GREECE


SPLENDID ISOLATION


The southern Cycladic island of Folegandros offers a Greek island experience of decades past, Erica Rich discovers


T


he ferry rocks from side to side as it backs into the port, a gaggle of expectant tourists jostling behind the ramp as it lowers with fevered beeps. In late September, the Greek ferry experience is still as frenetic as ever – but when we step out onto the tiny isle of Folegandros, all is calm. The island’s harbour is as pretty as they come, home to a bay lined by a sweep of golden sand and lapped by clear, sapphire water that dances under the sunlight. Close to the shore, a smattering of low-rise, cuboid buildings with blueberry-hued shutters play host to tavernas and small apartments. A handful of donkeys graze a ÃÕnLÕÀnÌ wil`Æ > viÜ «io«li ÃÕnL>Ìhi on Ìhi Ã>n`° It’s how I imagine the Greek islands might have been 50 years ago. Despite being sandwiched between the cosmopolitan islands of Paros and Santorini, here there’s a laziness in the air, a pace of life that feels wonderfully slow and steady. Beyond the port, the island is mainly craggy hillside: an undulating carpet of hardy shrubbery and dusty earth cut by stone walls to segregate the sheep. The island’s singular eight-mile road – there is only one – is bumpy and winding. In the winter, the population dwindles to 300 residents. Having arrived via Santorini – a geologically


impressive island that has arguably become a victim of its own success, drawing such large hordes of tourists the government has had to impose increasingly


stringent restrictions – it’s a welcome change, and oni Ìh>Ì >vyÕinÌ ÌÀ>ÛilliÀÃ >Ài inVÀi>Ãin}lÞ Ãiikin} from their Greek island-hopping experience. The tourist board has reported a marked rise in interest for lesser-known isles in the past two years – and the southern Cycladic island of Folegandros has largely been leading the charge.


Haute hotels The island’s rise in popularity has been helped in part by Gundari (Reviews, page 114)] Ìhi wÀÃÌ >n` onlÞ wÛi-ÃÌ>À LoÕÌiµÕi ÀiÃoÀÌ on Ìhi iÃl>n`] ÜhiVh h>Ã Liin much lauded since its opening in May 2024. The property lies at the end of a rugged dirt track on the southeast coast of the island, offering sweeping views over the Aegean. It doesn’t look like much from afar – framed by cable lines and half-constructed buildings, it’s clear this is an island in the throes of transition – but on closer inspection its clean lines and sandy aesthetic have created a modern oasis with a distinct magic. /ÕVki` inÌo > µÕiiÌ hillÃi`i ÜiÌh liÌÌli ilÃi


surrounding it, this is a hotel all about disconnecting. Guests will feel like a speck in the ocean as they loll LÞ Ìhi inwniÌÞ «ool lookin} oÕÌ oÛiÀ Ìhi Ãiimin}lÞ endless sea. Days are lazy – punctuated by waiters ferrying iced glasses of Aperol Spritz between sunloungers, and languorous dinners in the courtyard restaurant enjoying the fruits of Gundari’s nearby organic farm, a crescent moon hanging overhead.


ª 58 ASPIRE JANUARY 2025 aspiretravelclub.co.uk


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