Abhi Dighé, director of Kosmar Holidays, explains why he likes Lefkas
“For me, Lefkas is an ideal get-away-from-it-all destination: peaceful, tranquil and with an atmosphere so conducive to relaxation that after a few days you can no longer comprehend the concept of stress.
There is sailing, windsurfing, swimming, cycling and sightseeing for those who want an active holiday, but for those who don’t, it’s an ideal place to do absolutely nothing.
Life on Lefkas has hardly changed over the past 100 years, it is a typically Greek isle where traditional values remain. In the mountain villages, virtually untouched by the 20th century, the older women still wear traditional dress. Even the tourists blend seamlessly into the island’s traditional way of life and unhurried, informal lifestyle.
Lefkas is the least visited of the five Ionian islands and yet it is every bit as beautiful as Corfu, which is the most well-known of the group.
Lush, green and fertile – with cypress trees, olive groves and vineyards – the island is known for its outstanding scenery.
It has clean, clear waters, great sandy beaches and its varied coastline is sometimes dramatic and rugged, with a fjord-like inlet at Syvota.
This is an island where you can lie on a beach all day and never be bothered by anybody.
I love to sit in a harbour taverna watching fishermen mend their nets and if I am still there at the end of the day, I watch the stunning sunset from the other side of a glass of ouzo.
Later on, nothing beats washing down the fishermen’s daily catch with a glass of retsina, while watching the world go by.
The people are friendly with a ready smile. There is a homely bustle about the villages during the day and a welcoming ambience about the tavernas in the evening.
The island’s claim to fame is that Aristotle Onassis and his family were very close neighbours.
Just a short sail from Nidri, one of the resorts on Lefkas, is the private Onassis-owned island of Skorpios.
Although closed to the public, you can drop anchor in a bay and admire the island’s manicured lawns and the family church, curiously built around a tree.
Lefkas is a great favourite with sailors, because of the number of small islands and landing places nearby, including Meganissi, which boasts a working olive press, and the famous cave of Papa Nikolaos, where the British hijacked a submarine and hid it at the bottom of the cave during the Second Wor-ld War.
Vassiliki, one of the prettiest, most cosmopolitan of the island’s resorts, boasts some of the best sea-wind conditions in Europe, making it a haven for sailors and windsurfers.
The village’s dedicated windsurfing school is a magnet for UK windsurfers. There is a sailing school in the other main resort of Nidri, which specialises in dinghies and yachts.
The village of Nidri is nestled in wooded hills; it has clear, shallow waters, a small picturesque harbour and even its own waterfall.
There is an intimacy to Nidri’s nightlife as everyone, locals and tourists alike, flock to the harbour’s welcoming bars and tavernas.
For those who want to venture further afield, there are numerous day trips on offer. The mainland resort of Parga is just a short trip away, or clients can sign up for excursions to the neighbouring islands of Kefalonia and Ithaka.
Better than a week in a health farm, a few days spent on Lefkas’ white sandy beaches are enough to soothe even the most jangled nerves. I just wish I could get out to the island more often.