A tiny, quiet charmer, the island is barely an hour and a half by ferry from Athens, but a world away from its traffic, crowds, and busloads of tourists. Donkeys, not cars, wend their way the main cobblestoned town full of appealing tavernas and cafes. Our choice of a place to stay: the Bratsera Hotel, a converted nineteenth-century sponge factory with a chic pool for when you’re not up for a long hike to secluded beaches.