Catrine

Like neighbouring Hydra, Spetses had a thriving shipping industry, and some local families became extremely rich. One such (though he made most of his money in the US) was Sotirios Anargyros, creator of Spetses Town's impressive Poseidonion Hotel. Dating back to the early 20th century, and built in the architectural style of the great hotels of the Côte d'Azur, it soon attracted wealthy Athenians and European aristocrats to the island, beginning a trend of affluent, small-scale tourism that continues today.

Diminutive Spetses measures just 7km by 4km and is a quiet, pine tree-carpeted island where private cars are not allowed. Transport is by bicycle, scooters, a few taxis, donkeys, quad bikes and, best of all, boat taxi. Hiring your own boat for the duration of your stay or for a few days is highly recommended, as the coast has many idyllic secluded bays that are most easily accessible from the water.

In recent times, Spetses's main claim to fame is as the setting for The Magus, John Fowles's great novel. Named Phraxos in the book, the island is described by the main protagonist, Nicholas Urfe as "Beautiful. There was no other adjective; it was not just pretty, picturesque, charming – it was simply and effortlessly beautiful. It took my breath away when I first saw it, floating under Venus like a majestic black whale in an amethyst evening sea, and it still takes my breath away when I shut my eyes now and remember it. Its beauty was rare even in the Aegean, because its hills were covered with pine trees, Mediterranean pines as light as greenfinch feathers. Nine-tenths of the island was uninhabited and uncultivated: nothing but pines, coves, silence, sea." Remarkably, Spetses has changed very little since John Fowles, who lived and worked there in the early1950s, wrote that passage.

Spetses's pine-shady interior is crisscrossed by walking trails, many of which are easily accessible from Catrine. From the top ridge, fabulous vistas take in the island, Hydra, vast tracts of the Aegean Sea and the Peloponnese, whose eastern most tip is just over 2km (or a 10-minute crossing) away. This proximity to the mainland makes day trips to Porto Heli and the archaeological site of Epidaurus eminently feasible.