Go sailing in Greece

Apr 25 2008 By Caroline Davison

Enjoy sun, sea and the local hospitality on Lemnos island

My first - and only - package holiday on a Greek island some years ago hardly lingers in the memory as a pleasant affair.

But almost as soon as I landed on Lemnos, an island in the north-east of the Aegean Sea with views across to Mount Athos on Halkidiki, I sensed it could be time for a rethink.

The locals welcomed us with drinks, pastries, Greek flags, a band and traditional dancing. It was explained on the 20-minute coach ride to the resort that residents on the island are highly religious and believe a blessing on the first foreign arrivals of the year brings them luck .

Our base for a week of intense watersports and land-based activities was Portomyrina Palace, a four-star hotel set on ahill above a quiet bay.

Although some activities cost extra - scuba diving, excursions, spa treatments and the offer of any official qualifications taken - virtually all are included in the price of a package here.

My first day boasted a pretty exhausting mix of scuba diving, water-skiing and tennis tuition. My timetable also showed the evening's entertainment as punch and dips on the lawn, followed by a quiz night. Could this hotel get any better?

On four evenings of the week, the Portomyrina provides a buffet while the other three nights are left free for those who want to do their own thing. If you do opt to stay in the hotel, guests can dine a la carte - although this comes outside the cost of the package.

During the week we also tested the local cuisine in the nearby capital of Myrina.

Fortunately, local restaurants catered for both families and romantic couples. Many were set on the seafront, but the most noticeable one, an Italian, was the best of the bunch.

Bar Centro, where most of the staff seemed to retire after work, was also worth a look. It offered free internet access, free pool, cheap drinks, a fabulous atmosphere and a sound system to which customers could add their favourite song.

After a lively night, I thought I'd feel guilty relaxing the next morning, but such was the laid-back atmosphere that I felt wonderfully comfortable enjoying just being lazy.

Next day, I was ready for more excitement and strode confidently up to the beach for a water-skiing lesson.

How hard could it be, simply getting pulled along by a boat?

The coach explained it to me one-on-one and we had a land-based practice. Easy. I got on the water and the boat set off at what seemed like a million miles per hour. Not so easy now. I stayed on for a good few minutes, but nature took its course and a wave took me down, pulling the skis from my feet.

However, over the course of the week there was much more to try, including dinghy sailing, kayaking and catamaran rides, but by far the most rewarding for me was windsurfing and I persevered the whole week to manage standing up for lengthy amounts of time on the board.

Ialso tried a scuba diving taster session in the swimming pool. I knew this would be my only chance to try it and it was fabulous.

But to take such a large chunk out of the holiday to do the full course would have been to the detriment of other activities.

As a treat, I booked myself into the spa for a massage. I knew we had to leave - reluctantly - after breakfast next morning, so wanted to wind down for the journey home.

What a blissful way to end an actionpacked week - a massage, a few drinks in the bar and then a final glimpse of a truly fabulous sunset.

The scale of my exertions won me an award on the last night for attending the most fitness sessions during the holiday.

In seven days, an unfit office worker had been transformed into sport-obsessed Amazon - possibly never again to contemplate a "fly and flop" package.

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