Aponissos Beach

Aponissos, the Caribbean of the Saronic Gulf

The first time you see Aponissos you cannot quite believe it. The water is such an intense, bright turquoise that it looks like an Instagram filter applied to real life. You stop. You blink. And you confirm that yes, that colour genuinely exists.

Aponissos is the south-western tip of Agistri. It is a tiny privately owned islet, joined to the main island by a small stone bridge. Cross it and you enter another world. To the left, a sheltered cove with white loungers and straw umbrellas. To the right, a rock platform with steps going straight down into the turquoise water.

The islet’s owner has set up a taverna right above the sea. The tables, under a wooden pergola, look out over the cove. The menu is short but memorable: grilled octopus, fresh squid, Greek salad. And ice-cold Mythos beer, which at two in the afternoon tastes like heaven.

The water at Aponissos is what makes this beach famous. A colour that shifts from blue to green depending on the light. So clear you can watch the fish swim under your feet. Ideal for snorkelling around the islet’s rocks. There are shoals of little silver fish and, if you are lucky, the odd starfish.

Access costs a few euros (the islet is private). Loungers are charged separately, around 5 to 8 euros. If you would rather not spend, you can sit on the rocks on the other side of the bridge. The water is the same. So is the magic.

In high season, August above all, Aponissos fills up. Pleasure boats anchor in the bay and the loungers vanish. But in June and September it is paradise. Come early in the morning. Ten o’clock is a perfect time. The sun is not yet fierce, the water is flat as a mirror and the loungers are waiting for you, empty.

Aponissos was our first swim on Agistri. It was also our last. Because after doing every beach on the island, we came back here. To say goodbye to the turquoise water and promise ourselves we would return one day.