"Greek Islands" Greece by andy2003

A five minute boat ride from paros and you have arrived at Antiparos.
Antiparos for me is the best greek island and it has been 20 years since my last visit due to the fact that I use to go there every year from the age of 8 to 14 years old.
It was the first holiday that i visited on my own at the age of 14 and I have even become a Godfather which makes me fill old but its all good.
It is World famous for its Cave as its the oldest cave in Europe with a stalgmite that dates to be 45 million years old.
The most ancient Cycadic idol was found here made of bone and only 35cm high.
This Island has a population of about 700 people thats one of the main reasons this Island is special, because it is so small and natural.
Even after not been there for 20 years all that has changed is along the port there is a main road with a few cars but once you enter the Village main path that leads you to the square(Ai Nikolas) no cars or motor bikes are allowed which is heaven for me.
The camp site opened in 1978 and has a totally nudist beech but you do not have to be nude which I gave up after the age of 10. It also has a lot of other beeches and only a few people know how to get to the best beech on the Island even to this day, you will have to get to know a local befor you discover this beech.
During peak season it is very busy but if you what to know what it is like to live on this Island as a local then visit in September and you will become a local.

The Camp site opened in 1978 and I was lucky to be one of the first people to stay there with my parents aged 8.
Yannis and Jenny the owners are two of the best people you would wish to meet and jenny's cooking is like my nan's greek food, home made food you can never beat.
The first people to visit Antiparos before the Camp site opened were infact Hippies who just wanted to camp wake up milk the goats go to the beech totally nude and just live naturally for a few weeks before going back to the cities in which they have come from.
Been totally free of cars and motor bikes this was as natural as you would get no tourists just day tripers who came to visit the cave and then back to Paros.
One such person was my aunt who did this and thats how Yiannis got the idea to open a camp site and start charging people to camp on his land progress began.
After my aunt told my parents then the following year we arrived to a small camp site full of maybe just 30-40 people in June/July.
Today if you go in September you will get the same feeling but in June july it is totally packed with over 1,000 people camping.
For more information then visit their web site:
www.camping-antiparos.gr

The main square is were everyone ends up, with a good variety of bars and even if the Island is so small the square is not compared to the much bigger Island of Ios its square is twice the size.
The Square is buzzing during the evening and they are a few more bars situated just of the square like The Doors and Lucky Lukes that both play rock music.
In the square the Music is mainly more house music with the two main bars been The Buzz Bar and The Smile Bar, ther are also two traditional bars in the square so it is a really busy place but without trouble.