Mykonos

Mykonos wears its reputation lightly. Yes, this is the island of beach clubs, superyachts and nights that end at sunrise, but walk into Chora in the early morning and you find something older: fishermen mending nets by the harbour, pelicans wandering the lanes and the famous windmills standing quietly above Little Venice.

The beaches are the island's great currency. The south coast runs from one golden bay to the next, some given over to daybeds and music, others, like Agios Sostis in the north, still wonderfully bare. Knowing which beach suits which day, and which wind, is exactly the kind of local knowledge that changes a Mykonos trip.

Then there is Delos, the uninhabited island a short ride across the water, once the sacred centre of the Aegean world. Wandering its ruined temples, mosaics and marble lions with a private guide, half an hour from the beach clubs, is one of the great contrasts in Greek travel.

With our local team, Mykonos runs smoothly from the first transfer: a villa or suite matched to your style, sunbeds reserved at the right beach, a table at the tavernas locals actually use and a skipper for the day you want to disappear along the coast. You arrive, and the island is ready for you.