DESTINATIONS GREECE & CYPRUS |WHAT'S NEW
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: King Jason Zante; Zoëtry Halkidiki Resort & Spa; Hard Rock Hotel and Casino; Cali Resort
BOOK IT
Inspiring Travel offers a two-centre holiday that combines four nights at the One&Only Kéa Island and three nights at One&Only Aesthesis on the Athenian Riviera, which opened in November. B&B prices start at £7,599 and include a free night at the Aesthesis, flights and private transfers, for departures from May 3-31.
inspiringtravel.co.uk
Seven nights at the Cali Resort & Spa on a Premium All-Inclusive Basis starts at £1,290 with easyJet holidays. The price includes transfers and flights with 23kg luggage, departing September 6.
easyjet.com/holidays
fast act ast fact
Thessaloniki’s first metro system, which will run
from the main train station to the southern suburbs, is set to open this year.
82 25 JANUARY 2024
Cretan family who have been producing olive oil for generations, before heading down to the coast to take the plunge into pristine waters. Trips on two feet also open up slow and sustainable tourism opportunities. Ramble Worldwide’s new Lesvos and Chíos trip – suitable for semi-regular walkers – takes two full weeks to explore two Greek islands that have thus far swerved the country’s tourism boom. The astonishing hill town of Molyvos (officially Mithymna) on Lesvos is topped by an impressive 14th-century castle, which clients can access via cobbled Ottoman backstreets. On Chíos, geometric-patterned villages are ripe for exploration, as are the aromatic mastic plantations – this island is the only place in the world that cultivates the shrub used in food and drink.
SHIPPING FORECAST Several new cruises are calling at the port of Piraeus this year. From April, Riviera Travel will team up with Celestyal to offer an 11-night Athens and Greek Islands sailing on board the newly renovated Celestyal Journey. The itinerary visits not only the capital and some famous islands, but also the buzzing second city of Thessaloniki and the Turkish resort of Kusadasi. A pre-cruise stay in central Athens and a post-cruise extension on the city’s luxe Riviera will offer clients plenty of downtime in the sunshine. Oceania Cruises is using Athens as a launch pad for four new itineraries, where stops will include favourites such as Mykonos, Santorini and
33Aigai, an ancient palace once occupied by Alexander the Great, has reopened to the public after 16 years' restoration
Corfu as well as Limassol in Cyprus, plus sleepier spots such as Gytheio in the Peloponnese.
NEW ATTRACTIONS In a country filled with ancient landmarks, there are still new surprises to be found. Aigai, an ancient palace in northern Greece once occupied by Alexander the Great and his father, Philip of Macedon, reopened to the public this month following 16 long years of restoration. By the Athenian Riviera, the Piraeus Tower – a
22-storey office block that sticks out among the low-lying landscape, left largely abandoned since its construction in the 1970s – is reopening in March with a gleaming new facade and sustainable shopping and restaurants, making it perfect for cruise passengers with a few hours to spare. Southern Athens is soon to be home to the world’s
largest coastal park, the Ellinikon, a green space that incorporates hotels and shops, on the site of the former international airport. The first phase of its construction is due to be completed by 2025. By 2027, it will be home to a Rosewood and Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – the latter of which broke ground two weeks ago.
TW
travelweekly.co.uk
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