Xenon Estate

Eating

There’s no restaurant but the accommodating owners pre-stock the cupboards and fridge with basics: milk, bread, butter, cheese, cold meat – organic where possible. Refills and additional items can also be ordered at cost (no markup, which is nice).

The impressive kitchens allow guests to create everything from a simple meal to a lavish banquet, thanks to a full array of appliances (oven, microwave, hob, kettle, coffee maker, blender etc). Alternatively Alex can call in the services of a private chef who will serve a dinner of your choice in the mimosa-scented evening air - bliss!

Dining out is equally easy. Dapia has plenty of cafés and eateries – O Roussos is recommended for its mezzes (Greek tapas). Around the Old Harbour, eat modern Greek on the brilliant-white terrace of Orloff restaurant (affiliated to the hotel of the same name), or opt for catch-of-the day at seafront Tarsanas. Try La Scala for upmarket Italian, Fennella’s for more budget-concious pizza (Spetses is not a cheap island, it must be said). Uphill behind the Old Harbour, Pachni – a favourite with the locals – serves enormous portions of home-grown lamb and beef washed down with jugs of wine poured straight from wooden barrels. You can walk to any of these in 15-20 minutes, but you might want to catch a taxi back afterwards!