A Week to Remember in the Greek Sunshine.

Last week, my family and I discovered a beautiful little corner of Zakynthos, met some wonderful people and made some very special memories along the way. We spent the most amazing week in Alykes, staying at the beautiful Giannis Studios, tucked amongst the olive groves and hills just outside the village. Close enough to wander down to the beach and the tavernas, but far enough away to be completely peaceful. It was, quite simply, heavenly.

Our days very quickly settled into a wonderfully simple routine. A lazy morning with a dip in the pool and a hearty breakfast. A wander down into Alykes to shop or enjoy the beach and swim in the wonderfully warm Ionian Sea, a bite of lunch, back to the pool, something lovely to eat in the evening, a cocktail, and repeat. There was nowhere we particularly needed to be and nothing we needed to do, and it was lovely.

Our seven days were filled with sunshine, temperatures soaring into the 40s, lots of swimming, far too much food, plenty of laughter and that wonderful feeling of having absolutely nowhere else you need to be. Of course, beautiful surroundings are only part of what makes a holiday really memorable, and the people at Giannis Studios were a huge part of ours. We were looked after so well from start to finish and very well fed by the wonderful Angelo. His food was absolutely delicious and we certainly didn't go hungry! We ate far too much, probably, but that's what holidays are for! There was pitta gyros, tzatziki, Greek salads and all sorts of local dishes to try, usually accompanied by a local drink or a cocktail or two. Then there was the lovely Steph, who looked after us brilliantly and somehow also finds the time and energy to do an incredible amount of voluntary work helping the cats in and around Alykes and Alykanas through Alyz Cats. It was lovely getting to know her and hearing about what she does. She always seemed to find time to sit down and have a chat with us, even while taking our breakfast orders in the morning. Along with the rest of the team at Giannis Studios and the holiday reps who looked after us from start to finish, they really did help make an already beautiful place feel very special.

Most importantly, it was a week together as a family, and an extra special one for us as we were celebrating 16 years together and 10 years happily married. It felt like a pretty perfect way to mark it with plenty of sunshine, beautiful surroundings, good food, and, most importantly, time together. I've got some lovely photographs of my husband and me that I'm very happy to share, but my teenage daughter, quite understandably, is rather less keen on Mum putting her holiday photos all over social media! Actually, I think there's something rather lovely about that. Not everything needs to be shared. Some of my favourite photographs from the week won't appear on my author page, and some of our funniest and most special moments will simply stay with us. Some memories are just ours, and I rather like it that way.

Although I wasn't writing, I suppose I never completely stopped noticing. The changing light over the mountains behind Giannis, the olive trees, the almost impossible blue of the Ionian Sea and those lovely warm evenings when everyone seemed to be sitting around tables eating, talking and laughing. Perhaps that's just something writers do without really thinking about it. But for once I didn't need to write any of it down. I could simply enjoy being there. Letting it spark curiosity and ideas for future books and novels was enough.

Now we're home again in Cornwall, which is just as beautiful, and we've even had a little bit of rain this morning (between the sunshine), which the garden desperately needed. The laptop is back on, there are books to finish, work to do and all the normal everyday things waiting for me. But after a week of swimming, laughing, eating far too much, sitting beside the pool and spending precious time with the people I love, I think I'm ready for them again. A huge thank you to everyone at Giannis Studios and to everyone who helped make our week in Alykes so special. We'll remember this one for a very long time.

Bren xoxo