The unspoilt Greek island just 30 minutes from hellish Mykonos

As I relaxed on the golden sands of Agathopes beach, contentedly watching my two young daughters collect shells, it crossed my mind that Greece’s overtourism crisis might be overblown. Yes, it was a weekday in late May rather than the height of summer, but the sun was shining, we were on one of the most popular beaches on the lovely island of Syros, and we had the whole place to ourselves.

Syros isn’t some far-flung outpost, either. It has its own airport. It’s only two hours by ferry from Athens, where it’s standing-room-only on the winding streets of the Plaka neighbourhood, and atop the Acropolis. Mykonos – that byword for the perils of mass tourism – is even closer, with the ferry taking just 30 minutes. Yet somehow it still flies relatively under the radar.

It wasn’t always so. Rewind a century or two and this was perhaps the most important spot in the Cyclades. During the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s, Syros adopted a policy of neutrality, sparking a massive wave of migration to the island. Scores of merchants and shipbuilders set up shop in its biggest port, Ermoupoli, triggering a golden age that lasted until the 20th century.

Syros, with its handsome capital Ermoupoli, is only two hours by ferry from Athens - Cavan Images

While its influence has waned, Ermoupoli remains the administrative capital of the region, and still houses the hulking Neorion shipyard. The civil service and the docks act as a sort of shield against overtourism. As the economy is not overreliant on sunseekers, there’s less of an incentive to chase them. It can pick and choose, targeting the upper end of the market. Only smaller cruise ships are allowed, with just eight scheduled to visit during August (Santorini, on the other hand, will welcome precisely 96). There are no large holiday resorts or hotel chains – but lots of splendid villas. Furthermore, the airport’s runway isn’t long enough for international flights.

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The tourists who do arrive, therefore, are either Greeks or discerning Western Europeans who are turned off by the prospect of sharing an island with hordes of self-obsessed Instagrammers, and not deterred by a little extra effort.

Or a lot of extra effort, when you have a one-year-old and a four-year-old in tow. Because the only thing more stressful than trying to keep two young children happy on a cramped Ryanair flight is bolting on a one-hour transfer to a hectic ferry port, a two-hour boat ride, and 20 sweaty minutes spent fitting two unfamiliar child seats into the back of a Fiat Panda.

Fortunately, we had a shining prize waiting for us in the shape of Villa Georgios, on the southwestern corner of Syros. It’s a villain’s lair of a holiday home, gazing down on the island with impunity from its hilltop eyrie, yet almost invisible, such is its sympathetic design (sky-blue paint job, immaculately crafted dry stone walls, and use of granite, timber and bamboo to blend perfectly with the rugged backdrop).

Villa Georgios: a villain’s lair of a holiday home

Owner Georgios Tsiogkas told me it was built, along with a sister property next door, back in 2012, at the height of the Greek financial crisis, and recalled with pride how his project helped keep many local businesses afloat. He also spoke of the island’s subtle charms and big soul: “Syros isn’t loud in its beauty; it reveals itself slowly, deeply. That’s what makes it special.”

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The luxury trappings were all present and correct. Infinity pool. Concierge service. Love Island-style firepit. More plush outdoor seating areas than seems strictly necessary. But it is also the owner’s home from home, not just a holiday apartment, so it has plenty of character and personal touches.

Best of all is the view, one to thrill even the most jaded soul: a glittering bay, scattered with yachts – and what seems like the entire Cyclades archipelago. Incredibly, you can spy 11 other islands for your poolside sunlounger: (in order) Naxos, Paros, Antiparos, Ios, Milos, Kimolos, Sifnos, Serifos and Kithnos, plus – on the clearest days, Georgios insisted – the outline of Santorini, 75 miles to the south.

The villa’s high-spec interior proved a haven from the hot weather

It’s the sort of luxury digs one expects to find on neighbouring Mykonos, not here. Yet it is actually one of nine properties on Syros offered by high-end French firm Le Collectionist, all dotted around this corner of the island. Max Aniort, the company’s CEO, explained that it had honed in on the island as part of an “ongoing quest to discover unexplored destinations that offer authentic experiences.” I spotted other sprawling villas being built too, clear signs of a desire to target the top end of the market.

While our villa was opulent, the rest of the island is classic Greece. Little is done in a hurry – least of all by the ponderous local driver we saw at the wheel of a battered old car without a rear windscreen. Figs grow wild on the roadside, providing deep green contrasts to the flashes of pink oleander. We saw locals gossiping in rustic tavernas, and gaggles of schoolchildren meandering home from class.

Galissas beach enjoys a dramatic setting - getty

Our days followed that simple Greek island holiday formula. A morning on a beach, a long lunch in a taverna, some half-hearted suggestions – hastily retracted – that maybe we ought to do something (“that church we saw on the ferry coming in looked lovely…”; “there’s a Textile Museum on TripAdvisor that’s highly rated…”), before settling for another afternoon by the pool pondering whether Mythos or Mamos is the superior beer.

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We rotated between three nearby beaches: Kini, Galissas and Agathopes, all sandy, very pretty, and with shallow water perfect for children. Galissas, hemmed in by hills, with a tiny chapel perched on one headland, has the most dramatic setting, but Kini, attached to a pleasant little village and with a clutch of surprisingly good tavernas, was our favourite. Its swankiest dining option is Allou Yialou, but we preferred Dyo Tzitzikia Sta Armyrikia next door, where a family-sized feast of Greek salad, anchovies, generous bowls of tzatziki and fava, plus a delicious, doorstop-sized zucchini pie (plus drinks) came to less than £40 – only enough for a couple of cocktails in Mykonos.

Oliver Smith’s four-year-old daughter playing on the uncrowded sands of Galissas beach

Though it lacks ancient sites, Syros does recompense those who want to tear themselves from this lazy routine.

I did my best to forge one of my four-year-old’s first memories by taking her for a magical little hike, through butterfly-dusted fields and down steep slopes to the chapel of Agios Stefanos. It was built inside a sea cave by a fisherman to thank God after he survived – so the story goes – a tussle with a giant octopus. My daughter was rewarded for her own efforts with a dusty visitor book to sign and a noisy bell to ring.

Ringing the bell at the chapel of Agios Stefanos

Ano Syros, a hilltop medieval settlement above Ermopouli, is another must-see. It’s the very definition of a classic Greek island village: thousands of lung-busting steps, snoozing cats at every turn, a score of cute cafés, picture-perfect plane trees and explosions of bougainvillea, all crowned by a glorious church (Agios Georgios). It would be crawling with selfie-snapping tourists if it were on Mykonos, but on our Tuesday lunchtime visit we barely saw a soul and found only one restaurant open – fortunately an excellent one, Maison De Μεζέ, whose Greek salad was so good we immediately ordered another.

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Boat trips with local firm Syros Quest open up the string of deserted beaches scattered around the island’s northern edges; the uninhabited island of Didymi, home to a working lighthouse built in 1834; and snorkelling spots including the shipwreck of the passenger ferry Lyktos 1.

Best of all is Ermoupouli itself. That aforementioned golden age bestowed upon the town a remarkable architectural heritage. The streets are paved with dazzling white marble. There are dozens of neoclassical mansions – once home to 19th-century entrepreneurs – to admire. The magnificent Apollon Theater, a miniature version of La Scala in Milan, still hosts opera and can be toured for a few euros. The church of Agios Nikolaos, the blue dome of which we spotted from the ferry, is another ornate treasure.

Syros’s Apollon Theater: a miniature version of La Scala in Milan

“It’s like being back in 1880,” a woman from Athens, visiting for an architecture festival, told me as we both gazed at the imposing town hall. “There’s nothing like this anywhere else in the Cyclades.” And no fast-food restaurants or tacky tourist shops to spoil the illusion.

Back on Agathopes beach, we were finally joined by other sunseekers – not tourists, but a local lady with her toddler. “It’s wonderful at this time of year, nice and warm but with no sunloungers on the sand,” she said. “Things won’t be so great in a few weeks when that place opens for the summer.” She gestured to Ono, a swanky-looking bar and restaurant at one end of the beach, where a few workers were gussying up the terraces and dusting off the cocktail menus. Nevertheless, she conceded, Syros is “definitely not Mykonos”.

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It certainly isn’t. Though there are more beautiful Greek islands, this is an authentic, lived-in destination. And even with a few places like Ono, it seems to be finding a good balance. It’s a “Goldilocks” Greek island, not harking back to any pre-mass tourism era, but certainly a time before overtourism. Not too sleepy, not too busy. Just right.

How to do it

One-week stays at Villa Georgios (sleeps 10) start at £10,075. Le Collectionist offers eight other properties on Syros, including Villa Ilektra, next door. Syros is served by daily ferries from both Athens (from two hours) and Mykonos (from 30 minutes). See ferryscanner.com. Both Athens and Mykonos are well served by UK airlines, including British Airways and easyJet.

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