Greece
Anafi
A monolithic rock taller than Gibraltar guards the quietest island in the Cyclades.
The monolith rises from the island's eastern tip — four hundred and sixty metres of sheer rock, taller than Gibraltar, with a monastery balanced at its summit. Below, Chora keeps claim to being one of the last truly unspoilt Cycladic towns.
The demanding route towards Panagia Kalamiotissa makes Kalamos the island’s defining walk. Roukounas and Klisidi offer easier coastal time, while Chora provides tavernas and a strong sunset setting. Ferry frequency, heat and limited services should be checked without turning those practical constraints into romantic deprivation.
Solo
A properly planned Kalamos hike, simple village evenings and open Aegean space.
Couple
Chora sunsets, quiet beaches and walking days with enough supplies and time.
- Kalamos forms a dramatic eastern headland climbed by a demanding footpath towards Panagia Kalamiotissa.
- Chora’s lanes and terraces look west towards Santorini across the Aegean.
- Walking routes connect the village with Roukounas, Klisidi and more remote shores.
- Limited services reward advance planning without reducing the island to a story of deprivation.
Wild goat stew slow-cooked in tomato with island herbs by the handful of tavernas that exist here.
Thyme honey so thick you eat it with a spoon, spread on bread still warm from the oven.
Jinack Island
Gambia
A sand island split by an invisible border: Gambia at one end, Senegal at the other.
Reef Islands
Solomon Islands
A six-guest lodge on one island, and reef in every direction from it.
Namua Island
Samoa
An islet with no electricity, one cluster of fales, and turtles in the lagoon.
Ora Beach
Indonesia
Stilt bungalows stand where Seram's rainforest falls straight into coral.
Prespa Lakes
Greece
Byzantine hermitages painted on cave walls above a lake shared by three countries.
Milia
Greece
An abandoned Cretan hamlet rebuilt from stone into an off-grid eco-settlement deep in chestnut forest.
Nafplio
Greece
Stone steps climb to a Venetian sea fortress above a harbour of bobbing fishing caïques.
Mystras
Greece
A Byzantine ghost city of frescoed churches crumbling down a hillside above the Spartan plain.