LONDON – Tourists from the UK usually flock to Greece every summer, but with the global pandemic delaying the start of the tourist season worldwide, the Daily Mail posted an appeal to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to hurry up and make a deal with Greece for an “air bridge” between the two countries and included a list of islands to visit with tips for each one.

For “loved-up couples,” the Daily Mail recommended Santorini, with “cliffs plunging into the sea, bright white villages clinging to vertiginous slopes, this is an Instagrammer’s dream.”

October was the month recommended to visitors who should “invest in a place to stay that has an infinity pool, so you can keep cool while watching the sun melt into the Aegean,” the Daily Mail reported, adding that the domes of churches of Santorini are painted blue “to ward off evil.”

“Bohemian Hydra” was also on the Daily Mail’s list for its proximity to Athens and as the island musician Leonard Cohen called home in the 1960s. Visiting Hydra in September was recommended, and the Daily Mail reported that “no cars are allowed, but it’s far from sleepy.”

For “the party crowd,” the Cycladic island of Mykonos, the “magnet for celebrities” and “a favorite of Jackie Onassis” is on the Daily Mail’s list for visiting in August. The nicknamed “island of the winds” is known for exclusive restaurants like Nammos and beaches like Paradise and Super Paradise.

Another Cycladic island, Ios in August also made the Daily Mail’s list for its “winding streets [that] conceal bars playing Euro-pop, while Mylopotas beach is the perfect sandy spot to sleep off the night before.” According to legend, Homer died on the island, the Daily Mail reported.

Corfu in the Ionian in August also made the Mail’s list for “family fun-seekers” with its “57 beaches, an aquarium, castles, horse trekking and glass-bottomed boats,” and “when temperatures soar, there’s Aqualand, a vast water park,” the Daily Mail reported, adding that the UK’s “Prince Philip was born on the island.”

Kos in the Dodecanese was described as “lovely” by the Daily Mail which noted that “with plenty of beaches, Kos is one of the biggest islands in the Dodecanese,” and pointed out the “hot springs at Therma beach to enjoy.”

Sifnos in the Cyclades was highlighted as the “Gastro isle” for its “grilled prawns” and as the birthplace of the late chef Nikolaos Tselementes who put Sifnos “on the gastronomic map,” the Daily Mail reported. A dish to try is “mastelo, goat or lamb cooked in red wine,” the Daily Mail recommended, adding that Tom Hanks regularly visits Sifnos.

Sifnos’s grilled prawns

Kefalonian was also highlighted for visiting in September and for its food, “kreatopita (a rich meat pie) and bourbourelia (a thick vegetarian soup made with beans and pulses [peas]),” the Daily Mail reported, adding “amigdalopita (almond cake drenched in honey)” for dessert. The devastating 1953 earthquake “raised Kefalonia by 24 inches,” the Daily Mail noted.

Beach lovers can head to many Greek islands, including Naxos and Zakynthos, while history buffs will enjoy Delos, the birthplace of the twin Olympian gods Apollo and Artemis, and Rhodes where the “Romans, Crusaders, Ottomans, Venetians all lived and left their stamp,” the Daily Mail reported, noting that “in Rhodes town you can almost hear the Knights of St. John clanking around in their chainmail,” and “the Colossus of Rhodes was the tallest statue in the ancient world at 33 meters [about 108 feet].”

Rounding out the Daily Mail’s list are “hiker’s paradise” Skiathos, Amorgos, Folegandros, Alonnisos, and Crete with its “mega resorts, sun-dappled village squares, Dinosauria Park (for the children), Minoan sites, nightlife in Chania and Rethymno, mountain hikes and splendid beaches, the largest Greek island has it all,” the Daily Mail reported.

More information about visiting Greece is available online: visitgreece.gr.