Fyriplaka, Milos, Greece

Milos is just excellent. Loved Milos. Would go back there tomorrow. It's not quite on the beaten track that most tourists follow, but it beginning to head that way a little. The better restaurants on the island are pretty busy, and then there's a sharp and clear gap between the next level of quality, with a lot of tourist fodder restaurants. The port town of Adamanatas is where the worst of the tourist nonsense seems to occur, with other towns/villages much less 'invaded' in the shoulder seasons. Certainly there are things to do on Milos, aside from sunbathing, but with so many amazing beaches, why would you bother?


Milos can be harder to get around than some islands, as the roads tend to turn to dust at certain points. If you want to get to the truly isolated places you can a) jam onto a boat with dozens of other people also wanting to do the same, or b) hire a 4x4. Your insurance won't cover trips too far to the West of the island, which means you have a limited number of beaches you can visit if you go with 'standard car' option. There are some truly excellent options

We stayed at Paleochori beach rather than Plaka or Adamanatas, which was a great decision. It takes a little longer to get set up, a little bit of a drive, and not too many amenities, but a lovely place to be based.The beach itself was relatively quiet, with a scattering of nudity (partial mostly) at either end of the main beach. To the left of the screen is more of the same, with a rocky area at the end. If you cross that, then full nudity was the norm in our experience.

But this was not the best in life. And I am, if nothing else, motivated to find as close to the best as I can achieve... Unwilling to join the young ripped set who jumped on aforementioned boats, and not fussed about forking out for a 4x4 we head off for what is arguably the most lovely (easily accessible) beach on the island - Fyriplaka...

  
From all accounts, the levels of nudity on this beach can be variable, but it was a good mix when we arrived. There is a distinct nudie section at the leftmost edge of the beach, past the rrock in the centre. As you got closer to the left edge, clothes became less and less common. Toplessness was common, even at the 'party end' with the kantina, music and umbrellas. 

Both of us stayed swimsuited for the first hour or so, my partner wasn't keen to go the 'all nude, all of the time' section. This was less about the nudists and more about the pseudo-voyeurs. The beach is made up of amazing rock formations, and these often seemed to be an excuse for pasty, middle aged, British tourists to wander up the length of the beach looking directly towards those reclining on it ("Oh no, we're not here for the nudity, we're looking at the ROCKS..."). I'm sure that the rocks did play a part in all the walking and looking, but it was slightly uncomfortable with the fairly direct gazes of people who weren't naked themselves.

We located ourselves in the slightly more mixed section, more toplessness than full nudity. After settling in (and thoroughly enjoying the beach in and of itself), and seeing various 'waves' of clothing loss and gain, I took off my shorts in the water, and then walked back to my towel nude. Due to the mix of clothing options, this didn't seem out of place, except that it may have helped one nearby couple make a decision themselves and joined in - making the nude section slightly longer than previously.

The beach was lovely, although the wind picked up from time to time. The water was very warm and clear. It was quite the scenic spot, with the colours of the rocks being QUITE viewable from the water and the beach without the 'close inspections' the (mostly) British seemed quite invested in. 

Grade: 8/10
Difficulty of access: 3/10 (it can be a little hard if you have difficulty walking at the early stages)
Likelihood of others being around: 10/10
Ease for a skinny dipping newbie: 5/10