Lipsi

Nope, it’s not the long-forgotten fifth Teletubby. It’s the Dodecanese isle of Lipsi. Shaped like an egg timer between Patmos and Leros, this is one of the last bastions of Greece before the Turquoise Coast of Turkey. You’ll need to ditch the pager and alarm clocks for a visit – sleepy doesn’t quite do it! A single village is all that exists, with squat cottages picked out in Microsoft blue and cloud white. The backcountry is scrubby hills speckled with olive groves and eucalyptus. And the beaches are gorgeous little stretches, hitting a zenith with the resplendent pebbles of Hohlakoura or tree-speckled Platis Gialos.