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Is there anywhere more enchanting, more atmospheric or, for that matter, better value for a holiday than a Greek island? In particular a holiday on one of the beautiful Ionian Islands, scattered the western edge of the Greek mainland makes for an magical getaway.

The scent of the cypress trees, olive, almond and citrus groves, wood smoke, the toll of a distant church bell, mesmeric sunsets and slow, lazy sun drenched days all combine to provide visitors with an evocative atmosphere of Island life. Sat on your balcony, sipping a cool beer in the warm evening sun and gazing out over the lights twinkling in the bay, you'd be forgiven for having a 'does it get any better than this' moment.

Whether you are settling down for a quiet night and looking forward to another day out exploring the highways and byways, or getting ready to hit a club or bar, the Ionian Islands offer everything you need to make your holiday complete. It's simply a case of choosing the right sort of location to match your mood and to match your style. Corfu Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site on Corfu, or Laganas on Zante offer visitors the biggest, brashest club action. A small fishing harbour or mountain village in the west of Lefkas is the perfect location for the finest local dishes and a sleepy old taverna for a quiet beer and a chat with the locals. It's all there. It's simply a matter of choice.

With an ancient history built on the myths and legends of Homer's Odyssey, tales of Aphrodite and the Greek Gods, breathtaking scenery and some of the most hospitable people in the Mediterranean and wall to wall summer sunshine, it was only a matter of time before mass market package holidays started drawing the crowds to the Ionian Islands. Books like Gerald Durrell's 'My Family and Other Animals' a diary of an idyllic 1930s childhood on Corfu and more recently Louis de Berniere Captain Corelli's Mandolin, have both played their part in evoking the magic in the Ionian air and promoting it to a far wider audience. It's worth noting too that holidays in Corfu are actually nothing new though, the island has been a favourite Mediterranean destination with the British as far back as Victorian times.

Before the Victorian's it was the Venetians who, from the 13th Century, ruled the area almost continually until Napoleon conquered Venice in 1797. With cuisine, architecture, education and attitudes all imbued with hundreds of years of Italian influence and style, the area maintained a flavour distinctly different form the Aegean islands and their Ottoman influences. The Ionian islands all still wear their Venetian heritage on their sleeves, a heritage that even the British and their introduction of cakes and cricket at the turn of the 19th Century failed to dislodge. By 1863 it was too late as the Ionian Islands left the empire to join the other Greek member states.

The Ionian Islands all share some similar features, for example the relatively high rainfall makes them verdant, springtime mountainsides carpeted with all manner of wild flowers and orchids, olive groves, citrus fruits. The geography is also dramatic with sheer cliffs drop straight into aquamarine waters, epic mountain scenery towers over deep wooded valleys and all the islands have countless coves and long stretches of beautiful beaches. That said, all enjoy a unique character and charm. Again it all depends on what you want to get from your holiday. Swim with endangered loggerhead sea turtles in Zante, read that book on Kathisma beach on Lefkas, go windsurfing down in Vassiliki, or hike a 10-day trail through the Corfu interior. The Ionian Islands really are what ever you want them to be.

If you like great food, great scenery, great weather, great value and wonderfully hospitable people you're in for a great time.