‘I visited one of Greece’s most hidden islands and found a paradise with no tourists’

The tiny of Meganisi is tucked between the sheltering eastern coast of island and the west coast of mainland .

Tucked away it really was. You have to look hard on a map of the Ionian Islands to find it and for some reason, it is often missed completely from lists of the more famous islands such as , Kefalonia, and Zakynthos. 

But more fool them – I would quite happily return again and again to an island that was void of swathes of .

I’d much rather have the company of the welcoming and friendly Meganisi residents we came across on the island’s beaches and in its quiet and rural villages. 

To put it into perspective – . We would avoid the tourist traps on Corfu by landing at its airport and hastily make our escape again from its port to Paxos via a two-hour ferry.

Meganisi is an absolute jewel of an island – untouched by large scale development and . The northern end of the island is wide with a deeply indented coastline like the petals of a flower, home to a haven of sheltered bays and little coves. The southern part narrows sharply and is much more rocky. 

At just under eight square miles, the “big island” name refers to the fact that Meganisi is actually the largest of a cluster of smaller islands. Its closest neighbour is Skorpios, which we had a view of every day, was formerly the private paradise retreat of Aristotle Onassis, once one of the richest men in the world. Not a bad choice of venue to spend some of his fortune.

There may be one key reason as to why not many people visit the island, despite everything it has to offer. The only way to reach Meganisi is by ferry from the port of Nidri on Lefkada. It does not have an airport and there are no ferries from . 

Lefkada does not have an airport either – it is linked to the Greek mainland by a causeway road. Instead, we flew into (Aktion National) Airport from , a flight time of around 90 minutes. We then had a 45-minute drive from the airport to the port down the east coast of Lefkada. The ferry across only then took about 20 minutes. 

A very long travel day – but one that my family and I were more than willing to make to leave behind the somewhat rowdy passengers we shared the flight with from . 

You could visit Meganisi for the day via car ferries travelling back and forth. But in all honesty, a day trip would not give you enough time to explore everything the island has to offer – even in two weeks we barely scratched the surface. 

There are just three villages on Meganisi – Vathy, the main harbour village and two more scenic villages, Spartochori on the hilltop above Spilia (where we were based) and inland Katomeri, the main village.

In the evenings, Vathy becomes pedestrian only, meaning residents and tourists alike can amble along its coastal road past waterside tavernas and quaint shops, empty of tourist tat and instead full of beautiful ceramics and models made by locals. 

Several of the best beaches are easily accessed by road – our favourites included Fanari beach to the northeast of the island and Spilia bay in the centre. Fanari had several beach bars, including with a takeaway food service, so we could enjoy burgers, chips and club sandwhiches with our toes still in the turquoise blue water… heaven.

We were actually able to walk to Spilia from our villa, where we could also find two tavernas and a beach bar – so everyone could enjoy a drink (or two). 

It was at one of these tavernas that I experienced something I had never experienced before. Instead of being handed menus, we were taken inside by the owner of from our table right on the beach to see what was available for the day. Chilled cabinets were lined with beautifully displayed fresh fish, meats, traditional Greek dishes like moussaka and a salad bar. I never want to be given a paper menu again. 

For anyone who wants a taste of the fine Greek culture – and weather – Meganisi packs a punch; and it comes without scores of burly holidaymakers all scrambling for the same sunbeds and photography spots.