Imagine a Greek island as sophisticated and glamorous as Santorini and Mykonos but without all the honeymooners and partygoers.

Although it is part of the Cyclades, Kea doesn’t really seem like the typical Cycladic island. You won’t encounter whitewashed cubic houses and blue-domed churches. Instead, its architecture involves neoclassical houses with elegant architecture painted in earthy colours.

This little island effortlessly combines old rustic charm with 21st-century luxury, thanks to a smattering of boutique hotels and ritzy resort hotels.

Kea lies close to the southeast coast of Attica and is one of Greece’s best-kept secrets…among the Greeks, that is!

The island is a collection of small villages and hamlets surrounded by olive groves, and the general vibe is very relaxed, so don’t expect any nightclubs or rowdy bars.

It is one of the least known islands of the Cyclades for foreign visitors but very popular with Athenians.

Beloved by local Greeks, it hasn’t yet become the go-to spot for international travellers…until now.

Kea doesn’t have an airport so British tourists fly to Athens and pick up a ferry. ​Athens Airport has direct flights from London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Luton, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted. 

Kea can be reached from Lavrio on the Greek mainland by ferry. The ferry takes around 1 hour, runs several times per day (more frequently in summer), and is able to transport vehicles. The ferry docks at Korissia on Kea.

The island itself has a lot of great beaches to check out and there are numerous little villages worth exploring, with plenty of historical monuments and sights to keep culture vultures happy when they tire of the beach.

The island’s two main towns, Ioulida and Korissia, are fun places to hang out in for a few days, too, with pretty town squares, plenty of cobbled back streets to explore and a great selection of cafes, tavernas and little bars.

What it definitely does have is a smattering of high-end luxury spa hotels like Ydor to cater for the wealthier tourists, but there are plenty of other more affordable accommodations on the island.

Kea is most famous for the stone-carved Lion of Kea (also known as the Lion of Ioulis or Liontas) that dates to at least 600 BC.

According to greektravel.com it is the yuppies from Athens that have made this island a worthy competitor to Santorini.

The site reveals: “Kea was discovered by the artist Fasianos and he paved the way for an army of artists who followed him here.

“Then one of Greece’s many millionaires built a house on the island which of course caused all the other Greek millionaires to want one here as well. This got the attention of anyone in Athens who had money to spend on an island house only two hours away from Greece’s capital.

“In that sense it became like an Hydra for yuppies and middle-class Athenians who flood the island in the summer and warm weekends.

“But in Ioulis where you can only restore and people must leave their cars at the entrance of the town, life is pretty much the way it has always been. So while on other islands you have to be vigilant and prepared to jump out of the way of speeding motorcycles piloted by sunburned tourists, in this main town in the centre of the island you are safe and can relax.

“However you need to be alert so you don’t get knocked over by the occasional passing donkey on one of the narrow back streets!” 

The Hotel Guru adds: “Kea looks and feels very different from the rest of the Cyclades. The landscape varies from a spectacularly craggy coastline, to dry plains, followed by fertile hills and verdant valleys of orchards and olive groves. The architecture is earthier, and less stark than the rest of the group, too.

“The ruined settlements of Kefala and Karthea will fascinate history buffs, whilst the village of Korissia, on a gorgeous natural harbour, is brilliant for days at the seaside.

Tripadvisor suggests the Porto Kea Suites by Sandglass as their bestseller. Out of high season there are hotel rooms on the island from £50 a night.