Halcyon Hills

Halcyon Hills Newsletter

2011-11-16T12:42:00.001Z

The latest edition of the Halcyon Hills newsletter is now available detailing all the latest news and updates from Samos, Greece.

We are pleased to announce that we have appointed the project management company that will be responsible for the construction of Halcyon Hills.

We have had another stunning season in Samos, with beautiful sunny days complimented perfectly by balmy Mediterranean evenings with many events held across the island which have been enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.

We’d be happy to send you out a copy of the latest Halcyon Hills newsletter. Please contact us now on info@bandbw.co.uk / 0800 1 303 101 to request your copy.

Don't forget you can follow us on Facebook and find us on Twitter for all the latest updates as they happen.

Samos features in one of Italy's most popular travel programs

2011-09-21T10:29:00.000+01:00

The Italian broadcasting channel RAI3 completed its shootings for a new documentary film about Greece, especially the islands of the Northern Aegean Sea, Samos, Lesbos and Chios.

The documentary will be screened during the television programme Alle Falde Del Kilimangiaro, which is one of the most popular travel shows broadcasted by the Italian State Television every Sunday evening, appealing to an audience of about 10%, which equals to 1.000.000 – 1.500.000 viewers.

The Italian TV crew shot all over the island of Samos, emphasizing on displaying the island’s historic-cultural legacy, its customs, and the internationally famous local products and local cuisine.

This project is part of a combined effort of introducing Greek tourism to Italy through its Media and was brought to life in collaboration with the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) offices in Italy.

Source: http://eu.greekreporter.com/2011/09/20/rai3-documentary-featuring-aegean-islands/

Why the smart money is investing in sustainable properties

2011-08-16T15:21:00.000+01:00

Five star Greek spa resort Halcyon Hills was given a substantial write-up in Property Wire Confidential's most recent issue, commending the various eco-initiatives that the resort's architects plan to implement in the build. Featuring on the cover of the magazine, the resort appeared as one of just five properties highlighted in the 'We Like' pages of the publication.

The special report, written by Editor Ray Clancy and entitled "Why the smart money is investing in sustainable properties" detailed various sustainable initiatives being implemented at the resort, including natural heat transfer, water conservation, solar power, a seawater heat exchange system, green roofs, design for healthy airflow and more.

"Cutting edge design can help make new buildings eco friendly without costing a fortune. At Halcyon Hills Luxury Resort and Spa in Samos, Greece, healthy air flow is being used. This means that the properties are architecturally designed to facilitate airflow by installing smaller windows to the rear and larger picture windows to the front of each property and thus reducing the demand for air conditioning. The natural ventilation technique is said to encourage the air to flow through the building freely." Ray Clancy, Editor, Property Wire Confidential

To view the full article within the magazine, click here: http://www.propertywire.com/magazine/confidential/propertywire-confidential-august-2011.html

Making a splash - beautiful pool properties

2011-08-15T15:16:00.000+01:00

Halcyon Hills was recently featured on the About Property website in an article highlighting fabulous pool properties worldwide. Due for completion by mid-2014, the 3 bedroom villas will each have their own infinity pool and garden, also enjoying access to the onsite spa.

http://www.aboutproperty.co.uk/overseas-property/making-a-splash-15-beautiful-pool-properties

Greek island gems - Daily Express

2011-07-27T15:24:00.000+01:00

The luxury beachfront resort of Halcyon Hills on the Greek island of Samos provides an opportunity for self-invested personal pension (SIPP) investors.

They can acquire a property with a guaranteed rental income of five per cent for nine years after which the developer is offering to buy back customers' properties at 180 per cent of the price they paid.

Costing from £174,000 for outright ownership, the developer Barrasford and Bird is also offering fractional deals from £19,500. The development is in a sheltered bay and nearly all properties enjoy panoramic sea views from their own terraces.

Centred around a vast spa, the resort offers all the facilities of a top hotel. Samos itself is steeped in history and culture and has an international airport.

Source: Daily Express, Monday 25th July 2011

Interest in Greek property soars, with Samos stealing the limelight

2011-07-26T15:29:00.000+01:00

Interest in Greek property has soared over the past month, according to leading property portal Rightmove Overseas, with islands including Samos receiving an exceedingly high level of searches.

Head of Overseas at Rightmove, Shameem Golamy, said, “In June, we saw searches increase for idyllic island locations as people look to escape the traditional UK summer downpours. Greek islands, most notably the Dodecanese island group - which includes Rhodes and Samos - attracted over 50% more searches month on month.”

Samos is the 7th largest island of the Greek archipelago and is widely known for being the most beautiful of the islands. Green verdant valleys, azure seas and quaint classical Greek villages cling to hillsides. Samos is the picture perfect postcard of the ideal holiday destination and highlights everything the British love about Greece.

David Kerns, Dealing Manager at foreign exchange specialist Moneycorp, commented, "Savvy Britons are seeing the debt crisis in Greece as an opportunity to take advantage of a fluctuating housing market, with the potential to yield significant returns down the line…”

Industry experts Barrasford and Bird Worldwide are currently developing five star spa resort Halcyon Hills on the island of Samos. Encapsulating the romance of the Greek islands whilst providing the ultimate in terms of quality and facilities, Halcyon Hills has consistently remained popular with property investors.

Purchasers at Halcyon Hills Luxury Resort and Spa enjoy the winning combination of high annual returns, interest paid on deposit and the security of a 180% developer buy-back guarantee.

Over Three Hundred Dignitaries Impressed at Halcyon Hills Launch Presentation

2011-05-19T09:45:00.000+01:00

Managing Director Robin Barrasford recently travelled to Samos to present Halcyon Hills to an enthusiastic audience of over 300 local dignitaries including the island’s Mayor, business professionals and prominent local politicians.

Developer of Halcyon Hills Robin Barrasford recently held a launch and construction presentation to a packed venue at the Samos Hotel in the island’s capital. The presentation was a hugely successful meeting of over 300 people including construction companies and suppliers as well as local dignitaries and residents, all interested to find out how Halcyon Hills will affect the island both economically and environmentally.

Both island-based construction companies and those from across Greece attended the presentation to submit their tenders for the build of Halcyon Hills. Interest from local suppliers was also strong and an impressive number of proposals were put forward for the supply of the various materials required for the build.

Local support for Halcyon Hills was impressive and encouraging, with the population of Samos anticipating a very prosperous future at the resort. Halcyon Hills will boost the local economy, generating hundreds of jobs for local people and bringing an estimated €40,000,000 into the island prior to the resort’s opening.

Among those attending the presentation were Samos' Mayor, Stelios Thanos and the vice Mayor Giorgos Stantzos. Presidents of the Hotels Union, the Tour Operator’s Group and the Samian Wine Union were also present. A host of local media recorded the event, including Samiaki TV, the newspapers Samiakon Vima and Samiaki, as well as the island’s popular radio stations Armonia Samos and Radio Samos.

Robin Barrasford was delighted to be able to speak directly with the people of Samos, "It’s very important to us that we’re able to speak with the people on the island as they are the very spirit of Samos and part of what makes the island such a wonderful place to visit. Halcyon Hills will represent everything that people love about Samos and this cannot be achieved without the support and well-wishes of the local residents."

Local people will be recruited and trained to an exceptional standard in addition to local companies being employed to source building materials and to construct the resort. Construction tenders are currently being assessed.

Environmental questions were addressed by Robin Barrasford, who reassured the audience that Halcyon Hills is being constructed with the preservation of the beauty of Samos firmly in mind. The resort will have very little environmental impact on the island as its design utilises the latest in eco-technology including solar panels, water processing, geothermal heating and more. The site plan has also been meticulously designed to include a vast array of foliage and planting, ensuring that Halcyon Hills enhances the local environment without damaging the very nature of Samos.

Mr Barrasford discussed progress at Halcyon Hills directly with the Mayor of Samos, who has always been a stalwart supporter of the resort. He also met with the Samos & Aegean Prefecture as well as the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, all of whom were delighted with progress and were looking forward to seeing construction companies breaking ground within the next few months.

The launch presentation was aired by an Aegean news crew, following which a twenty minute feature on Halcyon Hills was shown. The presentation came at a time when the final planning document for Halcyon Hills has been granted, allowing construction tenders to be submitted and breaking ground to follow shortly thereafter.

Mr Barrasford comments, "Progress is gathering pace now, with building due to commence as soon as the construction company has been confirmed. Support from the local people is such an important part of the process and we’re delighted to be able to offer the people of Samos generous employment prospects and a boost to the expanding tourism economy. We’re equally humbled by the very positive comments and feedback we’ve received."

Samos Enjoys Egyptian Queen Cleopatra’s Stamp of Approval

2011-03-28T16:23:00.000+01:00

It was in 32 BC, prior to setting off to war with Octavius, that Cleopatra and her beloved husband Marc Antony spent an extravagant few weeks indulging on Samos and surprising local residents with their appetite for celebration.

Cleopatra, last Queen of independent Egypt,was a stunning woman whose Persian blood left her with a dark complexion and luxurious long hair which, it is said, she dyed a copper colour using henna. Born on January 13, 69 B.C., Cleopatra’s animated life took her through a series of four husbands before it ended abruptly at the age of 39 when she took her own life. Many a legend has sprung from the exotic and lavish existence of this renowned Queen, but a sure truth among the myths is that Cleopatra spent a period of time relaxing and indulging on the island of Samos with her long-haired, wealthy and influential husband, Roman leader Marc Antony.

Cleopatra first met Marc Antony when she was a young girl, not realizing at the time that this powerful character would eventually become her fourth husband. After knowing him for a few years, Cleopatra married Antony around 35 B.C. when she was 34 years old - even though at the time he was also married to another woman, named Flavia. Together, Cleopatra and Antony had a pair of twins and another child.

In 32 B.C., war was declared upon Egypt and Antony prepared his army for battle. Commissioning a fleet of ships, he and his queen set sail with their flotilla, anchoring at Samos for some time as they waited for the arrival of reinforcements and for the completion of various other arrangements for battle.

Their stay on this Greek island paradise was no humble affair and, as their fleet lay moored in the lapping Mediterranean waters, its leader and his Queen let their plans for battle lie redundant as they idled their days away indulging in festivities, games, revellings and in every kind of excess. Accordingly, an immense company of players, tumblers, fools, jesters and mountebanks were ordered to assemble at Samos and to devote themselves with all zeal and grandeur to the amusement of Antony’s court.

The whole island became a hive of excess and revelry and local people were astonished at such celebrations and displays, wholly unsuitable in their eyes for such an occasion. If such are the rejoicings prior to battle, they thought, what festivities will Antony indulge in upon his return, should he be victorious? Eventually it was to be that, after a time, Antony and Cleopatra, with a magnificent train of attendants in trail, left Samos, and, passing across the Aegean Sea, landed in Greece, and advanced on to Athens. This infamous couple’s visit to Samos may only have lasted for a number of months and weeks, however it has gone down in history. Samos has undoubtedly been given the seal of approval by this exotic, influential and renowned romantic pair.

Samos Among Greek Islands to Promote Food Tourism

2011-02-25T12:07:00.000Z

The Seventh International Meetings and Incentives Conference has met in Athens to discuss the topic of ‘Valuing the Food Experience’. The discussion included ways in which Greece and the Greek islands could raise awareness of local food culture and encourage culinary tourism, in order to improve the food experience of visitors such as those on a Greek island holiday.

Regional Cuisine Given the Spotlight
Part of the conference was devoted to looking at the regional cuisine in a number of locations around Greece and the Greek islands, to examine ways in which the region’s gastronomic heritage could better serve the tourism industry. The Greek islands of Crete and Samos were among the islands represented at the conference, and it is hoped that the inclusion of these areas in the discussion will lead to greater promotion of local Samos culinary traditions when attracting visitors to the island.

Samos Restaurants
There are of course a number of well respected restaurants on the Greek holiday island of Samos, and locals enjoying a meal at a restaurant are often joined by visitors to the island, whether they are staying at a Greek island holiday villa or, for example, a Greek island apartment. Many of these restaurants already feature traditional food on their menus and can be found in various locations across the island. The Poseidon restaurant in the village of Kokkari is one example, as are the Gialos restaurant in Marathokampos and the Sinadisi restaurant in Vathy.

Source:
http://www.greekislandholiday.co.uk/greekislandnews/samos-among-greek-islands-to-promote-food-tourism/

The siren call of Samos

2011-02-14T15:49:00.000Z

SOCRATES gives us a stunning view. In the 40 minutes it takes to fly from Athens, our philosophically named plane skims so low over the jigsaw of Aegean islands that we can see their scribbled goat tracks and ragged coastlines.

In the distance, beyond the tracery of cruise ships, the island of Mykonos, known as Greece's party isle, glistens like a mirror ball. It isn't long before we descend towards the hilly outpost of Samos, uniquely shaped like a kangaroo.

We land on the island's southern side, at Pythagorio, named after Samos's favourite son and the Father of Numbers, Pythagoras. My seven friends and I are here to explore the eighth-largest Hellenic island; it's so close to Turkey we hear the goat bells tinkling across the water.

After a white-knuckled taxi ride up and over the island's mountainous spine we arrive at our hotel on the waterfront of the north coast, with its backdrop of scrubby hills and whitewashed houses. As well as three moored Coast Guard boats, a ferry flying a Turkish flag is offloading daytrippers returning from the ancient ruins of Ephesus, which is 1km across the strait.

One room alone houses the Giant Kouros (male youth), chiselled from marble and a staggering 5m tall. I try to imagine it in 580BC standing alongside the other 2000 statues lining the Sacred Road to the temple of Hera. The torso of the statue was discovered in 1980; the head was found four years later. Resourcefully, a thigh had become part of a house wall and the left forearm was being used as a step.Setting off to explore on foot, we soon discover one of the finest archeological museums outside Athens. As Samos is not too touristy, we enjoy the exhibits without being cheek by jowl with other history hogs.

The two floors of the museum are filled with sarcophagi, grave relics, statuettes and everyday utensils. Ancient pottery jugs could have been fired in a Bendigo kiln. A bronze grater looks like one in my grandmother's kitchen drawer and a scent bottle in the shape of a warrior's head would have found companions among my perfume collection.

As there are eight of us, we hire a minibus and head west along the coast road to the pebbly beach of Kokkari, making off-road detours to rocky coves where pirate ships hid in the 15th century. Today, thatch-roofed tavernas lure us with their dewy glasses of beer.

Battered utes laden with glistening grapes progress to the coast from the hill town perched above us while another ute chugs uphill carrying its booty of fresh fish. The driver spruiks his wares through a megaphone stuck out the window. We follow the fishmonger zigzagging uphill through shrine-littered glades until we come to the village of Manolates.

After a hot hike to the top of the village, we settle for lunch along the cooling terrace of the stone and terracotta Loukas Taverna. We rest beneath a canopy of grapes and sup on the views down the Valley of Nightingales to the iridescent sea beyond. Sharing mezze platters, we toast our glasses of local, sweet Muscat.

Backtracking to the village of Vourliotes, we go in search of Panagia Vrontiani, the oldest monastery in Samos. Built in 1566, it was partially destroyed in the bushfires of 2000. It is well worth exploring, even if you have to walk the goat tracks and crash through the undergrowth, Indiana Jones style, to find it.

Continuing our drive past terraces of cabbages and grapevines, the road peters out near a family of road-hogging goats. We finish the trail on foot and find ourselves in the village square of Hydroussa. Wizened lookalikes of Aristotle, Socrates and Plato sit on rush chairs in the dappled shade of a plane tree. Their tin table holds small coffee cups, a plate of silver sardines and broken, rustic bread. The clack of worry beads breaks the silence.

It isn't long before news of our arrival sweeps through the open doors of the tiny stone houses. While the black-clad yia-yias (grandmothers) mill around, a woman with wild red hair greets us with a handful of walnuts plucked from a nearby tree. She crushes their soft shells with her bare feet and shares the gritty treat. She ushers us downhill and through a curtain that is the door into her Lilliputian home in a wall.

We are eight Gullivers in a room so small we have to turn sideways to fit. The wild woman produces a clutch of odd glasses and begins filling them from an old Fanta bottle with the firewater she brews in her still in the hills. The local moonshine roars down our throats. As we leave, our fiery hostess decorates our hats and hair with flowering basil sprigs plucked from a fetta tin.

Many of history's greats were either born or lived on Samos. The pretty port town of Pythagorio is today an artwork of tavernas and cobbled promenades that frame the marina of brightly painted fishing and sailboats. In its heyday, Herodotus, Epicurus and Aesop held court with the locals. At the end of the pier, a bronze statue of Pythagoras, philosopher, musician and mathematician, reaches upwards to complete the triangle of his theorem.

Heraion, the sanctuary of the divine goddess, Hera, is 10 minutes from Pythagorio. On our way there we stop at the Tunnel of Eupalinos, often regarded as the Eighth Wonder of the Ancient World. Constructed in 524BC by slaves chiselling through the mountain unaided by surveying instruments, the aqueduct channelled spring water to the ancient capital. In the Middle Ages it became a hideaway during pirate raids. Today, it's a claustrophobic sidle 10m above the grill-covered water channel.

Every goddess needs a temple. The sanctuary at Heraion, built in 6BC for Zeus's wife, Hera, was four times the size of the Parthenon. As I wander along the marble-paved Sacred Road, I visualise it flanked by 7km of statues, like the Giant Kouros in the archeological museum. A dry wind is blowing, and I am surrounded by the same pocked hills that the pilgrims of antiquity would have wandered.

Geometric remnants border the Sacred Road like gravestones from another era. Tourists speak in reverent tones.

Of the original 155 temple columns, only one half of one remains and it is still the height of an industrial chimney. Anthony and Cleopatra are said to have used the Roman baths, of which there are now only scattered remains. Such was the wealth and power of Samos.

After three days, we are ready to board the ferry for Mykonos. At the dock, a Coast Guard boat has just landed. Three women and a group of men are herded to the footpath in front of the Port Authority building. They are given masks to cover their mouths and are interrogated as they huddle together. This island has become a favourite for those seeking refuge. And I can understand why.

Samos is unassuming, unexpected and, in its own right, unbelievably beautiful.

Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/the-siren-call-of-samos/story-e6frg8rf-1226002782202

Island-Hopping Greece Holidays Hoover Up Zoover Poll Votes

2011-01-24T14:27:00.000Z

UK travellers have voted the Greek Islands the most beautiful destination for Europe holidays.

Holiday review website Zoover.com asked readers to vote online for their favourite getaway location. Of the 14,000 respondents, an huge 44 per cent said that Greece holidays were the best, thanks to its spectacular islands.

Spain holidays scooped second place, with 17 per cent of the votes, closely followed by Croatia holidays at 16 per cent.

When it came to favourites among the Greek Islands themselves, Zoover.com said that Samos came out on top. On average, readers’ reviews gave Samos holidays 8.6 out of 10. Unexpectedly, Portugal’s islands were voted the least desirable European island destination, despite the Azores and Madeira receiving review ratings of over 7 out of 10.

The Greek National Tourist Office has been swift to build on the popularity of the country’s islands, declaring that visitors get the opportunity to experience an “incredible adventure”. A spokesman said: “In Greece there are more than 3,000 islands and islets, inviting tourists from all over the world to enjoy Greece’s sunshine, mild climate, breathtaking scenery, a variety of unique experiences and delicious food.”

Pointing out the variety of options available for visitors, he added: “Get ready to walk on historical grounds that are a part of history, enjoy the Greek sun and the golden beaches and taste the wonderful gastronomy each destination has to offer.”

He pointed out that the best time to get cheap flights to Greece – and internal flights throughout the country and its islands – was between April and October.

Source: beatthebrochure.com

What do Cheescake and Samos have in Common?

2010-06-10T09:59:00.000+01:00

Practically everyone loves a delicious slice of cheesecake, but how many people know the history of it? Historical documents indicate that cheesecake was created during the seventh or eighth centuries B.C. on the island of Samos in Greece. Historians believe that cheesecake was even served to athletes during the first Olympic Games to supply them with the energy needed for competitions.
The Greeks made their cheesecakes by mixing together flour, honey and cheese and then pounding it into a paste. The mixture was formed into cakes that were baked and then cooled. The Romans later spread cheesecake from Greece to across Europe. Cheesecake quickly became a popular Greek delicacy and was even the predecessor to Western culture’s traditional wedding cake. It became customary for Greek brides to bake and serve up cheesecakes to their husband’s friends as a hospitable gesture.

Although the original cheesecake recipe did come from Greece, it was quickly adapted by various cultures as it made its way to other countries. The basic ingredients of cheese, flour and some sort of sweetener have stayed the same, but the cheesecake we enjoy today is not much like the cheesecake of Greece. Even the method of baking has evolved. In ancient Greece, all ingredients were mixed together before baking, but the cheesecakes of today are made by layering before baking, starting with the crust, the filling, and finally a topping, if desired.

In Australia, cheesecakes are now usually made with a first layer of crushed biscuits and butter, and the most common filling consists of a mix of cream cheese, sugar, and cream, but it is not baked. Australian cheesecakes are also sometimes topped with fruit coulis, in flavours such as raspberry or strawberry. Gelatine is also typically used to maintain the firmness of the filling. These days one can also find cheesecakes made with coffee, Irish cream, chocolate, or marshmallow.

My top ten cheesecake recipes include Country Caramel Oat-Crusted Cheesecake, Mixed Berry Baked Cheesecake, Passionfruit, Toblerone, Strawberry and Baked Nougat Cheesecakes – the Nougat one is amazing with a Toblerone Ganache. The Bistro Cheesecake with Warm Rhubarb is a winner; while Strawberry White Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecake, Turkish Delight, and Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecakes are also delicious.

Some cooks feel too intimidated to try their hand at creating a cheesecake. However, they are relatively simple to make, so to inspire you I have provided a recipe below for a particularly delicious cheesecake – the Country Caramel Oat-Crusted Cheesecake mentioned above. The following mouth-watering recipe should make any cook proud of her creation, and it should satisfy any sweet tooth! (You’ll be sure to impress your friends and family with this one.)

–Country Caramel, Oat-Crusted Cheesecake–

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup biscuits
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup golden syrup
1/4 cup boiling water
125g butter, melted
2 cups cream, whipped
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
3 teaspoons gelatine dissolved in
4 tablespoons hot caramel fudge sauce
500g block cream cheese, softened

Method:
Combine the crushed biscuits, rolled oats, coconut, butter and golden syrup. Press firmly, using the back of a spoon, into the base and sides of a 22cm lined springform tin. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes, and allow to cool.

Beat the cream cheese, sugar, orange rind, and vanilla until smooth, and then fold in gelatine mixture and whipped cream.

Pour into prepared crust and refrigerate until firm. Drizzle with caramel sauce and refrigerate until serving. (Time-saver’s Note: caramel fudge sauce can be purchased in a jar.)

Article from: http://weddingcakesupplies.org/2069/my-top-10-cheesecake-ideas/html
For information on investment property in Samos, Greece, please visit www.bandbw.co.uk.

Greece to Upgrade Sites in Bid to Lure More Tourists, Minister Tells FTD

2010-06-01T16:21:00.001+01:00

By Brian Parkin - May 31, 2010
Greece’s government plans to spend as much as 520 million euros to upgrade tourist sites and hotels as it struggles to compete with Turkey and Egypt, the Financial Times Deutschland reported. The cash, split in origin from a European Union fund and government money, will be used to modernize building facilities.Tourism contributes about a fifth of Greece’s economic growth, the FTD said.

Samos: An Island Apart

2010-06-01T10:31:00.000+01:00

The Aegean island of Samos has aquamarine waters and ancient sites but its real charm is that it has a life of its own that remains untarnished by mass tourism.

The Independent
By Michael Bywater
Saturday, 29 May 2010

The search for authenticity that little place you discovered where they are genuinely pleased to see you and which retains its original charms is cursed by the Heisenberg Effect. The observer inevitably spoils what he's observing. Or, more precisely, the host community, in its eagerness to please in order to get the revenues, spoils it.

The Heisenberg Effect was brought home last year on a small and startlingly beautiful Greek island. The very phrase "Greek island" kicks off a whole chain-reaction of mental images: deep blue skies, crystal seas, whitewashed simplicity and a fiesta of gnarling: gnarled olive groves, gnarled goatherds, gnarled ancient peasant women, stooped and toothless in a frightfully picturesque fashion perhaps related to the fact that most of them starved as children but which, all the same, the Greek postcard industry is happy to perpetuate as shorthand for simplicity, hardiness and timeless values. The retsina tastes gnarled. The coffee is gnarled. Even the food (we imagine) is gnarled.

It's nonsense, of course. The Greek islands are a continent in themselves. Ithaka and Hydra are as different as Austria and southern Portugal. Each island has its own character, geographical and human. And the timeless, simple way of life in which we fondly imagine ourselves to be participating is just another variation of the Peter Mayle Fallacy. Those gnarled peasants sleep now on mattresses stuffed solid with undeclared income from tourism, and the woman who owns the little taverna almost certainly owns a dozen other businesses and is richer than most of the people she serves. (And have a look at her slender, glossy daughter and her tall son smiling over the grill with his perfect teeth: that's what a bit of money and good nutrition does to you.)

On one such island, I got involved in a debate about the future of the tiny fishing-port town. It is, currently, perfection. One neo-classical building has been, properly, painted terracotta. To drive along the harbour-front, it's necessary to have one wheel slightly over the edge; diners at the tavernas have to edge their chairs out of your way. The arrival of the bus is an event: everyone cranes forward to watch it topple, as one day it surely must topple, into the drink. There is a bakery (OK), a greengrocer (execrable) and two supermarkets (both tiny, not super at all, one execrable, one unspeakable). There is one good restaurant, and one which used to be good until the chef fell in love and, initially, couldn't eat, then, subsequently, couldn't cook.

But now they want to move forward. They want to move parking from the present amiable chaos into a regimented, paid-for car park behind the harbour, and bus everyone in on little electric golf-carts. They want to paint all the buildings terracotta. All must have the same, officially sanctioned, awnings. There will be proper streetlighting. Centralised bouzouki music will be piped.

And then nobody will want to come there, because it's not just about what people want to come to, but what we are going away from. From regimentation. From uniformity. From regulations. From health and safety. From the overwhelming British hegemony of the jobsworth. The very things this island wants to "improve" are the things we want to remain the same.

But there is another island, popular among the Greeks, less so quite inexplicably among the British. It's an island that won't change to what it (mistakenly) believes will appeal to the tourists, because it has an existence of its own. It's big enough to be varied, small enough to possess its own idiosyncratic, and distinct, personality. There are mountains and plains, vineyards and olive groves, a humming little seaside holiday town with no pretensions to be anything else, and a main city that sees no need to tart itself up for us, because it has things of its own to be getting on with. It has an ancient history beyond an obdurate peasantry scratching a living. It also has an economy.

The place is called Samos, in the northern Aegean. From the eastern coast, you can swim to Turkey. (A small but thriving cottage industry is devoted to people swimming in the opposite direction, hoping for a new life in Europe.) It's a curious place, and I'd rather like to live there.

Even arriving on Samos, the airport has a peculiar charm. You'd not be surprised if an old DC-3 taxied up to the ramp. Nobody is trying to sell you anything. The notoriously churlish Greek police actually smile. The international dehumanisation of gates and barriers and admonitory signs (ticking you off for something you hadn't even thought of doing) and chutes and ding-dong announcements and pat-down areas: all absent. It's an odd combination of an old-style public baths (an impression of tiles and waxed lino) and a 1930s ferry terminal. It is, in short, rather nice, strangely reassuring, and, quite inexplicably, welcoming. You're glad to be there, and you feel that Samos is equally glad you've arrived. Quite possibly an illusion, but a pleasant illusion all the same.

But the idea of Samos as a year-round island with an existence of its own is no illusion. Two thousand years ago it was known for its pottery and its wine; the Samian wines, particularly the sweet Muscats, are widely exported today.

Close to the airport lies the Heraion, the classical Greek temple to the goddess Hera, once linked to the town by the "Iera Odos" the Holy Way by a 6km road dating back to the 7th century BC, and lined with 2,000 statues and with graves and funeral monuments. The Heraion wasn't just a temple to Hera, but the temple to Hera, the centre of the cult and quite possibly the first to have an enclosed, roofed sanctuary. The following century, the Samians built the Tunnel of Eupalinos, a kilometre-long vast water-conduit astonishingly constructed, without the use of compasses, theodolites or even written mathematics, beginning at either end and meeting perfectly in the middle. How they pulled that off is still a mystery, though one which might have been known to Pythagoras, born there around 570BC and commemorated by a modern sculpture on the waterfront at Pythagorion (renamed from Tigani "frying pan" in 1955 in honour of its famous son).

Samos has been part of the Byzantine Empire, when it was chief island in the Aegean military complex; unwillingly annexed by the Ottoman Empire (at which point most of the population headed inland to the mountains and the fertile central plains, avoiding Turks and pirates alike); a semi-autonomous state; and it wasn't until 1912 that Samos became part of the new Kingdom of Greece.

This is, in short, no simple backwater turned tourist-trap.

And this may be why it's so appealing as a holiday destination. More than anything else, it reminded me in that strange way you can be reminded of something you never quite knew of southern France before that became California-sur-Med. The roads follow the sometimes precipitous course of the terrain, branching off with sudden swooping curves, emerging unexpectedly over terraced vineyards or agricultural plains.

One moment you can be driving along a typically Aegean maritime landscape, the next in a deep shaded tunnel with running brooks and the heavy green forest scents of pine and galbanum. One-shop villages and small towns appear suddenly around a bend in the road; a hairpin curve brings you to a startling vista of the sea and, near enough to touch through the haze, the rocky coast of Turkey. A causeway across the saltmarsh passes a long, low building: a military station with an observation tower where a Greek soldier stares through powerful, unblinking binoculars at a Turkish soldier across the strait, who is staring back at him; and so peace is maintained.

It's usually silly to say that a place has something for everyone, and Samos is no exception. Those between 17 and, say, 26 years old, who toil in the shadow of their hormones, might prefer somewhere sweatier, somewhere more doof-doof-doof-dooffa. Otherwise... here's the Armonia, a small family-run hotel near Kokkari, on the north-eastern coastline: light, airy, dtendu, it is indeed like a Côte d'Azur hotel back 30 years ago, overlooking a perfect horseshoe bay a few minutes' walk through the pines.

A half-hour stroll downhill in the evening takes you to Kokkari town where, for some reason that nobody could explain to me, prices, as in Samos overall, are about two-thirds of the rest of Greece (except for beer, which is less than half the price).

Unable to face walking back up the hill due to idleness and strong drink, I enquired about a taxi; the waiter took me by the arm and led me through the village to the taxi-stand, chatting affably as we went. This felt more like the original Greek xenofilia, the fondness for strangers, than the tourist-trap wolf-beam you more commonly encounter. "Come! You want eat? Good! BEST!"

In Psilli Ammos, Mrs Frangou and her two sons run a taverna with three apartments, as close to the silver-sand beach as they could be without sinking. One of the sons rides past bareback on his horse, the other sits in the taverna practising his bouzouki, tuned to an unfamiliar scale; the music on Samos has a powerful Turkish influence, quite unique. Mrs Frangou brings home-made cakes; a tiny general store two minutes away sells anything you need (and you'd not be surprised to find those kaleidoscope-rubber buckets and spades). Children play on the clean sand in the shade of the tamarisks.

Along the coast, in a strict conservation area, a group of 16 wealthy Australians have taken the three ultra-luxurious villas at Marnei Mare, perched magnificently on a clifftop, with shaded gardens and steps running down to the Aegean. The willowy, sophisticated concierge rules with a rod of silk; anything almost anything they want is theirs to command. Yesterday was, oddly, a Greek Night. Ancient Greeks, you understand. She laid on chitons and laurel wreaths. All part of the service.

And from that to a tiny, two-roomed, 18th-century fisherman's cottage on a tiny rocky promontory in Kerveli bay. Look out of the bedroom window and there is no sign of land, only the aquamarine water 6ft below and the sound of the gentle waves. Ten minutes' walk through the groves on the headland brings you to Kerveli: a taverna, a shop, a road back. Lina brings her daughter Stella to say hello. Her husband Manoles comes by with a couple of melons from his fields. Then you are alone again.

But alone or not, you're never far from the reality of Samos as a working island with its own life. Once I was on Hydra on the last day of the season. The awnings were rolled up. The tables brought indoors. The ferry brought not excited visitors and journey-fractious children, but lavatories and air-con parts. The set-dressing was carried into the wings and the crew came on to strike the set. In Gaios, on Paxos, the end of the season is the same: the square is one day busy with late-season holidaymakers and summering British and Italians, the next day empty, rain-lashed, shuttered up. One day a cat will slink across the paving-stones. The next, an Albanian labourer, dreaming of home. Otherwise, it's over. Just rain, until next Easter.

Samos keeps alive. In Samos Town, there are plays, concerts, shops, cinemas: a miniature metropolis. (The owner of the little taverna in the shady back street welcomes us even though it's mid-afternoon, no known mealtime. "Where are you from? How do you like Samos? You have a nice face; I think you have a warm heart." For once, it's not tourist bananas, but genuine. They say the people of Samos are cool. I think they are perhaps just reserved; free, perhaps, of that Greek exuberance which can sometimes edge into the phony.)

And so life continues. The banks do banking, the schools teach, the Samians mill around. Above the town is one of the most beguiling places in Greece, which is to say, on Earth: Ano Vathy, the old harbour-town, perched on the hills behind its modern counterpart. It is like the imagined memory of an Aegean port come true: the sea below, the air redolent of herbs and cooking, winding precipitous streets. A river-gorge cuts through it (water is everywhere on Samos, tumbling down from the rocks, running through the valleys, bubbling from the ground).

There is not a right-angle in Vathy. It is impossible not to get lost; impossible to care if you do, because there is always another pretty street, another caf or bar, another schoolyard with children laughing and tussling. I took a taxi back up the hill after lunch, but then caused inconvenience by not knowing where I had parked the car. Two baking hours later we found it 10 yards away from where the taxi had dropped us.

As I said, it is impossible not to get lost in Vathy. And of all the places on Samos, Vathy is where I should like to be right now. Direct flights from London, three and a half hours, run from now until the end of October; otherwise, a night's stopover in Athens salt cod and rainbow ouzos at Brettos on Odos Kydathinaion and a short hop in the morning. I am tempted. Very tempted. And of course the best thing about the place is that, whatever time of year it is, Samos is always open.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Michael Bywater travelled to Samos as a guest of Simpson Travel (020-8392 5858 / 020-8392 5858 ; simpsontravel.com ). A week at the Anatoli Hera Studio in Psilli Ammos costs from 500 per person, including flights from Gatwick and transfers. The 18th-century fisherman's cottage in Kerveli bay can be booked through Simpson Travel.

Charter flights are operated from Gatwick and Manchester by Thomas Cook Airlines (0871 230 2406 / 0871 230 2406 flythomascook.com ) and Thomson Airways (0871 231 4787 / 0871 231 4787 end_of_the_skype_highlighting; thomsonfly.com ) between May and October.

Olympic Air (020-8283 1980 / 020-8283 1980; olympicair.com ) offers flights throughout the year from Heathrow via Athens.

Staying there

Hotel Armonia Bay, Kokkari (00 30 22 7309 2279 00 30 22 7309 2279 ; armoniabay.gr ). Marnei Mare, Marnei (00 33 22 7303 0830; marneimare.gr ).

Article Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/samos-an-island-apart-1985789.html