With a length of just under a mile, El Cardón is a small rocky island off the coast of Corinto. It was once the home of Rubén Darío, Nicaraguan poet whose poems do not lack depictions of this small paradise. Today, the only sign of man is the iconic white lighthouse, so anyone visiting by boat will mostly encounter unspoilt nature, with the backdrop of crashing waves and squawking seagulls.

The name of this massive, 38-metre-high cannon tower and museum of the town’s defences literally means “peek into the Kitchen". It was so high that Medieval guards joked they could see right down the chimneys and into the kitchens of the houses below. Make sure to pay a visit to the top floor cafe for beautiful Old Town views.

In July and August you can make boat tours on the Maas River, from the fortified town of Heusden. The tour boat, Wiljo, departs from the Molensteiger, the windmill base at the harbour at 13.30 and 15.00. The route runs along the Maas River and passes through the Heusden Canal (a man-made section of the river), past the village of Wijk & Aalburg and into the “dead end“ of the original Maas River and, after an hour of sailing, the boat returns to Heusden. Various drinks can be bought on board, both on the upper deck and in the cosy room below deck.

Agios Nikolaos is a gateway to the East of Crete. With a strategic location on the Gulf of Mirabello, in summer the town becomes a cosmopolitan resort. However, the town's ancient feel lives on. Vouliagmeni Lake, where, according to old myths, Aphrodite and Athena were wont to come and bathe, is not far from the beach of Kitroplateia and the famous island of Spinalonga. Beautiful Neo-Classical buildings line the Old Harbour, a lively spot with an abundance of bars, restaurants and hang-out spots.