Make the World Your Own
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*** Sunday 15 March 2020 BEST OF BRITAIN From Hever Castle to SPOT THE Lindisfarne, 10 great BIG CAT historic breaks page 25 Michelle Jana SLOW DOWN Chan gets a Why ‘Race rare sighting Across the of the snow World’ is getting leopard it all wrong page 26 page 25 TravelMAKE THE WORLD YOUR OWN New edge on the Athens Riviera very day is like a temperature never falls below 15C sheer drama of the Amalfi Coast, but Exciting openings holiday living (59F),” says Petros Parthenis, the this 35-mile coastline is back in the here,” says Cassie brawny, blue-eyed founder of spotlight. Stretching from Anderson, WeSwim, an open-water swimming metropolitan Paleo Faliro to Cape and a fresh energy squinting into the community that meets here every Sounion, a craggy headland sunshine. You can week, whatever the weather. crowned by the magnificent temple are revitalising the see why: it’s Traditionally, winter swimming of Poseidon, the Riviera is where ‘E February and clubs in Athens have been strictly for Athenians come to escape the Greek capital’s Cassie is wearing nothing but a bikini geriatrics, but this lot range from clamour and concrete of the inner and a smile. She is one of about 30 rock-hard triathletes to middle-aged city. It’s where Greek shipping locals gathered for their Sunday mums. There are plenty of expats too, magnates reside in waterfront sunshine coast. morning swim on Vouliagmeni beach, like Cassie, an Australian marketing compounds, their yachts moored a sweep of golden sand in the heart of consultant now based in Athens, and nearby. Since the Four Seasons Rachel Howard gets the Athenian Riviera. Water-skiers are her friend Lynn, a yoga teacher who unveiled its revival of the Astir already cutting a dash across the bay ditched a financial career in San Palace resort in spring 2019, a rush back into the water and solo swimmers are wading Francisco to move to Athens on a of flush Arabs, Russians, and nonchalantly into the shallow water. whim. “My Airbnb guests ask me how Americans have got in on the act. Along the beach, dozens of ageing long it takes to get to Santorini. I tell Luxury lifestyle publisher Assouline hunks in tiny trunks are engaged in a them there are better beaches less even has a coffee-table book,Athens frenzied racquetball tournament, than an hour from the Acropolis. Riviera, coming out in June. while their wives sunbathe nearby. People are amazed to discover this The book’s French author, “Vouliagmeni has its own whole coastal scene here.” Stephanie Artarit, once lived on the microclimate. The sea doesn’t really The Athens Riviera may not have soaking up the rays get cold until March, but the water ATHENS HOTEL ASTIR CHATZIKONSTANTIS; MANOS the cachet of the Côte d’Azur or the Swimmers near Astir Palace, main; and dining at Vouliagmeni beach, above Continued on Page 22 22 *** Sunday 15 March 2020 The Sunday Telegraph GREECE Continued from Page 21 “bourgeois” Côte d’Azur. “The Athens Riviera has a wilder, more contemporary spirit. It is a lot younger and more authentic. It probably resembles what the French Riviera was in the Sixties, when Athens people gravitated towards St Tropez GREECE for its parties and nightlife.” At that time, the Athens Riviera was just on the brink of discovery. Vouliagmeni beach Konstantinos Karamanlis, the prime Four Seasons minister, recognised the area’s Astir Palace potential as a tourism destination: a string of seaside resorts within 20 miles striking distance of one of the world’s great cultural capitals. Eero Saarinen’s new terminal at Hellinikon airport (so close to the an ancient temple are surrounded by waterfront that it seemed the plane striped sunbeds and big-brand might land in the sea) also promised boutiques. Below the shipowners’ to make this unspoilt coastline more barb-wired bunkers on the Kavouri accessible to international travellers. headland are hidden coves where you Karamanlis greenlit the can swim naked. construction of the Astir Palace on Saturday mornings can be spent the lush Lemos peninsula in snacking on dried figs, walnuts and Vouliagmeni. It became the summer cold-pressed juice at Voula’s organic playground of playboys and farmer’s market or zipping off to a presidents. The Athenian elite nearby island on a speedboat. You would reserve the cabanas sprinkled could toast the epic sunset at one of among the pine groves for the entire Glyfada’s bling beach bars, or summer. King Saud booked a whole commune with Lord Byron on floor for his harem. To dodge the “Sunium’s marbled steep”, where Mary paparazzi, Brigitte Bardot sent a Katrantzou staged her SS 2020 fashion head-scarfed lookalike to the beach. show. At Island bar-restaurant, trust “Everyone who stayed there was fund teenagers dance until dawn, just an internationally renowned figure. as fishermen are untangling their nets Onassis was probably the poorest of in nearby Varkiza. You can buy the the lot,” recalls Grigoris day’s catch straight from their Kasidokostas, a dashing local who colourful wooden boats. ran Astir’s waterskiing school. In the “Ah good, you got the red mullet. I summer of 1969, Kasidokostas fell in caught those this morning,” says love with one of his students. Andonis, bounding over to our table as Marianna happened to be the we enjoy lunch at Latini, a first-rate teenage daughter of Yiannis Latsis, restaurant overlooking Varkiza one of Greece’s richest tycoons. As harbour. Andonis has been fishing in the (probably apocryphal) story these waters since he was 12. When I goes, Latsis had a meeting with his ask him how the Athenian Riviera has advisers who said: “We have two changed over the years, Andonis choices – either we kill him or make scoffs: “Athenian graviera, more like!” him mayor.” (Graviera is a Greek cheese). Kasidokostas served as mayor of To locals, these coastal communities Vouliagmeni for over 25 years. “His are known as “Nou-Pou”, short for first priority was to stop excessive notia proastia, or southern suburbs – a construction. That’s why jumble of suburban sprawl, flashy Vouliagmeni has no bouzoukia marinas and organised beaches that [nightclubs], less buildings, more give way to wide-open landscapes, green spaces,” says Theo sleepy seaside towns, and quiet bays. Agiostratitis, the managing director This low-key, haphazard of the Margi Hotel, a laid-back development is set to change, with favourite of the jet-set set since several regeneration projects in the 1960. The hotel was founded by pipeline: the $240 million Theo’s grandfather, who discovered (£191 million) redevelopment of Faliro the area on a field trip as a medical bay to a masterplan by Renzo Piano; a CHATZIKONSTANTIS MANOS TIMES/EYEVINE; YORK NEW MARIA MAVROPOULOU/THE KENSEET; MERAKOS; PERIKKES student in the Forties. Back then, major upgrade of Alimos, the biggest people would brave the dirt road to marina in the Balkans; a new 400-key take the healing waters of hotel in Glyfada; and a radical ‘There are Vouliagmeni lake, which is still a makeover of Voula beach. But the more juice popular year-round swimming hole. most drastic changes will happen at “It used to be a traditional the former Hellinikon airport, one of bars, day municipal spa, with only a circle of many state assets the Greek old ladies talking about their government had to sell off as a spas and operations and their cooking,” says condition of its international bail-out vegan British author Sofka Zinovieff, who to private investors since 2010. A has lived nearby with her Greek high-rise casino, hotels, condos, cafés, husband, Vassilis Papadimitriou, for shopping malls, sports facilities, and a almost 20 years – an experience waterfront park will emerge from which chronicled in her beguiling memoir, what is currently a wasteland roughly really suits Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens. the size of Monaco. Renderings “Now it’s much swankier, but the suggest the result will look more like the DNA of water is still quite murky. Locals say the love child of Las Vegas and Dubai. there are monsters lurking in the “Five years from now, this place the place’ underwater caverns.” might look really different and it will This mix of the mythical and be hard to remember how it was fashionable is what makes this before,” says Kalia Konstantinidis, a coastline so appealing. On exclusive glamorous hotelier who has spent her Astir Beach, the stunted columns of whole life on the Athens Riviera. While these affluent seaside suburbs majestic were cushioned from the worst of THE CORONAVIRUS AND TRAVEL The Temple of Greece’s crisis, lifestyles have already Poseidon, changed. “Ten years ago, the coastal With increases adversely mistake, once cruise schedules, below; Astir highway was full of huge nightclubs in cases of affected. the worst of the companies but they are Palace Hotel, that would come and go every coronavirus However, with crisis is over, and during recent doing so in the above right season,” says Kalia. “Now there are being reported many travel travel advice weeks. expectation that more juice bars, day spas and vegan daily throughout companies changes, However, we services will be cafés, which really suits the DNA of the world, and offering new holidaymakers know our restored when the place.” ever-changing flexibility when will return. readers often the time is right. In early springtime, there’s more of Foreign & it comes to Equally, like to book Updates on the a wellness scene than a party vibe. The Commonwealth booking, cruising has long cruises well in progress of the beaches and boardwalks are full of Office advice for rebooking and been hugely advance.