Whenever I’m fortunate sufficient to set my eyes on an expanse of blue, I really feel the necessity to stare at it for so long as I can, hoping that my mind will by some means snap an image and cement it in my reminiscence without end. That’s precisely what I did each dawn and sundown at this hilltop hideaway in Andros, a extremely underrated Greek island simply an hour away by ferry from Athens.
When I began planning my summer time journey, I knew I wished to go someplace in Greece, a spot I’d be returning to after unforgettable journeys to Mykonos and Milos. This time, the Airbnb got here earlier than the island. At Condé Nast Traveler, I spend a whole lot of time scouting distinctive rental properties (robust job, however somebody has to do it). When I stumbled upon the Aegean-blue vista from each bedrooms of host Dimitris’s Cycladic oasis, I phoned up my greatest buddy Claire and booked it instantly.
Andros, it got here as no shock, was wildly lovely, an island that appeared to be visited by extra Greeks than worldwide vacationers. It’s inexperienced and mountainous and populated with a whole lot of sheep. Renting a automobile is simple (shout-out to Escape in Andros), however getting round requires a bit of additional verve, as many roads are winding, rocky, and cliffside—particularly when you, like me, are excited by exploring the extra rugged, far-off beaches.
It’s protected to say I held my breath as Claire courageously drove us as much as our rental, situated within the Kalamaki settlement of Andros. But by the tip of our keep, I obtained used to the ritual, focusing my consideration as a substitute on the arresting views unfolding past our windshield. I’ve been touring lengthy sufficient to know that the hardest-to-reach locations are sometimes probably the most lovely, and right here we had been, friction-maxxing.
When Dimitris confirmed Claire and me across the property, we felt struck by the chic. There was the ocean, entrance and middle, its horizon nearly indistinguishable from the cloudless sky. We took it in from the patio, which was shaded by an imposing carob tree, an ingredient we’d see make its method into the island’s Greek salads as crunchy rusks.
