One man and his blog - Part VI

Part VI

From pétanque to Pefki: find out what our founder Graham Simpson is up to this summer, and see what’s in the pipeline for 2026


 

We can't believe that we've been away from the UK for over four years now (we officially left in March 2021) and there's no doubt that as you get older, time passes more quickly.

One of my favourite things about writing this blog is the fact that it prompts me to look back over previous entries. These moments are a great reminder of wonderful times had and great progress made; the Pefki project and the evolution of Diaskari from dilapidated warehouse to luxury holiday retreat are two of my proudest and most personal travel achievements. It warms my heart to see Simpson Travel guests embracing both Diaskari Beach House and our village house Elysia with such pleasure – after all, what good is joy if it’s not shared?

 Diaskari

Elysia

"What an absolutely beautiful house in a stunning location. It really was paradise. We all enjoyed it so much. The team here are excellent – and couldn’t have been more helpful and welcoming. It has been an utter privilege to stay here and experience its magic." Suzanne & party, Diaskari Beach House

 

And talking of shared joy, Yianna and I feel very lucky to be spending three weeks with family and friends in France this summer. At the moment we’re staying at La Bastide du Paon Bleu in Provence, where mornings are spent exploring and savouring delicious pains au chocolat and coffee in various Provençal villages, followed by a lazy afternoon reading books by the pool with the occasional dip, supper on the terrace and with the highlight of the day being a very competitive game of pétanque (boules) between the boys and the girls. I am very pleased to say that we fellas are winning at the moment, much to the chagrin of the fairer sex, who seem to resort to every devious trick in order to put us off our stride!!

 

 

Our next stop is the Dordogne and Chateau de la Forge. Despite all my many years in travel, I’ve never explored this area before now, so we’re really looking forward to it… the competition there might switch from boules to billiards, but either way I’m confident we’ll keep up the winning streak.

 

Chateau de la Forge 

 

Our French finale takes us to the Ȋle de Ré for a reunion with the whole family at Villa des Châteliers. As we are now 15 including kids and grandkids, there’s not enough room for us all, so Yianna and I will decamp to an Airbnb nearby in La Flotte while the rest of the family fills the house. It does feel all wrong to stray from the Simpson portfolio, but the big places do get booked up months or even years ahead for the peak season weeks. Despite a lot of searching, I couldn’t find a local hotel that was a patch on our own ones, so it’s a case of needs must, and better than a tent on the beach!

 

La Flotte in Ile de Ré 


And finally, after the summer fun it will be back to Crete – our vision for restoring Pefki is well under way and besides Elysia there are five more houses waiting for our 'loving touch'. Work begins this October on three of them; as a recent visitor remarked, “it's very ambitious”, and they are right. Who knows whether we will complete the project or not, but I like to think it's more about the journey than the final chapter… more news of this during next winter when we will be full on.

Pefki

P.S. As I write, Diaskari Beach House is still available from 26 August for 1 week – if you’re able to get away then, I promise you won’t regret it.

With best wishes,