The Guardian | 30.04.22 | SATURDAY | 934 | Plaka, Naxos
Beautiful beaches abound on this
Cyclades island renowned for its
immense kouroi statues and kitro, a
punch-packing lemon liqueur. Tucked
behind grass-spiked dunes , Plaka sits
between the lively resort of Agios
Prokopios and the near-deserted
swathes of windswept Mikri Vigla , and
is defi nitely one of the best. Steps from
Plaka’s dusky golden sands,
Ammothines Cycladic Suites (doubles
from €150 B&B , ammothinesnaxos.
reserve-online.net ) has 15 cosy suites
and off ers breakfasts featuring
homemade spinach and feta pies and
spicy rizogal o rice pudding, topped
with honey, nuts and tahini.5 | Karavostási, Epirus
Karavostási means “ the place where
the ship stops ”, and it’s a fi tting name
for this secluded, horseshoe-shaped
cove between two pine-clad headlands
near Perdika , a small village with a
handful of traditional tavernas serving
no-frills local cuisine on the Greek
mainland near the popular resort of
Parga. With silk-soft sands and
shallow waters, this remote beach is
perfect for toddlers, while parents can
try their hand at paddleboarding and
windsurfi ng in the small watersports
centre. On a pine-studded hill above
the beach and looking out to Corfu
opposite, stylish resort MarBella Elix
(doubles from €142 half-board ,
four-night minimum , marbella.gr/
marbella-elix ) has sea-view rooms- some with swim-up pools.
6 | Simos, Elafonisos
Strung out on the southern shores of
Elafonisos island, just a ferry hop away
from the pretty taverna-lined streets
of the Peloponnese town of Neapolis ,
this spectacular beach is shaped like a
butterfl y with two “wings” of fi ne
white sand lapped by clear waters and
linked by a narrow strip of grass-
studded dunes. For the best sea views,
stay in a stylish suite at Double Bay
Beach (doubles from €95 B&B ,
elafonisosdoublebayhotel.com ) within
strolling distance.7 | Vagia Bay, Serifos, Cyclades
Serifos, though it features in myths
about Perseus and was name-checked
as a desirable destination in Yorgos
Lanthimos ’s 2015 fi lm The Lobster , is
one of the lesser-known Cycladesislands, generally ignored by those
fl ocking to nearby Mykonos and
Santorini. But it’s a beauty, home to
what must be the most dramatically
situated of all Greek island hilltop
villages, Hora , and numerous fantastic
beaches. There’s Kalo Ambeli , a
buttery scoop of gold nudging clear
bright water, and Ganema , backed by
greenery and hills shaped like Mayan
temples – but Vagia is utterly gorgeous,
and home to Coco Mat Eco Residences
(from €387 a night B&B, sleeps four ,
coco-matserifos.com ), a low-slung
villa hotel in a line of converted
miners’ cottages just above the sand.
Owned by a Greek interiors brand, it’s
relaxed and driftwoody, with
whitewashed walls and dashes of that
inimitable Greek bright blue. There’s
also a stylish restaurant in a rocky nook.GERMANY8 | Sellin, Rügen
Germany’s magnifi cent 2,000-mile
north coast – which spans two seas
(North and Baltic) – has an impressive
range of strands to choose from:
isolated and remote, windy and wild,
and everything in between. One of the
best is on the gorgeous island of Rügenprawns a la plancha). On calm days,
intrepid beach goers swim or wade
from the northern tip of Illetes across
the narrow strait to the islet of
Espalmador. Cas Saliners Illetes
(one-bedroom house from €90,
two-night minimum , cassaliners.
com ), a former salt worker’s house
within minutes of the beach, is one of
a small group of rustic-minimalist
lodgings on Formentera.10 | Torimbia, Asturias
The beaches of Asturias commonly
feature on hot lists of Spain’s prettiest
playas. The competition around here is
fi erce, but Torimbia (six miles from
Llanes ) – a majestic arc of fi ne golden
sand cradled in a landscape of ferns
and lush green pastures – is surely
among the loveliest anywhere. From
the small cliff top car park ( there’s
more parking half a mile away in
Niembro village ), it’s a 15-minute walk
down a winding path to the beach.
You’ll need to take your own
provisions, though in summer a small
chiringuito serves grilled fi sh, drinks
and ice-creams. Clothes may be
optional: Torimbia famously welcomes
naturists as well as nature-lovers.
Hotel La Portilla (doubles from €66
r o o m - o n l y , h o t e l l a p o r t i l l a. c o m ) i s a
comfortable, modern three-star set
back from the shore with sea views.11 | Carnota, Galicia
Despite being unfortunately named ,
Costa da Morte (Coast of Death) is a
spectacular coast on the wild north-
west corner of Galicia. Fabulous sandy
beaches are strung along it like pearls
on a necklace, but none is more
precious than Carnota. Wooden
walkways lead from Carnota village
through marshy fl atlands (a nature
reserve) to a gently curving bay almost
fi ve miles long and backed up by dunes
and scrub. The jaw-dropping scale
means it never feels crowded, even on
a high-summer day when the sun
dazzles on water as clear as a G&T (and
almost as cold). Nidos de Carnota
( from €160 B&B , nidosdecarnota.com )
off ers cool wooden cabins on stilts on
the hillside above Carnota beach.12 | Cala Trebalúger, Menorca
This secluded bay on the island’s
south coast was saved from large-
scale development in
the 1980s. A river slinks
down to the sand from ain the Baltic Sea , in the small but
charming town of Sellin. Lined with
stately “resort” architecture, its
sweeping golden sands are
punctuated with classic German
strandkorbe (wicker beach chairs), and
the striking 400-metre pier has a
scenic 1920s-era pavilion. If it gets
busy, there are quieter stretches to the
north and south, and ferries to
Hiddensee island, which has no
inhabitants and no cars. Within decent
proximity of the beach is the hotel
Haus Arkona , where the rooms are big
and airy, with lots of light (doubles
€120 room-only , haus-arkona.de ).S P A I N9 | Ses Illetes, Formentera
A half-kilometre of fi ne, squeaky
white sand , “little islands” is one of
the Mediterranean’s most swooned-
over beaches, with shallow, glassy
waters melding from pinky-turquoise
to a rich medicine-bottle blue.
Infrastructure is thin on the ground,
exceptions being the feet-in-the-sand
chiringuito (beach bar) Es Ministre ,
and the restaurant Juan y Andrea , a
Formentera beachside institution
since 1972 (try the island-caught red89PHOTOGRAPHS: IGOR TICHONOW, HENK MEIJER AND MAURITIUS IMAGES, ALL ALAMY