Frederic Raphaels heaven on earth: Ios, Greece

By Frederic Raphael Published: 8:00AM GMT 07 Mar 2010

Previous of Images Next In those days there were few, if any, roads on the alpine island, so we trafficked everywhere by dickey The majority appropriate time of the year to revisit is Sep and October, given the Aegean is still comfortable sufficient for swimming Photo: Alamy

My mother and I initial trafficked to Ios in the early Sixties and rught away fell in love with this pleasing small island in the Aegean. Back then, Greece hadn"t unequivocally turn determined as a traveller destination, but carrying review the classics, I"d motionless to revisit Athens, and whilst there a crony of a crony who owned a cube of the island and was penetrating to get the British to go prior to the Germans arrived referred to we visit.

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The vessel float from Piraeus took a lot longer than it does right away about fourteen hours compared with 3 currently but it was well value it. And my wife, young kids and I had the majority noble time: swimming, sunbathing, receiving in the pretentious views, eating the internal cuisine and simply enjoying the hot, balmy weather.

In those days there were few, if any, roads on the alpine island, so we trafficked everywhere by donkey. These days, interjection in piece to the Greeks" bent for interesting large sums of EU money, it right away has a really good highway network.

It"s altered an horrible lot given that initial visit, and has turn a hugely renouned traveller destination, but it"s still a smashing place for a holiday, and boasts a little illusory beaches, quite Mylopta and Manganari, that are as overwhelming currently as they were all those years ago.

My prime road house on the island is the Farout Village (0030 228 602305; faroutclub.com/village), that is not quite whim but is really good. Foodwise, I can suggest the Lord Byron (228 609 2125) Byron"s big in Greece, you know where they offer the tastiest Greek alloy dishes. The island additionally has a little good tavernas.

The majority appropriate time of the year to revisit nonetheless I"d earlier not let the cat out of the bag is Sep and October, given the Aegean is still comfortable sufficient for swimming, but the hordes have left home. Having pronounced that, the young kids and grandchildren go in the summer and they don"t appear to have any complaints.

"Final Demands", the last volume in a trilogy by Frederic Raphael that began with "The Glittering Prizes", is published on Thursday. The novel is being dramatised on Radio 4 from Thursday until Mar 19.