Folegandros: the Cyclades without the crossing everyone else makes

Folegandros has no airport, one main road, and a Chora on a cliff edge that has not been rebuilt for photographs. That is the whole appeal. It is reached by ferry from Santorini, Milos or Piraeus, and the crossing is the filter that keeps it as it is.

Villas here sit above the sea on the sheltered side, near Ano Meria or the bays at Agali and Livadaki. Most swimming is from rock or reached by the small boats that run from Karavostasi — an arrangement that becomes the rhythm of the week rather than an inconvenience.

Evenings belong to the Chora. Three linked squares, tavernas under bougainvillea, and the walk up to Panagia church for the light at eight. Nothing here needs a booking except the two or three tables everyone wants; ask the villa manager on arrival day.

Come in June or September. July and August bring the Athenian holiday and the ferries get tight; the shoulder weeks give you warm sea, empty paths to Katergo, and rates that sit well below Santorini or Mykonos for a better house.

Practical notes: arrive by ferry from Santorini (fifty minutes) or from Athens' Piraeus port (four hours), and book the crossing as soon as flights are set — July and August sailings sell out. There is one bus and a handful of taxis; a villa week here assumes you will walk the Chora in the evening and take the boat to beaches by day.

Dinner is simple and good: Matsa for seafood, one of the Chora squares for everything else. Bring or buy a coolbox — Katergo and Livadaki have nothing to buy, which is the point. Houses here are small by design; a well-placed two-bedroom beats a larger house off the bus line.