I have wanted to visit the Greek Islands for as long as I can remember- ever since watching a travel show years ago showing idyllic scenes of whitewashed homes and stunning blue waters. There are so many islands but unfortunately with so little time we were only able to visit five: Naxos, Koufonissi, Santorini, Paros & Mykonos. Being there in the low season meant that accommodation was super easy to find – we were met by pension owners at each port and always managed to get a nice room with bathroom for 20 euros per night.

After a horrendous early morning flight from Cairo we landed in Greece at about 5am in an almost unconscious state. Barely able to walk we found the bus to the port of Piraeus and struggled to keep our eyes open to ensure that we wouldn’t miss our stop. It was an agonizing 45 minute trip. I have never looked more forward to a six hour ferry ride – once on the huge Blue Star Naxos we immediately found some seats in the deck and settled ourselves in to catch up on some much needed lost sleep.