5 Greek islands for a more premium holiday

There are trips when you want to keep things simple, and others when you want to give yourself something more. A better room, more privacy, a beach where you do not have to organise anything, good food nearby and people who can take care of the small details of the day.

That is perhaps the most useful starting point for a premium trip. What matters is not only how expensive a destination is, but what a larger budget gives back to you in terms of the actual experience.

In one place it may be worth paying more for the hotel’s location and view. Somewhere else, for access to a good beach, a larger room or greater privacy. Elsewhere, the difference may lie in the service, the spa, the food, a private boat trip or simply the fact that someone has already taken care of your transfers and reservations.

Premium, then, does not have to mean that every moment of the holiday is luxurious. It can mean choosing carefully the points where the extra spend genuinely changes the way you travel.

The base you choose is one of the most important factors. An excellent hotel does not help much if every day you need long transfers to reach the sea or the place where you want to spend the evening. By contrast, the right location can give you beach, food, a view and somewhere to stroll nearby, removing a good deal of organisation from the day.

It is also worth looking at what is actually included in the experience. A private beach or organised beach service, a breakfast you genuinely want to enjoy at the hotel, a transfer from the port, concierge service, a spa, the option of a boat trip or a good restaurant within the property may be more valuable than an impressive room category that you ultimately use only for sleeping.

And there is another side that is often forgotten. Premium does not necessarily mean more things to do during the day. It can mean exactly the opposite. Fewer decisions, less waiting and more time for the sea, the food and the people you are travelling with.

In the islands that follow, then, we will look not only at where you can stay more comfortably, but at the particular version of premium each one offers. Where a good location matters most, where privacy matters most, where service and the resort experience matter most, where food matters most and where the landscape itself makes an upgraded stay more worthwhile.

Because a premium trip is not necessarily the one where you spend more. It is the one where you understand why you chose to.