Idiosyncratic Ikaria, on the other hand, attracts relatively few foreign
visitors and the islanders steadfastly refuse to pander to the demands of the
modern day tourist. Ikaria is not a package holiday destination but if you
want a green and tranquil island with good beaches, wonderful hiking trails
and traditional tavernas mercifully free of foreign influence then this is the
place for you. Chios offers a compromise between the mid-summer mayhem of Samos and
Ikaria's somewhat endearing "take it or leave it" approach to
tourism. The
island has some of the best beaches in the group and some of the most
fascinating medieval villages in the whole of
Greece - the so-called "mastic
villages", built as centres of production for the highly prized resin drawn
from the local mastic bushes. The Turkish sultans and their harems couldn't
get enough of the addictive mastic chewing gum and the resin was used for
centuries in paints, cosmetics and drugs before the advent of petroleum based
product.
Lesvos is best known as a favourite holiday haunt for gay women - the
island gave its name to lesbianism because its most famous daughter Sappho,
the renowned 7th century BC poet, was thought to have been homosexual.
The volcanic island of Limnos remains largely untouched by mass tourism as
does stunning Samothraki which boasts the highest mountain in the Aegean and
has some of the most dramatic scenery of all the
Greek islands.
The Romans
used to holiday on Samothraki and bathe in the curative waters of the island's
hot springs which still attract visitors from all over
Europe and beyond. Lush
valleys, forested mountain slopes and cascading waterfalls make the island a
favourite holiday spot for hikers. Thassos is the most northerly of all the
Greek islands and has been a
popular package holiday destination since the 1990s. Summer visitors pour in
from the Greek mainland, Britain and Germany and many eastern
European
countries.
