Dafnis Studios, Koufonissi

I booked directly with Dafnis Studios after finding them on an online booking site. Going direct enabled me to secure a slight discount over the advertised price. The owner, an extremely friendly and helpful Greek man, insisted on picking me up from the ferry port even though the accommodation is only a 10-minute walk away (as you can see in the above photo). I was glad of the lift though, as the roads on Koufonissi are a bit rough so dragging my case would have been difficult.

The apartment itself was lovely: fairly basic in a traditional Greek sense, but clean and well furnished. The air conditioning was strong enough to keep the room cool, and the bed was a comfortable double. There are plenty of amenities in the room: iron, hairdryer, kettle, fridge, TV etc. Also the WiFi – considering it’s a small, independent hotel – was fantastic, and the internet surprisingly fast. Sometimes the signal was good enough that I could still use WiFi down at the nearby Lefteris bar/restaurant on the beach!

The back of the room opens out onto a small communal terrace, with extra seating and partial views down to the beach and main town.

Koufonissi is an amazing island, perhaps one of the nicest in all of Greece: small enough to walk everywhere and a selection of the best beaches I’ve ever seen. Even the main town beach is nicer than most you would find in hard to reach places on other islands.

I suspect in a few years Koufonissi could end up being the new Mykonos – overpriced and over-run with affluent tourists – which would be a terrible shame. My advice if you want to see it at its best: go sooner rather than later!

Some reviews of Dafnis Studios criticise the lack of pool, but most accommodation on the island don’t have pools either, and honestly with a fantastic beach just 5 minutes away, you don’t really need one.

I definitely recommend visiting Koufonissi, and if you do, you won’t go far wrong staying at Dafnis Studios.