We're at the
Canaries right now and spent 5 years in the Med. It's getting crowded in there , but then the circumstances are close to perfect .
If I were you I would not limit my stay to one year because there are so many nice destinations in the Med .
A serious recommendation from my part , get to the
winter marine in the south of Sicily , Marina di Ragusa , we had 4 winters there and loved it like heaven . Nearby
cheap Ryanair airports like Comiso and Catania can get you anywhere .
More than 50% of the winter residents are
English speaking , UK , US , AUS , NZ , you'll feel right at home . Office staff has good
English also .
From MdR you have an array of destinations at hand , thumbs up for
Malta & Gozo in the backyard , the Eolians islands , a must see but not in July or August , the Egadi islands , some good
anchorages but not that interesting .
Lampedusa in the south with
Tunisia in reach .
Remember , you'll be in Tuna territory all the way up to Sardinia , get the BBQ ready .
Eastward there is Corfu , Greece ( outstanding but mind the charters ) , the
Cyclades around the corner ( also outstanding but mind the charters and the Meltemi
wind ,so infact off limits halfway June to Halfway September ) , Crete is nice , and for sure check out Athene's Acropolis and incredible museum . I think we loved Greece the best , but so did many and now they have a not so
cheap cruising tax . So do inform yourself .
Never done Croatia , but in MdR some permanent residents/liveaboards we know can tell you all about that .
Turkey was too far away for us
My advise in a nutshell .