So varied and wonderful are the Greek islands, sometimes I think I need never go anywhere else on holiday. One thing they have in common is the weather, near perfect from June to October. But there's also the healthy diet, the low prices, the friendly people and the warm Aegean Sea. I had already visited Tinos, 40 minutes from Mykonos, but from there I continued another half an hour to Syros, an island I'd never heard of before. It is not a popular tourist destination - but that makes it all the more attractive.
In fact, Syros defined itself in the first moment of my arrival. I was standing in the hold of the Seacat which had brought me from Tinos, feeling the engines vibrating under my feet and hearing the water churning. Slowly, the huge bow door began to open, forming an ever-expanding square of light, which made me think of a cinema screen. But the image on the other side was not the typical quayside with its pretty bars and tavernas. Instead I was greeted by a massive, rusting dry dock surrounded by a dozen dilapidated cranes bowing towards it. This was the Neorion shipyard, industrial yet somehow far from ugly. It wasn't at all what I had expected.
A 10-minute walk into the old town of Ermoupoli reminded me why I was here. I was surrounded by glorious neoclassical and Venetian architecture, with ornate balconies and shutters, cobbled streets, tiny squares and wrought-iron lamps; a world straight out of a 19th-century opera with little traffic and no tacky tourist shops to spoil the illusion.
The importance of Syros as a seat of 19th-century government has long gone, but the memories remain - particularly in the city hall and the church of St Nicholas, with its two elegant towers dominating the skyline. Below the church, I came across the Apollo Theatre, another gem - although sadly the opera season had yet to begin. You can visit the theatre for a couple of euros.
I was staying at the Apollonion Palace hotel - booked at the last minute. It was a little faded, with some shabby sun loungers, but I had a lovely room in the eaves with a balcony and views over a glorious, horseshoe bay.
The Apollonion is one in a line of handsome hotels and apartments that back on to the water and are known as "Little Venice". Swimming in the dark, silky water as the sun set was a unique experience.
Spend time in the main town and you can't help but fall into the rhythm of Greece as it used to be.
I could have sat for hours at Café Luigi in the main street, watching life go by. There are plenty of good restaurants. I had a great meal with plenty of organic food at Kouzina and was really surprised by Mammo right on the harbour: it's noisy and busy but the food was excellent.
I had three days on Syros, time enough to explore the island. The roads are well maintained and I felt safe hiring a moped for €25 a day from Gaviotis Travel. There's a medieval town - Ano Syros - just above Ermoupoli but a great many of the houses are modern.
After that, I headed to the beaches. Azolimnos is the nearest, a quiet cove with a pleasant jetty surrounded by tamarisk trees. But my favourite was Vari, a brilliant family beach with its shallow, protected water and rather odd English-style castle perched on the rocks. You could also venture to Kini, probably the most upmarket beach of the three, and the location of Allou Yialou, said to be the best taverna on the island. I ate next door and that was pretty good, too.
There are no package holidays to Syros and I hardly heard any English voices. I've visited more beautiful islands. But few have made such an impression on me. It's somewhere I will never forget. - The Sunday Telegraph...