Folegandros and Kardamili in Greece are among 25 top secret European villages according to Travel and Leisure which notes the following:
Fol?gandros
There’s no mistaking it, this tranquil spot in the Cyclades has nothing in common with neighboring Santorini: no building stands above two stories, no cruise ships pull into port, and there are no boutiques or fancy restaurants. Instead, on this remote island in the Aegean, waves crash on pebbled beaches, goats scurry up the hills, and an old wooden windmill twists in the salty breeze. It’s a delightfully quiet escape for those who have grown tired of Greece’s more trammeled getaways.
How to Get There: Fly to Santorini or take a ferry or a hydrofoil from Piraeus, just outside Athens.
Where to Stay: Great Value There’s a nautical theme at Anemomilos Apartments (studios from $131), on a cliff with easy access to the village of Hora. Anemi Hotel is a modern newcomer with cube-shaped rooms near Karavostasi port.
Where to Eat: Irini’s, a grocery that turns into a restaurant at night, is the place for a home-cooked meal.
Kardamili
If you’ve heard murmurs that the jagged mountains and white-sand beaches of the Mani region are worth the trip from Athens, you’re not alone. Insiders head there for a traditional experience: authentic Greek salads and moussaka at Lela’s Taverna before spending the evening at the Elies Hotel’s outdoor patio, which overlooks the Gulf of Messenia. About three hours away on the Ionian Sea is the 765-room Costa Navarino resort with an observatory and tourism office dedicated to sustaining the village’s community and seafront.
How to Get There: Fly to Athens, then drive three hours south through the Peloponnese to the Mani.
Where to Stay: Elies Hotel (doubles from $155) has 10 rooms and maisonettes set within olive groves. On the hillside, Notos Hotel (doubles from $129) has 14 simple apartments with views of Ritsa Beach.
Where to Eat: Lela’s Taverna for Greek home-cooking.
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