For a taste of Patmos classics, this family-run taverna is difficult to contend with. Generations-old recipes are the heart of the kitchen, and the menu has barely changed. Order a selection of dishes to share – grilled octopus, golden zucchini balls, and fragrant rice-stuffed dolmades – and watch the sun set over Skala. 

Patmos-born Benetos is at the helm of Benetos Restaurant in Sapsila, a quiet village between Skala and Grikos. Having transformed his family home into an intimate restaurant, Benetos serves Greek classics with a modern twist, using herbs and vegetables grown in the allotments he owns across the island. With just fourteen tables, the restaurant fills up quickly during the summer season, so it's best to reserve a table well in advance.

Knock on the blue door below the Monastery, and you'll find Katerina Mourati at work. Her atelier is filled with expressive painting, delicate embroidery, sculpture, handmade jewellery and artworks that have earned a cult following far beyond Patmos, and she's often there to welcome visitors herself. You can also spot her curation of works in guesthouses around Patmos, her silk-paper artworks are displayed at Leda Space, while her painted wooden castings adorn the walls of Pagostas. 

Set just beyond Chora’s central roundabout, this house from the Patmos Heritage collection takes its name from the little chapel beside it. Two independent buildings frame a pebble-stone courtyard, while the rooftop terrace opens onto sweeping views of the sea, the Monastery and Patmos’ iconic windmills. Sleeping two to five guests, it works equally well for a couple or small family. The Konstantinidis family, who have restored and cared for these historic mansions since the 1960s, have kept the antique furnishings and traditional layout remarkably intact, preserving the character of the house rather than over-restoring it.