International Lifestyle Magazine Issue 57 | Page 71

Agistri? Ever heard of it? No? Nor
had I until I was lucky enough to
visit this tiny island off mainland
Greece recently. Agistri is a tiny
island in the Sardonic’s and it’s
really easy to get to from Athens,
making it an achievable long
weekend destination if you live in
Europe.
We stayed in a sweet bed and
breakfast hotel called Rosy’s
Little Village which has simple,
clean bedrooms with sea views
and cute blue shutters. It’s very
affordable with rooms starting at
42 Euros in the low season. The
owners (Rosy and her husband)
are very welcoming and charming
and their hotel is a real family affair
with Rosy’s children running the
excellent restaurant there.
The island is tiny (about 5 miles
long) so you could see it in its
entirety, in a day. We rented a
motorbike so we could nip about
easily and also borrowed the
hotels bicycles to visit the more
local beaches. We traveled to the
island in May when it was warm
enough to sunbathe and swim
(though the water was a bit chilly)
but still very quiet and peaceful with
practically no one on the beaches,
particularly on a weekday. The
other great thing about visiting at
that time of the year is that the
countryside is full of wild flowers
and it’s ridiculously pretty.
Skala is the main town and is a
shortish walk away from the hotel
but offers some different taverna
style options for lunch or dinner.
It also has a few gift shops and
you can rent scooters and buy
provisions for picnics too. All the
beaches on the island are pebbly

but we didn’t miss the sand as
the water is brilliant turquoise
and super clean. Dragonera is
probably the largest beach on the
island and has sunbeds for hire
and a bar selling simple food.
One of our favourite spots for
swimming wasn’t really a beach,
but a tiny concrete swimming
platform overlooking the sea with
ladder access called Mariza. You
find it by going to the town of
Limenaria and following the sign
(or ask a local). We were the only
ones there and had a glorious day
in the sunshine drinking the local
beer (Mythos) eating halloumi and
olives and playing backgammon.
It’s good to remember that most of
the beaches don’t have bars so it’s
a good idea to make sure you are
stocked up with water and snacks
before you go.
So if you long for an authentic
Greek experience with beautiful
beaches, gin clear water, delicious
food and tiny villages with plenty of
character, Agistri is a great place
to start.
Rosy’s Little Village rooms starts
at 42 Euros in low season
www.rosyslittlevillage.com
Getting to Agistri is pretty easy and
takes 55 mins on a Flying Dolphin
ferry which leaves from Piraeus
port in Athens.
www.thefashionabletraveller.com

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