Shannon's Antiparos

A friend once called Antiparos 'the architect island' and it's stuck with me - quiet, sultry, a little mystical, with real character that's hard to put into words until you've felt it. The meltemi blows hard through July and August, but when it drops the island goes still and serene, which is why September is my pick: some nights you can have the whole Chora, the old town, to yourself. There's talk of Antiparos becoming 'the next Mykonos' - I don't buy it, and the strict new planning laws should keep it from tipping into overdevelopment. If anything it's shaping into its own version of what Paros was a decade or two ago. My advice: book early, find a proper villa, and give the island at least a week. My favourite table is Captain Pipinos - order the orzo with mussels, and note it's first-come, first-served (arrive around 20:30 to get seated and catch the sunset). The best hotel is The Rooster, and it's worth building a day around a boat trip to Koufonisia, where the water is clearer than anywhere I've seen.

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