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It's not deserted, but with only 300 inhabitants it is pretty sparsely populated, and after a couple of days you will have seen everyone on the island.
Less than a mile from the coast of Turkey, Kastellorizo (officially named Megisti) is Greece's easternmost island, and nicely off the beaten track. For fresh home-cooked eastern Mediterranean food try the Olive Garden, in the island's tiny harbour.
A number of boats plough back and forth between Kastellorizo and Kaş, one of Turkey's prettiest fishing towns.
Six flights a week from Rhodes. Several ferries from Rhodes, including a weekly catamaran.
One hour boat ride from Kaş in Turkey.
Google map: bit.ly/xxbntP
Halki is a small island five miles west of Rhodes but very far away from the hectic tourist activities of the larger island. There really is nothing to do there which makes it perfect for a relaxing holiday. Until recently there were no cars at all on the island and even now there are very few and the lack of traffic is wonderful. The island is very dry and water has to be imported from Rhodes which helps to explain the lack of major developments. There is one pretty harbour town and two small beaches which are served by traditional tavernas. Once you have walked to the beach of your choice the water comes in many shades of blue and green and is crystal clear. The beaches are never overcrowded as the island cannot accommodate many tourists, Most visitors stay in small apartments or villas in the town or in the new Hiona Art hotel.
Ftenagia Restaurant on the beach:
www.ftenagia.gr
Chalki, Iraklidis Nikos
(+30) 22460 45384
Google map: bit.ly/iS4s0t
Hotel Hiona Art:
www.hionaart.gr
Halki, 85110, Dodecanese, Greece
+30 22460 45244
Paxos is tiny but perfectly formed, and is less than an hour from Corfu by hydrofoil. The main town of Gaios is where you will find all the swanky yachts, but inland you will find a quiet island covered with olive groves, donkey tracks, and beautiful flowers. Life here is lived at a slow pace, and there is a true sense of community and of things as they used to be. The tiny village of Magazia has a wonderful traditional taverna serving hearty Greek food. Not far from Magazia, in Castanida, is the Sunset Taverna, which does what it says on the tin. There is a shady garden restaurant, or you can climb up onto the slightly precarious plywood roof terrace for an unrivalled view of the sunset.
Google map: bit.ly/lmlWCd
Naxos is a glorious antidote to the Greek beach experience. The largest and most agricultural of the Cyclades, it has an active present and a crowded history, that intertwine offering myriad pleasures. The ferry from Pireaus or other islands stops at the capital, Hora, a bustling port. High above the port is the ancient Venetian citadel of Kastro that has just been restored alluringly with millions of Euros. The central Tragaea plateau is the treat. Here a milder climate and friendly villagers welcome walkers. Aged olive and fig trees shade byzantine churches linked by ancient paths and tracks joining the villages. Halki keeps alive the unique citron distilling; Filoti spreads in the lee of Mt Zeus, the highest mountain in the Cyclades and excellent walking; Apiranthos exhibits the local marble in steep stairs and paving while offering wildflower walks and giddy sea views to the East. The plateau has scattered fortified towers and two of the island’s three 7th century BC, rejected male statues or Kouros, that lie on the hills where they were carved. Forget the moped and hire-car. Travel by local bus to see more and enjoy a warmer welcome.
Google map: bit.ly/j7mJMo
I first visited Kythira in 1976 when my purse did not stretch to the ferry fare to Crete. I was not disappointed. The rugged hilly landscape, archeological sites and sense of isolation was something to embrace. Last year I returned to find that tourism has started to make its mark but unlike other Ionian Islands it remains in parts untouched. As it was a strategic naval base it has created a mix of cultures Greek, British and Ventian all vying for supremacy. A significant site is the Castle of Milopotamos. There are also splendid beaches at Kapsali, Agia Pelagia and Platio Amos.The many beautiful villages display a most charming traditional life and the population (only 3000) are keen to share their love for the island. I chose to get here by boat from Gytheion as I wished to revisit the route I made in the 70's but I understand that planes from Athens now leave twice a day.
Google map: bit.ly/lpcYDJ
Naxos has everything. A headland marked by a temple ruin greets you as your ferry arrives.(There is also a small airport.) The harbour lies directly below the Old Town (Kastro), a maze of narrow alleyways on a steep hill and, at its foot, the new town (Chora) with plenty of shops and tavernas and a lovely sandy beach just beyond.
No need to hire a car; the island can be explored by bus and on foot to reach various small archaeological sites. For a whole island of antiquity take the day trip to Delos (with Mykonos thrown in).
The able-bodied should stay in one of the small hotels such as Anixis in the picturesque Old Town: plenty of steps but no traffic, not even bicycles!
Google map: bit.ly/i62Qs9
www.hotel-anixis.gr/
Amfitritis Str, Old Town of Naxos, 84300 Naxos Island, Cyclades, Greece
+30 22850 22112
It took us three days to travel to Hydra from Glasgow by train through London, France and Italy, then on to Greece by ferry and finally the hydrofoil from Piraeus to Hydra. Arriving in the silent dark, Hyrda was like a glittering gift. No cars, narrow and steep steps leading high into the island, donkeys, delicious feta saganaki and gyros everyday, peaceful, blue swimming spots, freshly caught squid and our gorgeously charming Kiaffa Cottage where Tracy Emin had stayed before us! Leonard Cohen wrote Bird on the Wire here in the 60's too. A gem of a place, thanks to the old guy in a pub who told us we had to go there above any other place in the world!
Kiaffa Cottage - where we stayed - www.showeb.net/hydra
+61 (0)44 958 3486
The beautiful and peaceful Island of Ithaca can be reached via Kefalonia for a day trip but better to spend a night or two (or longer). Travel up into the cool of the mountains and view the capital Vathi and it's horse-shoe shaped harbour from way up above. Then cool off on one of the island's quiet pebble beaches - the crystal clear waters make up for the lack of sand. Maybe head to the pretty village of Frikes which is about as touristy as it gets on Ithaca- then back to Vathi for dinner at one of the many tavernas on the harbour front where you can indulge in a spot of yacht envy. If travelling back via Kefalonia get the late evening ferry and watch the sun set over the Kefalonian mountains which is just breathtaking.
www.ithacagreece.com/
Google map: bit.ly/dUSYRb
Heaven is the small island of anti Paxos - it has nothing against its bigger sister- three kilometres south of Gaios, the capital of Paxos, and reached by a sea taxi. It is full of olive groves; Vrika, a sandy beach; a taverna that overlooks the clear Ionian sea, an old lighthouse you can walk to, and a tranquility and peace you only find in the land of the gods.
Google map: bit.ly/g6hi9Y
There is no nightlife in Thirassia. Once the 4.30pm ferry to Santorini has gone, that's it. The island settles down to snooze. There are no bars, no souvenir shops, only two or three restaurants. No beaches. One place to stay (rooms just above the main village, Manolas, on the single track to the south of the island).
But if you want the smell of wild thyme, a stiff breeze blowing off the water, mountain scrambles, deserted hermitages, and the sound of distant mule bells; if you're prepared to bring your own lunch, and get up early for the eight o'clock ferry, Thirassia will give you an unforgettable day's walking under the blue sky of the Cyclades. Time enough in a day to walk the entire length of the island, bag its peak, and still have time to sit and admire the view of Santorini from the other side.
You can still stand, or stand still, at the foot of a thousand years of history housed in the Hozoviotissa monastery, and watch from above the dolphins who come to breed off the North East coast of Amorgos.
The nearest Aegean islet floats, the head of a half submerged hippo, guarding their privacy. The monastery is an enormous seagull stain on the dramatic cliffs, and preserves the tradition of a penitential climb towards the miracles and the icon. Except in August, of course, when Mainland Greeks, American Greeks, Italians, French and even some Spanish cinephiles, turn the peaceful pilgrimage into one of the more crowded circles of Hell.
Amorgos, because of the ten hours on the ferry from Pireaus, preserves other traditional Cycladic experiences; the crystal sea, the pristine beach, the picturesque eateries. The main village, Hora Amorgou, is renovating its windmills in homage to, and hopes of, the tourist trade on Mykonos, and high summer brings a tribe of jewellery making ‘trustafairians’, vaguely Goan English public school ‘hippies’ on extended gap years, ‘just travelling round the Med’. So, there are slow changes, and the island is not quite the hermit paradise it used to be. Its starring role in The Big Blue was not a killing blow, however. The virtues of Amorgos performed slow judo on the crowds pulled in by the movie, almost as if the fervent hopes of the cinema tourist had actually managed to reproduce the scenery, the characters and the atmosphere they were expecting from the island. What really happened was that the movie caught some of what was already there, and amplified it, and then the unique conditions of Amorgos, the geography, the history and the sociology, trapped the wave of tourism and coped with it, just like it coped with the tsunami at Ayiali after the 1956 earthquake. Your photographs should feature a small, dark, native and attractive bottle of ‘Psimeni Raki’ , to celebrate this success.
Airport: Athens, then Pireaus and a ferry. Tourist Office: ORMOS EGIALIS
84008 AMORGOS
Greece
phone : (2285)73094
fax : (2285)29099
Email : info@amorgos.net
www.amorgos.net/
Lefkada is a fantastic and relatively unknown island. The small tourist strip of Nidri is not the most attractive part of it, but if you head down to the pretty harbour front you can rent a motor boat for the day and live out those James Bond fantasies on the cheap. We paid sixty euros all in - very good value considering that a boat can hold six people.
You then have about twenty square miles of sea and several gorgeous islands to call your own. We spent a very pleasant day cruising between them, stopping off at a small harbour-side cafe on Meganissi for a frappe, anchoring in various deserted bays for a spot of snorkelling, and inspecting the Onassis family's private island of Skorpios.
We used Trident Hire and found them to be reliable and good value, but there are two or three other companies at the harbour offering similar deals.
Trident Hire
Tel: +30 697 798 8610
www.tridenthire.com
This really is a gem - Rosy's Little Village perched above the sparkling blue sea on the tiny unspoiled island of Agistri, just one hour's ferry from Piraeus. Surrounded by bougainvillaea, oleander and pine trees and only a five-minute stroll from the little port of Skala (10 minutes to Åegina with easy access to other Saronic Islands), this small family run hotel is perfect for anyone seeking the 'real' Greece.
Hospitality is in abundance with Rosy and her family welcoming guests like old friends. The fully air-conditioned rooms, built in traditional Greek village style, all have balconies with sea views - sunrise over Aegina providing the perfect start to each day.
Locally produced organic food and authentic traditional cooking make for the most delicious meals. Swim and snorkel from the private little cove. Bikes and kayaks are provided free for guests. Sailing and water skiing can be arranged with Rosy and Nondas, who will also provide transfer to and from the port on arrival and departure - if you can bear to leave!
Doubles from €45 / family rooms for four persons from €74.
Santorini is a notoriously expensive island, and a Mecca for tour groups. Instead of staying at the overpopulated Oia or Fira, take a 20 minutes drive/bus to Kamari Beach. No mobs of tourists, a noticeable drop in hotel prices, the beach is on your doorstep - and the street facing the beach is filled with delicious tavernas. As one of our waiters put it, in Kamari "the people are friendlier, and the food is better!"
Take a chance!
- with accommodation (unless it's peak peak season or there's a festival on). We've always found it much cheaper to go for one of the places offered to ferry arrivals than booking in advance.
- there's almost always room-owners touting as you disembark, and they are competing against each other. If you don't like the room, you can always move on the next day. This way we usually pay €25-35 (for the two of us) and even as low as €20 on one sleepy island. That time the room was new with en-suite, balcony, fridge, kettle. Never had a bad room yet, some mediocre, but let's face it, you're there to explore, eat out, drink... The room is to sleep and shower. Breakfast on your balcony saves money too - usually rooms also have kettle/small stove.
Most islands (except Argo-Saronic which fill with Greeks from Athens); all the Cyclades (except Folegandros where we had to take a bus to the Hora and walk round asking at places advertising rooms). But worth it for the most lovely Hora, food and views.
The port of Rafina is only 10 kilometres from the new Athens International airport. It is far easier to access for ferries to the islands than Piraeus, with plenty of buses charging only 3 Euros for the journey, and with none of the chaos that exists at Piraeus.
Gavdos is a tiny island in the Lybian Sea, just an hour and half of ferry from Crete South coastal village of Hora Sfakion (or Sfakia). Apart from August, when the island can be quite crowded, you can enjoy the feeling of being away from the world (or not necessarily too far away, it's up to you).
From the port you can get a lift to Korfos, where an easy path leads to Tripiti in an hour walk. In Korfos there are a pair of good tavernas where nice and clean rooms can be rented, but my wife and I, we spent a week on the Tripiti pebbly beach with our tent, only coming back to Korfos when we need to refill our water tank or to enjoy the local food, sitting in a taverna porch. It was September, the days were very hot, but the nights were incredible: fresh with a sky full of stars, the silence complete, only the sound of the waves.
But you don't need to be so naive; staying in Korfos (where there is a nice little beach) and going sometimes to Tripiti is a good experience.
Yet, when the last daily tourist (if there were someone) has gone, the beach and the cape are your, till next day. It's a unique experience. And consider that you don't need a lot of camping gear, a sleeping bag, some water and tinned food are enough. Don't be afraid to be alone, there isn't any danger at all, apart that ones that you can provoke: don't light fires!
With a fifteen minutes walk along the beach and then on a path over the rocks, you can get the big concrete chair just over the cape: climb over it and enjoy the sight!
From Hania (where you can arrive by plane) there is a bus service to Sfakia, where the ferry sets off to Gavdos.
Looking at www.sfakia-crete.com/sfakia-crete/ferries.html you will find the ferry timetable for Gavdos as long as bus timetable for Hania-Sfakia service. Hania is the nearest international airport.
Sarakiniko is the Gavdos main hamlet, with a good choice of domata (rooms) to rent, tavernas and a wide sand beach. There is a supermarket, too.
If you travel in Greece by car you can get to Skiathos from the port of Agios Konstantinos on the mainland. There are many daily departures.
www.in2greece.com/english/places/summer/islands/skiathos.htm
One of the most beautiful Greek islands, with superb natural beauty and traditional villages, take visitors back in time.
On the island there are three Venetian castles; the impressive cave of Saint Sophia with the Byzantine frescoes of the 13th century, the enchanting location Watermills with waterfalls and lakes, and beautiful beaches with crystal blue waters.
If you are going to Mykonos, check this map, which has the locations of Mykonos' beaches on google maps. I recommend the Megali Ammos Beach.
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