personal guide, outside public opening hours. From the hotel, a sea kayak along the coast to the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion.
Where you stay
Four Seasons Astir Palace stands on its own peninsula at Vouliagmeni on the Athens Riviera, about 30 minutes from the city centre. The 30-hectare estate runs down to three private beaches on the Aegean, and there are eight restaurants, lounges and bars and a spa.
02
Days 3 to 6 · three nights
Across to Paros. A private island day from Parikia takes in the church of Panagia Ekatontapiliani and the old Kastro, and a fast boat runs out to Ano Koufonisi and Schinoussa for a day of swimming. Parilio can also arrange a visit to the island's marble quarries and a morning at a loom in Marpissa. A short crossing to Antiparos can be arranged for its Venetian castle and folklore museum, then a cooking class in a local home, in techniques handed down through generations, and the meal eaten with your host.
Where you stay
Parilio sits on Naoussa Bay on the north-east coast of Paros, between Kolymbithres beach and the town of Naoussa, and its 46 suites are built in the island's white block style from natural stone. Parōn is the main restaurant, and the Elios Spa has four treatment rooms and an outdoor heated jacuzzi.
03
Days 6 to 9 · three nights
On to Santorini. A private food and wine tasting in the island's villages, and a day at sea on a private catamaran beneath the caldera cliffs. In Mesaria, MATI shows the sculpture of Yorgos Kypris in a restored canava, an old island winery, with a guided tour and a tasting of Hatzidakis wines, and dinner at Varoulko Santorini, from Lefteris Lazarou, whose Varoulko in Athens was in 2002 the first restaurant serving Greek cuisine to win a MICHELIN star.
Where you stay
On the clifftop at Imerovigli, Grace looks over the caldera, and its infinity pool is the largest in the village. The newest Infinity Suites have heated plunge pools open to the caldera, and chef Lefteris Lazarou leads the kitchen at Varoulko Santorini, which cooks Greek and Mediterranean dishes.
04
Days 9 to 13 · four nights
South to Crete and the Gulf of Mirabello. A half day at the palace of Knossos with a Cretan wine tasting; on request, the afternoon can continue with a cooking class at a private venue in the techniques and recipes of the Bronze Age Minoans, with organic produce from its garden. Then a free day, and a private catamaran sail along the coast before heading home. At Phāea Blue, the olive oil tasting is held around the olive tree at the Anthós outdoor kitchen, and a traditional caique runs to remote beaches.
Where you stay
Phāea Blue is a small estate on the beach at Plaka, Elounda, looking across the gulf to Spinalonga, with bungalows and suites, many with private heated pools and Greek art. Anthós cooks from local farms and the organic garden, the Blue Door Taverna keeps to family Cretan recipes, and a traditional caique sails at sunset.
The Acropolis early in the morning or in the evening, outside public opening hours, for a group of up to five with a personal guide, and no more than four such groups on the site at once; booked through the official Hellenic Heritage service.
Parilio arranges visits to the island's marble quarries and loom weaving in Marpissa.
A historic canava turned art space, showing a retrospective of Yorgos Kypris, with a guided tour and wines from Hatzidakis Winery.
At Phāea Blue, a tasting of Crete's most treasured ingredient, held around the olive tree at the Anthós outdoor kitchen.
From Four Seasons Astir Palace, a sea kayak along the coast to the Temple of Poseidon.
After the palace of Knossos, a cooking class at a private venue in Bronze Age Minoan techniques and recipes, using organic produce from the garden.
Subject to availability.
This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.
Most travel is bought. This is designed.
Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.
The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.
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