Designer Marios Schwab’s guide to Astypalaia

Astypalaia is a beautiful Dodecanese island in the shape of a butterfly. In ancient Greece, it was considered the “banana of the gods” because it produced such beautiful flowers and fruits. It’s special to me because I’ve spent my summer holidays there since I was eight – we had a cousin who moved to the island after visiting in the late seventies and falling in love with it.

We would arrive by boat and a special boat had to pick us up because the big boat wouldn’t be able to go to the port area. It felt like a place for people who were looking for adventure and for this special remoteness in the Aegean Sea. We would come with our tents – or my father had a caravan – and go to a closed beach. There were family gatherings and also a traditional folk gathering – the August 15 celebrations for the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, a two-day celebration of wonderful music and fantastic food. All families cook – you eat food that has been cooked overnight in a wood oven. The tradition has been preserved to this day.

When I visit now, a typical day has a routine. We go down to cafe, where you drink your coffee. There’s a special one I go to almost every day called Meltemi Cafe in Chora. Chora is always the main town in the Greek islands and its position in Astypalaia is beautiful. It has a castle at the top, which is from the 14th century, and the ruins have a kind of dramatic beauty. From there you have a row of whitewashed houses forming a line towards the Port of Astypalea. In Meltemi they have small traditional pies filled with local cheese and topped with honey, so it’s both nice and sweet. They also make fantastic omelets. After a few hours chatting over coffee, I go to buy fruit from the neighboring shop and then head to the beach.

Since the island has this butterfly shape, you find interesting coves and beaches along the coastline. My favorite beach is Plakes, where the waters are extremely beautiful. It is very rocky, which is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I like it because you can swim from one rock to another. I also love Vatses. This is a dramatic beach with a bar that plays great music. It’s always nice to have some small tapas there accompanied by a cool beer. I go diving there with my partner and we find a high place to jump into the sea.

I’ll stay on the beach until I’m hungry and then I’ll go to one of my favorite tavernas. From Plakes, I would go down to Maltezana – the second largest village in Astypalaia – to Almyra restaurant, which has beautiful beginnings: they make the best taramasalat accompanied by dakos, a dry-baked bread. They have a special way of taking a Greek dish and adding a little twist. In Astropelos, which is in Livadi, another village located below Chora, you can eat excellent seafood – wonderful dishes such as grilled or raw fish. I really like ceviches made with fagri, or sea bream, sea urchin salad and sea bass carpaccio. The owner Maria is a fantastic host and they have an excellent wine list.

There is also a shop in Chora, Galeria Deximi Art & Design, that sells beautiful gifts made in Greece; I always like to pick up some things for my friends in London or Athens. When I stay in Astypalaia, I usually stay at a friend’s house, but if I recommend somewhere to visitors, I send them to the Traditional Kalderimi Houses, built into the hills just five minutes from Chora.

In the afternoon, before a shower and a nap, we make a stop at the traditional mill cafe. We will drink tsipouro or tsikoudia and have nice small discussions. You see the beautiful sunlight coming down slowly, because there is a balcony that looks out from the amphitheater, down the hill of Chora.

After showering, we will go to one of the nearby restaurants in the castle. I used to go to Agoni Grammi, where they make delicious stuffed vine leaves called dolmadakia, or further up towards the castle, Karai Kafenio, where they serve nice appetizers with a beautiful view. After dinner, there is the Archipelago Café & Bar, which is very sophisticated. It’s in a beautiful old building and they have the most delicious sweets. I normally have the red pepper chocolate cake, or the poached pear with sour cream, which is really refreshing.

Then it’s up the hill towards the castle, when we’ll pass by friends’ pubs. The places I like the most are Castro Bar, which plays very good music and has a great view, and for dancing, Artemis Bar, which has a very good DJ and makes nice cocktails. If we’re not too adventurous, we’ll go to sleep, but we tend to stay up quite late in Astypalaia. Maybe we’ll end up on a rooftop watching the sunrise. It has the most incredible colors – it just energizes you. You return to city life with your batteries charged, dreaming of your next visit.

Return flights to Athens with British Airways from £98, connecting flights to Astypalaia from £168 with Sky Express