Eastern Mediterranean

It may be a cliché, but life really is a beach with Croatia, Greece and Turkey boasting some of the region’s most sought-after sand and sea hotspots. Turquoise Adriatic waters bless the diverse beaches of popular island haunts such as Brač and Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, while the Greek Islands have long topped the vacation wishlist. Surrounded by soaring marble cliffs and fronted by azure waters, Myrtos beach is Kefalonia’s sun and sand pearl with Turkey also replete with standout locations such as Ölüdeniz’s famed Blue Lagoon beach.

Life beyond the yacht sundeck takes you to the heart of nature or back in time with the cascading waterfalls and lakes of Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park an escapist paradise and Turkey’s glut of UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the ancient port city of Ephesus, easily accessible by tender. The Ionian island of Corfu offers the best of both worlds with its thick pine, cypress and eucalyptus-fragranced forest hillsides giving way to exquisite emerald waters.

From behind Dubrovnik’s well-built city walls to tucked-away tavernas dotted between Santorini’s charming, whitewashed hillside homes, regional gastronomy is both simple and memorable. Cultural and historical influences permeate home kitchens and restaurants everywhere, from an Istrian-talian fisherman’s stew and truffle-scented pasta in Croatia to Turkish kofte, pide and borek, as well as spanakopita, souvlaki, stifado, and more, from Greece.

Sip, savour, sightsee and sail your way across the Eastern Mediterranean: life doesn’t get much better than this.