island

ONE island in Greece is scheduled to close its only airport for four months for major work to its runway.

Chios Airport is set to suspend all flights from November 15 until March 15 2027.

The island is the fifth biggest in Greece with around 50,000 residents – but it is set to be shut off to visitors for four months.

Work includes extending and upgrading to be ready for the tourist season next summer, according to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA).

Currently the runway is short at 1,511 meters long which means that wide bodied aircraft cannot land here.

It only takes smaller propeller planes or narrow-body aircraft.

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So to get to the island, tourists including Brits, need to fly to Athens or Thessaloniki before taking a smaller connecting plane over to the island.

However, this is set to change as work on the runway will see it extended to be 1,799m long which means that it will be able to accommodate much larger types of aircraft.

During the works, emergency flights will be permitted to land, which includes medical evacuations, search and rescue.

However, there is some opposition to the plans.

President of the Chios chamber of commerce Pantelis Legatos said: “The early closure will seriously affect the economy and society of the island, especially during the holiday season (Christmas, New Year), when people have planned trips, family visits and medical appointments.

“Chios, as a border island 5 miles from Turkey, depends on the air connection with the capital for health, entertainment and freedom reasons.”

The original plan was to close the airport on January 15 which is months later than the current schedule.

THE sound of bugles, trumpets and tubas fills the street as a parade of horses trot towards The Royal Palace.

I always thought Buckingham Palace’s changing of the guard was impressive, but shiny silver helmets off to the Swedish Army who, decked out in pristine blue uniforms, have us completely captivated for a full 45 minutes.

“It’s like being in a movie!” my five-year-old son Raffy shouts above the beat of kettle drums halfway through.

And he’s right. In the picturesque setting of Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s historic old town, it is an incredible spectacle. And even better – it doesn’t cost a penny. Or krona, rather.

I like big buns

Your wallets will, however, take a hit in Gamla Stan’s winding, cobbled streets, which are brimming with gift shops, such as Liten Amanda with its Nordic home decor (Litenamanda.se), plus bistros like Petit Pastis (Pastis.se) and confectioner Konfektyr & Glass offering an eye-boggling array of treats.

We search for the tiny Iron Boy statue hidden in a courtyard, before ordering a sizeable cinnamon bun, coffees and hot chocolates with lashings of cream for £28, at Kaffekoppen in Stortorget Square (Cafekaffekoppen.se), then chancing upon vintage H&M and antique glassware at charity shop Stockholms Stadsmissions nearby (Stadsmissionen.se).

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Stockholm city consists of 14 islands connected by bridges. On Djurgården, we all stand in awe as we first set eyes on Vasa, a 17th-century warship that sank on its maiden voyage, its intricate carvings painstakingly restored.

A bonus for my teen self (in the temporary exhibition) is seeing Rose’s dress and Heart of the Ocean necklace from the film Titanic, while learning about director James Cameron’s 2012 deep-sea expedition 10,000 feet down to the ocean floor, and squeezing into a replica capsule. Adult entry costs £18.50, under-18s are free (Vasamuseet.se).

Mamma Mia!

The kids’ favourite outing is the neighbouring ABBA Museum. Poppy, seven, adores the greatest hits album (thanks to her Yoto music player), and despite being a tad overpriced, it’s undoubtedly a super-fun interactive space with lots of opportunities to dress up and perform like – and even alongside – the band (in hologram form), pose for an album cover, rock out in a silent disco and ogle the showstopping stage costumes.

Adult entry costs from £20.50, kids over seven from £8.50 (Abbathemuseum.com).

On one of our days on Djurgården, we tuck into shrimps piled atop egg mayo and syrup bread, £18, while the kids scoff pancakes with cream and jam, £7.50, bathed in sunshine on cafe Skroten’s terrace.

There’s free bread, butter and lingonberry juice on offer, too (Skrotens.se). Later, we hit Skansen, home to a farm, zoo, funfair and a historic town with glassblowers, pottery studio and bakery.

The children are wide-eyed at both the playful bears and the molten glass being transformed into chic confetti lampshades. Adult entry costs £23.50, under-12s are free (Skansen.se).

Viking vibes

At dinner that night, a roar fills the dining hall as our host announces the arrival of more guests – this time from the US – with a horn and a bellow.

I pause devouring my crawfish and prawn soup, £13.50, to join in the hollering.

We’re at Viking restaurant Aifur, and while it may be touristy, Raffy again gets all the film-set feels when he’s declared a “baby Viking” and presented with a giant sword to look after.

Thinking his night couldn’t get any better, and just as a musician begins playing the hurdy-gurdy (Google it!), the waitress presses souvenir coins into both his and Poppy’s palms (Aifur.se).

Continuing the theme, the next morning we learn how to fight and write like a warrior at the Viking Museum, which is worth a stop, even if it’s just to lunch at its restaurant Eld.

Highlights include Ukrainian gnocchi with smoked feta, £22, deer medallions with black garlic and potato gratin, £22.50, and the pretty harbour views (Thevikingmuseum.com).

Isle be back

The sweet spot for visiting Sweden with kids is balmy mid-August, just after the Swedes return to school. Keen to get a taste of the Stockholm Archipelago, home to more than 30,000 islands, we take the 43X train from Stockholm City station to Västerhaninge, catch the 846 bus to Årsta Brygga and then hop on the 21 boat to Utö.

Although it sounds complicated, it’s super-simple, and for our transport-mad kids, the hour-and-a-half journey in itself is thrilling.

But Utö, all rugged landscapes, pine forests and sparkling sea, is the real thrill. Photos really don’t capture its beauty.

We kip in one of hotel Utö Värdshus’ sweet self-catering cottages, which cost from £101 per night, and at the restaurant that evening, we dine on buttered kingfish with potato, leek and cheese pie and crayfish broth, £29, while the kids wolf down steak with Béarnaise sauce and fries, £10.50 (Utovardshus.se).

Holidaying on the island is all about hiking, biking and the wonderfully wild beaches.

One afternoon is spent picnicking at Barnens Bad beach, not far from our cottage – its crystal-clear shallow water is perfect for kids, and we’re joined by only one other family, who stylishly arrive and depart by kayak.

The next day, we set off on a 11km bike ride (daily hire costs £15 per adult, £11 per child).

We pass colourful wooden houses and breathtaking vistas to Stora Sand, a wide expanse of white beach, which again we only have to share with one other couple.

Sandcastle building and chasing waves makes for a blissful few hours, topped off only by a wild moose deciding to clumsily gallop across our path on our ride home.

I fear that the kids’ tales of this trip may sound a little far-fetched when they get back home and share them with friends. But Sweden really has proved super (trouper).

THE view from the top of the High Temple at Lamanai is one you will struggle to find anywhere else. 

Most of the great Mayan sites, including Mexico’s Chichen Itza, stopped visitors climbing their pyramids years ago.  

Here, you can still haul yourself up the worn stone steps to the summit and look out across the treetops. 

It is one of many surprises in Belize, a former British colony, squeezed between Mexico and Guatemala on the Caribbean coast. 

Roughly the size of Wales, it packs in ancient ruins, thick rainforest and the second-largest barrier reef in the world. And English is the official language. 

I spent a week there, starting deep in the rainforest of the north before heading south to the beach. 

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My first stop was Chan Chich Lodge, on the Gallon Jug Estate in the north-west of the country, which is surrounded by a 30,000-acre private reserve.

Almost everything on the menu comes from the estate’s own organic farm, and I explored the grounds and saw the free-range animals that supply the kitchen. 

The estate grows its own coffee too. It was so good that I came home with a few bags stuffed in my case. 

The best way to see the surrounding rainforest is on horseback, on a guided ride along the trails around the lodge.

Braver guests can head out after dark on a night safari in open-top trucks, with a chance of spotting jaguars and tapirs, Belize’s shy, pig-like national animal. 

Lamanai, home to that High Temple, is a day trip from the lodge. It is two hours by road, then 45 minutes by boat up the New River. 

Its name means “submerged crocodile” in Yucatec Maya, a nod to the crocs that still lurk in the lagoon beside the ruins. 

People lived here for more than 3,000 years, far longer than at most Mayan cities. 

You wander past the Jaguar Temple and the Mask Temple, with its giant carved stone faces, before tackling the High Temple itself.

The steps are steep and worn smooth, with handrails on some stretches, but the view over the rainforest from the top is worth every puff. 

Then it was time to swap the jungle for the beach. I flew south to the coast with domestic airline Tropic Air.

The little propeller plane is half the fun. As you near the coast, the Belize Barrier Reef appears beneath you. 

My base for the second half of the trip was the Placencia peninsula, on Belize’s southern coast. I stayed at Naia Resort and Spa, a boutique hotel set in a 200-acre private reserve. 

Its pool, a few steps from the beach, is as warm as a bath. 

Come sunset, the sky turns orange and pink across the water. With a rum punch in hand, it’s hard to care about anything else. 

My beachfront studio opened straight on to the sand, and came with an outdoor shower for rinsing off under the open sky after a long day out. 

I ate well at 1981, the resort’s waterfront restaurant, and the cocktails were delicious too. 

The real highlight was a day of island hopping and snorkelling by boat from Placencia. 

First stop was Moho Caye (pronounced “key”), a speck of golden sand surrounded by clear blue water. I snorkelled alongside nurse sharks, docile bottom-feeders that pose little threat to swimmers, watched stingrays glide past and spotted hefty lobsters tucked into the reef. 

Before moving on, I sat down to a seafood feast on the beach, with fresh lobster, white fish and crab — all caught the day before by my guide Akeem from Cultural Experience Belize. 

Then it was on to the second stop of the day, King Lewey’s Island Resort, a quirky, pirate-themed private island 12 miles off the coast, where I jumped back in to explore more of the reef. 

Back on dry land, a rum punch rounded off the day. I can confirm it’s strong enough to make any pirate proud. 

On my final night, the local Garifuna community — people of African and Caribbean ancestry — laid on a beach dinner with drumming and dancing. 

Watching the dancers perform, I couldn’t think of a better way to say goodbye to Belize.