Sapphire & Emerald; Donoussa & Koufonissi
Donoussa
On the first of our two mornings in Donoussa we are awakened not by revellers from last night’s festival still up, nor by the usual cockerel calls, but instead by the sound of …….wait for it…..rain! This is the first sprinkling of rain since we saw a shower through the train window on July 24th, some 51 days ago. This one has passed through and dried up before we’ve even had breakfast.
The port village of Stavros on the island of Donoussa is the first of our quick stays in the Lesser Cyclades. Donoussa is one of the smallest inhabited Cycladic islands with a total area of just 13 square kilometres, and unless you’re a scuba diver (there’s a sunken German warship) only really has beaches and hiking to offer.
Trekking on Donoussa 
The only spring on Donoussa
Our piece of the latter takes us from Stavros to Mersini and back. According to the internet, Mersini is home to a restaurant of great repute, the Daughter Of Michalis, but when we get there to size it up, it’s deserted and overrun by weeds and has clearly been closed for a long time.
Beach wise, we take in two. The town beach at Stavros is surprisingly lovely, with soft golden sands and gentle crystal clear water, right in the village – out here in the open seas of course, the water is pretty cold and some distance from the typical warmth of the Mediterranean, making for a refreshing swim. Over the headland at Kedros beach, we find that at least half the people there seem to have forgotten to bring any clothes with them – there are more private bits on view than we would ever care to see!
By pure coincidence our two days here are the days of the festival of Stavros from whom the village takes its name. It’s not really a festival as such, no music and dancing, but there are numerous church services over the two days involving much dishing out of bread and wine, followed by everyone in the village dining out at the very few restaurants on our first night. We have to queue on stone steps for quite a while before we manage to get what has by that time become a late supper.
We do our bit for the festival by ordering the traditional meal, patatato, a stew of goat, potatoes and tomatoes – we seem to have consumed as much goat as fish on these islands.
There is of course a tourist element on Donoussa, there is on all of the Greek islands these days, but it’s definitely understated here: this is an island going about its business regardless of who’s watching.
Koufonissi
The first thing we notice as the Express Skopelitis ferry glides into Koufonissi is the incredible sea colour, different not only from previous islands but not quite the same as anywhere else. Described variously on the internet as “spectacular turquoise”, “a blend of emerald and sapphire” or just “teal”, it is so unique and so easy on the eye that we just stand and stare across the bay as we disembark.
On closer inspection, the incredible green/blue becomes unbelievably clear, as clear as it’s possible to imagine. We just can’t wait to get in.
Koufonissi is nothing like we expected, and pretty much nothing like the guidebooks and internet will tell you. This is a tiny, one village island which, according to all we’ve read, is the ultimate peaceful get-away-from-it-all paradise suitable only for those seeking true solitude. True, it’s of a paradise appearance, and yes it’s peaceful, but it becomes clear very quickly that Koufonissi is an island which has targeted the wealthy, upmarket tourist.
Chora, Koufonissi……
It’s beautifully done of course, everything in the village is very classy, it’s full of upmarket eateries, cosy cocktail bars with great views, top quality service and posh furnishings. All of this is immensely welcoming and is a touch of a certain type of paradise, but unspoilt it certainly ain’t!
Being here is like being on holiday in the middle of travelling; we soak up the sun, we swim in the most fabulous seas imaginable, we get completely blathered in a late night bar looking at the silver moon and listening to very cool music. We hike from the village to Poti beach, roughly half way round the island, passing through at least half a dozen gorgeous coves and beaches along the coast path. All the way we just keep marvelling at the spellbinding seas.
Natural swimming pool 
Eye of the Devil
Koufonissi is indeed a paradise. A different kind of paradise from what we envisaged, but paradise nonetheless.
16 Comments
Andrew Petcher
Koufonissia is a lovely island, glad that you enjoyed it!
leightontravels
What a place guys! If we do end up taking a cross country adventure of our own, this is another one going on the list. You had me particularly sold with “true solitude” as more and more we feel like this is what we’re looking for. And lord, that water….
Heyjude
The colour of that water is simply stunning. If only the St Ives beaches could be so empty!
Lookoom
It was a wise choice to ckeck out these two islands, it adds to the collection of beautiful places to visit, a paradise stock built up.
Born To Travel
Stunning water colour. Love your photo of the boat in the foreground with the windmill and shipyard in the background. It’s forty-three years since I visited Greece and it’s lovely islands. It’s still on my list of places to take Karen too. Enjoy.
Phil & Michaela
It’s still beautiful. Not as untouched as it once was, of course…but it never loses its beauty
Latitude Adjustment: A Tale of Two Wanderers
Adding these to our list! Gracias!
Gilda Baxter
You do need a holiday from travelling sometimes. Enjoy!! Looks like paradise, absolutely gorgeous.
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Gilda, hope your epic trek is going well
Toonsarah
Wow, that sea colour is glorious! I can see from your photos how Koufonissi has been ‘done up’ for the higher-end travel market but its prettiness is hard to resist. Even the shipyard looks as if it has been styled for a magazine!
Phil & Michaela
Yes it does, it was that kind of place
rkrontheroad
The clear water is mesmerizing. Such a quiet picturesque stop, a well-kept secret among the high end traveler, it seems.
grandmisadventures
I just can’t get over those stunning blues of the water! What a contrast to the dreary rainy days we are having here right now.
Forestwood
The water is the same colour as the tropical islands or the glacial waters. Gorgeous. And here I was thinking it might be polluted. It definitely doesn’t look that way. Again I don’t see many people, but that must be nice or were they all hiding out of sight?
Phil & Michaela
No there’s certainly not a lot of pollution in these parts – the water is beautifully clean and clear. The lack of people is mostly down to Michaela’s clever photography!
Forestwood
Haha. Okay. Compliments to the photographer.