DESTINATIONS
ra rising t
The Athenian Riviera was once a hotspot for the rich and famous, so why not rediscover the glamour, asks Ella Buchan
he lake didn’t look especially scary. It looked quite inviting, in fact, its sheer, shimmering emerald water encased by near-vertical
limestone cliffs. The temperature hovered around a balmy 25C, according to a thermometer attached to the stone, and those bathing in it – giggling couples and groups of chattering friends – seemed happy enough, contentedly bobbing about or flo ating on their backs. But there was something – or rather, lots of little things – swirling beneath the surface that made dipping a toe into the shallow, salty, mineral-rich water seem like a dangerous mission. The creatures that live here are mottled grey garra
rufa or ‘doctor fish’, prized in spa treatments and pedicures because they nibble on dry, dead skin. That they’re native to Lake Vouliagmeni, on the Athens coast, is simultaneously terrific and terrifying. After a while, though, I actually began to enjoy
their soft, sandpapery smooches and relax into my surroundings. Lake Vouliagmeni was an underground cavern until, in around 320BC, its roof collapsed due to erosion by hot springs and saltwater. The resulting lake, fed by the same brackish waters, has drawn
travelweekly.co.uk ATHENIAN RIVIERA | GREECE & CYPRUS
people here ever since. It’s also one of the reasons that, during the so-called ‘golden age’ of travel of the 1950s and 1960s, celebrities and elite business owners flocked to this 40-mile stretch of coastline, around half an hour’s drive from Athens’ city centre. Its other attractions – honey-sand beaches,
forested peninsulas, dramatic peach-hued cliffs and bluffs topped with olive trees – are myriad and undeniable.
GOLDEN MOMENTS The Athens Riviera – whose beauty and glamour have been compared to the Côte d’Azur – became a playground for the Athenian elite and the world’s most famous faces. Frank Sinatra and Brigitte Bardot bronzed on the beaches and dined in tavernas. Former US first lady Jackie O regularly holidayed here with her second husband, shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Back then, there was only one place to stay: Astir
Palace, a luxurious collection of bungalows and suites on the pine-clad Vouliagmeni Peninsula, a couple of miles from the lake. Nearby Astir Beach is still a popular place to spend lazy days lounging ²
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