According to Greek mythology, the goddess of hunting, Artemis, and her twin brother Apollo were born on the sacred isle of Delos, at the center of a circular group of islands. The islands, famed for their beauty, came to be associated with divinity, and because they were in the form of a rough circle, they were named the Cyclades- or, in Greek, Kikládhes, `encircling islands’. Nobody really believes the stories about Apollo and Artemis any more, but looking at the Cyclades, you can well imagine why the gods would have chosen these isles as their birthplace.  

The Cyclades are, without exaggeration, amongst the most beautiful of places on earth. Whether it’s Mykonos, with its elegant cube-like white houses, its bright bougainvillea and its rowdy bars; whether it’s Paros, with its wonderful Byzantine cathedral and its marble quarries- the Cyclades are spectacular. Travel to Naxos, the largest of the islands, and you’ll come to a rich, fertile isle crowded with churches and windmills; go south to Santorini (also called Thira) and you’ll see the remains- in the form of a vast caldera- of what was probably one of the most violent volcanic eruptions of all time.  

Make your way to Sifnos, with its ancient forts, its hills and its excellent pottery; or head for the very `Greek’ Tinos, the dignified Andros; and, of course- make the mandatory trip to the fabled Delos, minus its divine babes, but with an ancient and deserted temple still standing amidst the rocks...