Milos: Greek island with colorful array of beaches

The Greek island of Milos is less well-known than some of the others in the Cyclades group of islands, such as the world-famous Santorini and Mykonos.

The Greek island of Milos is lesswell-known than some of the others in the Cyclades group of islands, suchas the world-famous Santorini and Mykonos. But Milos, a volcanic,horseshoe-shaped island about 160 kilometers southwest of Athens, is aperfect beach destination, and with no major ruins of note, natural beautyis the main attraction.

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Otherworldly rock formations decorateits coasts and the Aegean Sea provides a collar of the palest blue-greenwater on powdery white volcanic-ash beaches. Its most unusual feature isan array of colorful sand belts, running from cream to black, with pebblesof nearly every color.

Some are reachable after a long andbumpy adventure on dirt roads that stumble through the island's ruggedwestern hills. Some are reachable only by boat, spread out at the base ofa cliff. Yet another is reachable by land, as long as you're willing toclutch a rope as you scale a crease in the cinnamon-hued cliff above.

One guide book put the number of sand belts at more than 70.

The island is big enough to consume four days of solidexploration, but small enough at about 150 square kilometers to yield atleast some of its secrets in that time. You'll find plenty of Greeks andother Europeans on vacation here but despite the thriving touristindustry, massive ocean liners don't call and the stream of tourists fromthe small airport and passenger ferries don't overrun the island. There isbus service on the island, along with beaches that are footsteps away fromrestaurants.

Greece has been hard-hit by financial crises inthe last 18 months, with occasional strikes and protests in Athens overausterity measures, and some shops closed in popular shopping districts aslocals cut their spending.

But life in the islands, at leastfor visitors, seems far-removed from all that, and tourists in beachdestinations such as Milos are unlikely to experience any disruption intheir holiday related to the country's larger economic struggles. Still,the island isn't a fantasy land.

The real lives of the 5,000 orso year-round residents are more clearly on display here than on biggertourist islands. The island's long mining history (including the mining oftwo types of clay, bentonite and kaolin) still defines many hilltops andfeeds many families.

My wife and I recently spent four days onMilos, finding ourselves exhausted in the evening by our pursuit of thebeaches, but glad we also pushed ourselves to do a few other things. Weclambered up the castle ruins atop the lovely whitewashed Cycladic villageof Plaka at sunset and also took time out for a scenic drive to thelaid-back northern town of Pollonia, where we lunched on octopus atArmenaki restaurant.

The sunlit alleyways of the village ofTripiti are gorgeous, as are the brightly painted fishermen's boat garagesslung along the water at St. Constantine on the northern coast. We alsovisited the volcanic pumice dunes that surround a small beach atSarakiniko. At times, it looked like the moon, or a landscape covered inhastily whipped batter.

We stayed at a clean, small hotel abouta five-minute walk outside of the lively port town of Adamas called HotelOstria. It is newly built, friendly and comfortable, not to mentionsharply decorated. Its breakfasts were notable for the locally madepastries.

We also found a terrific meal at O! Hamos --loosely translated, it means "What an uproar!" -- along themarina a short distance from the center of Adamas.

It's pricey,and the servers struggled to keep up with the packed tables, but thebubbly atmosphere and big courtyard made it a nice place to sit and talk-- and write on the chairs as previous diners have done, if you like.Tender lamb chops and goat in lemon sauce cooked in clay pots made it amemorable meal.

Two of our days in Milos we rented a car andset out for farther-flung beaches.

We spent one exploring thewestern hills to find the tiny beaches that are at the end of winding anddusty roads, and tucked in the folds of the rocky coast --practically invisible until you stumble onto them.

When you go,fill the tank, pack plenty of water and food and don't hurry: Thespider-webbing roads are poorly signed and barely maintained in spots.

If you have the time, it's worth the adventure to find the small,pleasant beaches, such as St. John, where there's shade and room to swim,although no amenities.

One day, we drove along the southerncoast to the black volcanic sand beach of Gerontas. It's easier than someothers to find, but you'll need a sturdy pair of shoes for the walk. Froma dirt lot above the coastline, we followed a mining company road beforeclambering down a ravine to this soft sand beach.

It's bigenough to allow 30 or 40 people to feel secluded, while the rocky cliffsprovide shelter and a little shade. The swimming is easy in the calmwaters, and there are rocky caves, outcroppings and even an arch forentertainment.

Guided beach tours in Milos, some by kayak, someby boat, are big business. And for good reason -- a lot of thebeaches worth visiting are only accessible by boat.

Aftereating at one of the bustling tavernas that jostle for space around themarina in Adamas, we surveyed the many tour boat operators who set uptheir billboards side by side to market their services, all for about $72(50 euros).

We were immediately attracted to Elias Xidous, asmiling, hardworking man who clearly took the quality of his clients'experience seriously, and it showed in the deliberate way he described hisservice.

Elias took us and about 15 other tourists, mostlyGreek, on a beach-hopping tour of Milos' southern coast on his 15-metersailboat, "To Oneiro," or The Dream.

We pushed off inthe morning from the splendid, colored pebble beach of Paleohori on theisland's southern coast (trips start at Adamas, unless it's windy, whichit often is on the island's northern coast).

First, we stoppedat Gerakas, reachable only by boat. The cream-colored kaolin cliffs pourinto a smooth, narrow strip of beach, and the beach's shelter from theopen sea makes swimming there a pleasure in gin-clear water.

Wetook about an hour there to frolic. If you decide to spend longer there,you have to be prepared for a lack of shade and a lack of amenities, otherthan peace and beauty.

We spent much of the day at Kleftiko,the southwestern point of the island where caves there were once used bypirates as hideaways, according to Elias and guidebooks.

Languid rock arches and other curious formations help create a dreamy,fantastical cove that, like Gerakas, has a narrow, pillowy strip of beachwith opportunities for shade. You won't be alone: Tour boats come and go,each pulling up for an hour or two to take it all in. Elias even leads anentertaining, if unspectacular snorkeling jaunt.

Lunch wasseafood in a red sauce over pasta -- prepared in the boat'sbelow-deck kitchen -- and the evening snack included cheese, olivesand ouzo. Not bad.

Along the way and back, there are tinybeaches, caves and strange noses of rock -- not to mention miningoperations that offload onto tankers that pull up next to the kaolincliffs.

By the time Elias pulled the boat back into Paleohori,the sun was shedding a copper hue on the island, and a day in the sun andwater left us drained and invigorated at the same time.

Milos:

http://www.milos-island.com

. About 100miles off the coast of Athens, Greece.

Getting There:

Fly toAthens, Milos, or the tourist island of Santorini. Ferries or boats sailto Milos from the mainland port of Piraeus (near Athens), Sa