Greece

Six thousand islands, and you only need one. Athens for the ruins, a ferry deck for the thinking time, and a taverna where eating alone is nobody's business but yours.

Where to stay

Electra Metropolis Athens

Athens · near Syntagma · walk to the Acropolis

A rooftop pool with the Acropolis lit up in front of you.

See if your Athens dates are free

  • Two hundred and sixteen rooms in the middle of Athens, minutes from Syntagma Square and walkable to the Acropolis and the Parthenon. The rooftop pool is the reason to book — the Acropolis sits right there, floodlit after dark. There's an indoor pool as well, a full spa with sauna, two restaurants and a gym. It holds Green Key sustainability certification.

    • Rooftop pool looking at the Acropolis

    • 216 rooms in central Athens, minutes from Syntagma

    • Indoor pool, full spa and sauna

    • Two restaurants and a gym

    • Green Key sustainability certified

Katikies Santorini

Santorini · Oia · on the caldera edge

Three infinity pools, all of them hanging over the caldera.

See if your Santorini dates are free

  • A Nasrid palace before the Catholic Monarchs turned it into Granada's first Christian monastery, sitting within the Alhambra complex itself. Arab bath houses were uncovered here in 1949. The original palace patio is now a cloister, and a domed qubba looks out over the Generalife gardens. Guests get vehicle access into the monument grounds — so you can be inside the Alhambra before the day-trippers have finished breakfast.

    • Former Nasrid palace and royal monastery

    • Original Arabic room, qubba and 1949 bath house discovery

    • Views towards the Generalife gardens

    • Guest vehicle access to the monument grounds

Casa Delfino Hotel & Spa

Crete · Chania old town · near the Venetian harbour

A Venetian courtyard in Chania's old town.

See if your Crete dates are free

  • A historic building in the lanes of Chania's old town, a short walk from the Old Venetian Harbour. Breakfast is served in the courtyard and the roof terrace looks out over the harbour. There's a full spa with a Turkish bath and hot tub, plus a library, a garden and bikes to borrow. It belongs to Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and every room is furnished differently.

    • In Chania's old town, near the Old Venetian Harbour

    • Courtyard breakfast and a rooftop harbour view

    • Spa with Turkish bath and hot tub

    • Library, garden and bike hire

    • Small Luxury Hotels of the World

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      • Greece has roughly 6,000 islands and islets, and only a couple of hundred are inhabited.

      • There are 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites, from the Acropolis to Delphi and Meteora.

      • Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, lived in continuously for around 3,400 years.

      • Ferries are the backbone of island travel — book ahead in July and August, when the popular routes fill.

      • Many island hotels close for winter, roughly November to late March. Check before planning a shoulder-season trip.

  • Best time — May, June, September and early October: warm sea, thinner crowds, everything still open. July and August are hot and busy, and the meltemi wind can cancel ferries at short notice.

    Getting around — Fly into Athens, then use ferries or short domestic flights. Timetables are released a few months ahead — book directly with the ferry companies rather than through resellers.

  • Greece is comfortable for women travelling alone, and Greek hospitality does much of the work — you'll be asked where you're from before you've finished sitting down. Eating alone is unremarkable, especially at lunch. The main practical thing is footwear: island lanes are uneven and unlit, and Oia in particular is built almost entirely of steps.

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