A Greek beach on Andros Island has recently been singled out as the most secluded in Europe by the UK online travel agency “Loveholidays.”
According to the survey, Achla Beach, located in the northeast of the island of Andros, tops the list of dozens of beaches reviewed.
Loveholidays searched TripAdvisor reviews to discover destinations with the highest proportion of mentions of “secluded”, “isolated”, “remote” and “hidden.” Seven of the beaches on the top 20 list are located in Greece.
Achla Beach has some special features that make it stand out from the other beaches. It has fine white pebbles and sand while the emerald sea color is unique and the waves of water are peaceful even during times of strong wind. At one end of the beach stands the small chapel of Agios Nikolaos and on the other end is the imposing lighthouse of Gria.
The beach is approachable by a gravel road that leads to the new Monastery of St. Mama. The monastery, which was built on the ruins of an old temple from 1600, is a property of the Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas of Andros. Shortly beyond, there is a high point where visitors can climb to, where the entire stretch of beach is revealed in front of your eyes.
Approaching Achla Beach from the sea, as soon as you enter the beautiful bay, you will surely want to dive in even before you even reach the shore.
Achla is not just a beach, it is an important part of its surrounding natural environment and hosts a range of animals as well. There are impressive plane trees just a short distance from the sea.
The Achla River, one of the three major rivers of Andros, also enters the sea at Achla Beach. There is a lush ravine along its meandering way and an enchanting route to the plane tree forest wends its way behind Achla Beach.
Small waterfalls end in pools under ancient plane treesthat are suitable for swimming — a rare phenomenon in the Cyclades. If you are lucky you can find freshwater crabs as well as eels, hares, partridges and rare migratory birds and colorful dragonflies.
According to the Loveholidays survey, here are the top 20 secluded beaches in Europe:
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