PERFECT ISLANDS
SAAREMAA, ESTONIA
OPOPULATION 30,000
OSIZE 1,032 square miles
Until the end of the Cold War,
Saaremaa was off-limits to
ordinary tourists, home to a
top-secret Soviet military base
where rockets were targeted at
the West. Ever since, Estonians
have targeted their holiday
plans at Saaremaa to find out
what they were missing: a quiet
island where lighthouses watch
out over the Baltic coast and
windmills rise over forests of
pine and spruce. The port of
disembarkation is Kuressaare,
a handsome town home to a
giant medieval castle (pictured)
and spas that make use of thelocal mineral-rich sea mud.
Freshly exfoliated daytrippers
from Kuressaare find the rest
of the island rewards idle
exploration, with medieval
churches, tumbledown farms
and – rather unexpectedly – the
100-metre-wide Kaali Crater,
with its lake at the centre,
formed by a violent meteorite
impact a few thousand years ago;
proof if ever it was needed of
Saaremaa’s powers of attraction.
OGETTING THERE Fly to Estonia’s
capital Tallinn on Turkish Airlines
(Singapore) or KLM (Kuala Lumpur)
with one stopover each. Kuressaare is
a 45-minute flight from Tallinn (from
US$45; flyavies.ee).Best for a Slower Pace
PHOTOGRAPHS: WALTER BIBIKOW/AWL IMAGES, MASSIMILIANO STICCA/500PX