Greek

these floating air conditioned ‘cities’. In their place are relatively small rooms, tiny showers and bathrooms, usually a single sun deck, and a dining room which doubles as a bar and sometimes a rousing disco.

Because of fewer passengers on caiques, guests get to know each other as well as the captain and crew. Service is not luxurious, but it is very personalised. This congenial spirit, fair costs and the chance to participate in the local nightlife were major bonuses of our cruise on the Zeus, a noted caique owned by a leading Greek company offering scheduled trips on motor yachts and motorised sail boats. Mykonos was by far the highlight of our weeklong caique cruise of Aegean waters. The world-renowned island has retained much of the charm of a small traditional fishing port while adopting a cosmopolitan culture attracting short term visitors and a number of longer term resident artists. The small main town on Mykonos is extremely picturesque with its maze of whitewashed alleys, small distinctive churches, quaint tavernas, fashion boutique and souvenir shops, trendy jewellery outlets, cafes and hole in the wall discos. In summer the nightlife is divine, to say the least.

Because our caique docked overnight in Mykonos, we were able to walk its well-worn cobblestone-lined streets to

The dynamic beauty of Santorini coupled with stories that this island gem may well have been the legendary Atlantis lure many visitors to trod its cobblestone streets, passing white-washed churches and quaint courtyards.