Where in the world was Jeff Bezos this week? He was far from the Washingtonian summer fray, aboard his state-of-the-art $500 million yacht, the Koru, as it plied the cobalt blue Greek seas.

While much of Greece was wrestling with scorching early summer temperatures — with an alarming number of tourists succumbing to heat stress — pottering about in one’s luxury floating living room might seem like a smart move. 

Not necessarily. That is because staying in or tethered to the water can be rather limiting — and if you doubt that, just ask the nearest fish. Locals first spotted the world’s second richest person’s elaborate yacht, the Koru, off the coast of Vouliagmeni, just south of Athens. He sailed onward to Symi, an eastern Greek island in the Dodecanese archipelago, and only about six miles from the Turkish coast. 

It is not physically possible to see much of Athens from the deck of a yacht. Nor can one really explore a place if one’s principal means of conveyance is a boat (the Pilgrims didn’t get much farther than Plymouth, did they?). The case of Symi is instructive: it is a barren island with many goats but without many great beaches. The main attraction is its small harbor and the colorful restored houses that rise amphitheatrically behind it. To experience this properly one should don a good pair of sandals, not flippers. 

By week’s end Mr. Bezos and companion were reportedly seen at another island, Hydra, and there was some portside sauntering involved … so, to their credit, they did manage to disembark for a bit. But it might have been a one-off.

Unless one is truly enamored of a life at sea, traveling by yacht is usually as much a show of status as it is a physical undertaking. It is the ultimate sign of detachment from what the masses must endure when traveling: reality.

Sometimes the state of modern travel is pretty dismal. But it can also be dazzling, and that’s where Mr. Bezos tends to err. By mooring off the coast of Symi, he inevitably missed the best of what Symi has to offer. 

Similarly, those who embark on cruises with few exceptions miss out. Oversized ships discharge passengers in picturesque ports like Dubrovnik or Corfu but leave them with barely enough time to enjoy a coffee in the European fashion, which is to say leisurely and without having to constantly check one’s watch.  

Another part of the European tradition is the grand hotel, which represents the pinnacle of hospitality and is often the ultimate way to experience a place. In Greek islands like Santorini, the best views of the sea are typically seen from the land, not from the water. A place like Canaves Ena makes for a fine perch from which to do so. 

Of course, the Greek islands are about more than sweeping panoramas and beaches. It’s also a vibe, as embodied by that other haunt of the rich and famous, Mykonos. There too each summer the millionaires and billionaires come back like swallows to Capistrano — but anchored away from the winding white lanes of Mykonos town and the legendary beach clubs where champagne flows like the Mississippi, they miss out on much of the fun. 

This summer the buzz is that because of high prices and overtourism, Mykonos isn’t packing quite the same cachet as it did a few years ago. It is true that things are expensive and many hotels are starting to resemble one another — and there is only so much forced minimalism one can take.

There are, though, some pearls, one of which is called The Wild by Interni. About a year after the pandemic I had a great lunch there, right next to an impressive swimming pool. But I did not use the pool, because below it there is a small but private beach — a rarity on the island.

Because it’s Mykonos, there is also a beach bar. No doubt there is no shortage of fine libations on offer aboard Mr. Bezo’s Koru. But at a hideaway spot like the Wild, one can have the best of both worlds: that superyacht feeling without the seasickness.  Briefly one might have it, but still — land ho.