Barry Nelson relaxes at a lush and luxuriant beach destination in Greece, although he does find a little local difficulty with the language.

IT'S like Borneo, the tour guide joked. As the air-conditioned minibus climbed through lushly forested mountains and passed massed ranks of roadside ferns, it was difficult to believe we were in Greece.

My only previous encounter with Greece was a memorable visit to Symi, a tiny island just off the coast of Turkey. Apart from its stunning harbour and decaying 18th Century villas, Symi was chiefly remarkable for its arid terrain and severe water shortages. Not so in this unusual part of mainland Greece, the Pelion peninsula. Water is so plentiful that torrents gush in roadside channels down the mountains and villages are spread out because there is no need to huddle around a single well.

Perhaps the Pelion is not exactly Borneo, but comparisons with Cornwall spring to mind. It has the same intense greenery and the same profusion of shingly coves and beaches. We were on the Pelion peninsula - named after Mount Pilio - as guests of Sunvil, a firm which specialises in a wide range of Greek holiday destinations. We chose the Pelion because the brochure described it as a leafy paradise bathed in the intense Greek sun.

We also liked the sound of the place because tourism is in its infancy in this part of Greece. The local airport at the busy port of Volos only opened recently and is limited to a few charter flights a week. Even better, the small seaside resort of Agios Ioannis where We were based has a predominantly Greek clientele.

That meant that the area is blissfully free of the more distasteful side of mass tourism. That's not to say that English voices can't be heard; because we tend to eat earlier than the Greeks, We were surrounded by other Brits at dinner most nights. But virtually all were older couples. The absence of pounding disco music and laddish behaviour made the resort and the peninsula as a whole a blissful refuge from package tourism at its worst.

So what is there to do on the Pelion? Let's face it, most people choose a holiday destination in Greece because of the virtually guaranteed sun and the chance to park themselves on a beach and forget their troubles for a week or two. Between June and September you will get all the sun you need. The locals prefer September because the sea has had a chance to warm up all summer, but I found the temperature just right when we were there in early July.

Some people want to get around and see the sights and, for those holidaymakers, Sunvil recommend car hire. But for me, the wisest thing would be to chill out on the beach and enjoy the sun, sea and sand and leave the diabolically twisty roads to the locals.

But, if you do tire of stretching out on one of the three excellent beaches at Agios Iaonnis, there is the chance to join organised excursions which include a boat ride around the Pagasitic Gulf on the western side of Pelion (other guests told me it was wonderful) and an excursion way up into central Greece to see the fabled "Monasteries of the Air" at Meteora.

Although it took 12 hours to get there and back again, these remarkable structures - perched on huge, weirdly-shaped outcrops of rock - must rank as one of the most amazing sights in the world. We stayed in the Captain George Hotel, a small and friendly spot owned and run by Fanouris and Dimitra.

Fanouris, also known as Freddie, is a former diver turned hotelier who can often be seen riding along the seafront on his moped. Most importantly, he will arrange for air-conditioning in your room for around £25 extra a week.

English is widely spoken but the locals appreciate efforts by visitors to speak a little Greek. However, it's worth practising before launching into the language. After several days I realised that I had been greeting the waitress at breakfast by wishing her "Kalamaria" (squid) rather than "Kali mera" (good morning).

If you have a car - and it probably is essential if you are based away from Agios Ioannis - it's nice to head north past the virtually deserted beach at Horefto and up to the sleepy village of Pouri.

In Pouri we met a friendly Irish potter and her Dutch partner, who makes outlandish moving figures out of junk metal. His pride and joy - a wierd box-like van which looks pre-war but is still being made in Greece - is parked near their pretty white-painted house.

Following her instructions we climbed stone steps to find a quiet taverna with a stunning Eagle's Eye vantage point along the coast and mountains. The perfect place for another Greek salad with salty feta cheese and a bottle of local Mythos beer.

On the winding way back - trying to read the signs in the Greek alphabet - we eventually found another local tourist destination, the very untouristy jam factory shop at Anilio where a charming English-speaking woman pointed out the incredible range of preserved fruits bottled by the women-only agricultural collective.

We also stopped at one of Pelion's "secret schools", the impressively old "library" at Zagora. Used during the long occupation by the Turks during the 18th and 19th centuries to teach forbidden Greek culture and religion, the building posed as a library but functioned as an underground school. Next to it, undergoing renovation, is what looks like a villa but is actually a Greek church, minus its tell-tale bell tower.

None of the signs at the Zagora school were in English, but I did manage to buy a weird recording of music played by the local village band in the 1930s, a strange mix of the Balkans and the Near East.

Back at Agios Ioannis there was just time for a last swim in the crystal clear Aegean before heading back to England.

Factfile

* The price of a seven-night holiday to the small resort of Agios Ioannis,

Eastern Pelion, staying at the Captain George Hotel, is from £384pp (based

on 2 sharing) - rising to £460 pp in peak season - with regular departures

throughout the year. Price includes flights, transfers and B&B

accommodation. For further details telephone Sunvil Holidays on 020 8568

4499 or visit the website at www.sunvil.co.uk.

* Because we needed to stay overnight at Gatwick Airport before and after our flight, my wife and I contacted ABC Holiday Extras, a company which arranges accommodation at all 22 UK airports.

ABC provides an extensive range of services including airport hotels with holiday parking, airport hotels with rail or coach travel, secured airport parking, airport lounges, foreign exchange and travel insurance.

For example, when pre-booked with ABC Holiday Extras, an overnight stay at The Skylane, Gatwick, with eight days parking costs from as little as £38. Staying at the Hilton, Gatwick with eight days parking costs from £126.

For further information and reservations visit the website at www.holidayextras.co.uk, call ABC Holiday Extras on 0870 844 4186 or ask your travel arranger.

* The Rough Guide to Greece was the best all-round introduction to the area. Apart from accurate, up-to-date information on individual tavernas and beaches, it also has an excellent background section on Greek history and culture.