The Greek island is as sophisticated and charming as Santorini and Mykonos, but there are no honeymooners and partygoers.
It's part of Cyclades, but the care doesn't actually look like the typical Cyclades island. You will not encounter whitewashed cubic houses or blue churches. Instead, the architecture includes neoclassical homes with elegant architecture painted in rustic colors.
This small island is effortlessly combined with old rustic charm and 21st century luxury thanks to its boutique hotels and ritsy resort hotels.
The care is located near the southeast coast of Attica and is one of Greece's finest secrets… among the Greeks, that is!
The island is a collection of small villages and settlements surrounded by olive groves, and the general atmosphere is very relaxed so don't expect nightclubs or rough bars.
This is one of the least known islands of cyclades for foreign visitors, but it is very popular with Athenians.
Beloved by local Greeks, it has not yet become a reliable place for international travelers up until now.
Since KEA does not have an airport, British tourists fly to Athens to pick up the ferry. Athens Airport offers direct flights from London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Luton, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted.
KEA can be contacted by ferry from Lavrio on mainland Greece. The ferry takes about an hour and runs several times a day (often in the summer) and transports the vehicle. A ferri dock in Kolicia, Care.
The island itself has plenty of great beaches to check out, plenty of small villages worth exploring, and plenty of historic monuments and attractions to keep the culture's vultures happy when you're tired of the beach.
Two major towns on the island, Iurida and Corissia, are fun places to stroll around for several days. There is a beautiful town square, plenty of cobbled streets to explore, cafes, tavernas and lots of small bars.
What you definitely have is the scattering of high-end luxury spa hotels like YDOR to cater to wealthy tourists, but there are plenty of other affordable accommodations on the island as well.
KEA is most famous for its lion carved into the stones of KEA (also known as the Iuris or Lionta lion), which appears in 600 BC.
According to Greektravel.com, it is Athens' Yuppie who made the island a great competitor.
The site states, “Kea was discovered by artist Facyanos, who paved the way for the army of artists who followed him here.
“Then one of many Greek billionaires has built a house on the island, and of course, all the other Greek billionaires want here too.
“In that sense, it became like the hydra for the yuppies and middle-class Athenians, which flooded the island over the summer and warm weekends.
“But at Iris, where you can recover and people have to leave their cars to the entrance to the town, life is life as usual. Therefore, on other islands you must be vigilant and ready to speed up the motorcycles piloted by tanned tourists.
“However, you need to be careful not to be beaten by the asses that occasionally pass by on one of the narrow streets!”
The hotel's leading expert added: “Kea looks very different from other Cyclade. The landscape ranges from spectacular, crude coastlines to arid plains. Fertile hills and lush valleys follow the orchards and olive arboretum. The architecture is rustic and far outstripped from the other groups.
“The devastated settlements of Kefala and Cartea attract history lovers, but the village of Colician, located in a gorgeous natural port, is fantastic for days on the beach.
Tripadvisor offers the bestseller Porto Care Suite in Sandglass. From high season, the island has hotel rooms starting from £50 per night.
