Ask any Greek captain where the best swimming is and they’ll point somewhere with no road, no beach bar and no crowd - a cove you can only reach by sea. A catamaran’s shallow draft and wide swim steps are the key that unlocks them.
Here are the kinds of hidden swim stops a catamaran holiday puts within reach across the Greek islands - and why arriving by water changes everything.
Double-bay sandbars
The Aegean’s most photogenic anchorages are its sandbars - slender ribbons of sand with clear water on both sides. Kolona on Kythnos is the classic: anchor off the sandspit, swim in water so clear the boat seems to float on air, and have it half to yourself outside peak hours. No road comes close.
Sea caves and rock pools
Around islands like Spetses and the volcanic coasts of the Cyclades, sea caves and hidden rock pools open only to those arriving by boat. Nose the dinghy in, snorkel through cool, deep-blue water, and explore coves that day-trippers never see.
Pine-fringed bays
In the Saronic, bays like Love Bay near Poros are ringed by pine trees that run right down to turquoise shallows. Drop anchor, swim before dinner, and stay the night in a cove where the only sounds are the wind and the water.
Thermal springs meeting the sea
A handful of spots - like the natural hot spring at Loutra on Kythnos - send warm mineral water straight into the sea, so you can swim where cool Aegean meets a natural spa. It’s the kind of experience that only makes sense when your “hotel” can anchor right off the beach.
Why the boat makes the difference
Two things unlock all of this: a catamaran’s shallow draft, which lets it tuck into sandy shallows a deeper yacht can’t, and the wide steps at the back of each hull that make swimming effortless for everyone. Add a captain who knows exactly which cove is calm today, and every day ends somewhere you couldn’t have driven to. See where a week can take you on our Cyclades and Saronic guides.
