MINI GUIDE
Cyclades Island Life
COMPILED BY LORNA PARKES, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CAROLYN BAIN. PHOTOGRAPHS: CHANTAL/GETTY, TRAVEL LIBRARY LIMITED/SUPERSTOCK, REINHARD SCHMID/4 CORNERS, ANDREAS BEKAS PHOTOGRAPHY, I VAYLO SARAYSKI/ALAMYCyclades essentials The know-how
FURTHER READING
Lonely Planet’s
Greece
(£16.99)
dedicates a
chapter to the
Cyclades,
including detailed info on
each island and how to get
between islands; it can be
downloaded individually
(£2.99) at lonelyplanet.
com. J Theodore Bent’s
1885 The Cyclades, Or Life
Among the Insular Greeks
(£19.99; Archaeopress) is a
quirky masterpiece
describing the islands in
the late 19th century.
Part-time resident Jeffrey
Siger’s Murder in Mykonos
(£9.99; Piatkus)
is a classic who-dunnit
for crime-lit lovers.CYCLADES
ISLAND-HOPPING
It’s easy to do the well-worn
island hop from Mykonos to
Santorini, but consider
spreading your wings further.
Every Cyclades island is now
mapped by Terrain, whose
maps are an invaluable
resource for getting off the
beaten track (terrainmaps.gr)
O After partying on Mykonos,
travel north to Andros for
superb walking and to laid-back
Tinos for culture.
O Santorini’s majestic caldera
deserves the accolades, but
contrast this touristed island
with Anafi for its end-of-the-
road feel, and Folegandros for
its photogenic local life.
O A local ferry connects Naxos
to the first-class beaches of
Koufonisia and the mountains
and monasteries of Amorgos.
O Ferry schedules work well
for the super-scenic islands of
Serifos, Sifnos
and Milos.land.com; Karterados; double
from £50).
Expect unremitting elegance
and attention to detail at Hotel
Ploes, a boutique beauty inside
a restored banker’s mansion on
Syros. Original art and designer
furniture make the seven rooms
shine; the pavilion has direct sea
access (hotelploes.gr; Apollonos 2,
Ermoupoli; from £135).
Expansive grounds, stylish
rooms and a glam restaurant
terrace and pool combine to make
Semeli Hotel one of Mykonos’s
loveliest (and more affordable)
top-end hotels (semelihotel.gr;
Rochari Area, Hora; from £220).WHERE TO STAY
Santorini’s Karterados
Caveland Hostel is a fabulous,
chilled-out spot in an old winery
complex a mile outside Fira.
Creative dorms and doubles are in
the big old wine caves. There’s
also a two-bedroom apartment,
plus a garden and pool (cave-TRANSPORT
It's best to fly Qatar Airways from
Singapore or Kuala Lumpur to
Athens first via Doha (from £456;
qatarairways.com). Naxos, Paros
and Milos have daily air links to/
from Athens with Aegean Airlines
(aegeanair.com) and Olympic Air
(olympicair.com). There are rarely
direct air links between islands.
Inter-island ferry services peak
in July and August and can be
reduced or nonexistent outside
summer. In peak season, buses
around the most popular islands
can be very crowded. There is a
good range of international
car-hire outfits at Santorini and
Mykonos airports and ports.A Deluxe Double at seven-room
Syros boutique pad Hotel PloesActivities Drinking Entertainment Sights Eating Sleeping