Milos and Sarakiniko

Milos is the Cyclades with the volume turned up on geology: a volcanic island whose minerals have been mined since antiquity and whose coastline erupts in colour and form - nowhere more surreally than Sarakiniko, a sweep of bone-white volcanic rock sculpted by wind and sea into a lunar landscape of smooth waves, ridges and inlets that photographs like another planet and swims like a dream. Around the island lie some seventy beaches in improbable palettes, boat-only pirate coves, the painted boathouse villages of Klima and Mandrakia with their bright syrmata doors, and the spot where a farmer unearthed the Venus de Milo - the statue now in the Louvre, the pride and mild grievance of the island ever since.

What you actually see

• Sarakiniko - the white moonscape at dawn before the crowds, and the leap-friendly inlet.
• Kleftiko by boat - the pirate coves and arches of the island's south-west corner.
• Klima's syrmata - the boathouse village painted every colour at the waterline.
• Plaka at sunset - the hilltop chora and castle view over the great bay.

When to go

May, June and September are ideal - warm sea, open tavernas, breathing room at Sarakiniko. July and August have discovered Milos thoroughly; sunrise and late evening reclaim the famous spots. Boat trips to Kleftiko run in settled summer weather and are worth planning the stay around.

Honest expectations

Milos's fame has arrived - it is no longer the secret the older guidebooks promised, and Sarakiniko at midday in August is a photo queue. The counterweight is real: seventy beaches spread the load, and a quad or car plus early hours recover the empty-island feeling daily. Some famous beaches need boats or rough tracks; sturdy footwear and planning beat improvisation. Swimmers should respect wind days - the moonscape's ledges bite in a swell.

Nearby

Kimolos island is a short local ferry; Sifnos and Serifos share the ferry line for Cycladic island-hopping.