Patra_A Weekend in Kea, A Weekend in Paradise.

An impressive landscape on the way to the Spathi beach. For travelers that visit Greece and wish to experience the Hellenic culture as the Greeks do, Kea is the ideal destination. Kea may be overlooked by tourists because it is an offbeat island, despite being the nearest Cyclades island to Athens. Yet it offers a wonderful and relaxed summer experience. As the advertising poster underlines, “Enjoy your stay on our island. We have 50 beaches and one police car”.

A “panigiri” is a centuries-old traditional festival that celebrates a saint or a local anniversary organized typically in the villages of Greek islands during the summer months. Panigiris include traditional music, plenty of food and local wine; the three key elements that make a panigiri successful. On the 19 of July the people from Otzias, a small village on the north of Kea, organize such an event. After the ceremony, the people gather for a big feast by the sea. They sit together to taste Kakavia, a traditional fish soup, along with local olives, meat, cod, Greek salad, and wine. Live bands are present while both guests and locals dance and sing to festive island music till dawn. Meanwhile, above the panigiri grounds, perched on top of a hill is the beautiful Cycladic-style church of Saint Sostis. Its white and blue colored dome matches the crystal blue water of the nearby sea. In the church yard, local artists have the chance to display and exhibit their most recent painting ...

Sikamia beach, one of the more remote destinations on the south of the island. Kea is home to a wealth of extraordinary beaches. Crystal blue waters hug the remote shores along the island’s entire coast, promising a reinvigorating experience. Popular areas for swimming include easily accessed Otzias, offering golden sandy landscapes and crowded tamarisk fields. For visitors that prefer an alternative to popular destinations, Xyla, Spathi and Koundouros beaches are ideal. These places are popular for families seeking an organized and comfortable swimming experience. On the other hand, for a more peaceful and quiet destination, locals recommend the south part of the island full of most remote, pebble beaches.

Homestay villa at Otzias. Hotels in Kea are simple, clean and inexpensive places to stay. Unlike other places in Greece, most hotels are not the pleasure oasis, instead, they encourage the venture for a taste of the local culture. In Mykonos or Santorini, for example, hotels are their own biospheres that offer luxuries such as pools, gyms and room service that make the rest of the island almost irrelevant. The quality of those hotels does not compare to the ones in Kea. In order to delve into the heart of Kea's culture, one must engage with local communities. Personal experience showed that the best way to gain genuine insight into the island is to choose to homestay. Homestay offers the authentic experience of local life and allows you to connect with like-minded people, something a hotel can never provide.

The town of Ioulida, Kea's capital. Ioulida, the capital of Kea, is one of the most charming places in the Cyclades islands. It is positioned on an enormous rock constructed from the remains of a medieval castle that looks down on the jumble of white houses, cobblestone streets, narrow alleyways and the body of water which separates Kea from Athens. Ioulida is an impressive labyrinth of white Cycladic houses resting on the side of a mountain. The town revolves around the former “demarchio” (the town hall) which is located in a central square and is one of the most interesting neo-classic structures in Kea. The rest of Ioulida surrounds the central square like an amphitheater. Anything that is going on at the square, from chatter to music, can be heard from all parts of the town. It was designed by Ernst Ziller in the late 19th and early 20th century, the architect responsible for many prominent buildings such as The Ilion Melathron in Athens and the Apollon-Theater in the ...

Sunset at Otzias bay (Kea, Greece) A peaceful beach next to a small taverna, a traditional village built on a mountainside and an endless field of wildflowers and terraced gardens of orchards. A Cyclades island within reach from Athens, Kea, also called Tzia, is the perfect destination for a summer escape, an amazing choice for family holidays.