Paxí's tiny sibling Andípaxi has scarcely any accommodation and no facilities beyond several beach tavernas open during the day in season. It is most easily reached by the frequent shuttle kaïkia from Gáïos (¬3-4). The sandy, blue-water coves have been compared with the Caribbean, but you'll have to share them with kaïkia and sea taxis from all three villages, plus larger craft from Corfu (boats from Paxí may also take you to its sea stacks and caves, the most dramatic in the Ionian islands).

 

Boats basically deposit you either at the sandy Vríka beach or the longer pebble beach of Vatoúmi . Vríka has a taverna at each end, of which Spiros (tel 06620/31 172) has good food and can arrange self-catering accommodation up in Vígla , the island's hilltop settlement, on a weekly basis. Vatoúmi's only facility is the justifiably named Bella Vista , perched on a cliff high above the beach, although a taverna was under construction behind the beach at the time of writing.

For a swim in quieter surroundings the trick is to head south away from the pleasure-craft moorings, although path widening has made even the quieter bays more accessible. Paths also lead inland to connect the handful of homes and the southerly lighthouse, but there are no beaches of any size on Andípaxi's western coastline and thick thorny scrub makes it difficult to approach. In low season, there's also the risk of bad weather keeping pleasure craft in port and stranding you on the island