Get-up-and-go Greece

Caroline Davison enjoys an action-packed week on the Greek island of Lemnos

Published:

MY FIRST, and only, package holiday on a Greek island some years ago hardly lingers in the memory as a pleasant affair. I remember the place as dusty, full of flies and with little atmosphere and terrible cuisine.

But almost as soon as I landed on Lemnos, an island in the north-east of the Aegean Sea with views across to Mount Athos on Halkidiki, I sensed it could be time for a rethink.

In basking sunshine, the locals put on a welcome at the airport laced with drinks, pastries, Greek flags, a band and traditional dancing. It was explained on the 20-minute coach ride to the resort that residents on the island are very religious and believe a blessing on the first foreign arrivals of the year brings them luck for the rest of the season.

Our base for a week of intense watersports and land-based activities was Portomyrina Palace, a four-star hotel set on a hill above a quiet bay. The hotel, spanning three floors, is luxuriously furnished with comfy chairs and ornate coffee tables.

Its marble interiors give the building a clean and fresh look, and open-plan communal areas make it friendly and accessible.

That first lunch set a standard for the rest of the week: an impressive buffet including pork in a creamy sauce and a vast array of salads, breads, cheeses and cold meats, finished off with a choice of Greek pastries and chocolate cake.

The welcome meeting explained our options for the week ahead. Although some activities cost extra – scuba diving, excursions, spa treatments and the offer of any official qualifications taken – virtually all are included in the price of a package here, and taster sessions were on offer.

The Children’s Club, keen to entertain two to 12-year-olds throughout the day, is also included in the standard package.

All the instructors were there to meet guests personally, answer questions and sign us up for our first activities.

Of course, some guests opt quite happily to do virtually nothing at all, and yummy mummies of energetic children and wives of have-a-go husbands were seen running for the beach with a good book in hand.

But I was there for the action and my first day boasted a pretty exhausting mix: scuba diving, water-ski-ing and tennis tuition. My timetable also showed the evening’s entertainment as punch and dips on the lawn followed by a quiz night. Could this hotel get any better?

On four evenings of the week, the Portomyrina provides a buffet, while the other three nights are left free for those who want to do their own thing. If you do opt to stay in the hotel, guests can dine a la carte – although this comes outside the cost of the package.

During the week, we also tested the local cuisine in the nearby capital of Myrina. We booked on a Taste of Lemnos evening involving a trip to a local vineyard, but as we were the only volunteers, it was cancelled. Possibly, in the school holidays, there were too many children present and only a few couples.

Fortunately, local restaurants – of which there was a vast array – catered both for families and romantic couples. Many were set on the seafront, but the most noticeable one, an Italian, was the best of the bunch.

Bar Centro, where most of the staff seemed to retire after work, was also worth a look. It offered free internet access, free pool, cheap drinks, a fabulous atmosphere and a sound system to which customers could add their favourite song.

After the end of a lively night, I thought I would feel guilty relaxing the next morning, but such was the laid-back atmosphere that I felt wonderfully comfortable enjoying just being lazy.

Next day, I was ready for more excitement and strode confidently up to the beach for a water-ski-ing lesson. How hard could it be simply getting pulled along by a boat?

The coach explained it to me one-on-one and we had a land-based practice. Easy. I got on the water and the boat set off at what seemed like a million miles per hour. Not so easy now. I stayed on for a good few minutes, but nature took its course and a wave took me down and pulled the skis from my feet.

I survived and my debut was respectable, but I cried-off another attempt.

However, over the course of the week there was much more to try, including dinghy sailing, kayaking and catamaran rides, but by far the most rewarding for me was windsurfing, and I persevered the whole week to manage standing up for lengthy amounts of time on the board.

I also tried a scuba-diving taster session in the swimming pool. I knew this would be my only chance to try it and it was fabulous. But to take such a large chunk out of the holiday to do the full course would have been to the detriment of other activities.

I’m ashamed to admit that I had to accept defeat on the bike ride into a village a mere two bays away. A sheer hill, followed by several other steep inclines, drained my energy and I was forced to quit halfway – appalled at myself as the trek had been dubbed “easy” (several people at least 20 years older than me went miles ahead in the first few minutes).

But by the final day, nearly all my aches had gone and I felt my fitness levels had quadrupled in just a week. As a treat, I booked myself into the spa for a massage. I knew we had to leave – reluctantly – after breakfast next morning, so wanted to wind down for the journey home.

What a blissful way to end an action-packed week: a massage, a few drinks in the bar and then a final glimpse of a truly fabulous sunset.

The scale of my exertions won me an award on the last night for attending the most fitness sessions during the holiday. In seven days, an unfit office worker had been transformed into a sport-obsessed Amazon – possibly never again to contemplate a “fly and flop” package.