THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO GREECE IN STYLE

I THOUGHT IT WAS A BACKPACKERS' DESTINATION?

Not any more, although many people will have happy memories of backpacking around the Greek islands during their student days. The somewhat downmarket reputation of Greece wasn't exactly improved by the loutish behaviour of young British tourists, first in some of the resorts on Corfu's east coast and later in Faliraki, on the island of Rhodes. But according to Panos Argyros, the director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation in London, "slowly, Greece is changing". And so are the destinations he is now recommending. "Ask any foreigner where to go and they will recommend the islands," he says. "But for me the mainland is more important. There are more opportunities there for stylish holidays."

WHERE TO START?

In Athens, which on 23 June gets a new daily link on Fly- globespan (08705 561 522' www.flyglobespan.com) in addition to the existing services on easy Jet (0905 821 0905' www.easyjet.com) from Gatwick and Luton, Olympic Airlines (0870 606 0460' www.olympicairlines.com) from Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester, and British Airways (0870 850 9850' www.ba.com) from Gatwick and Heathrow.

The makeover that the capital underwent for the Olympic Games in 2004 resulted in a far more enjoyable experience for visitors. This is apparent from the minute you step off the plane into the brand new Eleftherios Venizelos International airport - often known as Spata, after the town where it is located, 20 miles west of the capital. There are still crowds outside jostling for buses and taxis, but avoid those by booking a limousine to pick you up. This can be done online before you set off (http://athens.shuttle-air- port.com)' the service costs EUR180 (pounds 129) for up to three people to the city centre. The new metro system has also improved travel into the capital.

While most tourists concentrate their efforts on the atmospheric Plaka district, the smart Athenians head slightly north-west of Syntagma Square to Kolonaki, an area of stylish restaurants and classy shops, along streets like Anagnostopoulou and Voukourestiou. Several of the museums here are worth visiting, including the Benaki at 1 Koumbari Street (00 30 210 367 1000' www.benaki.gr), with its extensive collection of art works. It opens 9am-5pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday' 9am-midnight on Thursday' and 9am- 3pm on Sunday, admission EUR6 (pounds 4.30). A stylish new offshoot of the Benaki is the Museum of Islamic Art, an impressive collection of art from the Muslim world from the 14th century to the present day, which is at 22 Agio Asomaton. It opens 9am-3pm Tuesday and Thursday-Sunday 9am-9pm Wednesday, and admission is EUR5 (pounds 3.60). A couple of blocks away from the main Benaki building is the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art at 4 Neofitou Douka (00 30 210 722 8321' www.cycladic-m.gr), which houses an important private collection of artefacts from the Cyclades islands. It opens 10am- 4pm Monday and Wednesday-Friday and 10am-3pm on Saturday, admission EUR5 (pounds 3.60). From here it is a short walk to Kolonaki Square, whose pavement cafs are usually full of people sitting watching the world go by' Milioni, in a side-street just off the square, is one of the most popular.

GOOD ATHENIAN HOTELS?

Next to Ratka is a stylish new hotel that is ideal for inquisitive guests. Periscope at 22 Haritos Street (00 30 210 729 7200' www.periscope.gr) has installed its own "scope" on the roof so that guests can see what is going on in the city below.

The Andromeda Hotel claims to be the city's first boutique hotel. It is on the fringes of Kolonaki at 15 Timoleontos Vassou Street (00 30 210 643 7302' wwwandromeda hotels.gr). An alternative, if boutique is your style, is the Fresh Hotel at 26 Sofkleous Street (00 30 210 524 8511' www.freshhotel.gr). But the traditionally most stylish hotel in Athens is staging a comeback' the Grande Bretagne on Syntagma Square (00 30 210 333 0000' www.grandebre-tagne.gr) has recently, and belatedly, been smartened up.

DOES STYLE VANISH OUTSIDE THE CAPITAL?

That used to be the case, but the quality of the bed-stock all over Greece has improved in leaps and bounds in the last few years. Jo Brace of Filoxenia has worked in the country for 15 years, and is now the holiday company's bed-buyer. She picks out the chain of Tsimaras Art Hotels (www.artho-tel.gr) as lovely places to stay. They are leading a new trend in Greek accommodation, combining style with understated luxury. The company has attractive properties in Patras, Cephalonia and Ithaca, two of which are featured in their brochure (01653 617755' www.filoxenia.co.uk). These are the Emelisse Hotel in Fiskardo, Cephalonia, where a week's bed and breakfast based on two people sharing, with flights and transfers starts at pounds 718 per person' and the Perantzada 1811 Hotel in Vathy Ithaca, where the same deal starts at pounds 687.

ANY MORE CITY LIFE?

Greece's second city, Thessaloniki, is the capital of the Macedonia region. It is an attractive destination in northern Greece, on the Thermaic Gulf' on a clear day you can see as far as Mount Olympus.