A s holidays go, Greek island hopping spells ultimate freedom. That last minute detour to a full-moon party; the thrilling hubbub as you nose into a new harbour; scouting for that secret beach.
But between the happy holiday snaps is the painful reality of getting from one destination to the next, such as being at the mercy of erratic ferry schedules. I must have clocked up days sweltering inside a concrete shed on Paros docks, eyes glued to the horizon. And I've slept in so many gangways and docksides that most of my clothes think they are pillows.
There's bad news also for backpackers on a budget. The new high-speed catamarans may halve journey times, but tickets cost double. Sadly, also, the carefree elements are being eroded: you can no longer dive on at the last minute because stricter European Union laws now forbid sales of onboard tickets (on major routes). The last of Greece's romantic old rustbuckets, such as the Skopelitis, have floated off to the scrapyard.
So here are some ways to cut out the stress and island hop in style.
Day one
Despite the massive improvements at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos airport, there's generally a half-hour wait for a taxi. But the newly launched Holiday Taxis (holidaytaxis.com) arranges for a smartly dressed (and silent) driver to greet me, and off we speed to the nearby port of Rafina.
Catching a flight that touched down at 4.15am meant arriving in good time for the SeaJet 2 catamaran. It leaves at 7.40am, arriving in Mykonos two hours and 10 minutes later.
Tempting as it is to linger for morning coffee in the most photographed port in Greece, it is a tad early, so we hop into the waiting minibus and head off towards our hotel, the Mykonos Grand.
Day two to five
Being the most stylish of Greek islands, Mykonos is not short of luxurious hotels, or villas for that matter, but the advantage of the Mykonos Grand is that it is located directly on the deep semolina-like sands of Ag Yiannis beach and just a 4km taxi ride from the throbbing action in Hora, or Mykonos Town.
After checking into our room, with that coveted view of the sacred island of Delos (sunset is the main event), we park ourselves on the terrace for breakfast overlooking the enormous pool.
Our beach is the one that was used in Shirley Valentine, and has a taverna adorned with photos of Pauline Collins posing with Tom Conti some 14 years ago. This is the perfect spot to recline on marble slabs littered with white canvas cushions, and savour a platter of fresh prawns and avocado. When the beach becomes crowded, we amble across to a small sandy cove called Kipari, which is very in with the locals. There's nothing here, but the water is gin clear.
Come nightfall, the hedonistic lure of Hora is too much for anyone to resist. No matter how tempting it is, girls, don't wear kitten heels because the cobbled streets of Hora mean you can spend valuable time gawking at your feet instead of the human parade that around 10pm shoehorns itself into Matoyiannis, the main drag. If you fancy something a little more sophisticated, shoot the breeze over a cocktail or two at Caprice in Little Venice, then indulge in a fish dinner at nearby Sea Satin, which is literally within arm's length of the Aegean waves.
Day six
Pity those poor folk huddled around the port. We head to the airport for our next hop, to Santorini in the southern Cyclades, which is hours away by ferry and chaotic bus or taxi transfer, but only 15 minutes via Olympic Airways.
Day seven to 10
During summer, the Cyclades are bathed in a white light of magical quality, but the domed blue and white buildings perched on Santorini's cliffsides take the prize for picture postcard quality.
Our home for the next few days is the chic Hotel Vedema, in the medieval village of Megalohori. Originally the Eliopoulos Mansion, this is definitely not one of those cookie-cutter type of places that are jammed into the main town, Thira. Our two-bedroom villa has its own terrace overlooking a vineyard. The interior is simple but spacious with a canopy bed, sitting room and kitchen.
The food is unbelievably good, so most days we take a leisurely lunch by the pool - island specialities include fava bean salad, keftedes (meatballs) and excellent crisp white wines.
Most bathers head for the black sands of Kamari beach, which boasts a kilometre-long stretch of lively bars, cafes and restaurants. And thank heavens for Vedema's private beach shuttle, avoiding the hell of returning from our favourite beach, Perissa, by overloaded bus or scarce taxi.
Any day now, Athenian spa Cocoon will open a new branch inside Vedema, along with a "mini spa" on Perissa in the form of massage tents that will utilise surrounding volcanic hot stones for massage as well as island honey and grape seed products.
Day 10 to 14
How decent of Aegean Airlines to operate a mini route from Santorini to Crete, a mere 20-minute flight rather than hours on a ferry.
The Elounda Gulf Villas sends a private taxi that whisks us eastwards from Heraklion airport to our lavish suite overlooking the stunning Bay of Mirabello.
Surrounded by hi-tech comfort in Aegean-style architecture, it is hard to leave, but with such staggering history on our doorstep we are encouraged to visit the archaeological museum (68 Palaiologou Street) in Agios Nikolaos, the main hub of activity. Treasures include early Minoan pots found in nearby Sitia and Olous (now Elounda).
After an excellent fish lunch in Pelagos (Koraka and Katehaki), we drive off in a hire car along the east coast towards Vai beach. We stop off briefly to admire the 15th-century Moni Toplou monastery before arriving at a dense forest of around 5,000 palm trees on a long, sandy - and busy - beach. Further north, we find three quieter beaches near Erimoupoli, one near the ruins of ancient city, Itanos.
Our overall favourite swimming spot is the gorgeous stony beach of Plaka facing Spinalonga island, which has the added attraction of two faultless fish taverns right on the water.
Week three
If you can squeeze in an extra week, do the unthinkable - a speedy switch to the Dodecanese, which are a group of 12 islands located in the far south-west Aegean, nudging up against the Turkish border and linked by air (Heraklion to Rhodes with Aegean Airlines).
Explore Rhodes Town as well as the neighbouring islands of Symi and Halki, and even Marmaris in Turkey, by spending a week based at the Miramare Beach, a collection of luxury bungalows set in lush gardens.
Way to go
Getting there: Olympic Airways (0870 6060460, olympicairways.co.uk) flies from London and Manchester to Athens from £135pp inc taxes. Its subsidiary, Olympic Aviation, flies from Athens to 37 destinations. Bookings can be made from the UK through Olympic's main reservation number. Aegean Airlines (+210 9988 300, aegeanair.gr) has special one-way fares, from €45, on 12 domestic Greek routes. Hellas Flying Dolphins (dolphins.gr) has a near monopoly on ferry and hydrofoil routes around the Greek islands. Check schedules at gtp.gr. Mediterranean Experience (020-8445 6000, themed.net) arranges tailor-made island-hopping itineraries.
One week, with three nights' B&B in a deluxe room at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens and three in the Vedema Hotel Santorini or Santa Marina on Mykonos costs from £1,369pp including flights and transfers. Mykonos Grand Hotel (+22890 25555, mykonosgrand.gr) charges £126 B&B per night per room until July, spa suites from £148.
