Koufonisia

Koufonisia is the island the photographs promise and the ferry delivers. A small boat crosses from Naxos to the jetty at Pano Koufonisi, the larger of the two inhabited islets, and the village there is white houses and a handful of tavernas beside a bay of impossible blue. The island is flat and small — it can be walked around in a day — and its beaches are its entire wealth: long stretches of white sand and turquoise water, most of them with no one on them. Gala, the famous swimming hole at the eastern tip, is where the sea rushes in through a channel of rock; the beaches of the west coast shelve into water so clear it seems to have no colour at all. In the evening, grilled fish is eaten at a taverna by the harbour as the boats come home. Koufonisia is a dream of an island — small, perfect, and almost unbearably beautiful — and it is the secret the Cyclades keep for themselves.

Koufonisia, the two islets of Pano and Kato Koufonisi, have been inhabited since antiquity, when they were part of the network of small Cycladic islands. In ancient times they were known as the islands of the Koufonisia, and their position between Naxos and Amorgos made them stops on the ancient sea routes. The islets were historically part of the world of Naxos, and their populations lived by fishing, farming, and piracy — the tiny islands were a favourite refuge of pirates in the Middle Ages. In the 20th century the population of the islets declined, and Kato Koufonisi, the southern islet, is now uninhabited. From the 1980s, Pano Koufonisi was gradually discovered by travellers, and its extraordinary beaches made it one of the most sought-after small islands of the Cyclades. Today it is a tiny, car-free community of a few hundred people and a summer population of happy swimmers, and its beauty remains its great, simple gift.

Koufonisia has the most beautiful beaches of any small island in the Cyclades. Pano Koufonisi is ringed by beaches of white sand and pale water: Finikas and the coves of the west, Pori on the north coast, and the little beaches of the east, where the sand shelves into water of astonishing clarity. Gala, at the eastern tip, is a natural pool where the sea rushes through a rock channel. And Kato Koufonisi, the uninhabited islet, has its own wild coves, reached by boat. The water is shallow, warm, and so clear that the beaches seem to glow. Bring a mask and a towel, and you will find a new perfect cove around every corner.

Koufonisia food is the food of a small fishing island, and it is excellent. The tavernas of the village serve the daily catch — grilled fish, octopus, and the tiny fried fish of the island — with the local white wine and the classic Cycladic table. The island is too small for much agriculture, so the food is simple and fresh, but the fish is exceptional. For a real Koufonisia meal, order the grilled fish and the octopus at a table by the harbour, and finish with a spoon of the island's honey. The evenings at the harbour, with the boats rocking and the tavernas lit, are among the loveliest in the Cyclades.

May, June, and September are the best months on Koufonisia: warm, quiet, and beautiful, with the beaches empty and the island at its most peaceful. July and August are busier — the island is popular and its little beaches fill — but Koufonisia is small and its beauty survives the crowds. Spring is lovely, and autumn lingers warm into October. Whenever you come, stay at least a couple of nights, and walk the island at least once — its beaches are its gift, and they are best seen on foot.

Koufonisia has no airport. Ferries come from Naxos — about an hour — and from Piraeus, Paros, Amorgos and the other Cyclades, and the island is car-free, so walking or a bicycle is all that is needed on arrival.

The island is car-free — walk, or hire a bicycle. Swim at as many beaches as you can, walk the coast, and take a boat to Kato Koufonisi for a day. The village has a handful of tavernas and shops; bring cash, as cards are not always accepted. And allow yourself to do very little: Koufonisia is a place for swimming, sleeping, and the deep pleasure of doing nothing in an island of impossible beauty.