Charming houses adorn Venice Beach on Mykonos Island.
Charming houses adorn Venice Beach on Mykonos Island.
Nearly 20 years ago, while doing my big OE, I scored a job on a Greek cruise ship.
I was employed as the DJ in the taverna of Royal Olympic's flagship, the Stella Solaris.
Not only did the experience fortify my abiding passion for travel, but my inexhaustible love affair with the Aegean Sea.
The cruise company I worked for sadly went bust after 9/11, but it's wonderful that those storied Aegean waters can still be explored afloat a Greek-owned and crewed cruise line, Celestyal Cruises.
Recently my family hop-scotched our way around the Greek Islands and Turkey aboard Celestyal Nefeli.
With a passenger capacity of 1100, this mid-sized ship certainly holds high appeal with cruisers who prefer not to sail the seas amid the swarming hordes of humanity associated with mega-liners.
Stunning Santorini Island at dusk
But best of all, its smaller size enables easy navigational access into the smallest of ports, without the need for tendering.
The Aegean Sea is the postcard-perfect playground for a leisurely cruise, where the millpond-smooth waters are peppered with absurdly photogenic stops.
We embarked on their seven-day Idyllic Aegean cruise, which departs from Lavrion, Athens, and is necklaced with 10 alluring ports of call. It's a superbly curated taster itinerary of the Aegean's sheer grandeur, seductive charms and variety of experiences.
With the bulk of the sailing taking place while you sleep, the itinerary maximises your amount of time in port, whether you're taking a shore excursion or free-roaming.
First up, the glittering rockstar of Mykonos shuffled into view, with its scallop-shaped harbour crowned by the iconic windmills and whitewashed sugar-cube houses, in deep blue trim.
Celsus Library in Ephesus
The other signature Aegean superstar, cliffside-clinging Santorini, bookmarked the cruise, the final flourish to the island-hopping itinerary before we disembarked back in Athens.
But in between, Celestyal Nefeli called into a kaleidoscope of lesser-trafficked Greek islands and Turkish coastal gems.
Samos is a heart-stealer, an island of lush landscapes, crystalline water and colourful townhouses.
Then there is the volcanic marvel of Milos, brimming with bewitching rock formations and the greatest number of beaches in the Cyclades.
Timeless Ios is a revelation, home to the pre-historic settlement of Skarkos and the Tomb of Homer.
the Greek islands are teeming with beautiful beaches.
And one of my new favourites in the Aegean is Syros, where the port town of Ermoupolis swathed in Venetian architecture and cobbled lanes, strung across the conical-shaped hills rising up from the harbour.
Few places make such a stirring first impression, on arrival.
Beyond the Greek Islands, the cruise also dipped into the richness of Turkey's Anatolian coastline, home to the seaside-sweet Cesme and also Kusadasi, from where you can revel in the ancient treasures of Ephesus.
