Postcard from Kimolos

POSTCARD FROM | CABANA TRAVEL | WORLD OF CABANA

Athens-based travel writer, Kate Lough, takes a boat to the otherworldly Greek island of Kimolos, a small and volcanic gem in the Cyclades, where she luxuriates in thalassotherapy, the bliss of solitude, and the island’s distinctive traditional character.

BY KATE LOUGH | CABANA TRAVEL | 11 JULY 2025

Balcony at Thavma, Kimolos. © Thavma Cyclades

Technically, this is my third visit to Kimolos. The first was just a matter of hours. I came by boat with friends from Polyaigos, dropping anchor in its tiny port for shrimps with orzo and ouzo, with our feet in the sand. Afterwards we bobbed around in a bay where smooth bulbous rocks gleamed silver. Where fishermen’s houses are carved into caves with colorful doors with peeling paint. And as we sped back to Serifos, I made a mental note to return to this small volcanic isle with its otherworldly atmosphere.

Last year, I came back with a lover, making good on my promise. We stayed up in the wilder north, perched above Prassa where powdery sand glows with a lunar lustre. This year, I came alone. Holed up for three days in one of the traditional houses I had seen from the boat. Its shutters now painted a pretty duck egg blue and its walls brilliant white.

The house is part of Thavma Cyclades, an ongoing project by Evangelos Ismailos, which breathes new life into old fishermen’s houses (syrmata) in Kimolos and Milos — the northern tip of which is 1km away — sensitively renovating and restoring them, while offering a financial kickback to their owners. Meaning miracle in Greek, Thavma’s new bolthole in Kimolos feels nothing short of one.

A single-story white house set atop a rocky bluff, it teeters over the water’s edge so that you feel as if you are at sea. An expansive terrace hugs its entire length, affording wraparound views of sapphire water, out of which surrealist rock formations rise up— shaped by wind and waves and time. It peers over Karras, to your left, and Goupa, to your right; two calm bays characterised by iridescent stone that are ripe for jumping and diving. Further around the right is Rema, where Cine Kalisperitis, the locally organized nomadic summer cinema, often pops up by an elephant-shaped rock.

Ismailos worked with an architect, Lito Karamitsou, to bring to life his vision, which prioritizes the preservation of character and craftsmanship. There are many poetic moments to discover inside, both old and new: intact woven straw ceilings using the century-old psatha technique unique to Kimolos; traditional portello doors commissioned to frame the views from every room; sinks repurposed from stone; and antique wooden furniture and objects inspired by the interiors of old homes on the island.

Even when a cool northern wind blows down the island’s chalky spine (‘kimolia’ means chalk in Greek), the house seems surrounded by a force-field of quiet and still turquoise water. Keeping the shutters peeled back at all times, I go to bed and wake with the sun, luxuriating in having the east-facing Karras to myself for the first dip of the day. After, I drift down to the port, Psathi, for a freddo espresso at Lostromos. Where the owner’s ancient golden retriever, Cuervo, greets me at the door like a long lost friend.

As the sky turns lilac each evening, I make the short walk into Chorio. Lying at the foot of the Xaplovouni Mountain, Chorio is built around the ruins of a medieval castle — a village within a village — with the blue dome of the imposing Church of Panagia Odigitria visible from every twist and turn of its labyrinthine, car-free streets.

Kids race past, and yiayiades take their evening walk at a more glacial pace, as I stock up on supplies for the next day. From Farma tou samplou, a grocer’s and butcher's run by Antonis Antivahis, I take home xinotyri, a local sour cheese, and thick sheep’s yoghurt that I eat with a dark honey like treacle from Milos. I stop in at Kalo Kardi for imam and horta, before a nightcap in the main square.

But during the days, bar a visit to my favourite taverna, Kalamitsi, towards the south, I am mostly at the house. Because it is the kind of place that is so thoughtfully designed, so peaceful and so perfect for a committed thalassophile, that I have no need to leave.

Thavma interiors, Kimolos. © Thavma Cyclades